If you are involved in the hiring process as an employer, manager, or administrator, you are aware that selecting the right person for your company or team is not a routine or easy process. It involves ensuring that they have the technical, task-management, and interpersonal skills needed to be successful.¹ Often, when employers are in a tight spot, they may feel compelled to hire individuals in haste because the position has remained unfilled for an excessive amount of time. However, if you establish that type of culture, turnover (voluntary or involuntary) is more likely to happen.

Providing eye exams and eye care to patients isn’t enough. The culture of the practice needs to match the personality and needs of the optometrist who is looking for a job. Hiring the right “fit” is important, but retention is just as significant for the successful performance of the practice. It is also more cost-effective compared to searching for a previous optometrist’s replacement. Often, employer and prospective employee viewpoints vary and, unfortunately, each side may try to negotiate from a position of leverage to win, instead of finding a mutual win for both sides.

Here, we will explore the hiring process from both perspectives.

Employer’s Perspective: Finding Job Candidates

The 2 main aspects of hiring are sourcing and recruiting. Sourcing is the identification and engagement of potential candidates through social media platforms, search firms, or internet job boards. Some sourcing methods are more cost-effective than others;¹ for example, LinkedIn is an effective method of sourcing and engaging candidates.² Metrics can help you identify which sourcing methods help yield the best candidates for your practice (see sidebar).

The process of evaluating, interviewing, and hiring talent is known as the recruiting phase. As the practice owner, it is imperative that you know your business goals because your staffing goals, employee value proposition (EVP), and profile characteristics of your ideal employee should be aligned with them. For example, a couple of your goals may include identifying and managing more patients who will benefit from myopia control, so you look for an optometrist who specializes in myopia management. Additionally, you may want to grow your specialty contact lenses and dry eye service, so you look for optometrists with these skills.

Here is an essential question to think about when you’ve defined your goals and are ready to apply them to job candidates: How does hiring this employee contribute to accomplishing your business goals?

Once you have sourced and recruited, it’s finally time to bring candidates in for interviews. Let’s discuss a few points you may encounter during the interview with the younger generational cohort. Keep in mind, if you want to attract the best talent, you should be prepared to justify your position and decisions. Be intentional about selecting talent that fits your practice, but also try to remain cognizant about the preferences of the younger generation of job seekers.   

Candidates’ Perspectives in Interviewing

I asked several recent graduates their thoughts on the interviewing process. The following are their perspectives as I’ve compiled them, or as told in their own words:

1. “Why should I work at your practice?”

Candidates may not ask this question out of arrogance, but rather out of real curiosity. They want to join a practice where they can grow, develop, and contribute. They want to know what is it about them and their credentials that align with your practice. How do you think they will get along with your patients, vendors, and staff? How do you think they can contribute to your practice? Why do you think they would be valuable at helping accomplish practice goals?

2. “Tell me about the salary and benefits”

Perspectives from Chelsea MacGregor, OD, Pediatrics and BV Specialist, Visionary Eye Center, Jupiter, Florida; Ilira Caboku, OD, Pearle Vision, Tampa, Florida; and Dena Naaman, OD, Florida Microsurgical Institute, Boynton Beach, Florida, 2024 graduates:

“With all transparency, my decision to join a practice is contingent upon earning potential (production-based, base salary, or a mixture of both), scope of practice, and patient volume. Would I be required to work up my own patients, or will a technician be provided to assist me? Am I required to work on Saturdays? Do I need to be on-call? Lastly, I would be interested in knowing what benefits are offered, such as PTO, 401k with matching, and reimbursement for CE licensure and malpractice.”

3. “Tell me about the workplace culture at your practice.”

Perspective from Adria Young, OD, Ocala Eye, Ocala, Florida, 2017 graduate:

“I want to work in a practice that is patient-focused (not money hungry), meaning they compassionately communicate with patients and treat them well.”

Perspective from Lindsey Walsh, OD, FAAO, Magruder Laser Vision, Clermont, Florida, 2018 graduate:

“When I was first looking for a job after graduation, I was most concerned with salary and benefits, but on my work interview, I was impressed with how knowledgeable and happy the staff seemed.”

Perspective from Dena Naaman, OD, Florida Microsurgical Institute, Boynton Beach, Florida, 2024 graduate:

“I agree with everything my colleagues stated, and I would like to know about the work environment and the quality and skills of the staff and technicians.”

Perspective from Chelsea MacGregor, OD, Pediatrics and BV Specialist, Visionary Eye Center, Jupiter, Florida, 2024 graduate:

“I agree with my colleagues, but for me, as a pediatrics and binocular vision doctor, I also want to know if the practice has an established referral base from neurologists and pediatricians.”

As you can see, the workplace culture of the practice is extremely important to recent graduates. Therefore, be prepared to answer the following questions: How do you treat your staff? What is the morale of your employees, and the skills of your staff and technicians? How do you treat your patients? Is your practice patient-focused?

Employer’s Perspective in Interviewing

Counterpoint 1- EVP, Ideal Employee Profile, and Finding the All-Around Fit

What is employee value proposition (EVP)? EVP consists of product, price, place, and promotion. It informs the employee about the company’s values and what the practice does, not just what it says it does. In essence, your EVP should provide details about the practice, salary associated with the job, practice location(s), and how the practice is promoted. It is also favorable to have a profile that details the characteristics of your ideal employee. Your EVP helps you to attract, recruit, hire, and retain associate doctors or office staff, but you should have an idea of the characteristics you want an employee to exhibit, so they can be successful in the job and contribute to the success of the practice.¹

It’s also important to evaluate each candidate for person-job fit, person-team fit, and person-company fit. Most likely, a prospective candidate will meet the expectations of person-job fit; however, if there is misalignment with the other 2 aspects of the equation, the candidate shouldn’t be considered a good fit for your practice. Remain fully aware that as you are interviewing the candidate, the candidate is also interviewing you and your practice. The relationship between the associate doctor and the practice should be symbiotic.

Counterpoint 2- Salary Negotiation

With the rising costs of living, it’s understandable that prospective candidates would desire a competitive salary to attract them. When negotiating salary, the candidate should be able to justify why they deserve what they are asking for.³ While it may not be discussed often, the reality is that employee costs are the highest cost in an income statement. Prospective employees generally don’t think about the company’s recruiting, hiring, onboarding (revenue loss while the employee is training and getting up to speed), and replacement costs (revenue loss due to voluntary or involuntary turnover and recruiting efforts while the position remains vacant). Offering a competitive salary and benefits package should be included in the EVP; however, in addition to understanding the value of their total compensation, candidates should keep in mind the practice's perspective that hiring is a multifaceted business expense. If hired, the associate should show commitment to patient care, practice growth, productivity, and profit generation.

Counterpoint 3- Employees as Assets vs Investments

Your talent philosophy and human resource strategy should be evaluated to determine if employees are being viewed as investments or assets. Conventionally, good employees have been thought of as assets when they are considered valuable to the practice. While employees should be viewed as valuable from a human resource and talent philosophy perspective, viewing them as assets indicates that the main objective is to hire someone as quickly as possible to fill a vacancy, which limits applicants’ access to information about the practice.²

This hiring approach also implies that the applicant’s knowledge, skills, or abilities (KSAOs) don’t matter and that the position just needs to be filled because the practice is losing money while it stays vacant. As a result, the practice will attract applicants who don’t buy in, don’t get along well with others, don’t have adequate KSAOs, don’t take good care of patients, don’t show up to work on time, and don’t show commitment to the success of the practice. Basically, they don’t align with the business goals of the company.

Instead, look at applicants and employees as investments, which means you provide them with opportunities to learn about your practice. Moreover, provide information about growth and development opportunities for advancing their careers through continuing education, seminars, workshops, and other activities. Interview applicants who demonstrate interest in your current services, communicate ideas for expansion of your services, want to contribute to the growth of your practice, and provide quality patient care.

When an employee is viewed as an asset, they are considered a short-term solution to your practice needs, but when they’re treated as an investment, we are viewing them as long-term partners in the growth and productivity of our practices.

Conclusion

Hiring someone for your practice is easy, but hiring the right person for your practice is not. When someone is brought in, the practice and the new employee should benefit from the new relationship. Decide what the culture and business goals of your practice are going to be and design a staffing strategy, EVP, and profile characteristics of an ideal employee to match. Do not consider adding an employee to your practice unless they have the potential to contribute to the practice’s productive performance. The more a prospective candidate aligns with your practice’s business goals, staffing strategy, EVP, and ideal employee profile characteristics, the more likely your practice will be successful. Remember, the relationship should be of mutual benefit between the employer and the employee, because neither will be successful without the other. OM

References

1. Monelyon-Demeritt M. Key considerations for recruiting new hires: combining human resources and optometry. Modern Optometry. 2024;(September):20-22. Accessed March 27, 2026. https://modernod.com/topics/business/key-considerations-for-recruiting-new-hires/38846/
2. Phillips JM. Strategic Staffing. 5th ed. SAGE Publications; 2023.
3. Malhotra D. Negotiating the Impossible: How to Break Deadlocks and Resolve Ugly Conflicts (Without Money or Muscle). Berrett-Koehler; 2016.

All statements from graduates are included with permission from the graduates.