It can be difficult to find the right person or people for your eyewear company. You want them to be friendly and knowledgeable. Here we will break down some simple ways to make sure you find the right staff for your eyewear business.
Thorough Job Description
Ask yourselves, “What kind of person will be most successful in this position?”
Practices rushing to fill an open position sometimes skip this step. Everyone thinks they know what they’re looking for, but fuzzy details impair your ability to advertise the job effectively. Also, a well-written job description ensures all stakeholders involved in the hire have the same expectations.
With this being said, make sure that you are taking your time to write out a thorough job description. If you have to, take a day to think about it, jot down notes and then put it into a coherent paragraph or two. Include not only the education, skills, and experience you’re seeking but also the job behaviors you’re looking for.
Expertise vs. Suitability
Interviewees are good at selling themselves and their skills during interviews. Many hiring managers may be tempted to rush through or close their eyes to parts of the due diligence process, but they must stay focused. Sure, some of the skills that help people perform well in interviews also help them perform well in certain job roles.
Organizing the interview process helps prevent skilled interviewees from “taking over” the interview. For example, you should have a list of questions and make sure you pose the same questions to every candidate for a particular position. And after each interview, the interviewer should record their impressions in a tracking sheet and review them before making the final decision.
Ask Behavioral Questions
You’ve outlined the behaviors you’re looking for in the job description, now you must follow up with questions that help you unpack those behaviors. Check out “50 Behavioral-Based Interview Questions” from Lynda Ford for some ideas.
Example: If you’re searching for optical employees with strong customer service skills, Ford suggests questions like:
- Tell me about a time when you had to deal with an irate customer. What did you do to resolve the problem, and what was the outcome?
- Tell me about one or two customer-service-related programs that you’ve done that you’re particularly proud of.
- Tell me about a time when you made a lasting, positive impression on a customer.
- Tell me about the people you’re working with now.
Seek Outside Help
There is no harm in seeking outside help to help you with the hiring process. Recruiting takes a lot of work and some expertise that you may not have. Even the best practice administrators might need someone to shoulder some of the work and check their instincts, so don’t be afraid to ask for help. Why are you wasting your time doing the reference checks for your hires? Give the reference checking job to someone objective who cares about your practice. If you don’t have someone, call a local hiring company or temp agency to help you find the right employee for you.
