DUE DILIGENCE · Apr 08, 07:32 PM
These days we at Dental Link Services are continuously faced with the challenges of verifying information submitted to us by our prospective dental staffing applicants. Our quality screening process has become more valuable than ever. Here at Dental Link Services, we explore all avenues available to us, so that you may feel secure and confident that the candidates we present are of the highest caliber.
It is absolutely necessary to follow through with confirmation calls with regard to each and every one of their professional references.
Work history is another pertinent piece of the screening puzzle, providing information can tell a larger story. For example, having many employers listed and all of them are short term that is a red flag to me – we then have to ask the question, “why are they job jumping?” I would rather see a candidate that has held only two positions that are long term than an applicant with several short term jobs. Unless they have good verifiable reasons for this, they would not be a candidate for Dental Link. My reason for this is clear; one, I feel the chances of them staying anywhere I place them is questionable and two I would not feel this would be in the best interests of our clients. Also it is mandatory that we verify their employment references with a direct report. This doesn’t mean a coworker they had some beers with on Fridays night, this means a supervisor or their present or previous employer.
Background checks are a routine part of the process of acceptance. We realize that people make mistakes and have the ability to move beyond them, so when the problem is a very minor offense, many times a candidate can be acceptable (as long as our client is comfortable with all details). On the other hand there are certain offenses that there are no exceptions for.
Recently, we have noticed an increased level of applicant information which can not be verified and discovery of many assorted personal and even criminal records, which could be disastrous to any honest business. So where do we go from here? Well I can tell you where Dental Link services goes. WE STOP at this point. Rest assured that the employment standards at DLS are equal to or more often will exceed your own. We could not in good conscience refer anyone to you that wouldn’t measure up to our own high standards.
Credentials are another issue. We also verify all Hygienist licenses for any suspensions and make sure it is active, the same with all the Dentists we place. Dentists registered with us have to have a current Texas license and DEA number along with liability insurance. With regard to dental assistants this is a completely different set of tasks that we could go on and on about, but I will keep it short and sweet. If the dental assistant is fresh out of school they have to have completed an accredited program, an externship and have taken their RDA test and passed. For those assistants who have been in the industry a while and do not have their RDA but do have there CDA, they can still work under a Dentist’s supervision while they are obtaining their RDA. If they are from out of state they fall under the same guide lines as a CDA, but also must take the RDA. We encourage all assistants to get their RDA.
The interview process is where we really get to know our applicants. You cannot tell much about a person other than what their qualifications state on their resume unless you meet with them first. To be able to match our applicants’ skills and personalities with the specific culture and requirements for your practice means that it is mandatory we meet with each prospective applicant face-to-face. And we NEVER sign up any one without meeting them. This benefits both the applicant looking for employment and the dental practice seeking employees. Our interviews cover their work history in detail, their skill levels and what they are looking for in a practice. We get a feel for their personality and their goals. All of this aids us in finding that perfect match. Our goal is to ensure your comfort level, trust and satisfaction in your newly found employee.
We look forward to assisting you in your pursuit for that next team member. SUCCESS IS WHAT YOU MAKE IT, YOUR SUCCESS IS OUR GOAL!
Till next time!
— Judy
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