Create a dental assistant CV that boosts your career

Your CV structure will partially depend on your CV format. There are three common CV formats: chronological, functional, and combination. All three of these formats can be useful depending on your experience and the job, and they all use the same sections, albeit in a different order.

 

 

The first section is the CV header. This goes at the very top of your CV and includes your contact information: your phone number, your full name, and your email address.

 

 

Next is the professional summary or career objective. This is a short, two-to-three-sentence paragraph that highlights your top skills and experiences. If you only had three sentences to sell yourself as a dental assistant to a hiring manager, then what would you say? That’s what goes in your professional summary.

 

 

There are many different soft skills and hard skills that a dental assistant position will likely draw from. Here are a few bullet points you can use to fill out your skills section:

• Processing dental x-rays and radiology tests
• Knowledge of dental procedures
• Dental office maintenance
• Managing patient care records and patient information
• Sterilisation and infection control
• Office management
• Fillings and sealant
• Providing chairside support
• Dental equipment inventory and management
• Helping with fluoride rinses
• Appointment scheduling
• Preparing patients for oral health procedures

Remember to emphasise key soft skills such as communication skills, while honing in on unique skills that showcase why you’re the best fit for the job.

 

 

List your experience in reverse-chronological order, with your most recent job first. For each job, include a few bullet points about your top responsibilities and achievements for each job. If you’re short on professional experience, you can you can include internship experience, academic experience, volunteer experience, and even experience in other fields as long as you can showcase skills that apply to dental assistant work.

 

 

Working as a dental nurse trainee is possible but to progress in your career and become a dental assistant, you must finish a course approved by the General Dental Council (GDC) in dental nursing. Feature your credentials in this section.

Do:

• List office management skills and specific dental skills. Many dental assistants do both, and a CV that documents these skills is more likely to get you a follow-up interview.
• Apply as an entry-level dental assistant when you’re just beginning your job search. Dental operators often hire entry-level assistants based more on work ethic than on past experience.
• Include other healthcare experiences in your work history section. Working in the healthcare field is a great way to prepare for the dental field.

Don’t:

• Lie about your credentials. Even if you’re applying for a position that doesn’t require licensure, a dental operator will cheque your credentials when you apply.
• Cite only hard skills and not soft skills in your CV. You need to know how to manage patients as a dental assistant, and soft skills help you do that.
• Try to create a CV from scratch. CV templates are a great way to make sure your CV looks extremely professional, and using them saves time.