Five Benefits of Using an Optometry-Specific Career Center When Applying for a Position as a Doctor of Optometry

Searching for a position as a doctor of optometry doesn’t have to be a time-consuming effort and inefficient process. While multi-industry job boards such as ZipRecruiter and Indeed cast a wide net, there are several benefits to narrowing your search to an industry-specific career center, like the AOAExcel Career Center.

• Save time – Searching for a position in an optometry-specific career center gives you the opportunity to quickly review positions that are targeted to your skillset as a doctor of optometry. With a multi-industry career center, it takes more time to identify positions that are geared toward ODs specifically because there are a wide variety of positions listed, some of which are more geared toward opticians and optical staff. Because an optometry-specific career center does not have the added task of filtering out positions from other industries, it can provide you with search results that are more relevant to your area of expertise.

• Connect directly with employers – An industry-specific career center provides you with an opportunity to make your profile and resume public to hiring optometric practice owners and recruiters who can reach out to you directly if they believe you will be a good fit for their practice. Unlike with a multi-industry career center, the employers who have access to your profile on an optometry-specific career center will only be reaching out in regard to positions that are relevant to your career as a doctor of optometry.

• Learn more about available opportunities – Optometry-specific career centers make it easy to review open positions geared specifically toward optometrists, which helps you to compare positions in your area and across the country. You’ll get an idea of what salary ranges are available to you based on location and experience level and what types of patients different practices are treating. Being able to compare positions easily can help you more efficiently identify the positions that best fit your career goals.

• Create accurate job alerts – When you create a job alert with an optometry-specific career center, you will receive real-time notifications as employers post positions that fit your desired criteria, giving you an opportunity to submit your application for early consideration. You will have an opportunity to narrow down the type of position you are looking for in a more targeted way than with a multi-industry career center. Rather than receiving notifications for positions that loosely fit within the category of optometry, you will receive positions that are targeted to doctors of optometry and fit your geographical interests.

• Find positions and employers affiliated with your alma mater – During the application and interview process, hiring optometrists are often assessing how well potential hires develop relationships with potential colleagues. Being able to search for positions and employers that are associated with your optometry school gives you an easy common topic to discuss during an interview, helping you to begin building a relationship with your potential employer. Applying to a position that is affiliated with your alma mater can also give the employer a sense of what type of training you received in optometry school, as they were trained by the same institution and may still network with faculty and recent alumni.

Searching for your perfect career fit? Check out the AOAExcel Career Center to connect with hiring practices nationwide.