I recently got the chance to interview Kimberly Pittman of KDLP Enterprises about the staffing work she does for dentistries. Pittman shared a wealth of insight into her method for conducting candidate searches and told me a little bit about what she looks for in applicants.
Pittman also offers other services for dental and medical practices–business consulting, HR management, document preparation, healthcare administration consulting–but when it comes to her staffing services, Pittman, who is hired by dental practices to find candidates, handles “all of the bells and whistles with the exception of the final hiring decision.” She creates skills tests for positions, researches resumes and applicants, conducts interviews, schedules working interviews, develops pay schedules, and gives a final recommendation for hire.
So what does she look for in an applicant?
Pittman said that professionalism, personality, multitasking and being a team player are her main go-to characteristics. “A winning personality coupled with the willingness to learn will outshine an experienced candidate with a solemn attitude any day of the week,” she said.
But first thing’s first. The resume. The number one thing Pittman recommends making sure is on your resume is contact information. “You would be surprised at how many resumes I receive that don’t have the contact information!” she said. “It’s very frustrating to think you’ve found a perfect candidate and find that the phone number is missing.” If you don’t have a phone number, she said, a valid email address would suffice. “In addition to the contact information, I look for related experience to the actual position, job stability, education level and personalized cover letter.”
When it comes to what she doesn’t like to see on resumes, Pittman responded with job hopping, referring to anyone who’s had five or more jobs in the last 12 months. “Let’s just say that job hopping will not get you a callback,” she said. Pittman said her philosophy on job hopping is this: if five jobs in the last one year didn’t work out for a candidate, the issue probably lies with the candidate and not the jobs. For those who have a job-hopping resume, Pittman suggests doing some self-reflection to make sure dentistry is the right industry for you.
If you have been job seeking for a while without any luck, Pittman recommends volunteering. “It builds your list of marketable skills and allows you to network during your job hunting process,” she said. While volunteering, Pittman said you should still be continuing to send out your resume, while making what she referred to as blind calls. “A blind call is when you basically pound the pavement and hand deliver your resume–and your smile–to local DDS offices with a friendly request to keep you in mind when an opportunity comes available.”
Because she’s a pro at this, we asked Pittman for her top five interview tips, which we listed here:
- Regardless of the position, dress professionally unless you have been told beforehand that it’s ok to wear scrubs
- Be punctual.
- SMILE!!
- Be honest. We always find out the truth.
- Ask questions.
We hope Pittman’s advice is as helpful to you as it was to us. It’s always good to know what someone who hires people for a living thinks about the approach of the applicants. Even if you’re in a job you love right now, it doesn’t hurt to file Pittman’s advice in the back of your mind for when it comes time to send out resumes!
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