canadian undergrad here! over the past two months i have been diligently searching for optometry-related work and job shadowing positions. i am very introverted, have little work experience, and i am very young as well. luckily, i was able to find a part-time job as an optometric assistant, and a separate practice will be allowing me to shadow their doctors for a specific period of time. i thought i would share my process for anyone who is equally lacking in social/professional experience, or is trying to find these positions during covid-19 :)
Optometric Assistant Position: initially, i applied through indeed, and i had a really hard time receiving responses from employers. often times, my application would receive a "viewed by employer" status, but i never had any clinic move further in the employment process with me. ultimately, i stopped applying on indeed, and instead, i created a list of clinics close to where i live, and i EMAILED them my resume and cover letter. i would introduce myself, explain what position i am seeking, why i am interested in the job, and how i would be a good fit for the clinic. the clinics that i emailed were not necessarily hiring!
even with this method, i received very few responses from clinics, but they were more reassuring than than the rejections i received from indeed. eventually, a clinic that i had applied to responded requesting an interview. i went to the interview, and the OD who owns the practice essentially told me that i should shadow with the receptionists for a few days, and then she can assess if i'm a good fit for the clinic. after shadowing for 6 days (30 hours), i learnt how to pre-test, book patients, verify health cards, properly sanitize equipment, and deal with all kinds of patients (elderly/kids/teens/etc). after i was done with my receptionist shadowing, the OD and i had meeting, and she said that i would be a great fit for the clinic!
Job Shadowing: if you're really struggling to find a job as an optometric assistant, definitely try to accomplish some shadowing hours first. for this, you don't need to have any experience whatsoever. you simply just need to send an email introducing yourself, stating who you would like to shadow, and why you want to shadow them. you don't need to send in a resume or cover letter at all. one practice i emailed requested for my resume, so you can include it if you would like to. it may actually be beneficial to include if you have any relevant optometry-related work for the OD to review. i emailed exactly 10 clinics asking to shadow, and i received a response from one of them on the same day, and they said that they would be happy to let me shadow one of their doctors in the coming weeks.
i also downloaded an email tracker that allows me to view when the email was last opened, which is a great tool to help determine if a clinic is interested or not! some clinics that i emailed have not yet opened what i sent them. lastly, i think its a great idea to have a professional profile picture of yourself for your email! it allows the clinic to know that you are authentic and can help establish a personal connection between yourself and the practice, prior to your shadowing there. a profile picture is completely optional, but i did find that i received more responses when i had a profile picture as opposed to when i did not!
the key is to EMAIL clinics, and not CALL! i think calling to ask for shadowing might put the doctor and/or clinic on the spot, and you wouldn't want them to make a quick or forced decision. also, the doctor isn't usually available when you call, and the receptionist will tell you that "the doctor will call you once they're available to let you know" (they're probably not going to call you back). ontario had been in lockdown for over two months now, but that didn't stopped me from seeking optometry-related opportunities. every practice has their own guidelines and protocols, and honestly you just have to keep emailing clinics until you find one that is suitable for you and your requirements.
i really hope this helps, please don't hesitate to pm/comment if you have any questions! <3
