Our industry is constantly changing. Things travelers considered guaranteed are actually fluctuating as if on a wave or pendulum. Last year’s trends are not the same today. Markets change and travel healthcare is a supply-and-demand industry.
We can all recall a time when there were floods of job needs and multiple offers, all high-paying. Today it’s more competitive, and travelers need to be responsive and flexible more than ever. Today we see jobs open and then close within the span of 10 minutes. And in those 10 minutes, 20 to 30 applicants were submitted. The cold reality is that most hiring managers won’t look through that entire applicant pool, so much as the first handful. It’s still a fast-moving industry.
If you’re a flexible traveler by nature or practice, you’re probably not feeling much strain. Flexibility in location will always widen the span of opportunities available to you. Are you open to more than one state? If you’re asking to be two hours away from family, could you accept seven? Or can you be more flexible in shift or setting?
Pay expectations also matter. Again, our industry is a roller coaster. Pay package trends fluctuate. Are you limiting interactions with recruiters by not considering pay packages below a certain dollar amount? You’re missing out on opportunities if money is your only motivating factor. Cost of living, transportation and a variety of other things could make a pay package below that dollar amount more lucrative than it appears.
Flexibility is what it takes to be a long-term traveler and work consistently.