Dental Tribune United Kingdom Edition

27October 29 - November 4, 2012United Kingdom Edition Comment 2012 2010 Preferred Products Often times, compromises have to be made when develo- ping impression materials. Because normally the rheological properties of stability and good flow characteristics would stand in each other’s way. DMG’s Honigum overcomes these contradictions. Thanks to its unique rheological active matrix, Honigum yields highest ratings in both disciplines. We are very pleased to see that even the noted test institute »The Dental Advisor« values that fact: Among 50 VPS Honigum received the best »clinical ratings«* www.dmg-dental.com honigum. Overcoming opposites. *The Dental Advisor, Vol. 23, No. 3, p 2-5 AZM_Honigum_DeEnItFr_1203.indd 1 02.04.12 09:47 mile for patients, and so we like to employ people who share our same ethic for work, whose par- ents may have imparted upon them some sense of going be- yond the normal hum-drum of 9–5. That’s why we’re always interested to learn of candidates whose parents may have worked long hours – who may have dem- onstrated the need to go that lit- tle bit further to “get the job done”. Another question we like to ask is, “What did you want to be when you were young?” and as a follow-up, “What did your parents say?” As an employer, naturally we look for a positive attitude in our employees. We are also looking for people who demonstrate some sort of aspira- tion. Though I doubt many peo- ple can honestly say they wanted to be a dentist, or a dental nurse growing up, the responses we tend to get are an interesting re- flection on the people we’re in- terviewing. For example, those with parents who would crush their aspirations (even if they wanted to be an astronaut!), tend, in general, to be less aspi- rational as individuals and less motivated to push themselves to enhance their careers. Obvious- ly there’s an element of generali- sation here, but the conversation that emerges from the questions “What did you want to be when you were young?” really can shed some interesting light on a person! Our third and final question we like to ask potential employ- ees is, “Are you ‘touchy feely’?” or the slightly more refined question, “Are you a warm, em- pathetic person?” From experi- ence, empathy and compassion are two elements to a person’s nature that just can’t be taught. Either you’re a naturally warm person, or you aren’t. There re- ally isn’t an in-between here. For someone working in the car- ing profession that is dentistry, empathy is absolutely critical. That’s why at EndoCare we rate empathy and warmth of feeling as two of the most important facets to any of our members of staff. Of course there’s no right or wrong answer to any of our questions, and even with the last one the answer is never going to be as simple as yes or no. What these questions do is give us an opportunity to learn a little bit more about the people we may potentially em- ploy. Obviously these questions won’t work for everyone as each business is different, and each dental practice will have its own way of doing things. At EndoCare for example, we want genuine hard working, aspirational people who are fundamentally caring at heart, and so we form our questions appropriately. So, when the time comes around to find a new member of staff, ask yourself, what are your practice values? How do your staff members reflect these val- ues? Though these might seem like simple points to consider, they really do require an awful lot of thought. After all, staff are important – they are at the heart of everything a dental practice does – and for this reason, it pays to choose your questions care- fully! DT About the author Dr Michael Sul- tan BDS MSc DFO FICD is a Specialist in Endodontics and the Clinical Direc- tor of EndoCare. Michael qualified at Bristol Univer- sity in 1986. He worked as a gen- eral dental practitioner for 5 years be- fore commencing specialist studies at Guy’s hospital, London. He completed his MSc in Endodontics in 1993 and worked as an in-house Endodontist in various practices before setting up in Harley St, London in 2000. He was admitted onto the specialist reg- ister in Endodontics in 1999 and has lectured extensively to postgraduate dental groups as well as lecturing on Endodontic courses at Eastman CPD, University of London. He has been in- volved with numerous dental groups and has been chairman of the Alpha Omega dental fraternity. In 2008 he became clinical director of EndoCare, a group of specialist practices. For further information please call EndoCare on 020 7224 0999 Or visit www.endocare.co.uk ‘The conversation that emerges from the questions “What did you want to be when you were young?” really can shed some interesting light on a person!’