STEP 1: Make a list of hard/soft skills and write down your professional goals

1. List your most important skills and strengths (hard/soft skills).

● Responsible
● Respectful
● Hardworking
● Patient
● Good communication skills
● Reliable
● Quick learner
● Creative
● Organized
● Dedicated
● Self motivated
● Confident

2. What are your professional goals (job titles you aspire to, education/training
you would like to complete, projects you want to work on, internships you
plan to do, etc.)?

My professional goals are to offer exceptional patient education to promote

prevention of disease. Also, to keep voluntering to help the underserved
populations. I would like to reach out to the Latino community and educate them
about the importance of oral health.

STEP 2: Brainstorm Your Accomplishments

Ask yourself the following questions (or any other interview question about hard/soft
skills) and write down your responses:
1. Did you ever take initiative, or go above and beyond? HOW?

I try to be as much of a help where ever I’m sent to work by the temporary
agency. I remember a time where I was sent to an office where there was only
one other assistant working. It was already the end of the day and I was dismissed
by the doctor. I asked the other assistant if we were all done and she said yes, but
she had to do other work that have been pushed out because she had no other
help. I offered to stay and help her to get the job done quicker, eventhough I was
already out of the clock.
 2. How did you do the job better than anyone else? HOW?

By speaking another language I have the ability to make spanish speakers feel more
comfortable. I consider this a super power that not everyone has. I have found that
patients who dont speak English often prefer to be seen by someone who speaks their
native language. I love speaking spanish because I can help a different part of the
population.

3. Did you leave your employer better off than before you worked there? HOW?

I believe I have helped my employer be more organized. I created a system to make it

easier on everyone to know when it was time to order supplies. I took the time to
reorganized and deep cleaned the office I use to work at. I found hidden supplies in the
storage room after I cleaned, my employer was appreciative by my initiative of doing
something to improve the office.

4. Did you constantly receive high ratings or compliments/recognition? WHY?

I was often thanked by the hygienist, the doctors, and the front office at my old job. I
think because I often offered to help everyone to make the office run smoother. I didn’t
do things to get recognition but to help my team. Helping others really makes me happy.

5. List any awards you won, such as Employee of the Month.

I remember one time I was the Employee of the Month. I won this award because I was
always on time, I was willing to stay later than my shift, and I was willing to come in
earlier everytime I was asked. I just put the best of me to do the job correctly.

6. What are you most proud of in your career thus far? Be Specific!

I’m very proud of being able to help people. Being in the dental field gives you the
chance of transforming someone’s life. Patients come in and are embarrased of their
teeth or their smile. They come in and we educate them and present them with
treatment options, and following through the process and seeing the end result is very
rewarding. Also, as a dental hygienist we can detect other systemic problems for
example high blood pressure. I feel very fortunate to be able to not only take care of my
patient’s mouth but also take care of their overall health and as a person.

7. Did you help your employer(s) save money, time, or increase the quality of
their product/services? HOW?

Working for the temporary agency has thought me many new things about equipment,
materials, and techniques. I once helped a lead assistant get in touch with one
representative that was providing supplies for my old office. I really trusted him and he
was very knowledgable too. This supply representative will follow our budget, so I
recommeded him to this lead assistant.

8. Did you attract new customers or expand the business? How?

Yes, since I speak Spanish and spanish speaking patients often look for a provider who
can understand them, my old office posted on their website and outside advertisement
that we had staff who spoke spanish.

STEP 3: Write Your Elevator Speech

Elevator Speech (Template)

I am a/n ____registered dental hygienist_________________________________

(Occupation e.g. Carpenter or Administrative Assistant)

with the majority of my career involved in ____improving patient oral health ___.

(Industry e.g. Construction or Finance)

While working at __affordable dental care_____I __would ___help patients who didn’t
speak English by translating for them _________.

(Company) (Share major

accomplishment(s))
I have also ___help the office by offering to teach them often used spanish words so
patients will feel more comfortable and see that we are trying our best to provide good
care for them_______________.

(Briefly summarize additional relevant experience)

I find that wherever I have worked, I bring three key strengths to the table:

___motivation___________, ___enthusiasm_______, and __confidence__________.

(Name three relevant hard and/or soft skills)

At this time, my future plans are__to establish in a dental office that shares the same
philosophy as me___.

(Future career objectives/goals)

STEP 4: Craft brief yet detailed stories to share in your interviews about your
professional/relevant accomplishments

Tips:

● A good story has four elements, the Situation, the Task, the Action, and R
● Be specific and quantify results. Interviewers like results translated to #’s, %’s, $’s.
● Use superlatives like first, only, best, most and highest.
● Demonstrate to the employer you didn’t just do the job but you were great at
it!

Situation (problem) and/or Task:
I have worked for the temporary agency since
2016. I get send to different offices all the time.
One day they sent me to a really busy office in
Auburn. I was doing sterilization, when the
other assistant comes and asks me if i know
how to use nitrous. First, I went into the room
and the patient had the mask on and the tank
was completly out of oxygen. Nobody in the
office knew how to change the oxygen tank. I
was the only one who had nitrous training.
Action: I switched duties with the other assistant and went into the room to
assist the doctor. I took over the procedure, calmed down the patient, while
switching the oxygen tank.

Result (Time, Money, and/or Increased Quality of Service/Product):

At the end of the procedure I grabbed the other assistant and I showed her how to
change the tanks so she would know for next time. I learned that sometimes it is a
good idea to go over the schedule and educated your self, tink critically to see
what your patients might need throughout the appointment. Also I learned to
familirazised my self with the office to see if there is anything new to me that I
might not know how to use.