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

Josh Lord, M.B.A.Director of Membership and Strategic InitiativesMichigan Dental Association

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Themes• Plan strategically • Establish stability• Obtain security

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

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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

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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

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Under pressure

Family

Lenders

Mentors

Significant

Other

Peers

Employers/Programs

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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

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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!

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Core questions• What are my expectations?• What are my goals?• What is my tolerance for risk?• Am I comfortable practicing unsupervised?• Is my GPA competitive?• Do I like delivering patient care?• Am I prepared to actively manage and lead a

business?

Self

• Debt management• Family impact• Resource/time constraintsObligations

• Who do I want to work for?• Who do I want to work with?• Do I like this community – personal, practice, family?• Life-work balance?• Intangibles?• Does this feel right?

Opportunity

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Resources

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People as resources• Make connections – over, and over,

and over again• People who have made similar

choices recently• Informational interviews

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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?

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Ring of ResourcesConsultants, Seasoned DDS

ADA Network, Media, Peers, CE, Faculty, Admin

Friends, Family Mentors

Informational Interviews, Site Visits,

People Recently in Your Spot

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

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Just my opinion

Advice based on being in your shoes, hiring, getting hired, and helping others find and land jobs

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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

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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

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Remember the impact of social media• Employers do check, impacts hiring

decision• Build LinkedIn presence early,

proactively connect with influencers

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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

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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

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

alumni association

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

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

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

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