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Interview questions to ask dental assistant candidates
Resumes all say the same things. Thirty minutes of the right questions tells you what a resume can't: whether this person can actually run your operatory. Here's what to ask, grouped by what it reveals — and what a good answer sounds like, from the school that trains them.
The principle: ask about doing, not about adjectives
"Are you a team player?" gets the same rehearsed yes from everyone. "Walk me through turning over an operatory between patients" separates trained hands from confident talkers in ninety seconds — because you can't narrate a workflow you've never run. Every strong question below follows that rule: it asks the candidate to show you the work out loud.
The question bank (tap each category)
The working interview: worth more than any question
If you're between two candidates, a short paid working interview settles it. Watch them set a tray, assist through one simple procedure, and run the steri center once. You'll learn more in two hours than in five conversations — and good candidates like being evaluated on their hands instead of their interview polish. Just keep it structured and respectful of their time; the strong ones are interviewing you right back.
They ask about your patient flow before asking about breaks. They admit what they don't know instead of bluffing. They mention specific systems they've charted or scheduled in, not vague "computer skills." And they light up talking about a procedure they've gotten good at — enthusiasm for craft is the single best predictor we see.
Interviewing a new graduate? Adjust the lens, not the bar
A new grad won't have years of stories — ask about training instead: "What procedure did you practice most?" "Walk me through the last tray you set." "What did your externship teach you that class didn't?" A well-trained new graduate answers those with the same specificity an experienced assistant brings, because they've actually done the reps. What separates trained-well from certificate-only: what to look for in a new RDA hire. And verify registration status with the TSBDE rather than taking a resume's word for it.
Or start with candidates we'll vouch for
Our graduates interview well for a simple reason: they train on real workflows — charting and scheduling in Practice Pro, clinical notes, tray setups, radiology on real equipment — in classes capped at eight, so nothing is theoretical. East Texas offices tell us what they need through the graduate request form and we connect them when there's a genuine fit. The rest of the hiring playbook: how to hire in East Texas and writing a job post that works.
Skip the resume pile.
Request a PDA graduate trained on real office workflows — and interview someone worth interviewing.
Request a graduate →Keep reading: What to look for in a new RDA hire · Onboarding week one · Why offices hire PDA grads