How to hire an optometric technician

How to hire an optometric technician, step by step

Here's a step-by-step optometric technician hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write an optometric technician job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new optometric technician
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring an optometric technician, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect optometric technician also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   This list presents optometric technician salaries for various positions.

   Type of Optometric Technician	Description	Hourly rate
   Optometric Technician		$11-18
   Imaging Technologist	An imaging technologist is responsible for performing diagnostic imaging procedures such as magnetic resonance imaging scans, X-ray examination, and computed tomography. Your day-to-day duties include working closely with physicians and radiologists in diagnosing or ruling out disease or injury, operating and maintaining imaging equipment, and assisting patients in preparation for imaging procedures... Show more	$15-35
   X-Ray Technician	The job of X-ray technicians, or X-ray technologists, is to detect medical issues that may need urgent medical treatment using cutting-edge imaging methods. The pictures they generate aid physicians in diagnosing and treating injuries and illnesses with better accuracy... Show more	$15-38

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patients
   • Customer Service
   • Patient Care
   • Field Testing
   • Excellent Organizational
   • Pre-test
   • Insurance Verification
   • Patient Flow
   • Appointment Scheduling
   • Front Desk
   • Insurance Coverage
   • Eye Care
   • DR
   • Color Vision

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Maintain coating quality using adhesion testing and spectrophotometers, and manage coating hues and reflectance adjustments.
   • Preform pre-test on patients, using auto refractor, NCT and OCT and fundus photos.
   • Identify, reference and apply insurance coverage and present financial policies and arrangements accurately to patients.
   • Perform and interpret OCT and HVF.
   • Measure eye pressure with Tonopen and tonometer.
   • Maintain accurate and organize patient records, including EHR.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your optometric technician job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. An optometric technician can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, optometric technicians' average salary in alabama is 46% less than in oregon.
   • Seniority. Entry-level optometric technicians 38% less than senior-level optometric technicians.
   • Certifications. An optometric technician with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in an optometric technician's salary.

   Average optometric technician salary

   $14.87hourly

   $30,928 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level optometric technician salary

   $24,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 13, 2025

4. Writing an optometric technician job description

   An optometric technician job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of an optometric technician job description:

   Optometric technician job description example

   OPTICAL OFFICE EXPERIENCE PREFERRED/NOT REQUIRED - WILL TRAIN SOMEONE WITH PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
   
   Your professional experience and desire to work in a positive, exciting atmosphere, making a difference in the lives of others, place you at the top of the list for our FT/PT Optometric Technician role in Saint Peters, MO!
   
   In this position, your skills and efficiency will be greatly appreciated by your customers as you guide them through the process of optical testing to determine their visual abilities followed by helping them make important decisions about the various types of eyewear available to them. Regardless of your level of optical experience — some or none at all — you can rest assured that you will receive the training you need to be a successful Optometric Technician. We offer our team members PERKS/BENEFITS so you can live a quality personal life as well.
   
   This is the perfect place to be part of a fun, friendly team and grow your Optometric Technician career! Apply today!
   
   Responsibilities
   OPTICAL OFFICE EXPERIENCE PREFERRED BUT NOT REQUIRED - WILL TRAIN SOMEONE WITH PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
   Optometric Technician job responsibilities include:
   

   • Complete diagnostic testing and necessary documentation
   • Prepare patients to be seen by the Optometrist
   • Assist the Optometrist as needed during examinations
   • Show patients how to properly care for contact lens
   • Assist the patient in making decisions about frames and lenses

   Required Skills
   OPTICAL OFFICE EXPERIENCE PREFERRED BUT NOT REQUIRED - WILL TRAIN SOMEONE WITH PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
   Optometric Technician required skills & qualifications include:
   

   • Experience in a professional setting a must
   • The ability to connect well with patients
   • Works well with a team
   • Tech-savvy; typing capabilities
   • Optometric Technician experience preferred

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5. Post your job

   To find optometric technicians for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any optometric technicians they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level optometric technicians with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your optometric technician job on Zippia to find and recruit optometric technician candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites such as healthcarejobsite, health jobs nationwide, hospitalcareers, medreps.com.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit optometric technicians, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new optometric technician

   Once you've found the optometric technician candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new optometric technician. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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