How to Hire a Pharmacy Technician

How to Hire a Pharmacy Technician

Hiring a pharmacy technician is not always straightforward. You will want to follow the right steps and ask the questions that matter when searching for your potential employee.

Pharmacy Technician Hiring Process

If you are looking to hire the best pharmacy technicians, there are specific steps to find them.

• Target your advertising. Many of the top pharmacy technicians stay up to date with industry news and trends. As a result, you may find them in professional organizations and reading their related newsletters.

• Ensure that you recruit candidates who fit into your company. Beyond the specific role you are hiring for, candidates should match well with your organization as a whole. You can train your pharmacy technicians to perform particular tasks, but first and foremost, they need to fit with the company culture.

• Assess candidates with valid and reliable tests. There is a wide variety of basic skills assessments out there. Go with one that measures a broad range of pharmacy technician-specific skills, including math, grammar, spelling, language abilities, and attention to detail.

• Conduct a thorough background check. A candidates’ application can unlock any negative history. While an imperfect past is no reason to disqualify a potential hire, you can tailor your questioning in the interview and consider these records when deciding on hiring.

Why Hire a Pharmacy Technician?

Your workplace is likely a dynamic, fast-paced environment. Pharmacy technicians can be the glue that holds much of the operation together, so it is critical to hire the right one.

Pharmacy technicians perform an extensive range of tasks, which can help improve the pharmacy’s efficiency. They help prepare and distribute medications to patients, maintain and verify customer records, prepare and label medicines, and place drug orders. They often serve as a customer-facing representative of the pharmacy and can impact customer satisfaction directly. Pharmacy techs spend large amounts of time supporting pharmacists, physicians, healthcare workers, and patients in pharmaceutical issues and transactions.

A good pharmacy tech can help your workplace thrive and maintain its efficiency.

Pharmacy Technician Skills and Qualifications

There are certain traits recruiters and hiring managers look for when they hire the perfect pharmacy technician. Many of the desired abilities are soft skills, those that can transfer across tasks and roles. Here are some of the most crucial soft skills for pharmacy technicians:

• Team Player: the willingness to work with others is imperative in a pharmacy setting, as the pharmacy tech interacts with many different stakeholders throughout the day.

• Communication: whether they explain drug interactions to a patient or help to support the lead pharmacist, pharmacy technicians need strong communication skills.

• Attention to Detail: these workers need to ensure patient safety, accurately filling and labeling prescriptions so that there are no mistakes.

• Organization: many times, the interview process will reveal a candidate’s organizational strengths or weaknesses. This is a crucial ability in pharmacy settings, as many things are happening at once.

• Technologically-savvy: like many other industries, pharmacology is increasingly centered around technology. Techs will be exposed to many apps and programs, and candidates should be adept and ready to learn the ropes of the platform the pharmacy uses.

Besides these transferable skills, candidates should meet their state’s basic qualifications and requirements. For most states, potential hires need a high school diploma or equivalent along with certification from a pharmacy technician school.

Pharmacy Technician Interview Questions and Answers

Potential employers should come to the interview prepared with questions. These inquiries should align with the pharmacy tech role, while also displaying the candidate’s character and work ethic. Some of the interview questions you can ask a potential pharmacy technician and the answers you may want to hear include:

• Why do you want to be a pharmacy technician? Answers should incorporate a broad knowledge of the position, a willingness to learn and grow, and a desire to be a part of the company.

• How do you handle difficult customers? Pharmacy technicians will occasionally encounter unruly customers and need to handle them with poise and patience. Employers should understand what kind of reaction their potential employees might have to these customers.

• What is your greatest weakness? This question can be uncomfortable for both parties, but a promising candidate can quickly identify what they need to work on. By admitting faults, candidates show they are ready and willing to learn how to improve.

• Why did you decide to get a new job? There is significant movement in the pharmacy industry, and changes happen regularly. However, you want to hear that your potential hire left their prior position amicably and that they are looking for a positive trajectory in the future.

• Do you work well in a fast-paced environment? The answer should, of course, be yes. Pharmacies are busy, bustling workplaces, and employees need to be accurate and efficient while performing multiple tasks.

A qualified, reliable pharmacy technician can do wonders for your workplace, and finding the right one to hire is a critical step.