Sandy Pardue, Consultant/Classic Practice Resources

Sandy Pardue of Classic Practice Resources & Dana Pardue discuss issues facing the dental practice owner of today.

Blog By:
Sandy Pardue

If you've tried hiring a front desk coordinator, insurance specialist, or treatment coordinator lately, you've probably asked yourself the same question:

"Where did all the good candidates go?"

It's an understandable frustration. Front office turnover remains high, and many practices feel like they're constantly restarting the hiring process. But after a recent conversation on Dental Drill Bits, it raised an interesting question:

What if the issue isn't that great people don't exist? What if we're simply looking in the wrong places—or evaluating them the wrong way?

One of the biggest takeaways was that successful hiring starts long before the interview.

Rather than sorting through résumés and hoping for the best, some organizations are investing heavily in identifying where dependable talent actually exists. They evaluate workforce reliability, education, communication skills, and long-term stability before they ever begin recruiting. Once candidates apply, the screening process goes far beyond experience, incorporating written and verbal communication assessments, technical evaluations, and behavioral interviews designed to predict success in the role.

That philosophy aligns with something we discuss often on Dental Drill Bits: skills can be taught, but hiring the right person is about much more than a résumé.

Another point that stood out was personality fit. Five dental practices may all be hiring for the exact same position, but each practice culture is different. The best hire for one office may not be the best hire for another. Finding someone whose communication style, work habits, and personality complement your existing team can have a greater impact on retention than simply hiring the most experienced applicant.

The conversation also explored where artificial intelligence fits into the future of dentistry. Rather than replacing employees, AI has the potential to remove repetitive administrative tasks, improve consistency, and help great team members become even more productive. Technology works best when it supports people—not when it attempts to replace them.

As hiring continues to challenge practices across the country, it may be time to rethink a few assumptions:

    
• Are we evaluating candidates based on what truly predicts success?
    
• Does our interview process identify culture fit—or just technical skills?
    
• Have we expanded our search beyond the same recruiting channels we've always used?
    
• Are we giving great employees the tools they need to stay and succeed?

Hiring isn't getting easier. But practices willing to modernize how they recruit, evaluate, and support their teams may find that the talent they're looking for has been there all along—they just needed a different approach to finding it.