Beyond the Resume: Using Personality Assessments to Build a Resilient Eyecare Team
In the world of eyecare hiring, we often lead with clinical skills. Can the technician perform a quality OCT? Does the optician understand the latest digital progressive lens designs?
While these technical benchmarks are essential, they are only half of the equation. The most frequent reason for turnover in a practice isn’t a lack of skill; it is a clash of personality.
At imatters, we believe that a “perfect fit” requires an alignment of both professional ability and behavioral style. To achieve this, many modern practices are looking toward personality assessments to better understand how a candidate will interact with their team and their patients. When used correctly, these tools move hiring from a “gut feeling” to a strategic decision.
The Evolution of the Professional Profile
Personality testing in the workplace isn’t new, but its application in specialized healthcare has become much more sophisticated. Instead of just asking “Is this person nice?” managers are now asking “How does this person process stress, communicate with peers and approach problem-solving?”
Understanding these frameworks helps managers move from being “bosses” to being “coaches” who know exactly how to motivate each unique member of their team. Here are some of the most effective assessments currently being used to find the best fit for eyecare offices.
1. TheDiSCProfile: Understanding Communication Styles
DiSC is perhaps the most popular tool for fast-paced healthcare environments because of its simplicity and actionable results. It categorizes individuals into four primary types:
- Dominance (D): Assertive and results-oriented. These individuals are great at making quick decisions during a busy clinic day.
- Influence (I): Social and communicative. These are your star “front of house” team members who excel at building immediate rapport with patients.
- Steadiness (S): Patient and collaborative. These professionals are the backbone of team stability, ensuring that processes are followed and colleagues feel supported.
- Conscientiousness (C): Analytical and accurate. Essential for billing, coding and complex clinical data where precision is non-negotiable.
The imatters Perspective: A balanced practice needs a mix of these types. If you have a team full of “Dominance” personalities, you may see frequent internal friction. If you have all “Steadiness” without any “Influence,” your optical sales might lack energy.
2. The Predictive Index (PI): Predicting Workplace Behavior
The Predictive Index is a favorite for many high-growth practices because it measures how people naturally behave versus how they feel they need to adapt to their current environment. It looks at factors like drive, social influence and the need for rules and structure.
The imatters Perspective: PI is particularly useful for identifying “high-potential” candidates who might be currently underutilized. It helps managers understand if a candidate is naturally inclined toward the detail-oriented work of a lab or the fast-paced variety of a multi-specialty clinic.
3. CliftonStrengths(StrengthsFinder): Maximizing Performance
Instead of looking for “weaknesses” to fix, CliftonStrengths identifies an individual’s top themes out of 34 possible strengths. The goal is to maximize what a person is already naturally good at.
The imatters Perspective: This is a powerful tool for retention. When a manager knows their optician’s top strength is “Achiever,” they can provide goals that keep that person engaged. If a technician’s strength is “Empathy,” they are the perfect choice for handling your most anxious or elderly patients.
4. The Enneagram and MBTI: Deepening Team Dynamics
While the Enneagram and Myers-Briggs (MBTI) are often used for personal growth, they offer incredible insights into team dynamics.
- The Enneagram focuses on core motivations and fears, helping managers understand why a staff member reacts a certain way to criticism or change.
- MBTI categorizes people into 16 types based on how they perceive the world and make decisions, which is invaluable for resolving conflicts between departments.
5. The Employee Personality Profile (EPP)
The EPP is a comprehensive tool that measures twelve specific traits, including achievement, assertiveness and competitiveness. It is specifically designed to predict how well an individual will fit within a specific job role.
Strategic Placement: The Right Talent in the Right Flow
One of the most valuable applications of these assessments is in determining the specific modality where a candidate will thrive. Not all technician roles are created equal, and misplacing a personality type can lead to immediate burnout.
The Testing Tech vs. The Work-Up Tech: Consider the difference in patient flow. A testing technician who focuses solely on imaging (OCT, Visual Fields, Topography) needs a high “C” (Conscientiousness) or “S” (Steadiness) profile. They must be comfortable with repetitive, high-precision tasks and maintain a calm, efficient pace.
In contrast, a full patient work-up technician needs a higher “I” (Influence) or “D” (Dominance) score. They are responsible for the initial patient “story,” gathering history and performing refractions. This role requires higher social energy and the ability to pivot quickly between different patient personalities. By using assessments, an interviewer can see that a candidate who might fail as a work-up tech could be an absolute star in the diagnostic testing suite.
The Candidate’s Perspective: Interviewing Your Manager
At imatters, we encourage candidates to use these concepts during their own interviews. A job search is a two-way street. A savvy candidate should look for clues about the manager’s style to ensure they will be integrated into the team effectively.
Questions for the Candidate to Ask:
- “How would you describe the dominant personality style of the current clinical team?”
- “What is your primary communication style when providing feedback or navigating a busy schedule?”
- “How do you typically integrate new team members who have a high need for structure versus those who prefer autonomy?”
By asking these questions, a candidate can interpret the manager’s role and determine if the practice’s leadership style aligns with their own behavioral needs. If you are someone who thrives on “Influence” and social connection, but the manager is purely “Dominance” and results-oriented, you can discuss upfront how you will bridge that communication gap.
Why Fit Matters More Than Ever
A resume tells us what a person can do. A personality profile tells us how they will do it.
When imatters works with a practice, we are looking at the existing team dynamic before we ever send over a candidate. If a practice manager is highly conscientious and detail-oriented, they might struggle with a technician who is high on “Influence” but low on “Conscientiousness.”
Our goal is to help managers work with their candidates for the best fit. This isn’t about using a test to “weed people out.” It is about using data to ensure that when you hire someone, you have the tools to manage them successfully from day one.
The Science of the “Best Fit”
In a resilient eyecare practice, the staff functions like a well-calibrated instrument. Every piece must work in harmony. Technical skills can be taught, but a person’s core behavioral style is much more fixed. By integrating personality assessments into your hiring and management strategy, you reduce the “guesswork” and build a team that is genuinely aligned.
Are you looking for more than just a resume? At imatters, we specialize in finding the intersection of clinical skill and cultural fit.
Connect with imatters today to learn how our deep-dive vetting process helps you identify the personality profiles your practice needs to thrive.