Write About Your Relevant Experiences
Create a section for your work or other professional experiences. For each of your experiences, write down your job title, the company you worked for, the location and the dates you worked there. Make a bullet list detailing your major accomplishments and responsibilities during each work experience. Try to keep your resume between one to two pages. If you have more than two pages of work experiences, either choose the ones most relevant to being a dental assistant or only use experiences from the past decade.
Computer Skills And Certifications
Some candidates add their certifications under the education section, but this is not advisable because the hiring manager may not see them. It is better to create a separate section for your certificates as they help set you apart and can help you land the job. Examples of certificates that you can add under this section include:
- National Entry Level Dental Assistant
- Certified Dental Assistant
- Certified Orthodontic Assistant
Format Your Dental Assistant Resume Properly
For most job seekers, properly formatting a resume is a huge hurdle. Your resume should of course show important details like experience, education, and applicable skill sets, but resume formatting plays a huge role in how the ATS and the hiring manager read your resume.
Many job seekers get caught up in stylizing their resume instead of simply making minor changes to a resume template. You don’t have to go overboard to get your resume noticed, so keep your formatting simple.
Let’s look at the most vital aspects when formatting your resume for a dental assistant position:
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Resume Profile Example: Getting To The Heart Of Who You Are
Since you will be working closely with your boss, you need to give hiring managers insight into your professional personality. Heres where you have a chance to do just that. The profile, also known as a summary or personal statement, sits at the top of your resume. That prime spot offers the best opportunity to personalize your pitch for being a great hire. It also enables you to get in some keywords.
It helps if you have a master list and a good idea of the skills necessary to be a successful dental assistant. Choose the achievements you are most proud of and boast a little. This is not the place to be modest. You have two to four sentences to distinguish yourself from the crowd. But keep it professional. Focus on your work style and skills.
Include adjectives that describe your workplace demeanor. Are you efficient? Friendly? Calm under pressure? Organized and disciplined? Make that clear in your resume profile.
See the dental assistant profile from our resume example below.
Motivated and compassionate Dental Assistant with extensive experience providing excellent support during dental exams and procedures. Committed to fostering a relaxed and comfortable environment in which patients feel welcomed, accepted, reassured, and confident in the care they receive.
Display Your Work Experience
Its one thing to have skills in a profession, and its another to apply them successfully. Your experience section shows that your abilities were practical when used in your previous place of work.
If you dont possess work experience as a former dental assistant but have a history with a similar field, consider including it in your resume. For example, a volunteer position at the dentists office may show you understand the daily activities in such an environment.
Remember to list your experience in descending order, beginning with your most recent dental assistant job. Most employers prefer knowing about your last 5 or 10 years of work history, so its best to save them time and show what they want.
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Mention Your Relevant Education Certifications And Licenses
A hiring manager at a dental clinic wants to see your appropriate license or certification to make sure youre qualified for a dental assistant job, so include your relevant certifications on your dental assistant resume.
In some states, a certification isnt necessary to get hired, and you may even be trained after you get hired as a dental assistant.
However, if you do possess a dental assistant certification, including it ensures the hiring manager knows that you have the proven work history to perform dental assistant duties.
In this resume, the DANB Certified Dental Assistant certification is placed in its own certifications section and is also mentioned in our applicants resume objective.
Heres what you need to write in your certifications section:
This is what our applicants certification looks like on their dental assistant resume example:
Dental Assistant Certification West Haven, CT
Resume Layout And Design: Clean Lines And Legibility Rule
Hiring managers want to be able to scan your resume quickly and without eye strain, so keep it simple. You may be tempted to personalize your resume by making it a work of art. This is not the way to stand out. You want your hiring managers first visual impression of you to be neat and professional.
Choosing a layout from resume.io’s collection of field-tested resume templatescan be your best assurance of reader-friendly results.These templates are expertly designed, but you can customize them a bit. Or, personalize the resume example at the top of this guide. Just keep these guidelines in mind:
- Try the quadrant test to make sure the text is well-balanced. Split your resume into four quadrants, by dividing it horizontally and vertically. Text should be almost evenly spread among the quadrants. However, more important sections can be a bit larger, and the content can be slightly denser towards the top-left, which is the maximum attention zone.
- Choose fontswisely. Use boldface, type size, and fonts to draw recruiters’ eyes to the most important information.
- Use color sparingly. A splash of color is fine, but too much is distracting and looks unprofessional.
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Option : Microsoft Word/pages
- Refer to online dental assistant resume samples and extract the components/qualities the candidate loves .
- Include mandatory sections such as Contact Info, Skills, Working History.
- Optimize layout and design and ensure its ATS-friendly.
- Bullet points and concise language will be the candidates best friend.
- Optimize Font size and layout
- Times New Roman / Georgia / Calibri / Arial / Helvetica / Cambria
- 12 points is the ideal size. 10-16 points are also applicable for adjustable content .
Creating The Ideal Dental Assistant Resume Outline
As a dental assistant, youre going to have to be organized and thorough. Showing you have those qualities starts with how you create your resume.
Start with an outline to plan out just what resume sections you need and what each one should accomplish. Here are some of the ones you should consider:
- Objective or Summary
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Mention Your Certification Or Education
Include your dental assistant education, training, license or certification on your resume. Becoming a dental assistant doesn’t require any formal education or certification. However, many dental assistants choose to pursue training or certification, as these qualifications can increase their chances of being hired. Additionally, some dental assistants receive certifications or licenses to practise specialty dental skills, such as radiography.
Registered Dental Assistant Resume
Why this resume works
- Your registered dental assistant resume should have all the important resume sections: a header, your contact information, work experience, skills, and education.
- For example, a resume objective is great for showing off transferable skills and recent experiences if youre just starting out in your career.
- Once youve nailed that content, feel free to add optional sections!
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Sample Dental Assistant Resume Summary
Two examples of the concept are here further to understand the structure and format of a resume sample. These include:
Example 1
Detail-oriented Dental Assistant with over five years experience offering service in both the public and private sectors. Diplomatic, personable, and adept at managing sensitive situations. Looking to aid in tasks like instructing patients, monitoring and ordering supplies, and maintaining office appointment calendar.
Example 2
Problem-solving Dental Assistant with strong attention to detail and impeccable hand-eye coordination. Possessing over 15 years of experience in assisting with dental procedures by prepping for surgeries and cleaning, performing X-rays, and completing basic examinations.
Dental Assistant Resume Sample
As previously mentioned, building a dental assistant resume from scratch is complex. Before providing you with the knowledge to make one, its best to look at an example for a better understanding.
Below is an example of a dental assistant resume:
- Certification Basic Life Support Certification
Hobbies and Interests
Knitting Reading Biking
This resume example is straightforward and letting the hiring manager understand what skills, experience, and qualifications you possess, let them judge whether youre a valuable asset.
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Dental Assistant Resume Template
There are a lot of jobs to be had in Dental Assistant and each one will require a tailored resume. The competition is stiff and your uninspiring or too generic Dental Assistant resume wont make the cut. You need to make it compelling, distinctively different and show off your skills
This free Dental Assistant resume template is a very engaging designed work of art. Use it for a Dental Assistant position or any medical resume or cover letter. It is ready for full customization. Delete what you dont want and add the details you do. You can add additional images or icons. This has a modern resume style for that will grab attention unlike an average resume!
Online applications are becoming more common and what most employers rely on when deciding who to hire. What this means for healthcare professionals is that your Dental Assistant resume needs to be top notch if you want to be noticed. You may edit this template however you see fit. Enjoy!
Free Dental Assistant Resume Template Features: Instant Fast Download, Compatible with PC & MAC US Letter Size, Microsoft Word, Fonts and text layout is very easy to customize. What is included in this download: 1 x Resume Template Letter size Thanks for using our design!
In Summary What Makes A Dental Assistant Resume Great
Always remember that a carefully crafted resume is the best way to sell your dental assistant skills to a prospective employer.
Taking the time to customize a resume for the exact clinic where youd like to work takes extra time but its time that will pay off.
Show youve got the relevant skills, certifications, and a winning personality and youre sure to land the dental assistant job you want.
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Your Dental Assistant Should Include:
- One or two concise sentences
- The quality of your work in various roles
- A clear idea of the job youre looking for
- Whether you have any relevant certifications
Pro Tip
Before you send your resume off, its extremely important to double check what kind of information youre allowed to have in your header. Some countries, states, and individual dental clinics have rules about including photos . Be sure to check these and ensure your dental assistant resume isnt going to get thrown out because it broke a rule.
The Job Market: Opportunities Abound
Dental assistants have the option of working in many different environments, including:
- Specialty practices, such as endodontics or orthodontics
- Public health environments such as schools
- Hospital clinics
- Dental school clinics.
Some dental assistants choose not to work in a practice, but to process dental claims for insurance companies. Other career options include teaching future dental assistants in a vocational school program, or becoming a dental product sales representative. If you are looking for a new challenge, consider becoming a dental hygienist.
This profession is growing faster than the occupational average rate, with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projecting an 11% percent increase in dental assistant jobs between 2020 and 2030.
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In This Guide Learn How To Create The Best Dental Assistant Resume:
- Choose a layout which best matches your level of experience and the kind of clinic where youre applying
- Use your header to show your relevant certifications and goals
- Your resume summary tells a compelling story about who you are
- Ensure personality and results come across in your work experience
- Choose skills which reflect exactly what the job offer is looking for
What Is The Best Resume Format For A Dental Assistant
The 4 major types of resume format are: chronological, targeted, functional, and hybrid.
Chronological Resume Format:
- Follows a reverse chronological time order and lists the experiences from latest to earliest.
- The most common resume format in dental assistant resume template. Applicable for most requirements of dental assistant employment description for resume.
- The safe choice for most dental assistant resumes.
Targeted Resume Format:
- Customized for 1 specific role
- Takes especially more time and effort.
- Shows the candidate as the perfect candidate for the particular role opening.
- Those writing new dental assistant resumes or dental assistant student resumes should focus on this resume format as much as possible, as they probably lack skills and working experiences relatively to other job applicants.
Functional Resume Format:
- Combination of chronological and functional version resume format.
- Skills and accomplishment serve first, then comes employment history.
- Those who are writing a dental assistant resume with experience can consider this resume format as their go-to choice, as it shows both skills and employment history, maximizing ones accomplishment and expertise.
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How To Write Your Resume With Examples
Here is a step-by-step guide containing valuable tips and relatable examples that will help you build an impressive resume for the dental assistant role:
1. Include a career objective or summary statement at the beginning.
The first section found at the top is always the resume objective or summary statement when writing your resume. This short introduction aims to communicate what makes you the ideal candidate for the role. Depending on your career level, you can mention your professional goals to the recruiter or summarize your best experience and top skills and achievements. Regardless of which one you choose, your goal in this section is to convey that you will be an asset to the organization.
While both resume objectives and summary statements aim to sell you to a potential employer, choosing between the two can be tricky. Since a career objective statement focuses on the candidate’s skills and what they wish to achieve in their career, it is best for entry-level job seekers and those looking for a career change. On the contrary, candidates looking for a promotion in the same industry or a similar role in a different company or sector would apply a summary statement.
It is up to you to decide which opening paragraph suits your resume best. Use your work experience, skills, and qualifications to make your decision.
To better craft this section, here are two examples of a poor career objective and a good one:
Poor example:
Good example:
2. Categorize your skills.
Skills
Certified Dental Assistant Resume
Why this resume works
- Even for job titles that may not seem relevant, you can emphasize the skills you bring to the table by adjusting the skills section on your resume.
- For example, if you include a waitressing position from a few years ago, discuss responsibilities that highlight your abilities with customer service, time management, and communication. These universal skills can easily translate to a dental assistant role.
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Ability To Work Under Pressure
Dental assistants might sometimes encounter unexpected issues or challenging situations, such as complicated dental procedures. A successful dental assistant remains calm in stressful situations. This ability can help them continue to provide high-quality patient care during a variety of circumstances.
The Structure Of The Dental Assistant Resume
There are two other resume formats you will see on various dental assistant resume samples. One of them is the functional format, and the other one is the combination resume format.
If you dont have much experience, you can use the functional format, which focuses on your skills, but the reverse-chronological format is the best if you want to focus on your experience. The combination resume blends the best features of the two formats and is perfect if you have some experience.
The typical structure of a dental assistant resume should have the following sections.
Date of birth 18/09/1989linkedin.com/in/mary-jones
Is a photo required in the Dental Assistant resume?
It is advisable to leave the photo out of your dental assistant resume. This is because some recruiters toss out resumes that have photos. However, if the potential employer does not mind a resume with a photo, ensure that you have a professionally done photo.
Choosing your Dental Assistant resume title
It is essential to tailor the job title of every application because it is different for every job and company.
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