Hiring Mistakes

In the October issue of EB, three eyecare pros revealed tips and tactics for attracting top talent. In this issue, EB shifts the focus, inviting the ECPs to tell us what they see as the biggest mistakes businesses make when hiring. Those interviewed:

→ Jessilin Quint, O.D., MS, MBA, FAAO, co-owner of Smart Eye Care with three locations in Maine

→ John Bruening, president of Opticians Association of Ohio and owner of Geauga Vision Group, with 11 Ohio locations

→ Eric Hammond, O.D., who’s been in practice for seven years and is a partner in Lakeline Vision Source outside Austin, TX

Avoiding Major Mistakes

Here, the ECPs share what they perceive as some of the biggest challenges practices face and errors they make when it comes to hiring, as well as how to address them.

✘ UNREALISTIC JOB DESCRIPTION. Be specific when defining a new position. “If the job description is too vague, it likely won’t attract the right person,” says Dr. Quint.

✘ CASTING AN OPTICAL-SPECIFIC NET. Don’t look just inside optical. “I love hiring people from McDonald’s,” says Bruening. “I want a person who is smiling, maybe is selling burgers and seems happy about it.”

✘ HIRING TOO QUICKLY. “It’s important to not be a ‘settler,’” says Bruening. “That is, don’t pick someone just because you are desperate and need to fill the position. A bad hire is more costly than an open position.”

✘ OVERLOOKING THE PERFECT PAIRING. “The best combination is a person with experience who is also trainable,” says Dr. Quint. “Be careful: Sometimes [experienced] candidates are set in their ways and have difficulty molding to the norms in your office.”

✘ BEING UNTRUTHFUL. One of the biggest no-no’s is being dishonest with job seekers. “Sometimes, the employer isn’t truthful or sugarcoats things,” says Bruening. “As Herb Kelleher, who co-founded Southwest Airlines, famously said, ‘When in doubt, tell the truth.’”

✘ TAKING TOO LONG. On the flip side of hiring too quickly, some practices make the mistake of letting applications pile up. “Responding quickly on Indeed.com is super important,” says Dr. Hammond. “So is getting a Zoom or in-person interview quickly.”

✘ NOT ADDRESSING PAY. Some offices leave conversations about compensation until the end of the hiring process. Don’t! “Perhaps the biggest problem is that people don’t disclose pay,” says Bruening. “I put it right out there on Indeed.com.”

✘ LIMITING YOUR SEARCH. Don’t be afraid to hire someone who is different from most of your staff members. Instead, seek out such diversity. “At our 11 locations, my employees come from totally different cultures and backgrounds,” explains Bruening. The point? “As long as they have the same goal, it works.” What is that goal? “To take care of both my people—that is, my other employees—and, of course, my patients.”

Why does drawing staff from diverse backgrounds benefit a business? Consultant Paul Wolfe was quoted on Indeed.com, when he was senior vice president of human resources there, as saying, “Think of diversity of age, experience, background, race, and gender, all of which help bring diversity of thought. This can make organizations more successful and keep them growing and progressing.”