Evaluating Your Post-Grad Options: Strategies for Successful Decision Making

1. Evaluating Your Post-Grad Options: Strategies for Successful Decision Making Josh Lord, M.B.A. Director of Membership and Strategic Initiatives Michigan Dental Association

2. Themes • Plan strategically • Establish stability • Obtain security

3. Agenda • Introduction • Your questions • Pressures and vision • Strategic planning • Resources • Advice • Q&A

4. Credentials • Hired to generate 33% of $6M operating budget @ 24 years-old • Launched MDA’s Career Services Center • Successfully supported aspirations of family, friends, friends-of-friends, dental students, new dentists • www.linkedin.com/in/joshuadlord

5. Tapped resources • ADA New Dentist Mentor of the Year, private practice owner/associate, part-time faculty at UM SoD • Member, ADA’s New Dentist Committee, private practice owner/former public health dentist • Chairperson, MDA’s Membership Committee, private practice owner/former associate • Former UM ASDA president, UCLA endo resident • Former UM ASDA president, Loyola OMS resident • Student Affairs Director, UDM SoD • Class of 2009 Graduate, private practice owner/former associate • Financial planner, specializes in dentistry • Clients include who’s who of MDA members • M.B.A. Career Services, Michigan State University

7. Under pressure

9. My vision for life @ 30 @ 22 • Executive-level compensation • Department director for a high-profile organization • Obtain M.B.A. • Establish reputation as go-to within industry • Be positioned for career advancement • Secure stability for family

10. Evaluating career options • Do you have a career strategic plan? • Short-term choices should facilitate accomplishment of long-term plan • Make the best choice for this moment as long as it corresponds to your long-term plan • Identify gaps, make choices that fill them • Don’t buy into external pressure • MindMeister • Know you will be OK!

12. Core questions

13. Resources

14. People as resources • Make connections – over, and over, and over again • People who have made similar choices recently • Informational interviews

15. Informational interviews • Three goals: • Become informed • Build connections • Indirect way to distribute resume/CV • Can I have 15-30 minutes of your time to get advice about [insert decision here]? • Do you know of anyone else I should reach out to for advice? • Would you mind giving me feedback on my resume/CV?

16. Ring of Resources

17. Online/digital resources • Compensation Reports • Career Services • www.onetonline.org • LinkedIn

18. Just my opinion Advice based on being in your shoes, hiring, getting hired, and helping others find and land jobs

19. Don’t be entitled • Your reputation precedes you • Be selective, not picky • Contrast the stereotype • A foot in the door in an administrative role is better than the alternative • Good way to learn • Additional part-time employment can bridge the gap and provide you with additional skills

20. Get involved • Sets you apart given peer comparisons • Student leadership provides visibility to pros • Next to clinical accomplishments, provides best fodder for resumes • Translates into involvement with professional organization, increasing job prospects • Patterns of leadership and initiative • Volunteerism/involvement translating into leadership

21. Remember the impact of social media • Employers do check, impacts hiring decision • Build LinkedIn presence early, proactively connect with influencers

22. Informational interviews • Gain insight, and perspective on resume • Build your network • Indirect way to share your resume • Learn about the city/industry from people living it • Facilitates networking and movement of your resume • Use LinkedIn to find alumni • Be polite, courteous, and always say thank you

23. Customize documents • Develop based on role and link to candidacy • Generic versions are easy to spot • Personal statement/cover letter should contain a single theme and ah-ha moment • Communicate distinct value

24. Use alumni network • One of the best tools • Great for informational interviews • Contact state dental society or alumni association

25. Create relationships with faculty • Part-time • Used to work in profession • Often under utilized

26. Talk to people • Pick up the phone and call • Send hand-written thank you notes • Emails are lazy

28. Summary • What are you taking home today? • You will be OK! • Write a plan, and get feedback • Network • Informational interviews • Don’t be entitled

29. Contact me • jlord@michigandental.org • joshua.d.lord@gmail.com • 517-346-9415 • www.linkedin.com/in/joshuadlord