Employment perspectives of Hong Kong employers and graduating dental students

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: To describe selection criteria in the views of the employers of dentists and graduating dental students in Hong Kong. METHODS: Forty experienced general dental practitioners (GDPs) who owned a private dental practice in Hong Kong and forty graduating dental students in Hong Kong were invited to participate in the study. Face-to-face interview was conducted on the participants, who were asked to prioritize the three most important selection criteria for associate dentist recruitment. RESULTS: The most important selection criteria considered by the 40 GDPs when short listing the candidates were experience in dentistry, the university which the candidate graduated from, and the expected salary. The three most important selection criteria considered during the interview were communication skills, personality and appearance. Overall, communication skills, experience in dentistry and personality were the most important criteria in views of the employers in associate dentist recruitment. The most important selection criteria considered by the 40 graduating students when short listing the candidates were experience in dentistry, academic performance and communication skills. The three most important selection criteria considered during the interview were communication skills, personality and interpersonal skills. Overall, the graduating dental students thought that employers would consider experience in dentistry, communication skills and interpersonal skills as the most important criteria when recruiting associate dentists. CONCLUSION: In comparison of the views of the employers of dentists and graduating dental students in associate dentist recruitment, it was found that their selection criteria were similar in the overall assessment.