Dental Receptionist cover letter example

As the face – and smile – of a dental office, you always need to make a great first impression. It’s especially important because many patients fear the dentist and your demeanor can help put them at ease before they sit down in the dental chair. An excellent dental receptionist cover letter allows you a page of prose to show off your friendly, calm personality.

That’s the main reason you need a cover letter: it expands upon your resume and allows the hiring manager to get an idea of how your personality will fit in with the dental team. As a point person in the office, your personality and style make a world of difference.

This writing guide and the accompanying dental receptionist cover letter example will help you reach your goal of being granted an interview. Below, we will discuss:

• All the components that make up a cover letter – header, greeting, introduction, body, and conclusion
• The psychology of a great cover letter
• The best approach for developing a dental receptionist cover letter, including making the most of each section
• How to differentiate your application from those of other candidates
• The common mistakes letter writers make and how to avoid them

Best format for a dental receptionist cover letter

Staring at a blank page can be a little nerve-wracking, but if you break down the task of writing, the process gets much simpler. Before you jump into writing your dental receptionist cover letter, it will help to know what goes into it.

The format of a dental receptionist cover letter should contain the following elements:

• The cover letter header
• The greeting/salutation
• The cover letter intro
• The middle paragraphs (body of the letter)
• The ending paragraph of your cover letter (conclusion and call-to-action)

For an excellent overview of the application letter process, peruse the comprehensive cover letter guide, which offers more general advice about how to go about compiling cover letters. The guide below is designed specifically to help you get a job as a dental receptionist.

This dental receptionist cover letter example will give you a blueprint for writing your own cover letter:

Cover letter header

Since your job is one where efficient cheerfulness is a requirement, you may take a little more leeway with the header of your dental receptionist cover letter. By that we mean a brighter color or a slightly more fun (but still legible) font.

Your header should reflect your professional personality and is the only visual element on the page, but its main purpose is to place your name and contact information in a prominent position so a hiring manager does not encounter any obstacles when trying to invite you for an interview.

Your header should include your name, the title of the job you seek, your phone number, your email address, and the city in which you live. It is not necessary to include your street address unless you want to show that you live close to the office.

Cover letter greeting

This element has added weight for you because greeting patients and colleagues is your bread and butter. While yours is a profession that requires friendliness, you should not get too friendly in your dental receptionist cover letter greeting. Stick with last names. 

The only exception to this rule would be if you know the person you are addressing. The best way to start off your letter is “Dear Dr./Mr./Ms/Mx. [last name].” If the job listing does not name a person, a simple call to the office or a check of the website (if the practice has one) should help out. This tiny extra step shows that you care enough to address the hiring manager by name. If you cannot get the name of a person or will be applying to a committee, avoid the generic greeting “Dear Sir or Madam” and try something like “Dear Dental Staff.”

The aim of the cover letter greeting: to show your reader that you care enough to learn their name.

Cover letter introduction

Whether you are a seasoned office professional or are looking for your first job, your dental receptionist cover letter introduction should focus on how you will improve the practice. Your reader wants to know how great you are only insofar as it helps them solve the office’s problems.

Begin by introducing your experience and describing yourself in a work context. The strongest cover letters address the 2 big questions: Why do you want to work here? What will you bring to the reception desk?

The answer to one or both of these questions is your main idea and you will be following it up in the remaining components of your document.

The purpose of the introduction: to grab the interest of your reader and give them a hint of what is to come.

Cover letter middle part (body)

The middle three or four paragraphs are the meat of your dental receptionist cover letter. You’ve told the hiring manager that you excel at easing the fears of patients and maintaining all confidential medical records, now you’re going to prove it.

How? By offering up examples of your achievements in your previous and current position. Don’t rely solely on anecdotes about individual patients, although one great patient-care story can reveal your style and problem-solving methods. Add in information on how you updated the patient appointment system or were the go-to person for handling difficult insurance claims.

You are a patient-facing employee, but you may also be required to field staff requests and assist in any way necessary. To break up the text blocks in your letter, highlight a few of your office skills in bullet points. Try not to directly copy items from your resume. Instead offer other skills or break out the steps you took to solve a problem. 

The goal of the middle part: to add detailed descriptions of your career excellence that back up your main point.

How to close a dental receptionist cover letter (conclusion and sign-off)

You’ve reached the end of your dental receptionist cover letter, but you have two objectives remaining:

1. Refresh your reader’s memory on the main point of your letter: why you are right for the job and what you will bring to the reception desk.
2. Call your reader to action with a request for an interview to discuss the position.

You may add a new bit of information here, but make sure you restate your key point so that it’s fresh in the mind of your reader before they move on to the next application.

Finally, end with “Sincerely” or “Best regards” and your name.

The goal of the conclusion: to make sure your reader remembers your key point and request an interview.

Basic mistakes in a dental receptionist application letter (and how to avoid them)

1. Neglecting to personalize: hiring managers know a generic letter when they read one. They’re looking for someone who’s willing to take the extra step to understand their needs.
2. Spelling and grammatical errors: you have the tools at your fingertips. A simple spell and grammar check will find many mistakes. Proofread and ask a friend to look over your dental receptionist cover letter to make sure it’s flawless.
3. Design and formatting flaws: misaligned text or overly fussy design looks unprofessional. Make your life easier and try expertly-designed cover letter templates and a cover letter builder such as ours.
4. A tone that’s too casual: while you want to seem approachable and friendly, you are writing a business letter and as such, you should keep your tone on the formal side without sounding too stiff.

Key takeaways

1. You’re the face of the dental practice, so while your computer and scheduling skills are important, the way you work with patients and co-workers is more important.
2. Express your ability to calm the nerves of frightened patients and to keep all medical information confidential.
3. Make sure you answer the question “Why should we hire you?” within your cover letter.
4. Go above and beyond by researching the practice and addressing its specific needs.