How to write an effective eyecare job description
The dreaded job description. Sometimes seen as a necessary evil for hiring, the job description is actually a vital part of the process—and it doesn’t have to be a painful one, either. Your eyecare job description serves as the foundation of your hiring and provides the basis for the vital connection between hiring manager and candidate.
However, there’s a right and wrong way to make an effective job description—the right job description can be the first step to a lasting hire, while the wrong description can lead to a prolonged, inefficient hiring process.
This blog will explore the right way to write effective eyecare job descriptions that will help you improve hiring results and your own processes.
The importance of the job description
Hiring in 2023 requires careful consideration of the entire process, including examining how your job description influences the talent you hire. Not to be confused with a job ad, the job description serves a crucial role in laying out the responsibilities and duties of the role, providing a blueprint for how your internal team views the role and how to advertise the position to potential candidates.
Consider the job description as if it were a part of your house. The description itself is like the foundation; it lays out the critical parts of the role, detailing the responsibilities and requirements that not only make up the role but support the entire house. The job posting or ad serves more as the door, inviting candidates in to look over the role and become a functional member of your organization.
The job description allows your hiring team a greater understanding of the position and how a potential candidate’s competencies mesh with the role.
Additionally, the job description serves a purpose beyond hiring. A well-written eyecare job description assists in setting appropriate expectations for performance and goals, creating better alignment between the company and the new hire from the beginning, and establishing clearly-defined metrics for performance and growth in the role.
The elements of an effective eyecare job description
The job description is your foundation for hiring and establishing long-term success. So, what goes into an effective eyecare job description? Let’s start from the beginning.
- Position Title: There’s no need to go crazy here—“Optometrist” or “Doctor of Optometry,” for instance, are perfectly acceptable position titles for those roles.
- Summary: This is where you summarize the job duties and objectives. Remember, it’s okay to keep it brief!
- Duties: Here’s where you can get into the responsibilities and tasks associated with the role, breaking it down further than you would in the summary. An audit of the role before writing the description will help greatly in this portion.
- Requirements: These are the qualifications for the job—in essence, what the candidate brings to the table. Consider what level of education and experience is required to do the position. Preferred competencies and a combination of education and experience can be laid out after this section.
- Salary and Benefits: This details the compensation levels for the role, often including the total salary range this position may receive. Although not every state requires the salary in the job ad, it’s necessary you include the salary in the description so your organization has an understanding of all aspects of the role.
- An important note: Salary transparency is becoming an increasingly significant issue for job seekers, and many state legislators are writing and passing laws that require pay transparency. Even if it’s not required in your hiring region, consider adding salary and benefits to your job posting, especially in an era of hybrid work and professional empowerment.
- EOE Statement: Always be sure to include a statement about your role as an equal opportunity employer, and this is a great section to highlight your organization’s DE&I initiatives and other commitments to diversity and inclusion.
Obviously, a job description can include more than the above points, but the outline showcases just how much thought should go into your job description and provides a rough direction to head in as your start writing an effective eyecare job description. Other important factors to consider include, but are not limited to, physical demands of the role, travel requirements, contact information/signatures that show approval of the description and a disclaimer indicating that there may be additional activities not listed in the description that fall under the responsibility of the role.
Remember, this isn’t your job ad, so keep the content focused on the job itself. Your job ad will most likely feature additional information and formatting, such as links to other areas of your website and social media, which is a great way to showcase your employer brand!
What to do next
The next step is sometimes the toughest one: writing and implementing the tips outlined above. Use it as a jumping-off point for your job descriptions, but remember that each role is unique and will require its own job description. These aren’t just for hiring, but a great job description can help your hiring team develop a roadmap for each position as they work to fill the opening.
Your job posting can—and should—showcase creativity and your employer brand. Your eyecare job description doesn’t need to be that complex. Keep it simple, keep it straightforward and always keep in mind the ultimate goals of the position and organization when writing a job description for the eyecare community.
With some practice and the right team by your side, you can overcome any obstacles. imatters can be your team, fully supporting your organizational goals, implementing lasting hiring solutions and building a team that best serves your clients and community. Reach out today, and let’s create talent solutions that last well beyond tomorrow.