Dentistry is a budding profession. Each year, many professionals join this field but they are still scarce compared to other healthcare professionals concerning their clients. There are many levels of dentistry and specializations, each designed around a specific job or task. In this light, dental hygiene is a ubiquitous position that assists dental surgeons and others.
To secure a position in a competitive dental hospital, dental hygienists need to write a compelling resume to highlight their strengths and make the case for their candidature. So, this post will take a hard look at the job description of a dental hygienist, skills that make a difference among various professionals, and then a simple yet comprehensive guide to ace a resume.
Dental Hygienist Job Description
A dental hygienist mostly works in an assistive capacity where he helps senior practitioners with oral and hygienic procedures. The major line of duties that a dental hygienist is entrusted with includes, teeth cleaning, oral examination, and regions surrounding the head and neck to look for the sources of diseases and complications related to oral health. Another major portion of their duties covers the task of educating and informing patients about oral hygiene, diagnosing diseases and complications through X-rays, and application of fluoride or sealants to the teeth.
While looking for a new role in an organization, professionals need to highlight their strengths in core and peripheral areas.
In-Demand Skills For Dental Hygienists
Since it is a public-oriented role, dental hygienists need to have a set of core and peripheral skills to master their craft. When these combine with professional experience and personal traits, hygienists can land roles that are both financially rewarding and mentally sound.
In this section, we will take a look at some of the most coveted skills that are high in demand in dental hospitals and clinics.
- Ability to conduct and read oral X-rays
- Application of fluoride treatments
- Educating clients about diseases and best practices
- Helping clients develop a regimen for better oral health
- Manual dexterity to perform better procedures and assist senior doctors
These were core skills that are necessary for professionals. Still, there are some soft skills or interpersonal skills that help them ace the workplace and climb the ranks quickly.
- Collaborative nature
- Counseling through verbal and written communication
- Knowledge of dental and oral conditions
- An organized and developed personality
- Empathy and a people person
While looking for a role, these skills on your resume will help you land an interview call.
Writing A Winning Resume For A Dental Hygienist Position
After going through the skills and responsibilities of the dental hygienist position, it is time to take a look at this template. It is a guide on how to design and populate each section on your resume. In addition to this, you can hire a professional resume writer and kick back while he does the heavy lifting on your behalf. But if you are adamant to do the task yourself, this is the best place to start and finish the job.
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Formatting
Formatting is the first point of the process that you need to ace. When we say the format of a resume, it means the overall look and structure of the document. There was a time when recruiters would prefer a highly colorful and infographics-intense resume for professionals, but now it is about simplicity and boldness of the message. The margins should be one inch on both vertical and horizontal sides. The font size and style should be standard and consistent for a holistic look and feel.
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Job/ Objectives Summary
This is the most important section of a resume as many recruiters rely on this part to shortlist candidates for the next step. There is a slight but key difference between job and objectives summaries, where the former gives an overview of the previous jobs and roles, and the latter shows aspirations and ambitions regarding the new role. Seasoned dental hygienists should rely on the former whereas fresh graduates with little to no experience should go for an objectives summary.
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Work Experience
Work experience shows the recruiters some key areas of proficiency and responsibilities. These include the organizations where professionals served, the capacity they served in, and the interval of that job. There is no need to be shy or coy about achievements and accomplishments, rather they should be highlighted for the hiring managers to ensure they never slip into the bureaucratic red tape. In addition to this, you need to use highly actionable verbs and phrases to present a result-oriented picture.
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Academic Record
The academic record always comes after the work experience section for professionals with considerable knowledge and years in practice. For those who do not have such, they can better highlight the academic achievements and relevance of their courses to the recruiters. Again, simplicity and boldness is the key to showing where a dental hygienist studied, which courses were instrumental in his training, and the duration of that course. There is no need to write GPA if it is lackluster.
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Special Skills
Special skills cover both core and peripheral skills in the arsenal of a dental hygienist. We have gone through both hard and soft skills that can help a professional further their career in the opening sections. You can go through them and see which are present in your resume and how you can leverage them to beat the competition.
Ultimate Checklist For A Winning Resume
Imagining you have followed the above-mentioned guide and written a solid resume, it is time to take a look at a checklist that can help you in identifying the issues and ensuring that all the essentials are in the document. Even though the guide itself can do that function, we have shared a dedicated checklist in the following lines:
- The header includes full name, contact details
- Job or objectives summary has all the essentials
- Work experience is filled with achievements and actionable verbs
- Academic qualifications are well-written and communicated to the readers
- Additional skills or sections are filled with relevant details
- References are furnished accordingly
- The resume is proofread and edited for errors and inconsistencies
Going through this checklist, once you have finished the process of writing, will help you tie up all the loose ends.
Pitfalls To Avoid In Dental Hygienist Resume
Dental hygienists are in high demand, but it does not mean that recruiters have abandoned their guard and are not looking for superstar professionals. In reality, the need for having a solid and eye-catching resume is now more than ever. Keeping that in mind, we have identified some of the most common pitfalls that professionals fall through while writing and sending out their resumes.
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Too Much Information
There is no need to crowd that single piece of paper with irrelevant information. Even when it is relevant, the best way to steer through it is by being bold and brief about it. Many professionals make this mistake by being too descriptive. This is not only time-consuming but also detrimental to the overall look of the resume.
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Poorly-Conceived References
References are usually furnished in the recruitment process after the hiring managers ask for them. But if you have mentioned a couple of references from former bosses and coworkers, it is best to notify them first and get their latest email and phone numbers. You would never want a recruiter’s call to either go unanswered or mishandled by the other person because he did not know you mentioned them as a reference.
Tying Up The Loose Ends
The process of resume writing is an arduous one. There is no respite from start to finish until you hear from a recruiter that you have been shortlisted for a position. There is no way around it unless you have a professional resume-writing service in your corner. They have the personnel and tools to make all the difference in the world for your candidature. This resource will help professionals in understanding the job responsibilities and portray their best selves on their resumes. This will eventually pave their way to the dream job they long for.
FAQ
What should a registered dental hygienist put on a well-researched resume?
The resume of a dental hygienist is not different from any other professional. That’s why the major sections of a dental hygienist’s resume do not differ from that of others. These include job summaries, work experience, academic qualifications, and so on. All the information in the resume should be crisp and clear.
What is a good summary for a resume in healthcare?
A good summary in a healthcare resume should cover all the bases for the professionals. These bases are the short history of the previous roles and the aspirations for the future. It should also highlight the major difference that the professionals brought about in their roles.
What are the six components of the dental hygiene process of care?
The main six components of the dental hygiene process of care are as follows:
- Assessment
- Dental hygiene diagnosis
- Planning
- Implementation
- Evaluation
- Documentation
What qualities should a dental hygienist have?
The ideal qualities of a dental hygienist are a mixture of both core and peripheral skills. The former covers the ability to assist senior practitioners in procedures, provide oral healthcare to patients, and educate them about oral and dental issues. As for the soft skills, they cover interpersonal and communication skills for value-added services to the clients.
What are the primary duties of a dental hygienist in a hospital?
The three primary duties of a dental hygienist are in the following passage:
- Cleaning and scaling of teeth
- Diagnosing issues related to oral health through X-rays
- Suggesting best oral health practices to clients
