Finding new staff members can prove to be quite the challenge for many eyecare practices. With high turnover rates and unqualified candidates it can be a chore to find a valuable employee who is willing to stick around. There are so many resources out there and it can be difficult to know which ones are best to use when looking for the perfect new member for your team.
The following article from our friends at the Optical Journal presents some of the options available to your practice while discussing some of the pros and cons of using these resources for job posting.
How to Find Eyecare Staff
Finding ophthalmic staff seems to be even more of a challenge today than ever. Your staff is one of your top assets, and the search for the perfect person can seem unending as well as a hassle. In reality, you should always be recruiting potential staff members, whether you need them or not. Keeping a database of names of potential staff members will hold you in good stead and could help you avoid the hassles that come with job posting.
For many people, the first place they go to are the traditional online resources. While these are easy and economical, you may not get the results you want. These include websites such as:
- Craigslist
- Career Builder
- Glassdoor
- Monster
- Simply Hired
On top of those job board websites, here are a variety of tips and ideas for more unconventional ways of approaching new hires:
- Some have recommended poaching staff from other offices.
- Schools and Colleges: Local optometry or optician school or trade schools.
- Some of the local societies and trade associations have a job board. For an example at the Opticians Association of Colorado, you can submit a job and they will pass it on to their members.
- Some of the schools also have Career Fairs in which you might participate.
- Reps know a lot of people, and you may or may not get results. It can also put reps into a bad position to recommend a good optician from one of their accounts.
- Ask your Patients - most people know someone that is looking for a job. Your database of patients is a perfect way to ask for a recommendation for someone looking for a new career.
- Use your network of friends and family. There are many pros and cons to working with friends and family, so you have to consider this very carefully.
Use Social Media
- LinkedIn is one place that many people look for jobs.
- Put it on Facebook and hopefully it will get shared.
- Put it in some of the online forums. I know Luxury Eyewear Forum allows members to post job openings.
- Optiboard also has a job board.
Online Job Boards
- Local Eyesite- has a job board listing
- Get Optician Jobs website and Facebook page
- Eyes on Eyecare website
Recruiters
There are many pluses and minuses to optical recruiters. You have to weigh time vs. money. Recruiters have huge databases of experienced optical personnel of all types. Why go through the hassle of job listing, sorting, and then interviewing?
Whether you hire an experienced staff or train them yourself, recruiting is serious business. Great staff can make or break your business. You know what they say, "Hire Slow and Fire Fast."
More business and staff tips can be found in our ebook: Creating Your 5 Year Plan.
Editor's Note: This post was originally published in 2015. It has been updated in 2021.