Written by Noelle King 
Dental assistant jobs plus interview tips
Dental assistant jobs plus interview tips, suggestions from a dental recruiter with over 31 years’ experience in the dental industry. The most common reasons why you do not get hired.
What you must NEVER do during an interview:
- Tattoos: Always cover visible tattoos. Even after you are hired, keep tattoos covered.
- Piercings: Never show up with nose rings or tongue piercings. You will never make it to the interview room if you do.
- NEVER wear jeans (yoga pants; sweat pants; etc.) to an interview! This is the number one reason employers will not hire you.
- Chewing gum: Never chew gum (chew or suck on candy, mints or cough drops) during an interview. You can kiss that job goodbye if you are smacking away on whatever is in your mouth.
- Hair: Never go to your interview with hair dyed with punk colors or with extreme styles.
- Smoking: If you smoke prior to the interview, you will smell of cigarette smoke. Non-smokers or ex-smokers can smell you from across the building. This number is one of the top reasons why employers will not hire you!
- Cell phones: Never answer your phone, receive texts, or text during your interview. Turn your cell phone off!
- Bad mouthing: Never say anything negative about former or current employers or employees!
Dental assistant jobs plus interview tips and presentation:
- Business attire: Dress professionally. If you wear your scrubs/uniform, make sure they are clean, pressed, and free of any spots or old stains. Professional attire research shows, dressing professionally is more effective during an interview. Wear solid colors (No busy prints). Do not wear anything too tight, sexy, low-cut or too short (skirts and dresses).
- Make-Up: Wear very conservative day-wear.
- Hair: Have your hair pulled back, neat and professional.
- Perfume: Never wear perfume on your interview. No amount of perfume is good, no matter how much you like the perfume. If the employer is allergic to your perfume, or worse, cannot stand the smell, he will pass on hiring you. Most employers do not want to have to tell you not to wear your perfume. It is personal; they would rather pass on hiring you. Do you remember ever sitting in a room with a person wearing strong perfume? Do not be that person!
- Nails: Have your nails nicely manicured and clean. Do not have chipped nail polish, brightly colored polish, or obviously fake nails (especially very long ones!) with distracting designs or colors.
- Shoes: Make sure your shoes match what you are wearing. Do not have marks, spills, stains, or other signs of worn, damaged shoes… Be sure there are no scuffmarks on the backs of your shoes.
- Nylons: If you wear a dress or skirt/blouse to an interview, you MUST wear nylons or pantyhose in natural shades. Avoid colors.
- Jewelry: Be ultra-conservative! Wear simple jewelry (i.e., watch, ring) or nothing. Never wear jewelry that dangles or makes noise!
Body Language during your interview:
- Eye contact: During the interview, make steady eye contact; avoid looking away, looking around, looking down when you speak, or looking at your phone.
- Stance: stand with confidence and proper posture.
- Sitting posture: During your interview, keep your posture erect. Be poised and professional. If you cross your legs, keep them together. Do not fidget or squirm.
- Shaking hands: A firm handshake with a nice smile gives a great first impression. Make sure your hands are dry (rub your hands across your dress or pants prior to shaking anyone’s hands). Have you ever shaken someone’s clammy wet hands, or shaken someone’s limp hand? Do not be that person! Your handshake says, “Confidence!”
- Voice: Speak clearly and with conviction about your skill sets. If you are fluent and bi-lingual, make sure to state that. The more confident you are, the better you will be perceived. Avoid bragging.
Questions employers may ask during an interview
- See our article on common questions employers ask in interview
Dental assistant jobs plus interview tips and Resume presentation:
- Does your resume have a professional appearance?
- Do you think you’re resume can affect your chances of getting the job? YES
Your resume is your FIRST impression, when you apply to any online jobs.- Never cross out information on your resume with a pen.
- Miss-spelled words on your resume, forget about the job.
- See our article Resume Tips Dental Assistants
Search online for Dental Jobs in California:
- Daily dental jobs posted daily go to www.dentaljobsplus.com
- Register as “applicant”
- Sign-up for free Dental Job Alerts sent to your email daily.
- Post your resume if you want dental employers to view your resume, read these instructions for posting your resume online.
- Dental assistant jobs plus interview tips, search dental jobs in California. Learn interview tips from a seasoned dental recruiter that will help you get the job.