Landing your first associate job

[crooked castle]

Do any of the dental students here know how tough it is to get your first associate job? How do you market yourself to more dentists faster to get a higher chance of being hired?

What is the process like and how do dentists decide who to hire (gpa/rank, personality, interview, etc)?

Also, I was thinking about talking to my current dentist (I am his patient) if he might be willing to mentor me (and possibly give me a job or refer me to his colleagues) after I'm out in 4 years? Do people do this?

Thanks!

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[ItsGavinC]

It can be tough to get a job that fulfills all of your personal requirements. For example, you may like the pay but not the location. You may like the doctor but not the staff. You may like the technologies used in the office but not be able to stand the patient pool.

You should anticipate many of these things and understand that this is what happens when you work in the real world. Ideal jobs are few and far between, but that doesn't mean that you can't be very happy and have lots of success.

Some associates find positions through classified ads in dental journals. Others by word of mouth, and others mail letters to doctors in the area where they want to work and ask for interviews. Dentistry is a small community and networking will be valuable in getting your name out there.

 

[DrJeff]

Gavin makes some excellent points!

One other thing to keep in mind, especially if you think that someday you might want to practice in a partnership situation and may very well be looking at an associateship as a pathway to a future partnerships.

Partnerships are in many ways very similar to a marriage. Sometimes you find the one you'll "mary" on your 1st try, many times though you'll end up "dating around" before you find "the one" so keep that in mind.