One of the biggest concerns of soon to be Dental professionals is where they will work after dental school. This is especially true if you are going to school in one city and after graduation you are wanting to relocate to a different city to start your career. Here are my top 3 methods of how to navigate the waters and how to land that dream position.
Internet Search with a Personal Touch
Fortunately all successful dental practices have an online presence. Usually the more google/facebook/yelp reviews the better the practice is ran and also usually more profitable. If I was graduating dental school today, I would look up the top 30-50 dental practices in my area of relocation, and jot down their address and owning Dentists name. I would then proceed to send a nice custom letter that is bigger than the typical business envelops. The address and return address should be written in your hand writing, skip the fancy labels.
Content to the custom letters:
1.) Let them know you are moving to the area
2.) Your preference is an associateship/partnership, but open to starting up a practice cold
3.) You are a hard worker, and willing to be mentored
4.) Lastly, you need to talk about the type of dentist you want to be and the reputation you wish to build as a practicing dentist.
Regional Dental Conferences
This one is hit and miss depending on where you wish to practice. If the city you wish to practice is a bigger one, and it coincides with a regional dental conference, I would bring lots of resumes to hand out, and make sure you dress to impress. A lot of dental employment and buy-in opportunities are from word of mouth. For instance, at the Chicago Dental Society Conference this year there were over 30,000 dental professionals.
So, you decided to go to the conference, how do you find these dentists that are interested in hiring in an associate? Go to the C.E course about selling a practice or adding another dentist to a practice. Usually each conference has 2-5 courses related to business and practice management. This is the sweet spot.
Commercial Lenders at Banks and Dental Supply Reps
So, this is actually how my wife found her employment opportunity. Having a network that is looking out for you is always beneficial. Lenders are usually one of the first individuals to know if a dental practice is looking to expand or sell. If you have a CPA or Advisor that specializes in the dental world that would also, be a reasonable place to ask around. Lenders are willing to establish a relationship with from the start. The reason behind this is they know you will hopefully one day buy a practice and will need a loan. They are usually willing to lend some help with introductions. Dental Supply reps from Patterson or Henry Schein also have some good insights into your dental ecosphere.
Ultimately, You Need To Network
Once you find your seemingly perfect match, remember to dig a little deeper and find out if that dental office can support your income requirements coming out of school. If you want to know more information about how to see if an employment contract is a good fit financially, check out this article for your next steps. How to Identify a Great Dental Associateship Employment Contract From a Financial Perspective
As always, if you wish to meet with White Coat Wealth Management for a free consultation to see if working together would be a good fit. Click This Link To Schedule Some Time Today! We work virtually with dentists and dental students all over the country.