Watch Out for These 6 Optometry Hiring Red Flags

Hiring in optometry can be a struggle – especially in a candidate-driven market. You may be pressured to fill open positions as quickly as possible and tempted to overlook optometry interview red flags, but at the same time, recruiting professionals with the right experience, qualifications, skills, and core values will play a major role in your optometry practice’s success.

While there are common hiring biases to always be mindful of, it’s equally important to go into the hiring and interviewing process with a clear understanding of the deal breakers as well – regardless of how slim the pickings may be. Considering the high cost of a bad hire, compiling a list of optometry hiring red flags will be extremely valuable for you and your team.

To help you get started, here are 6 optometry candidate red flags to look out for when reviewing resumes and interviewing applicants for your open positions.

Optometry Hiring Red Flag #1: No References

References – professional and personal – are an incredibly important part of the hiring process for any organization, and arguably more so for a medical practice providing patient care. When hiring in optometry, a candidate that can’t readily furnish a solid list of references should be taken out of the running. Former managers, practice owners, coworkers, and even patients are all good examples of references an optometry candidate should have.

Optometry Hiring Red Flag #2: Job Hopping

It’s not uncommon for employees – especially millennials – to change jobs every few years. Working at the same place for 30 years and happily retiring is no longer the norm. As an optometry practice, however, hiring and retaining dedicated team members that build strong rapport with your patients is essential.

When interviewing a candidate who has repeatedly jumped from one practice to the next, review their resume with them and ask why they left each previous position. The cause of their job hopping may be something reasonable, such as practice relocations or closures. Frequent resignations or terminations, on the other hand, should raise concerns about their future stability with your organization.

Optometry Hiring Red Flag #3: Unexplainable Employment Gaps

Keep an eye out for long-term periods of unemployment on a candidate’s resume and closely analyze how they explain them in your interview. Similar to #2, there may be perfectly reasonable explanations for employment gaps in a job seeker’s career history – for instance, taking parental leave or serving as a full-time caregiver for a family member – but be wary of candidates who refuse to account for their employment gaps or give no other explanation than “I was in between jobs.”

Optometry Hiring Red Flag #4: Trash Talk

When discussing a candidate’s employment history with them, pay attention to how they speak about former employers or coworkers. Those that are extremely negative about practices they’ve worked for in the past should not make it to the top of your list of potential hires.

Also watch out for applicants with a “victim mentality,” those who can do no wrong, and/or interviewees who consistently blame others. This optometry interview red flag should alert you to a lack of initiative and sense of responsibility.

Optometry Hiring Red Flag #5: All About Salary

When corresponding with the applicant before, during, or after the interview, monitor how focused they are on salary. Being fairly compensated is important, of course; however, if all a candidate talks about is salary and you get the sense that money is their core motivator for working in optometry (as opposed to providing quality customer service and patient care), you may want to consider other applicants.

Optometry Hiring Red Flag #6: No Questions

If you’ve interviewed a candidate and they have zero questions for you about the position, your team, or your organization, they are likely not the best choice for the role. A job seeker that comes to an interview with no questions is a job seeker that didn’t do their research. Favor candidates that demonstrate serious interest in working for your particular practice – not just any practice on the block.

Now that you know a few of the optometry candidate red flags to watch out for when hiring in optometry, you’ll be more confident when determining which applicants are the right fit for your team.