12 Interview Questions to Ask Your Optical Practice Candidates

Finding the perfect fit for your practice's staff when hiring new employees can prove to be quite the task. On top of looking for candidates with the right skill set, you want someone who will be a pleasure to work with and stay with your practice for years to come.

Asking the right questions is the only way to find out whether a candidate is a good cultural fit. We’ve come across these interview questions that will help you gain insight to an candidate’s background and goals. No matter if you're looking for a technician, office manager, or even another optician to join your practice, these questions are designed to highlight important personality traits. Maybe they'll lead you to the optical practice addition you need?

Find the Perfect Fit for Your Optical Practice

1. Why did you leave (why are you leaving) your last (current) job?

Was it simply time for a change in career path or was an employee having trouble working with others? The answer to this question can help you discover what direction the candidate is driven in.

2. What do you consider success?

Knowing how a person determines success both internally and in others allows you a glimpse into their work ethic. If their ideas of success are completely different from the goals of your practice, they might not be the best choice.

3. Tell me more about your previous job experiences?

This is another question to look into a person's work ethic. It can help you determine if a candidate knows what it means to work hard for a living, or if they have a greater sense of entitlement.

4. Can you tell me something that is true that almost no one agrees with you on?

This one might seem strange, but it is important to have employees that are not afraid to speak their unpopular opinions. Employees that are comfortable with standing out are more likely to alert you to inefficiencies or help come up with new and creative ideas in your practice.

5. How do you go about continuing to develop your professional skills?

You want to fill your practice with motivated people, but you also want to make sure your practice can offer an employee the opportunity to grow in the direction they want.

6. What is the greatest lesson you've learned from a failure?

Failing is part of life, but you want to make sure that a prospective employee has the ability to look past the failure, learn something they can apply to their life moving forward, and be stronger for it.

7. How do you take advantage of your strengths and how do you compensate for your weaknesses?

It's common to ask a candidate about their strengths and weaknesses, but it is more important to know how those strengths and weaknesses affect the work that they do. They might state a weakness that most likely won't interfere with their performance at your practice.

8. If you were limited to just one person to get advice and help from, who would you choose and why?

Not only is this question a fun one, but it also can let you peek in to see what values and virtues a candidate considers important. This is a great way to see if a person will fit into the culture of your practice.

9. What do you know about our practice?

It is important to see if someone has done their research and explored your practice's website and social media to learn more about the office. This shows initiative on their part and implies they're actually interested in working for your practice specifically.

10. What hesitations do you have about this position?

The answer to this question can allow you to clear up any confusion that the candidate has about what they might be doing in your practice. It can also help you gauge whether they'd be happy in the position.

11. What do you look for in company culture?

This is the most straight forward way to determine if someone is going to fit in with your current staff and the flow of things in your practice. Also, you can make sure the candidate has a good grasp on the environments they work best in.

12. What's your customer service style? Can you tell me about a time you went above and beyond with a patient?

Not only is it important to find a new hire that you and your team will get along with, but you want someone that your patients will get along with as well. The answer to this question can help you see if the candidate has worked with your patient demographic before or knows how to put the patient first.

Other Interview Tips

• If there are gaps of time between employments on a candidate's resume, always be sure to ask about why.
  
• Ask prospective employees how they're friends would describe them; it helps you learn about their core personality.
• Don't be afraid to ask some fun or light questions in the interview, it relaxes the candidate and gives you a better look into their natural (not rehearsed) answers.
• Make sure to ask the candidate if they have any questions for you at the end of the interview.
  

Download our ebook all about staff management in your eyecare practice for more hiring tips.

This post was originally published on July 2015, and updated in January 2023.