How to Get a Job After Dental School
The hard part is over. You’ve got your bachelor’s degree, passed all your tests, and graduated dental school. Now it’s time for all your hard work to pay off and land your dream dental job. To do so, there are still a few hoops to jump through. Here’s a simple guide on how to get a job after dental school.
Determine the type of job you’re looking for
Before starting the job search process, it’s important to determine what type of job you’re looking for. Upon completing dental school, there are many different career paths you can take. For example, you could pursue a career in private practice, public health, a residency, corporate, or even academia. Determining which type of job you would like to pursue will help streamline your road to employment after dental school.
Write a quality CV and cover letter
When applying for a position, you only have a few seconds to catch an employer’s eye. As such, a quality CV and cover letter are essential. Without them, it’s unlikely you’ll ever get past the application process. To write a quality CV, you should put the most important information at the top, only include relevant information, and use bullets and white space to make it more visually appealing.
As for the cover letter, avoid creating a single generic letter and sending it out to multiple practices. You should write a unique cover letter for every job you apply to and customize it to appeal to each individual reader.
Network extensively
Networking often plays a large role in landing any job—including jobs in the dentistry field. To improve your chances of getting hired after completing dental school, start utilizing or making an effort to grow your network. Reaching out to past professors, joining and attending meetings for local and state dental societies, or connecting with dentists in the area can all help you find job opportunities that might not be listed on job boards. Plus, simply knowing someone who knows someone may help set you apart from less connected applicants.
