Dentist - finding it difficult to get work

Alastor01

Hi everyone,

Well, my issue is as stated. I am a dentist who have graduated here 2 years ago. Worked in 3 places, now nearly 3 months have passed as I am trying to get my 4th job as a dental associate...
A little bit of background. I am non-Irish, but white. My English level is good (bar a bit of accent). My actual experience is about a year and a half (due to gaps in employment), mostly basic stuff, nothing too advanced or particularly amazing.
Had no job for the first 3 months - could't get anything after applying to like 40 places in my city! But then again it is a quite place...
First place I worked was without proper nurse (sometimes I had no nurse at all) and practically no mentor-ship, which was imaginably difficult. I got that job though parents, as they were patients. Compared to me, most of my peers had a mentor during their first 6 - 12 months. However, my dentist was on maternity leave, so I was the principal dentist... Doing root canals and extractions alone was rather stressful. Had to learn everything myself. The dentist herself was good, just did not bother to teach me. Most patients were happy, but not all of course - after all I have just started. That was their reason for terminating my employment. At the same time, I wanted to finish my work there due to having no nurse and no support.
Next place was temporary also, as one of their dentist had an injury. Had a gap of a month. This time I had a proper nurse thankfully. It was easy to get along with nurses. However, no mentor-ship was provided again. I got quite fast with common procedures. Extractions were much more difficult and thanks to my first principal dentist (she hated extractions), I had little experience. By the time I got better at them, I was fired, as I had a couple of failed extractions. Which is normal of course. What did they expect? That's the only way people learn. By doing stuff. The manager was the worst part I suppose. Confusing work days - had a nice call on my day off that my patients are waiting... Or texting me at 2 a.m. about work.
Last place was the worst experience. Got it only after 2 months of unemployment have passed. Even though I had amazing nurses for whom I was the favorite dentist, patients delighted with how gentle / accurate / professional I was and good reviews; the negatives have far outweighed those things in the end. I dumped the job myself this time. Why? Cause I was stopped being paid by our boss. Everyone was stopped being paid, except the manager... The boss and manager are ignorant and rude to the core. Now it has been 3 months since the pay day. And we (past employees) are still asking for our money. It is much harder for me to trust higher-ups nowadays.
What confuses me the most is the silence. There are vacancies online. Employers / recruiters are looking for dentists. But when I reply, it is silence 9/10 times.
I have a bit of experience, not much. My Cv is ok. My classmate who graduated after me had even worse experience with online job postings - complete silence. He got the job through a senior, who worked in the practice before. Another classmate got the job through relatives.
So how come? How come it is difficult to get a job even as a dentist here? In UK, this problem is non-existent. But here... I simply do not get it. Dentistry is a high-sought profession everywhere. We spend 5 years in hellish hospital. There are not many dentists (in Ireland you get about 70+/- graduates) - there must be limited supply. Even in my small home town there are more then 20 practices. There is demand for dentists. Most dentists with experience would be selective about jobs. I literally apply to everything, willing to commute or relocate. A lot of postings get updated regularly, so they don't end up employing anyone for some reason... Surely you can't be that selective when you have such small supply? It all makes no sense.
Is the only way to get a stable (i.e. more than 6 months) job though connections? But then I heard of someone getting a job by just going into random clinic... But how would that work, as most places would not be looking for anyone? I do not even know where I want to stay, as I don't know where I will get work. Same problem exits with part time jobs outside my area - I can not take them as it would be stupid relocating somewhere else for a part time job.

I am not sure if I am ranting / asking for advice, but I just want to tell my story, so I apologize for the long read.

Alastor01

Mr.S wrote: »

Something doesn’t sound right - there is a demand for dental jobs and if you aren’t hearing back it points to CV and how you’re coming across on the initial application.

Have you had your CV checked for obvious spelling mistakes, formatting etc by someone other than yourself? Are you writing appropriate cover letters for each application?

Also you mention being non Irish, are you clearly showing on your CV / cover letter you are legal to work here? That could be putting some employers off if it’s not obvious.

Connections only get you so far, yes it helps but it's not a requirement. Have you tried reaching out to other members of your graduating class to see if any of their practices are hiring? It's definitely worth approaching practises even if they don't have job postings online.

Wow, thanks for super fast reply!
I guess you are right, it is probably something in my CV that I am missing. I did simplify it a lot to try and see if it makes a difference.
Ye, I did get it checked by few close people. I also looked at my friends CVs and online samples. Yep, I am embedding specific cover letter for each reply.
Yep, I am stating that: I have studied / got a degree / am registered here in Ireland.
I was thinking of asking my classmates for help as a last resort... Okay, I was planning to do that actually. I guess I should try Dublin to try attending some practices.
Btw I do get replies but not nearly as much as I would expect.

Alastor01

Mr.S wrote: »

As long as you aren't over 2 pages, your CV doesn't need to be simplified. Dentistry is obviously quite technical, so I would think that it would need to be fairly detailed? Definitely have your CV checked by a professional service or someone who's used to seeing a lot of CV's.

Going down the class mate route is just using your network to your advantage, it's not a cry for help or anything and it's very common. It's obviously not guaranteed, but it's worth a shot.

At the end of the day, it's a numbers game. Keep applying and perfecting your applications and you will land a job.

Thank you, that was a good reminder that my CV can be 2 pages long. I had about one and a half page and I do have some useful info to add!
Yep, will definitely try all of those. I need result first and foremost.

Mrs OBumble

Outside of Dublin, I would imagine that connections count for almost everything - online applications and CVs are likely worthless unless you are introduced by the right person.

Definitely reach out to former classmates and colleagues. Also to anyone else you could possibly professionally network with.

Also, do you put your residential address on your CV? Is it in a poorer suburb? If so, try putting another suburb that's close but not quite the same. Eg if in Galway, say Ballybrit or Mervue instead of Ballybane, or Newcastle instead of Westside. (I don't know what the equivalents are in other citeis). Yes, I know this sucks. But there are employers out there who automatically reject CVs based soley on address.

Alastor01

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

Outside of Dublin, I would imagine that connections count for almost everything - online applications and CVs are likely worthless unless you are introduced by the right person.

Definitely reach out to former classmates and colleagues. Also to anyone else you could possibly professionally network with.

Also, do you put your residential address on your CV? Is it in a poorer suburb? If so, try putting another suburb that's close but not quite the same. Eg if in Galway, say Ballybrit or Mervue instead of Ballybane, or Newcastle instead of Westside. (I don't know what the equivalents are in other citeis). Yes, I know this sucks. But there are employers out there who automatically reject CVs based soley on address.

I was thinking that too.
Yep, I have put my address, the area is quite poor / has bad reputation though... I guess I should put better area as my address right? I also can put my Dublin address instead (good area, as I can stay at my girlfriend's place).
Thanks for suggestions!

digzy

Try contacting
Irishdentaljobs.ie

Dentists need dentists/hygienists and nurses at short notice all the time.

Hopefully it’ll result in a some work in a few different practices. Leave a copy of your cv with the boss/practice manager and it’d be a good way to get your foot in the door!

Despite what you’ve stated there’s too many dentists in the country for the work available. It’s survival of the fittest. Best of luck

Regarding the issue of unpaid wages, you ought contact the dental council, make a formal complaint and they’ll sort the matter quick smart

GalwayGrrrrrl

Getting a job in Ireland is all about connections and who you know. Make sure you use any possible contacts or get some work experience in local practices. Make sure your CV is checked by someone unknown to you and who is Irish or English born and bred- there are a couple of small errors in your post here which suggest your English isn’t 100%. Good luck with it all.

ImARebel

Don't put your address on at all, I don't put it on mine.

I've to commute to Dublin for work and I know most employers see it as a negative, despite me being commuting for 11 years and rarely if ever missing a day because of it.

So I don't put it on, it's no ones business where I live all the matters is that I can get to work on time and get the job done well. If they ask I tell them but they rarely do.

OMM 0000

Would you consider going to a big dental hospital in China? Lots of money there for foreign experts.

Alastor01

digzy wrote: »

Try contacting
Irishdentaljobs.ie

Dentists need dentists/hygienists and nurses at short notice all the time.

Hopefully it’ll result in a some work in a few different practices. Leave a copy of your cv with the boss/practice manager and it’d be a good way to get your foot in the door!

Despite what you’ve stated there’s too many dentists in the country for the work available. It’s survival of the fittest. Best of luck

Regarding the issue of unpaid wages, you ought contact the dental council, make a formal complaint and they’ll sort the matter quick smart

Yep, that's my plan, but I have to wait until they (IDJ) come back from holidays haha!
I am not sure if there are actually a lot of dentists in Ireland. On one hand, I had a recruiter tell me that he got a lot of replies in few days, but I think he is exaggerating (the position seemed dodgy to me). On another hand, just checking vacancies on Linkedin, you can see how many people applied... 1, 0, 1, 0, 0... Not many at all.
Thank you! Ye, somehow, I need to get them to pay me back.

GalwayGrrrrrl wrote: »

Getting a job in Ireland is all about connections and who you know. Make sure you use any possible contacts or get some work experience in local practices. Make sure your CV is checked by someone unknown to you and who is Irish or English born and bred- there are a couple of small errors in your post here which suggest your English isn’t 100%. Good luck with it all.

Well, I never said I am 100% perfect in English, but definitely above good I appreciate the support! I will get it checked by someone better than me.

ImARebel wrote: »

Don't put your address on at all, I don't put it on mine.

I've to commute to Dublin for work and I know most employers see it as a negative, despite me being commuting for 11 years and rarely if ever missing a day because of it.

So I don't put it on, it's no ones business where I live all the matters is that I can get to work on time and get the job done well. If they ask I tell them but they rarely do.

That is interesting. Because on-line, the advices and experiences of people are 50/50. In the end, I have decided to use my "better" address (good area in Dublin one can say). I didn't use exact address though and have specified clearly that I am willing to commute or relocate. That should be okay right?

OMM 0000 wrote: »

Would you consider going to a big dental hospital in China? Lots of money there for foreign experts.

Hmm, nope. My Chinese girlfriend would be very unhappy with that haha!

Mr.S wrote: »

Take off your address, it's not needed these days. All contact is done via phone and email. It's a given that you will be living within commuting distance. And if you're applying for jobs all over the country, it's best to leave your home address off to prevent bias etc.

Okay, took off my home address! Thanks

capnsparkles

Just was checking Dental issues and spotted one of your posts. I am disappointed to hear of your recent experience.
I have been both an associate and a Principal so I sympathise with your situation.
There are a number of things I would advise immediately.
Number one , apply to get into the Dental Lounge on boards.ie. There are plenty of associates and principals there who will give you good advice.
Secondly join the Irish Dental forum( the app is on the app store and it is free).
Lastly consider joining the IDA(Irish Dental Association).

Alastor01

capnsparkles wrote: »

Just was checking Dental issues and spotted one of your posts. I am disappointed to hear of your recent experience.
I have been both an associate and a Principal so I sympathise with your situation.
There are a number of things I would advise immediately.
Number one , apply to get into the Dental Lounge on boards.ie. There are plenty of associates and principals there who will give you good advice.
Secondly join the Irish Dental forum( the app is on the app store and it is free).
Lastly consider joining the IDA(Irish Dental Association).

I really appreciate your input, those are sound advices I am taking on board now!
Was thinking about joining that group also. I need to make some contributory replies first.
Yes, I will join those groups as well.

Waseem Gohar

Any tips for an overseas dentist to find work in Ireland. I am already registered with the Irish Dental Council but lack experience. Any advice will be very much appreciated.