The US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that dental hygienist jobs are seen to grow by 11% from 2020 to 2030, which is faster and higher than the average for all jobs. Moreover, about 15,600 jobs will open each year, owing to the need to replace workers who either changed their career paths or retired from the workforce. With this data, you know that the coming years will be more competitive for aspirants out there. Powering up your job search with an impactful dental hygienist resume should help set you up for success.
This is why you’re up for a worthwhile career choice as various opportunities are open for you to explore through the years. Although that’s the case, the job market’s competition may get tight as well. That said; you must ensure your job application stands out by arming yourself with strong job search tools, starting with your resume.
Use this guide to know what your resume should include, how you should write yours, and the options you have should you decide to let a career expert take care of your job search tools.
What is a Dental Hygienist?
Often working in dentistry offices to provide basic dental care services, dental hygienists perform various duties related to a patient’s oral health. They use power tools, hand tools, and lasers to carry out such services based on what a patient needs.
Ultimately, dental hygienists examine patients for signs of oral diseases and provide preventive care such as oral hygiene.
What are the Duties of a Dental Hygienist?
While their duties may vary from office to office, dental hygienists perform common tasks as well. Some of these are to:
- Clean teeth by removing plaque, stains, and tartar;
- Take X-rays of the mouth;
- Assess the general health of the teeth and gums;
- Report findings to dentists for further tests;
- Identify oral health issues;
- Offer dental care advice;
- Sterilize medical equipment and instruments; and
- Maintain and update dental records.
How Do You Become a Dental Hygienist?
To become one, you must finish the required education at an accredited college. The majority of jobs require a minimum of an associate degree, which can be earned after 2 to 3 years. On the other hand, some employers require a bachelor’s degree, which can be acquired after 4 years or more.
Furthermore, you must get licensed based on the state’s requirements. It’s also key to note that license maintenance often requires a certain number of continuing education hours per year.
What to Include on Your Dental Hygienist Resume
As you write your dental hygienist resume, ensure all key details are included. This will help you craft a strong job search tool that lets you leave a great impression to recruiters and hiring managers. With that, here are the most common things you should write as you deem fit for the job you’re aiming to land.
Your Contact Info
Placed at the top part of your resume, your contact details need to stay up to date. Write your full name in a large font so it’s easy to read. Also, state your credentials if any, and affix them to your name. Then, put your mailing address under your name if you want to. Lastly, include your phone number and email address.
How You’ll Introduce Yourself
Since most recruiters spend under 10 seconds to screen piles of resumes, you must level up application so that it won’t get ignored. This is why it’s crucial for you to catch their attention through your striking intro.
Based on your job level and goals, you can choose from various intro types. What’s key is to highlight your main traits, feats, and skills. That said; opt to use one of these:
- Qualifications profile
- Resume summary
- Dental hygienist resume objective
Your Top Feats
To support your intro, you can also opt to list your top competencies or areas of expertise. This helps your readers have a better grasp of what you can offer and if you have the most apt skills required for the job post.
Work History
As the core part of your dental hygienist resume, your work history section is where you can describe your past roles, what you accomplished, and how you added value to your previous jobs. Also, this section aims to highlight your background in the field of dental hygiene.
For this section, don’t forget to state your past jobs, the names of your past employers and their locations, and the years covered. Next, list the top tasks you did in each job in bullet points. Take note that you must include only the ones that are most fitting to the role you’re vying for.
Your Academic Background
Since you finished the required requirements and earned your license, make sure to highlight your education in your job search tool. This helps further build your credence in your work.
Key Skills
As you deem fit, you may also opt to include your top skills at the latter part of your file. Apart from showing your readers that you have what it takes to land the job, doing this step also lets you pinpoint what you’re best at.
Use these guides on the sample dental hygienist skills you can put:
Hard Skills and Technical Skills
- CPR
- X-ray positioning
- Scaling and root planing
- Voice-activated periodontal charting software
- Manual dexterity
Soft Skills
- Compassion
- Problem solving
- Good communication
How to Write Your Dental Hygienist Resume
Now that you’re aware of the parts and items you must put in your resume, it’s time to put these into action. Craft a well-written one by heeding these foolproof tips!
Resume Format
Choose the most fitting format based on your job level. This practice lets you choose the best way how to present your background, skills, and traits.
To help guide you in choosing, here are some of the most common formats you can use:
- Reverse chronological – Aiming to let you list your history from the most recent one working your way backward, this is the best type to use when you want to stay in the same career path or show a steady growth in your line of work.
- Functional – Giving light to your skills sets as your core strengths, this is best for you if you’re a career shifter or you have career gaps.
- Hybrid – Mixing both of your work history and skill sets, this combination type may not be the best choice for those who haven’t built their career yet.
- Targeted – This format allows you to detail only the jobs related to your target job, while simply listing the company names and job titles of those positions not related to your desired position.
Job Match
Being a keen job seeker means you’re ensuring your resume is tailored the post you’re aiming for. Do this by checking the job description to see if your background matches what the job posting requires.
Also, ensure your resume is fit to every job you’re applying for, instead of just sending a generic one. Besides, you’d want to leave a great impression to the hiring manager that you prepared well for the job application.
Resume Keywords
As various firms keep using applicant tracking systems (ATS) to screen resumes, you must stay on top of the latest resume trends like this. Upon checking the job posting, spot keywords that you can use and include in your resume that you know apply to your background. These keywords may be found in the required skills and traits you believe you have.
Layout
For normal resume texts, don’t forget to format them to 12 points in size, using font types that are easy to read. With that, put larger texts like headings and titles between 14 to 16 points in bold font. Also, opt to use a single spacing to give your file enough whitespace. Lastly, save your resume as a PDF file to keep the layout and format intact.
Final Check
Before you send in your resume, do a final run-through for typos, grammar errors, and other things you can remove. Just as you help maintain a patient’s dental health, make sure you’re also looking out for how polished your job search tool looks like. As you see fit, you can also ask someone to double-check it for you. Ask for their detailed feedback so that you can work on things that need to be improved.
Dental Hygienist Resume Sample
With all these tips and tricks on how you should write your resume, look at this sample to see what a strong resume looks like. Use this as your guide to make your job search tool more effective!
Let Experts Craft Your Dental Hygienist Resume
Being in the dental care services field can be overwhelming, as you need to juggle tasks here and there. While you decide to jump on another opportunity at a new firm, or just start your journey in this path, you get to realize how tedious it can be to prepare for your job search as well. Add to that the stress and hardship of ensuring a well-written resume. The good thing is that expert help is here!
Browse through our resume writing services and see how our expert team can make your job application stand out among the rest! While you’re at it, you can also get your draft checked through our free resume review. See for yourself and talk to us now to get started!
