Dental Assistant Skills

Use a simple, clean format that highlights your skills and experiences. Focus on readability by using bullet points and short phrases to present your skills. Properly organize your resume into education, experience, and skills sections.

“Adding a skills section to your resume is a great way to draw the recruiter’s attention to your most relevant strengths and competencies.”

– Ashley Watkins, NCRW, NCOPE, Job Search Coach

For example, a dental assistant’s bullet points might look like this:

• Proficient in taking patient X-rays and sterilizing instruments.
• Managed patient records and scheduled appointments.
• Compliance with infection control protocols.

Hitting all the top job requirements with your skills list will help you rank highly for a keyword search within an applicant tracking system. But don’t stop there. Add context for every skill elsewhere in your work experience.

If a recruiter is excited by your X-ray skills, for example, the first thing they’ll do is skim your work experience to figure out when, how, and how much you used that skill.

As you list your responsibilities, it’s also important to highlight your specific achievements wherever you can.

“For soft skills, it’s often more effective to demonstrate them in the context of your past work experience. Instead of merely stating “excellent team player”, you are better off saying “collaborated with a cross-functional team of 6 on a new product launch that boosted sales by 30% in one year”. Examples of specific accomplishments or business outcomes speak louder than buzzwords.”

– Ana Lokotkova, Career Coach and Advisor

For example, if you increased scheduling efficiency, be sure to mention this accomplishment.

Instead of saying,

“Scheduled appointments for patients.”

You could say,

“Optimized office scheduling procedures, reducing patient no-shows by 20%.”

This demonstrates your level of expertise with the skills you listed. It gives the recruiter more reason to be interested in you as a result.

If you’re applying for a role requiring a broad skillset, categorize your skills.

“If you opt to include a designated skills section on your resume, include up to 10 of your core competencies. Excessive skills lists are overwhelming and sometimes confusing to the reader.”

– Kelli Hrivnak, Marketing and Tech Recruiter

For example, someone applying for a role as a dental assistant might benefit from segmenting their skill lists as follows:

Clinical Skills

• Knowledge of dental anatomy and procedures.
• Proficiency in taking and developing dental X-rays.
• Experience with dental impressions and models.

Administrative Skills

• Scheduling patient appointments and managing patient records.
• Experience with dental billing and insurance claims.
• Proficiency with dental office software and electronic health records.

Interpersonal Skills

• Excellent patient communication and education skills.
• Ability to work collaboratively with dentists and other dental assistants.
• Attention to patient comfort and satisfaction.

Use numbers to quantify your achievements wherever possible. This helps potential employers understand your abilities and the impact you can have on their organization.

“Recruiters and hiring managers are looking for relevancy of how and when you applied those skills, so provide examples of this in your experience section. Bonus tip: Don’t just insert the skill like a task–include results.”

– Kelli Hrivnak, Marketing and Tech Recruiter

Instead of saying,

“Prepared treatment rooms for patients.”

You could say,

“Prepared treatment rooms for 20+ patients daily.”

By using numbers, you give hiring managers a better sense of your value.

Read the description carefully and emphasize the relevant skills and experiences. Highlight the skills that the employer seeks and provide examples of how you’ve used those skills in your previous roles. Doing so can demonstrate that you’re a strong fit for the position and increase your chances of being invited to an interview.

“The ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach doesn’t work when it comes to your resume. For every job application, tailor your skill set to match the job description. Most companies use Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) that filter candidates based on keywords and skills listed in the job description. So, research the role you’re applying for and distill the skills required.”

– Ana Lokotkova, Career Coach and Advisor

In order to do this, “you must first understand what skills are most important for the target role,” says Ashley Watkins.

Here’s an example of how to tailor a dental assistant’s resume to a job description:

Job Title: Dental Assistant

Requirements:

• Experience with taking patient X-rays and dental impressions.
• Familiarity with dental software, such as Dentrix or Eaglesoft.
• Ability to perform basic dental procedures, such as cleaning and filling cavities.

Tailored Resume Description:

• Proficient in taking patient X-rays and dental impressions using digital radiography and traditional methods.
• Skilled in using dental software, including Dentrix and Eaglesoft, to manage patient records, schedule appointments, and track treatment plans.
• Experienced in performing basic dental procedures, such as prophylaxis cleanings, fluoride treatments, and composite fillings.

“Focus on the sought-after and in demand skills. A great way to figure out what is currently in demand is by researching current job openings from your preferred companies and reading through the posting. Pay close attention to the preferred requirements section and build your skills section based on this list.”

– Chelsea Jay, Career & Leadership Development Coach – Seasoned and Growing

Start each bullet point with an action verb. An action verb expresses an action, such as “create,” “build,” “manage,” “lead,” or “implement.”

Action verbs grab the reader’s attention and paint a vivid picture of what you accomplished at work.

Action verbs make your resume more interesting to read. They also show the kind of can-do attitude that employers are looking for.