How To Hire: 4 Ways to Attract Top Talent to Your Practice
October 8, 2021
Feel like your practice has a revolving door? Attracting and hiring new employees while retaining current employees has completely changed since 2019. I’m sure you’ve noticed the “Help Wanted” signs that can be found at gas stations and restaurants all over the country. The need for more employees is evident everywhere and in most businesses. A branch of McDonald’s has even tried to sweeten the deal by offering new hires an iPhone. Other companies are offering sign-on bonuses and raising new hire pay above what long-time employees are earning, creating a vicious circle of people quitting to see if there is anything better out there for them.
COVID-19 altered priorities for many people. No one wants to work a job where they feel unfulfilled, especially with the all-too-real threat of illness or catastrophic change in the balance. Now more than ever, it’s time for dental practices to invest in company culture by listening to the concerns and requests of their employees.
We’ll be starting a 5 part blog series that will give you the instruction to be an employee magnet. So how do you attract top talent with so much competition for employees? Let’s take a look.
4 Ways to Attract Top Talent to Your Practice:
#1 Have a Strong Online Reputation
Having a strong online reputation attracts more than just new patients — it attracts new employees. It’s important to make sure that your online reputation speaks to both target audiences. The easiest way to do this is by creating a culture page on your website, making sure you have good reviews on Google, LinkedIn, and Glassdoor, and posting social media pictures that brag about your work culture.
- Website
Just like you have testimonials and patient info on your website, you should also include a “Join Our Culture” page targeted at potential employees. This page will not only set you apart from other local employers, but it will give interviewees a chance to be excited about joining the team and buy in before they even meet with you.
What to Include on a Website Culture Page:
- Culture Video
- Core Values
- Mission Statement
- Job Descriptions
- Online Application
- Community Sponsorships
- Culture Pictures
- Reviews
How do your online reviews look? Let’s start with Google — as you know, a strong Google rating is an easy way to show viewers “Hey, we’re a quality practice!” This speaks to both potential patients and potential employees. Reviews on Google speak about the practice as a whole, but reviews on sites such as LinkedIn and Glassdoor specifically show potential employees what type of company you are.
- Social Media
If you only post educational, informational, or stock photos on your social media, you’re missing out on showing potential employees what a “day in the life” could look like. Do you celebrate birthdays? Post a picture of the team with a cake! Do you sponsor community events? Post about it! Show potential employees that working at your practice is more than just clocking in and clocking out.
#2 Have Consistent Messaging
Having consistent messaging clarifies what your practice’s purpose in the world is. Show potential employees how their work at your practice can give them fulfillment through clear, consistent messaging. Words are powerful and can incite emotion, motivation, and inspiration — capture your purpose through such words and share it everywhere. Make it memorable and have all of your current employees help with the messaging to create a stronger culture while making sure everyone’s message is the same.
Top 3 Places To Implement Consistent Messaging:
- Website
- Job Ad
- In-Person Conversations or Interviews
#3 Review Benefits Package
With the hiring market increasingly more competitive, this is an excellent time to review your practice’s benefits package for all employees. This is the time to put the feedback you’ve heard around the office into action. Show your current and potential employees how valuable they are by making them a benefits package worthy of career loyalty. Be thinking of ways to make work-life balance a little easier. For example, if your office opens at 8, but you require employees to arrive at 7:15 for morning huddles or to prep, you’re isolating yourself from a large demographic of quality workers — moms. By providing partially or fully for childcare, you just made working at your practice much more valuable to working moms.
What a Competitive Benefits Package Should Look Like:
- Medical Insurance
- Dental Insurance
- Matching IRA or 401k
- Pay that is at least average for the area
- Paid-Time-Off
- Raise system
- Continuing education assistance
#4 Focus on Developing a Culture
Focusing on developing a strong culture should be just as important as filling out your daily work schedule. When your culture is strong, your employees will feel fulfilled, enjoy their work, and brag about it to their friends. This is important because your quality employees are friends with other quality employees outside of the workplace. So if you create an inviting, magnetizing culture — your employees will act as practice ambassadors, recruiters, and protectors of your business.
Not sure how to do this?
In our next blog, we’ll discuss the 5 Secrets to Developing a Strong Work Culture.