What sets your practice apart from the others in your area? It’s a question any successful business owner has to reckon with. No matter the aesthetics of your facility or the quality of care you deliver, healthcare is a service industry and a high-performing staff is the single best way to rise to the top of your market. Factor in the tight labor market and employee turnover rate averaging 15-20% and the value of a large “pool” of potential candidates becomes evident.   

Apart from your opticians, many of the tasks performed by others on staff can be taught on the job. The must-have attributes, especially for front desk employees, are soft skills  (teamwork, communication, interpersonal skills, etc.). Continuously search for people in your area who can bolster the quality of service in your practice. Your prospecting may turn up some true gold.  

Here are some unexpected tactics for finding potential employees: 

• Your patients are a built-in source of potential employees.  Add a “Careers” section to your website with a short paragraph describing the benefits of joining your team. List any position(s) you have open.  If you don’t currently have any openings, make it clear that you are always looking for people who are passionate about providing excellent service.  Provide an email address for applicants to upload a resume and also a link for them to download an application form if they prefer.   
• Keep resumes of previous applicants who were offered a position, but chose not to accept at the time.  Follow-up with these applicants if another position becomes available in your practice.  Perhaps they are willing to reconsider.  
• Carry business cards with you and hand them to anyone you encounter in your daily life who provides you excellent service.  Let them know that you appreciate the excellent service they provided and to consider applying to your practice if they are ever looking for a new job.

Pro tip: Don’t rule out applicants based solely on age. Many times, the advantages that come along with those younger or older than your average applicant far outweigh the potential cons sometimes associated with their age. A few of my best employees over the years have been college students and those in their 60s and 70s.