interview

Prepare For the Eyecare Interview

Take the time to develop a successful interview strategy.

TRUDI CHAREST, RO, ABO

Finding good staff is one of the most important tasks we conduct as business owners. To ensure success and eliminate non-productive interviews, it is important to have an interview strategy.

Here are the steps to conduct an effective eyecare job interview:

1 Review the resume.

Read incoming resumes prior to the interview. Look at an overview of what the candidate can bring to your practice:

▸ Education. Is it what you desire? Does the candidate need certification for the job?

▸ Experience. Is it related and relevant to the job position?

▸ Transferrable skills. If he/she doesn’t have experience in the optometric field, are his/her skills transferrable (retail, reception, customer service, medical, etc.)?

▸ Missing information. Candidates often eliminate information (such as large gaps in work history) they don’t want you to see or follow-up on.

2 Conduct a telephone interview.

By asking four or five pertinent questions, you can get a quick sense of whether this candidate is worth bringing in for a formal interview while saving valuable time. Try these questions:

▸ This position requires you to work Tuesday through Saturday and occasional night shifts — do those hours work for you?

▸ Is there anything we would need to know for scheduling purposes in the next six to eight months?

▸ When can you start?

▸ Tell me about your current job and position. What do you do?

3 Schedule a formal interview.

To conduct a quality interview, set aside enough time so you won’t be rushed or keep patients waiting. Also, come prepared with interview questions and a job description.

Ask a variety of standard interview questions:

▸ Direct. How long have you worked as an optician?

▸ Conversational. Tell me about your last job and the responsibilities of the position.

▸ Situational. If you are assisting a patient picking out a pair of glasses, you are the only one out front at that moment, the phone starts ringing and four more patients walk in the door, what do you do?

▸ Behavioral. Tell us about a time when you had to appease a very upset patient. How did you solve this?

4 Ask for references.

Talk with former employers and colleagues of the potential candidate. It may be difficult if the candidate is still actively employed, but don’t hesitate to ask for work, not family and friends, references.

Here are four great reference questions:

▸ Can you confirm the employee’s period of employment?

▸ Please outline the responsibilities and position at your office.

▸ What was his/her reason for leaving your employment?

▸ Would you hire him/her again?

Find the right employee.

Taking the time to conduct interviews is an investment in the future of your business.

You can’t run a great optometric practice without great employees, so you need to find the right ones. OM

TRUDI CHAREST IS THE PRESIDENT AND TRAINER FOR TOTAL FOCUS TRAINING & CONSULTING AS WELL AS PRESIDENT AND FOUNDER OF JOBS4ECPS, AN ONLINE EYECARE JOBSITE. E-MAIL HER AT TCHAREST@EYECOMMEND.CA, OR SEND COMMENTS TO OPTOMETRICMANAGEMENT@GMAIL.COM.