How to hire an optometrist

How to hire an optometrist, step by step

Here's a step-by-step optometrist hiring guide:

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

What does an optometrist do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring an optometrist, 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 optometrist 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 optometrist salaries for various positions.

   Type of Optometrist	Description	Hourly rate
   Optometrist	Optometrists examine the eyes and other parts of the visual system. They also diagnose and treat visual problems and manage diseases, injuries, and other disorders of the eyes... Show more	$45-179
   Speech Pathologist	The job of speech pathologists is to diagnose, treat, and prevent speech, social communication, language, swallowing, and cognitive-communication disorders in both children and adults. They are responsible for providing aural rehabilitation for people with hearing impairment and hearing loss, and alternative and augmentative systems for people with severe language comprehension disorders such as progressive neurological disorders and the autism spectrum... Show more	$20-42

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patients
   • Patient Care
   • Diagnosis
   • Customer Service
   • Diagnostic Tests
   • Pre
   • Visual Acuity
   • Medical History
   • OCT
   • Glaucoma
   • Exam Rooms
   • Safety Factors
   • Macular Degeneration
   • Vision Aids

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Experience in OCT, visual fields, and EMR.
   • View cataracts in live patients and compare to class examples.
   • Work closely with the LASIK and cataract surgeons to provide comprehensive care to patients.
   • Perform eye exams and care for all patients including pre op and post operative care.
   • Specialize in anterior segment surgery, cataract, glaucoma, retinal problems, and ocular oncology.
   • Create statistical reports with pre and post topography conditions and visual acuity results in IOL implant surgery.

   More optometrist duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your optometrist job description helps attract top candidates to the position. An optometrist salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for an optometrist in Maine may be lower than in North Carolina, and an entry-level optometrist usually earns less than a senior-level optometrist. Additionally, an optometrist with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average optometrist salary

   $187,654yearly

   $90.22 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level optometrist salary

   $94,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 25, 2025

   Average optometrist salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	North Carolina	$212,018	$102
   2	Minnesota	$209,303	$101
   3	Nebraska	$204,600	$98
   4	District of Columbia	$202,475	$97
   5	Wisconsin	$187,352	$90
   6	New York	$187,094	$90
   7	Illinois	$185,070	$89
   8	Michigan	$183,423	$88
   9	Pennsylvania	$182,339	$88
   10	Kentucky	$181,071	$87
   11	Maryland	$180,358	$87
   12	Kansas	$177,765	$85
   13	South Carolina	$175,555	$84
   14	Indiana	$175,236	$84
   15	Ohio	$173,956	$84
   16	Colorado	$171,057	$82
   17	Missouri	$170,781	$82
   18	Florida	$166,925	$80
   19	Virginia	$166,559	$80
   20	Georgia	$164,499	$79

   Average optometrist salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Mayo Clinic	$304,942	$146.61	141
   2	Allina Health	$283,700	$136.39	44
   3	Dignity Health	$279,869	$134.55	43
   4	University of Maryland, Baltimore	$257,920	$124.00	2
   5	HealthPartners	$254,959	$122.58	79
   6	Kaiser Permanente	$254,835	$122.52	109
   7	Phoenix Children's	$253,509	$121.88	4
   8	Rochester Regional Health	$248,612	$119.53	1
   9	East Boston Neighborhood Health Center	$247,732	$119.10
   10	SEARHC	$243,342	$116.99	10
   11	Stanford Health Care	$240,642	$115.69	4
   12	Connecticut Children's Medical Center	$238,885	$114.85	13
   13	Gundersen Lutheran Medical Foundation Inc.	$238,512	$114.67	42
   14	Geisinger Medical Center	$237,739	$114.30	90
   15	Spectrum Healthcare Resources	$236,743	$113.82	25
   16	Cigna	$229,811	$110.49
   17	UCI Health	$229,402	$110.29	3
   18	SSM Health	$228,924	$110.06	3
   19	Seattle Children's Healthcare System	$228,067	$109.65	3
   20	Rutland Regional Medical Center	$227,197	$109.23	2

4. Writing an optometrist job description

   An optometrist 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 optometrist job description:

   Optometrist job description example

   • Competitive pay rate
   • 401k match
   • Malpractice insurance
   • Professional and personal development
   • Up to date exam equipment technology with digital lanes and EMR
   • Free glasses and additional discounts on glasses and contacts
   • And more!

   Optometrist Pay Range: $69.75-$80.00/hour

   About Us:

   Warby Parker was founded with a mission: to inspire and impact the world with vision, purpose, and style.

   We're constantly asking ourselves how we can do more and make a greater impact-and that starts by reimagining everything that a company and industry can be. We want to demonstrate that a business can scale, be profitable, and do good in the world-without charging a premium for it. And we've learned that it takes creativity, empathy, and innovation to achieve that goal.

   Since the day we launched in 2010, we've pioneered ideas, designed products, and developed technologies that help people see. We offer everything our customers need for happier eyes at a price that leaves them with money in their pockets, from designer-quality glasses and contacts to eye exams and vision tests.

   Ultimately, we believe in vision for all, which is why for every pair of glasses or sunglasses we sell, a pair of glasses is distributed to someone in need through our Buy a Pair, Give a Pair program. Over eight million pairs of glasses have been distributed in over 50 countries; that means eight million people now have the glasses they need to learn, work, and achieve better economic outcomes.

   At Warby Parker, you can look forward to company outings and events, volunteering and learning opportunities, and just great company filled with curious, kind folks. Dreaming up and sharing ideas aren't responsibilities reserved for certain teams or leaders; the challenge (a really fun one) of innovation is on all of our shoulders. Teammates can also connect around common interests, backgrounds, and identities, no matter their home base, through our various employee resource groups. (We're happy to say that the Human Rights Campaign has named us a Best Place to Work for LGBTQ+ employees!) That sense of community and belonging keeps us excited to walk through the door every day, wherever that door may be.

   We're driven to continue building a workplace, based on inclusive behaviors and equitable systems, where all employees can bring their authentic selves, feel engaged, and share their perspectives as a valued member of Team Warby. Transparency is what we're all about, and our annual Impact Report and Racial Equity Strategy lay out how we're sticking to these values.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right optometrist for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with optometrists they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit optometrists who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your optometrist job on Zippia to find and recruit optometrist 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 optometrists, 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.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates 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 optometrist

   Once you've decided on a perfect optometrist candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   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.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is 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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How much does it cost to hire an optometrist?