Mastering Your Associate Interview James Wanamaker DDS
Plan For Today What type of position do you want? What are practices looking for in an associate? Before the Interview During the Interview After the Interview
What Are Your Goals? Location Type of Practice Type of Position Personal Financial
What are Practices Looking for in an Associate?
Please describe your ideal associate in a single sentence. I always look for an open mind, a passion to learn, and integrity. Extremely professional, polite, and courteous. Able to make patients feel at ease and laugh, and has integrity. Hard working and willing to deal with the growing pains of converting old practices. Works hard and works well with the office staff. An ideal associate knows his/her limitations but isn t afraid to learn new procedures and techniques. He/she needs to be competent and do good dentistry. My ideal associate would be looking for a long term relationship/ partnership and be willing to work hard to grow the practice. Patient oriented and well trained Great communication skills A dentist with not only clinical skills but communication and leadership skills to match.
Prepare for your interview Practice history Review website Social media presence Talk to other trusted dentists and specialists
Interviews are like Dates Interviews may not always be in a formal setting Social setting Coffee/Dinner interviews Shadowing
1/10 th of a Second
Gentlemen Let s Suit Up Fresh Haircut/shave Tailored suit neutral navy blue or charcoal Classic white shirt with straight collars avoid bold colors or patterns that can be seen as flashy Conservative tie simple pattern that matches body type (reds/blues) Brown or black round tip dress shoes match belt to shoes Match socks to pants Avoid digital or sport watches
Ladies Pants/suit jacket with a blouse Button down or nice sweater (blues and grays) Skirts at knee length or below with stockings Covered shoulders Heels only if you can tolerate them all day or not complain about your feet Subtle nail polish color or none at all Cover tattoos Simple jewelry/simple makeup
Master your Handshake and Smile
Body Language Albert Mehrabian s definitive study on verbal and non-verbal communication found that 7% of communication is what you say: actual words 38% is how you say it: things like your tone of voice, rate of speech and volume 55% is non-verbal: all the other nonverbal cues and signals you give without saying anything - general appearance, facial expression, body language and gestures Avoid slouching, fidgeting, and averting your eyes are all behaviors that might make you appear deceptive or awkward Never use your phone or look at your watch
Jedi Mind Trick Mirroring When two people become comfortable with each other they may subconsciously copy the other person s body language. Mirroring is not mimicking Only reflect positive body language and speech Don t overdo it
Read the Room Be mindful of everyone in the interview room Make eye contact with everyone Observe and be friendly to staff
What questions are they going to ask you?
What types of questions will they ask you? 1. Credential: education, certification, licensure (5%) 2. Technical: knowledge necessary for the job (5%) 3. Experience: typically clinical in nature (20%) 4. Opinion: self-evaluation; yields the candidate s opinion about a given future situation. (10%) 5. Behavioral: work-related, behavioral responses from the candidate s past or present. (60%)
Opening Questions Can you walk me through your resume? Why are you interested in this position? Tell us about yourself. Where do you see yourself in 5/10 years? What are you looking for in a dental practice? Are you interested in eventual partnership or ownership? How soon?
Clinical Skills Can you talk about your experience with general and specialties procedures? Can you talk about the equipment you are comfortable with? Tell me about a challenging dental case you completed. What type of procedures /CE courses do you hope to learn in the coming year/skills you want to develop? Where are some areas you need to grow?
Interpersonal/People Management Skills Your patient arrives late for his/her appointment. How will you handle the situation? You are running 20 minutes late for your next patient. How will you handle that? A patient is trying to dictate treatment. How will you respond? Are you comfortable working with children?
Interpersonal/People Management Skills Continued... The parent of your pediatric patient is stressing out the child. How will you handle the situation? Tell me about a time you had to teach someone something new. Tell me about a time you had a disagreement with a faculty member. How did you address it? Tell me about a time you failed.
Practice Management Questions How do you plan on growing the practice? What do you think will be the most challenging aspect of your transition to our practice? What qualities are you looking for in a practice?
Now, what questions do you ask them?
Your patient care questions Where will my patients come from? How will new patients get distributed between the providers Is there any guarantee for patients? Do I perform all the procedures that I treatment plan? Will I be completing treatment plans other providers create? If I have a cancelation, can I fill in the open appointment with hygiene patients to stay busy? How much autonomy will I have to plan, schedule, and execute?
Your compensation questions What fringe benefits are available? Is health insurance included? How will I be compensated? Fixed salary, % of production/collections, production bonuses What procedures will I be compensated for?
Your questions continued Who pays the lab bill and do I have a choice in labs? Is there a fee to use any in-house milling system? Is there a path to partnership or ownership in this practice? If so, do I get the right of first refusal? What is your 1, 5, and 10-year vision for the practice?
Your questions continued Can I spend some time shadowing at the practice prior to committing? Best way to vet the practice Look at systems in place for scheduling, sterilization, upkeep of equipment If for some reason our agreement does not work out, what are the terms for leaving the practice?
Finish Strong Emphasize your honest interest in the position. I just wanted to let you know that I am very interested in this opportunity and I am ready to take the next step, whatever that is. How should I proceed from here? Hand Written Thank You Notes the next day Potentially call in 3-4 days Don t appear desperate
Final Thoughts Remember, it s who you are, not what you know Be confident but humble Practice makes perfect Go with your gut. If something doesn t feel right there is probably a good reason for it.
Questions? James Wanamaker DDS jameswanamaker@gmail.com www.jameswanamakerdds.com