By Mark Wright, OD, FCOVD,
and Carole Burns, OD, FCOVD
Sept. 16, 2020
Hiring new employees can be stressful. An unsuccessful outcome of the process can negatively impact patient care and the likelihood of patients purchasing products and enjoying their experience enough to return to your office and refer friends and family.
We interviewed Ms. Raquel Miller, Practice Director of Professional VisionCare in Westerville, Ohio. Here are the steps she uses for the process of hiring a new staff member.
1) Post job on Indeed.i
2) Look through resumes for good potential hires. What she is looking for includes:
a. Those that live in proximity to the office.
b. Those that have some longevity in previous jobs and do not job hop.
c. Those that might have some comparable experience in a service industry or in retail.
3) Send those that pass Step 2 (the resume portion) the preliminary digital test that Ms. Miller created on Jotform.ii It can be found HERE.
a. The preliminary test automatically scores so the practice can see how they performed.
b. This preliminary test weeds out a lot of applicants.
4) For those who score well on Step 3 (the preliminary test) they are sent five questions. Here is what they are sent:
Dear (applicant name), We are so excited that you are interested in joining our practice, and have just a few questions for you as a preliminary digital “interview.” We have received many applications, and after reviewing your resume, we think you might be one of the few who may be a great fit for this position. Please professionally respond to this e-mail with your answers to each of the following questions. Much of our patient correspondence is done electronically, so we will be looking at your talents with grammar, spelling and punctuation in your responses.
• We are looking for a passionate, enthusiastic individual to join our practice. Please explain why you think you would be the perfect fit!
• If hired, what would your availability be each week? Saturdays are mandatory-please let us know if this is a deal breaker for you.
• What is your current job (or most recent), and what was your favorite part about it?
• Why are you looking to leave (or why did you leave) that job?
• We offer competitive wages and benefits. What is your expected hourly wage?
Thank you so much for taking the time to answer the questions in this preliminary digital “interview.” Once we review your responses, we will contact you with the next steps! Have a great day!
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5) For those who pass Step 4 (the five questions), an e-mail is sent to the applicant congratulating them that they have made it to the next step which is a video interview on GoToMeeting.iii They are informed that they will need to download the GoToMeeting app and are given instructions on how to do that.
The video interview takes as long as desired. If the applicant is not an appropriate candidate, it can be ended in five minutes. If the applicant is still in the running for the job, the interview may go as long as you desire.
Here are suggestions for the video interview:
• Start the interview with light questions as most applicants are very nervous. Light questions include asking the applicants about their interests.
• As the applicant becomes more comfortable ask deeper questions such as:
o Why did you leave your previous employer?
o Have you ever had to handle conflict on a job?
6) If the applicant passes the video interview in Step 5, getting a second opinion is important. At this stage the candidate would be set up for a second video interview from the manager of the department they are being hired for or by the optometrist owner.
7) If the applicant passes Step 6, then a formal application for employment is sent to the candidate.
8) Once the formal application is received and the references checked, the applicant is offered the position with a phone call and given an electronic link to the practice wage and benefit package. They are given 48 hours to accept the position.
Having a defined process for hiring helps make sure you are selecting the best people for your practice even in these pandemic times.
References
i. https://www.indeed.com/hire?hl=en&co=US
ii. https://www.jotform.com/
iii. https://www.gotomeeting.com/
