How To Write an Optician Resume (Plus Template and Example)

Having a resume that highlights your skills and experience is important for job applications. Detailing your credentials and accomplishments as an optician can help position you for a career in this field.

Having a resume with a clean format, a strong summary or objective and a focus on your skills may give you an advantage in your job search. In this article, we explore what opticians do, how to write a resume for this position and provide a template and example.

What is an optician?

An optician designs, tests and fits lenses and frames and interprets prescriptions from ophthalmologists and optometrists. Opticians ensure clients get eyewear that meets specifications, measure the accuracy of lenses and frames and make necessary modifications.

Opticians work in different environments, including medical facilities and retail outlets. Professionals in this role often perform similar duties, such as measuring eye and facial features, like eye size and pupillary distance, assisting clients in selecting lens frames and dispensing eyewear according to prescriptions. Opticians also monitor prescriptions and orders from customers, manage inventory and document sales records.

How to write an optician resume

Here are some steps for creating a strong optician resume:

1. Choose your resume format

Your resume format refers to its style, arrangement and design. Resume formatting can influence what a recruiter thinks about your application, so it's important to select the best one for yours. Common examples of resume formats include:

• Reverse-chronological format: Lists work experience starting from your current job and proceeds backward.
• Functional format: Highlights your skills and achievements over work experience.
• Hybrid format: Emphasizes your skills, achievements and work experience and provides employers with a comprehensive overview of your career.

Choose a resume format that suits your circumstances when applying for roles in the industry. For example, a reverse-chronological format is a good option for individuals who have held several optician roles in the past. If you're a recent graduate looking for an entry-level optician job, a functional resume that focuses on your skills could be a better choice.

2. Write your name and personal details

You can add your full name and contact details at the top of your resume to make it easy for recruiters to find the information and contact you. Include information such as your phone number, email address and city and state. You can make your name slightly larger or bold to stand out more.

3. Create a resume objective or summary

Right below your contact information, consider adding a summary or objective. A summary details your experience and how it relates to the role, while an objective describes the goals you hope to achieve in the role. Most objectives and summaries are usually one to three sentences, making them short enough for hiring managers to scan quickly. They typically give an employer an idea of your best qualities and encourage them to read your entire resume.

4. Add academic qualifications

Create a section for your education and start with your highest degree or diploma. If you have an optician certification, you can also list it here, though you could also create a separate section for this credential. When listing your education, include the name of the school, the degree or diploma and the year you graduated. Your graduation year can be excluded if three or more years have passed. If you earned any academic achievements, such as making the dean's list, you could add them in this section.

5. Include key skills

Create a section to detail the skills you possess. List skills relevant to the position to show an employer that you're qualified for and can handle the job. Common optician skills include:

• Ability to understand customer needs and explain technical information in simple language
• Operation of optical production equipment
• Attention to detail and ability to interpret prescriptions accurately
• Experience with fitting and measuring lenses
• Active-listening skills
• Inventory tracking and sales management

6. Detail your employment history

When listing your work experience, try to list only jobs that highlight your suitability for the role. Even if you have no direct experience in the industry, you can list past roles where you used relevant skills. For instance, experience as a customer support professional could look good on an optician resume because opticians regularly interact with customers.

Include these details for each of your jobs:

• Job title
• Company name
• Location
• Dates worked
• Bulleted list of daily responsibilities or achievements

Tips for writing an optician resume

Keep the following tips in mind when crafting your optician resume:

• Check your spelling and grammar. Ensure your resume is free from spelling and grammatical errors before sending it to employers. You can use a spell check tool or ask a trusted friend or family member to review it for you.
• Be brief. Try to keep your resume to one page to make it easier for hiring managers to scan. If you want to elaborate on a specific part in your resume, use your cover letter to get into detail.
• Use consistent formatting. Try to use only one font throughout the resume and keep other stylistic elements consistent, like font color, size and style.
• Apply relevant keywords. Read the job posting carefully and note any keywords used in it. Try to insert those keywords into the various sections in your resume to get the hiring manager's attention.

Optician resume template

Knowing how to structure your resume can make writing it faster and easier. Follow this template to create your optician resume:

[Full name]

[Location]

[Phone number]

[Email address]

Resume objective/summary

[One to three sentences detailing qualifications, achievements or goals.]

Skills

• [Skill]
• [Skill]
• [Skill]
• [Skill]
• [Skill]

Work history

[Job title]

[Company name]

[Location]

[Duration of employment]

• [Responsibility]
• [Responsibility]
• [Responsibility]

[Job title]

[Company name]

[Location]

[Duration of employment]

• [Responsibility]
• [Responsibility]
• [Responsibility]

Education

[Degree, diploma or certification]

[Name of institution]

[Location]

[Date graduated]

Optician resume example

Here is an example resume for an optician:

Harold Hirsch

Lemonville, GA

202-555-0133

hhirsch@email.com

Summary

Accomplished optician with five years of experience in ensuring customer satisfaction. Self-motivated individual with solid customer service skills, commercial awareness and knowledge of optical production processes.

Skills

• Attention to detail
• Excellent written and oral communication
• Organization and time management
• Frame repair and adjustment
• Measuring, fitting and adapting frames and lenses for customers
• Basic computer skills, including spreadsheets, word processors and content management systems

Employment history

Senior optician

Kal-T Optical Solutions

Forrest, GA

July 2018–January 2020

• Educated clients on best optical products
• Assigned employees to shifts
• Ordered and received optical products
• Managed store inventory and placed orders to keep supplies well-stocked
• Provided regular optical training to nine company staff members

Dispensing optician

Blue Ocean Optics

Los Angeles, CA

August 2016–May 2018

• Provided advisory services to customers, including addressing their eyewear-related concerns
• Handled measurement, fitting and repair of eyewear
• Measured customers' eye features, including temple length, vertex distance and pupillary distance
• Recommended eyewear for customers based on prescription and observation of individual qualities
• Recorded customer prescriptions, orders and payment information

Education

Bachelor of Science in Ophthalmic Dispensing

Weasley State University, Akron, OH

Best Tips for Writing an Optician Resume

1. Avoid errors: The fewer errors you have in your resume, the better your chances of impressing employers. An error-free text signals attention to detail and carefulness, qualities that are useful in an optician’s job.
2. Use a text checker: To remove errors in writing, run the resume through a text checker. You can also turn on the Word Check feature on Microsoft Word to catch misspellings, passive sentences and other writing mistakes.
3. Be brief: Maintain brevity, especially in your job descriptions. Condense the roles and responsibilities attached to each job in 3-4 bullet points. It helps the recruiting manager browse your resume quickly and get important information.
4. Use consistent formatting: If you start with a font, stick with it throughout the resume. The same applies to colors and other stylistic elements (bold, italics, etc.); keep them consistent on the document.
5. Apply relevant keywords: Read the job posting carefully and note down any keywords. Insert them into the various sections on your resume when writing.