Many applicants dread writing cover letters because they are unsure of what to include in them. Badly written cover letters often rehash the information that’s freely available within the CV or resume. They don’t take advantage of the opportunity to sell yourself and explain why the hiring manager should review your resume and invite you to an interview. In this article, we turn our attention to dental assistant cover letters. We explain what they are used for and how to write a great cover letter for a dental assistant job. We’ll take you step-by-step through the process and give you the confidence to get started.
Why Do Dental Assistants Need Cover Letters?
Cover letters are used to introduce yourself to hiring managers. They entice recruiters to review your resume and are a prime opportunity for you to talk passionately about your experience and why you believe you are a good fit for the company. Cover letters are particularly effective for entry-level job roles where several applicant’s resumes may have similarities. They can help to separate candidates and give insights into who the passionate people are.
What Are the Three Key Traits a Dental Assistant Needs to Have?
Dental assistants need to have many skills to work effectively. When applying for dental assistant jobs, you should be aware of the three key traits that all dental assistants need. You should use this knowledge to filter through into your cover letter so that the hiring manager immediately understands that you have the skills required for the job role.
Are you organized? Dental assistants need to have exceptional organizational skills because they’ll be responsible for ensuring the smooth running of dental clinics. It may involve booking appointments, liaising with medical suppliers or even organizing staff rotas. Are you a people person? You will likely be the first person that a patient sees. You need to be able to empathize and show that you care. You need to showcase your social skills and explain to patients what they should expect from their appointment. Can you remain professional and pay attention to detail? You may be asked to focus on multiple tasks at once. You need to know how to prioritize workloads and ensure that you are paying attention to detail. You’ll be responsible for inputting medical records and liaising with insurance companies. You need to show that you can complete tasks to the best of your ability.
How Do You Write a Dental Assistant Cover Letter With No Experience?
If you are in the early stages of your career, then writing a dental assistant cover letter when you have no experience may feel as daunting as pulling teeth. But it’s nothing to worry about. Here’s how it works… Recruiters for entry-level jobs will be focusing less on qualifications and career history and more on aptitude and the ability to make a great first impression. If you have a lack of experience, use your cover letter to explain who you are as a person and why you would be a good fit for the job. You can demonstrate examples of voluntary experience or extracurricular activities that have related to caring for people. Pay attention to the job description and be clear on what skills the recruiter is looking for. Then base your cover letter around those specific skills.
What to Include in a Dental Assistant Cover Letter?
Your dental assistant cover letter should introduce you. It should explain who you are and what your experience is and help the recruiter understand why they should hire you. You should try to include the following:
Experience
If you have experience in a previous dental assistant role, then make sure you explain what your typical tasks were and what achievements you made. Use your letter to explain your style of working and how you plan to use this experience to inform future job roles. If you are inexperienced, then focus on the specific skills that are required for the job. Try to demonstrate how you’ve used the voluntary experience or other relevant work/academic experience to improve your capabilities.
Qualifications
In some states, you may need to have specific licenses or certifications to work as a dental assistant. If you have these qualifications, then make sure you reference these in your cover letter to ensure that the recruiter knows that they can legally hire you. If you are an experienced dental assistant, then you may have completed additional training through the Dental Assisting National Board (DANB). Use your cover letter to explain what certifications you have and how you can use these to the prospective employer’s advantage.
Your Motivations for This Specific Job Role
Cover letters should always be bespoke to individual employers. The recruiter wants to know why you want to work for them specifically. Use this part of the dental assistant cover letter to explain your passion. Perhaps you believe it’s a place where you can expand your skills. Or maybe it has a strong reputation as a good local employer. This is your opportunity to flatter the recruiter and show that you’ve done your research into them as an organization.
Top Tips For Writing Your Dental Assistant Cover Letter
It can be nerve-wracking writing a cover letter. After all, you only have one opportunity to get them to review your resume. But that doesn’t mean you can’t prepare yourself to make an impact.
1. Take Note of the Job Description
Pay attention to what sort of candidate the employer is looking for. This should be clear within the job description. Make sure you’re aware of what skills are needed and what the job tasks involve. You should try to reference these skills/tasks within your cover letter, making it glaringly apparent that you meet their criteria.
2. Be Aware of Your Strengths
We recommend applicants undertake a personal SWOT analysis of themselves. You should know what your key strengths are and make sure that these come through in the letter, particularly if they relate clearly to the job role.
3. Be Concise
Recruiters will have hundreds of dental assistant cover letters and resumes to review. You need to be clear and grab their attention immediately. Use bullet points, quantifiable statistics and even bold/italics to draw their attention to key pointers.
4. Show Your Personality
You need to stand out from the crowd. Don’t be afraid to show your personality and make sure that they are aware of the reasons you want this role and why they should want you.
5. Make Sure It’s Grammatically Correct
Your dental assistant cover letter is essentially the first impression that they will have of you. Ask a friend/family member to review it with a clear eye, checking that it relates to the job description and that it’s grammatically correct with no obvious typos.
How to Write a Great Dental Assistant Cover Letter
Now it’s time to start the writing process. To help you make the most of your dental assistant cover letter, we’ve broken this down into individual sub-sections:
Section #1 – The Introduction
Your greeting should always be to a named contact where possible. The recruiter wants to know that you’ve paid careful attention to the job description and that it lands on the desk of the right person. Using a named contact means that you can facilitate a personal connection with the hiring manager. They’ll immediately feel that you are talking directly to them, rather than a generic cover letter that has been sent to anyone and everyone. Use this opportunity to explain what position you are applying for and try to build some excitement to entice the recruiter to continue reading. You want to show that you are excited by the opportunity and that you would be a good fit. For example, I am a certified dental assistant with eight years’ experience working for Pinewood Dental Practice. I am thrilled to submit my application for your dental assistant job role as I believe I have the right skills and capabilities to be a perfect fit for your team. You can use this to talk about what job tasks you have previously been responsible for and what skills you have. Make sure these match up with the tasks and required skills that are stated through the job description. In the example below, you can see items highlighted in bold which match up with the job description. Using a highlighter or a different font color can help you to check that you have ticked off the pertinent points that you need to consider. For example,
Section #3 – Your Qualifications
Recruiters will look at your dental assistant cover letter before they review your resume. You want to lightly touch on what qualifications you have and draw their attention to the information listed in your resume. I was responsible for working with 40+ patients daily, helping to greet them as they arrive. I would be the first point of contact from the initial booking through to the moment they left their appointment. Thanks to my personal touch, I have received many examples of positive feedback from patients and I am delighted to enclose a copy of my personal feedback to this letter. My current internal customer satisfaction rating is 96%. Key duties include:
Organizing the appointment calendar for a team of 10 dentists Liaising with medical suppliers and insurance teams Working to update medical records Checking our inventory
I have developed an efficient method of working which has allowed our practice to reduce administrative tasks by two hours per week, allowing us to prioritize patient care. I also assisted with several dental exams and treatments including x-rays and sterilizing equipment. I am also proficient in taking medical histories and vital signs. Throughout my employment at Pinewood Dental Practice, I was able to gain numerous certifications which allowed me to demonstrate my value to the company. Take the opportunity to highlight any additional certifications or professional licenses and reference what specific qualifications you have. For example,
Section #4 – What You Can Do for the Specific Employer
We’re now starting to move on from what the candidate has previously done, to how they can work to support the prospective employer. This is the moment where you focus on why they should hire you. It’s an opportunity to use flattery and explain why you want to work for this specific company. For example,
Section #5 – The Final Call to Action
As we draw to a close, it’s time to remind the recruiter to look at your resume and remind them of your contact details. I believe that we have matching values and I would welcome the opportunity to launch a similar initiative on your behalf. You want to end the dental assistant cover letter in a positive tone, reminding them that you would welcome the opportunity to talk to you in more detail. For example,
Example Dental Assistant Cover Letter
Now that we’ve worked through the dental assistant cover letter in stages, let’s see how it translates when it’s all put together. Sincerely, Jane Name
Final Thoughts
You will now know what is needed to write an effective dental assistant cover letter. I am a certified dental assistant with eight years’ experience working for Pinewood Dental Practice. I am thrilled to submit my application for your dental assistant job role, as I believe that I have the right skills and capabilities to be a perfect fit for your team. During my time at Pinewood Dental Practice, I had ample opportunity to test my skills in a variety of ways. I was responsible for working with 40+ patients daily, helping to greet them as they arrive. I would be the first point of contact from the initial booking through to the moment they left their appointment. Thanks to my personal touch, I have received many examples of positive feedback from patients and I am delighted to enclose a copy of my personal feedback to this letter. My current internal customer satisfaction rating is 96%. Key duties include:
Organizing the appointment calendar for a team of 10 dentists Liaising with medical suppliers and insurance teams Working to update medical records Checking our inventory
I have developed an efficient method of working which has allowed our practice to reduce administrative tasks by 2 hours per week, allowing us to prioritize patient care. I also assisted with several dental exams and treatments including x-rays and sterilizing equipment. I am also proficient in taking medical histories and vital signs. Throughout my employment at Pinewood Dental Practice, I was able to gain numerous certifications which allowed me to demonstrate my value to the company. As you can see from my enclosed resume, I have the qualifications that you need for this specific job role. As well as a CDA from the DANB, I have also undertaken the Coronal Polishing (CP) Exam and the Sealants (SE) Exam. I am keen to complete my learning and looking ahead to the future, I would also like to achieve my Topical Fluoride (TF) Exam certification. I’m excited about the opportunity to work directly for you because I’m well aware of your esteemed reputation. You state that your company’s vision is to ‘help educate the community about the importance of dental hygiene’ and this is something that I honestly believe in. During my previous role, I implemented a series of charitable outreach events that directly targeted disadvantaged communities and I set up a program with a local community center, that allowed patients to receive effective dental care at a low cost. This was a project that proved to be extremely successful. As a PR exercise, we gained significant publicity which led to a 10% increase in patients which secured the financing needed to host such a project. I believe that we have matching values and I would welcome the opportunity to launch a similar initiative on your behalf. Thank you for taking the time to read this letter. As referenced, I am enclosing a copy of my resume as well as the positive feedback received by patients. I would welcome the opportunity to speak to you about this job role in due course. Please feel free to contact me on [phone number] or [email]. Sincerely, Jane Name By taking you through the step-by-step process, we’ve narrowed down what you need to make your application stand out from other candidates. If you need any additional help at any stage of your application process, why not read through the variety of articles that we have published here at WikiJob. From the application through to the interview stage, we’ve got everything covered.
