Not all that long ago, cardiovascular sonography was experiencing a severe shortage of technologists. Sonographers looking for employment had many options as to when they could move and where they could go. Sonographers would often change jobs without even having to relocate. This shortage was well recognized by professional associations and educational institutions, both of which stepped up and aggressively dealt with the situation through marketing the career field and establishing new sonography education programs.
Anyone currently seeking employment in our field is likely to agree that the days of unlimited employment opportunities have ended, and that we may now be in the midst of a sonographer surplus. Aggressive education program enrollment has flooded the market with newly graduated or less experienced sonographers. With changes in the health care environment, we see private practices being purchased by large health organizations which often leads to sonographers finding themselves looking for jobs as the organizations eliminate redundant positions. The current economic climate finds everyone looking for ways to save money, which often means decreasing staff.
The sonographer council is often contacted by both new and experienced sonographers looking for tips on what might give them an edge over other candidates applying for open positions. While that is a million-dollar question for which we just don’t have an answer, I approached 4 hiring managers from across the country and asked them what they look for when faced with multiple applications for one open position. I want to thank them all for helping me put this together.
