You put in the work, made it through school, passed your exams, and now you're a Certified Dental Technician. Now what? Most of you have been working in a dental laboratory and made the decision to become certified. If that’s the case, awesome! During this process, you’ve undoubtedly found a good mentor, but if not, here are a few steps that will help launch your career.

1. Look for more experience: You can never have too much experience, especially if you've just finished school. Take some time to seek out opportunities for gaining more experience -- whether it's as a volunteer, an internship, additional classes or better yet, shadowing an experienced mentor. These suggestions and initiatives will look great on any resume.
    
2. Polish your resume: Before you start applying for Dental Technician jobs, it's important to make sure your resume looks it’s best. Try to keep everything dental-related, demonstrating your experience, skills and strengths.  Keep it concise and check out our blog at DentalStaffing.org: Your Resume Says a Lot About You.
    
3. Know what you're looking for: When it comes to getting your first job, it can be easy to take whatever comes your way first. Take some time to sit down and figure out what you really want. Do you want to work at a local family-owned practice or are you looking to move across the country to work in a large Corporate Dental Laboratory?
   
   I can tell you from my own experience, working in a smaller venue where one can receive close mentor coaching will further your skills faster than a larger, corporate setting. Don’t be afraid to do working interviews or shadow another Dental Technician if you’re trying to figure out which area of dentistry you’re leaning towards, more than others. Knowing what you want will help narrow down your job choices.
    
4.  Build a professional network: One of the best things you can do for yourself as you're starting out in the dental field is to build a professional network. Networking is an important part of any career. It can help you know about upcoming opportunities before others do and can even get you interviews with places that aren't openly hiring. Your professional network can come in handy when you're looking for a job.
    
5. Utilize dental job boards: Dental job seekers can benefit immensely from checking out dental hiring sites. These job sites can connect people looking for a job with practices that are hiring. You can upload your resume, market yourself as a certified Dental Technician looking for a job, and connect with potential employers. Using dental job sites can be a quick and easy way to see what kind of job opportunities are out there. Register at DentalStaffing.org and get your resume out there!

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“It is in your moments of decision that your destiny is shaped.”
- Tony Robbins