12 Key Attributes U.S. Opticians Need To Succeed In Their Career

by Ava Rodriguez

Wednesday, January 13, 2016

Arizona State Board of Dispensing Optician

Opticians design, measure, fit, and adapt lenses and frames for client according to written optical prescription or specification. They also assist clients with inserting, removing, and caring for contact lenses as well as with selecting frames.

They may measure customer for size of eyeglasses and coordinate frames with facial and eye measurements and optical prescription. They will also be involved in preparing work order for optical laboratory containing instructions for grinding and mounting lenses in frames.

Other tasks may include verifying exactness of finished lens spectacles, adjusting frame and lens position to fit client. They may also shape or reshape frames.

The core tasks that opticians are likely to carry out include:

Verify that finished lenses are ground to specifications.
Prepare work orders and instructions for grinding lenses and fabricating eyeglasses.
Measure clients' bridge and eye size, temple length, vertex distance, pupillary distance, and optical centers of eyes, using measuring devices.
Heat, shape, or bend plastic or metal frames to adjust eyeglasses to fit clients, using pliers and hands.
Assist clients in selecting frames according to style and color, and ensure that frames are coordinated with facial and eye measurements and optical prescriptions.
Evaluate prescriptions in conjunction with clients' vocational and avocational visual requirements.

In order to successfully forge ahead with their careers, analysts in a survey carried out by U.S. Department of Labor (via O*NET) have marked out the following as important attributes that opticians, dispensing would need. These attributes have been selected from characteristics and requirements strongly associated with the occupation. They are

Abilities: Enduring attributes of the individual that influence performance
Interests: Preferences for work environments. Occupational Interest Profiles (OIPs) are compatible with Holland's (1985, 1997) model of personality types and work environments. Six interest categories are used to describe the work environment of occupations: Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising, and Conventional. An OIP consists of six numerical scores indicating how descriptive and characteristic each work environment (or interest area) is for an occupation
Knowledge: Organized sets of principles and facts applying in general domains
Skills: These include basic skills, which are developed capacities that facilitate learning or the more rapid acquisition of knowledge. Plus cross-functional skills, which are developed capacities that facilitate performance of activities that occur across jobs
Style: Personal characteristics that can affect how well someone performs a job

We have listed out attributes which were scored 80% or more in terms of importance by the analysts.

Being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
Attribute Type: Style Score: 92%

Being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
Attribute Type: Style Score: 90.6%

Having a strong preference for enterprising work environments. Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.
Attribute Type: Interests Score: 90.43%

Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
Attribute Type: Knowledge Score: 90%

Being honest and ethical.
Attribute Type: Style Score: 90%

Being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.
Attribute Type: Style Score: 89.4%

Maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations.
Attribute Type: Style Score: 88.6%

Being sensitive to others' needs and feelings and being understanding and helpful on the job.
Attribute Type: Style Score: 88%

Accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high stress situations.
Attribute Type: Style Score: 82.6%

The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
Attribute Type: Abilities Score: 82.4%

The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
Attribute Type: Abilities Score: 80%

Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Attribute Type: Skills Score: 80%