4 Tips to Finding Your First Job as a Dental Assistant After Graduating

a dentist, dental assistant, and female patient

When enrolling in a hands-on dental assistant school, the goal is to graduate and find your first real-world job as a dental assistant, right? With so many questions and determining which aspects are more important to you (i.e. money, benefits, flexibility, etc.), it’s likely you’re unsure what you should do to find a dental office that is right for you. To help you narrow your search and have a clearer view of what it is you want, here are 4 tips for finding your first job as a dental assistant.

Use Your Internship to Your Advantage

While in school, it is likely you’ll be expected to complete an internship of some sort. By receiving hands-on training, this not only looks good on a resume, but it also gives you the experience you need apart from the knowledge you’re learning from textbooks. In some situations, internships can turn into job opportunities, so if you connect with your dentist and colleagues, there might be a chance that after you graduate, you can join the team.

Network and Volunteer: Two Important Steps to Take

Knowing people in the dental professional will only help you to grow as a professional. Networking and volunteering within the community are both great ways to expand your knowledge and experience, plus, get to know others who have been working in the industry for years or even decades.

Make sure you ask questions, get clarification, and seek out volunteering opportunities. Don’t wait for them to come to you.

Don’t Be Afraid to Learn More

Becoming a dental assistant is a great achievement, but if you want the chance to excel in your career and possibility advance into other dental-related positions, it is in your best interest to pursue additional certifications and credentials. A dental assistant is always learning, just like a dentist and other members of the dental team. When conferences, webinars, or classes are available for you to take, make the most of the opportunity.

By increasing your knowledge about the dental industry and staying up to date on all the latest advancements and technologies, you’ll make your resume look even better.

Make Your Resume Stand Out from the Crowd

If you’re unsure how to craft a professional resume, don’t worry. There are plenty of templates and professionals out there who can help you create one that will wow your future employers. A few things you’ll want to remember are:

  • Do not let your resume go beyond a single page
  • Don’t bother adding your part-time job at the mall. Only place information that would be important and beneficial for a dental practice to know.
  • Make sure to list your core competencies (i.e. detail-oriented, equipment sterilization)
  • Mention the dental assistant program from which you graduated
  • List all dental-related experiences

Apart from the tips listed above, it’s also important to prepare for an interview and know where to look. By talking with one of your professors, you’ll put yourself on a better path to finding the right job once you graduate from dental assisting school.

About Dental Assistant Pro
For more than 25 years, Dental Assistant Pro has been providing aspiring dental assistants with essential knowledge and hands-on skills learning. Our philosophy is the best dental assisting training should be taught in a dental office at an affordable cost, so why not take a chance and enroll in our 10-week course schedule? Find out how lucrative a career in dental assisting can be. To learn more about us, visit our website or call (614) 202-3919.

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Reviews From Our Students

Kenzie Clark
Kenzie Clark
13. August, 2022.
Great experience!!
kaitlyn mcgarvey
kaitlyn mcgarvey
13. August, 2022.
Quick easy way to get a dental assistant certificate. Quick way to get into the dental field. More job opportunities opened after I received the certificate. Also received radiology license from class. Instructor is easy-going & bubbly personality.
Kaitlyn Waits
Kaitlyn Waits
13. August, 2022.
Enjoyable, quick program to get into a dental office. I'm looking forward to starting my new career
Sydnee Burgess (Syd)
Sydnee Burgess (Syd)
13. August, 2022.
It was a great experience! I was very nervous about dental and wasn’t sure how much I’d like it but through this experience I feel a lot better about going into the field. Jeanie who is the instructor is also a very warm person and truly cares for each of her students and their growth in the field.
Abby Morehouse
Abby Morehouse
11. May, 2022.
Such an amazing program! Would recommend this to anyone looking for a career in dentistry.
Lilly Collins
Lilly Collins
7. May, 2022.
Had an amazing experience as a student in the Lebanon program! The instructors Abby and Jeanne are amazing and have taught me so much from skills to job search, i will be forever grateful for their help and this experience.
Kaitlyn
Kaitlyn
7. May, 2022.
Dental Assistant Pro is a wonderful program! The instructors, Jeanne and Abby, are very welcoming and do a great job at teaching their students. This program teaches you all of the basics and allows you to enter at an entry level dental assisting position at any Office. It was very convenient having classes only on the weekends and was so much fun!
Megan Sellman
Megan Sellman
7. May, 2022.
I went to Dental Assistant Pro from 7:30am-12pm, Jeanne and Abby made the program very fun and enjoyable! I learned a lot from this program and they made it easy to learn.
kiranpreet kaur
kiranpreet kaur
7. May, 2022.
I am only 18 and a Dental assistant now. I went to Dental Assistant Pro at Lebanon. It was a wonderful and thorough program. Jeane and Abby made it so easyyy to accomplish my goal. I learnt a lot in this program- X-rays, impression, diagnostic caste model and a lot of other things. Hands on training, awesome experience!!!!! Loved it 😊