5 Tips to A More Polished and Effective Dental Hygienist Resume

Overview

• Summary of the dental hygienist profession
• What dental education and certifications to include on your resume
• The importance of non-technical skills on your resume

If you get a job as a dental hygienist, you’ll have the opportunity to give people beautiful smiles while educating them about the importance of oral hygiene and health. It’s a rewarding role that allows you to interact with plenty of individuals on a daily basis. To land your dream dental hygienist job, you will need a stellar resume.

A well-crafted resume that highlights your relevant education, experience, and personal traits will convince potential employers that you’re the right person to join their team. The guide below explains how to create a compelling dental hygienist resume.

If you’re looking for a dental hygienist job, you’ve picked a great path. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that demand for these professionals is on the rise, with job outlook expected to grow at a rate of 6% from 2019 to 2029 — faster than the national average. The job also pays well, with the median pay listed as $76,220 as of 2019.

But just what does a dental hygienist do all day? According to the American Dental Association (ADA), the role may involve:

• Removing plaque and tartar deposits from the teeth and gum line using dental instruments. This could involve brushing, flossing, root planing, and more.
• Implementing preventative dental care measures for tooth and soft tissue management (such as applying fluoride treatments or dental sealants).
• Taking and developing digital radiographs (like intra-oral X-rays) to check for dental health issues like cavities.
• Supporting diagnostic procedures using dental technology like oral cameras.
• General patient screenings, like reviewing general health history and dental medical history, dental charting, and assessing the patient for oral health problems like periodontal disease, cavities, and more.
• Counseling patients about oral health habits and lifestyle factors that influence oral health, like smoking and diet.
• Giving patients preventative treatment plans, like proper brushing and flossing, to keep oral health issues at bay.
• Completing patient charts and other paperwork to contribute to a smoothly operating dental office. This may involve using dental management software like Eaglesoft or Dentrix.
• Some states also allow dental hygienists to administer local anesthesia or anesthetics like nitrous oxide, usually under the supervision of a dentist.

As you can see, the job requires a range of skills. You have to be able to perform the technical duties (including teeth cleaning and taking X-rays) while also being able to communicate confidently and compassionately with patients. A positive and friendly attitude is a must — especially since many people get anxious when visiting the dentist. You may have to soothe nervous patients and do your best to make them feel at ease.

You won’t just deal with patients, however. You will also have to handle some administrative tasks and liaise with dentists, other dental hygienists, and administrative staff within the clinic setting. You will be part of a valuable team that shares one central goal: improving patient care. Being able to collaborate with others is critical.

If you’re ready to launch your dental hygienist career, the first step is to craft your resume. This is your entry ticket into the profession. A clean-cut, relevant, and informative resume that highlights your best features can help you stand out to hiring managers.

Read on for a quick how-to on creating an effective dental hygienist resume.

The resume template should be formatted in an easy-to-read manner. Set 1-inch margins on all sides, use a simple-to-read font like Times New Roman, and size it 12 points. When organizing the information on your resume, include sections for work experience, education and certifications, additional skills, and references. Get more tips on formatting based on your resume objective.

Highlight past years of experience, focusing on relevant roles, like dental assistant. You don’t need to list every waitressing job you’ve ever had; focus on positions pertinent to the one you’re applying to now. Provide a brief description of your role with each employer, highlighting duties and accomplishments with keywords that would be useful to that specific job. You don’t want your resume to exceed one page, so keep it brief. Bullet points are fine.

To work as a dental hygienist, you must be licensed in your state. According to the American Dental Hygienists Association (ADHA), licensing requirements vary by state. However, the process generally looks as follows:

1. Get your associate degree. Dental hygienist jobs generally require a three-year associate degree in dental hygiene care. Further education, like a bachelor of science in dental hygiene, can help boost your application.
2. Complete your national boards. Pass the National Board Dental Hygiene Examination (NBDHE).
3. Complete your local boards. You’ll likely need to complete your area’s regional or state clinical boards.

Once you’re licensed, you can add “Registered Dental Hygienist” (R.D.H.) after your name. Again, educational and licensing demands vary depending on your location, so check with your area’s requirements before proceeding. The ADHA has a list of licensing authorities by state.

Your education as a dental hygienist will provide you with the hard skills you need to perform your job duties, like radiography or cleaning teeth. However, there are also soft skills or transferable skills that you will need to succeed in this role. It’s also worth highlighting these in your resume.

Valuable nontechnical skills worth emphasizing include:

• Communication skills, both written and verbal.
• Interpersonal skills. As mentioned, you’ll collaborate with dentists, other hygienists, and administrative support staff while working at a dental clinic. Teamwork is important.
• Organizational talent. A sense of order is critical for maintaining accurate patient records.
• Listening skills. If a patient is expressing fears or asking questions, you need to be able to register what they’re saying to understand their concerns and reply appropriately.
• Flexibility. For example, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, dental clinics have had to adapt their everyday processes for the safety of both patients and staff.

Finally, while it’s not a “skill” per se, one of the most useful traits a dental hygienist can have is a friendly, welcoming attitude. As mentioned, many people get nervous in the dentist’s chair. Being able to make people feel at ease with a soothing chair-side manner is invaluable.

Your educational credentials and certifications are a testament to your hard skills as a dental hygienist. You can easily show you’ve undergone the training needed to competently perform tasks like prophylaxis (teeth cleanings). But how can you prove your soft skills? That’s where references come in. They can testify to your organizational skills, communication ability, and more.

Provide two to three professional references with your application. Ideally, these will be former employers in the dentistry field. If you’re a new graduate and this is your first job application, look to teachers, traineeship bosses, or volunteer work supervisors for support.

You should always include a cover letter when applying for a dental hygienist position. For consistency’s sake, use the same basic formatting as your resume (font type and size, margins). Like the resume, the cover letter shouldn’t exceed one page.

Start with a brief introduction, detailing who you are and your motivation for applying. Emphasize why you think you’re a good fit for the position. Maybe you’re applying to work in a public health clinic because you believe in equitable health care, for example — or perhaps you’re applying to a pediatric dental practice because you love kids. Make the cover letter personal. It should be specific to the job description.

The cover letter is also an opportunity to address relevant personal details that might not be communicated through your resume. For example, if you have gaps in your resume (such as a period of time where you weren’t employed or studying), address these in your cover letter. Otherwise, an unexplained gap might be a red flag to recruiters.

Don’t forget to add a concluding paragraph thanking them for considering your application. Reiterate your interest in the job, dental practice, and/or dentistry at large. This is your opportunity to express your personal motivation and stand out from the crowd.

Once you’ve completed the above steps, it’s time to find your dental hygienist job. Joblist is here to help. The Joblist platform pairs people with fitting work based on their unique traits, including professional background, career focus, and location. Joblist also offers handy resources to make the job hunt easier, like this quiz page for job seekers to find positions suited to their profile or this definitive resume guide with resume examples.

Are you ready to find a dental hygienist job? Get started now.