The first 90 days after radiology school determine more about your career trajectory than most new grads realize. ARRT exam timing, state licensure, your first job choice, and the habits you build in your first weeks on the floor compound across decades. Move with intention, not urgency. The market is in your favor in 2026 (CT vacancy at 19.4 percent, overall imaging tech vacancy at 18.1 percent), which means the right first move matters more than a fast one.

Why the first 90 days matter so much

Three timing realities converge for new grads.

The credentialing window. Most new grads sit for the ARRT primary certification exam between mid-May and late July. State licensure follows. Until both are complete, your job options are constrained. Once they are complete, the market opens.

The recruiting calendar. Most employers are not aggressively recruiting in May, because the candidate pool is largely uncredentialed. They are recruiting hard in August, when the credentialed class enters the market in volume. Your timing decisions inside that window matter.

The habit-formation window. What you do in your first 12 weeks on the floor sets patterns for years. Productivity habits, communication patterns with radiologists, scanning technique consistency, and how you ask for help all calcify quickly.

The new grads who get this right tend to compound advantage. The new grads who drift through the first 90 days tend to plateau early.

A 90-day playbook

Days 1 to 30: Credentialing and clarity

Sit for the ARRT exam within 30 days of program completion. Test windows fill quickly in May and June. Schedule early, study consistently, do not delay.

File state licensure as soon as ARRT certifies you. Some states process in 7 days, others take 4 to 6 weeks. The bottleneck is usually you, not the state board.

Decide what you are optimizing for. Compensation? Geography? Schedule predictability? Subspecialty exposure? Growth track? The honest answer is rarely one thing. Rank your top three and use them as a filter.

Days 31 to 60: Targeted search

Build a target list of 5 to 8 facilities. Not 50. Five to eight where you have a serious interest, geography fit, and at least one credential or experience that matches their needs.

Make your resume scannable. Modality counts (CT, MRI, fluoroscopy hours), clinical exposure (trauma, ED, oncology), any post-primary credential pathway in progress. Hiring managers spend 30 seconds on the first pass.

Apply or reach out to your target list. Two to four serious applications beat 30 generic ones. If you have a personal connection or alumni network at any of your targets, use it.

Days 61 to 90: Interview, decide, start strong

Bring informed questions to interviews. Call structure, shift pattern, growth track, CE allowance, modality cross-training opportunities, lead tech timeline. Generic questions signal generic candidates.

Compare offers on more than salary. Total compensation (shift differentials, CE allowance, retirement match, PTO accrual), schedule structure, growth path, geography fit. The highest base pay offer is often not the best offer.

Show up prepared on day one. Read the protocols. Know the equipment. Ask about workflow before assuming. The reputation you build in your first month on the floor is the reputation you will carry for years at that facility.

What to ask in interviews

Five questions that separate informed candidates from the rest:

What does the typical call or weekend rotation look like for someone in this role?
What is the growth path from staff tech to lead tech, and what is the typical timeline?
What CE allowance and paid CE time do you provide?
Are there cross-training opportunities into additional modalities, and what does that look like?
Who held this role before me, and what happened to them?

The answers tell you almost everything about whether this role is what it is being pitched as.

What new grads tend to overweight

Base salary alone (instead of total package and trajectory)
The first offer (instead of waiting for the right offer)
Geography preference based on familiarity (instead of fit for life stage)
Speed to first paycheck (instead of fit for career arc)

What new grads tend to underweight

Schedule structure and call burden
Growth path commitments
Cross-training and modality expansion support
The personality and stability of the imaging team you will work with daily

Where RadiologyJobs fits in

RadiologyJobs is an intelligent career advocacy platform for the medical imaging ecosystem. For new grad technologists, the platform surfaces open roles aligned to your modality preferences, geography, and schedule structure. Browse open roles at radiologyjobs.com.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I sign with the first offer I get? Only if it genuinely is the right offer. The market is in your favor in 2026. Strong candidates routinely have multiple offers. Take the time to evaluate properly.

Is travel/locum a good first job? For most new grads, no. Travel work pays more in year one, but the absence of growth track, partnership equity, and mentorship costs more over a career. Travel works best as a transition phase later, not as a first attending role.

What if my ARRT exam result is delayed? Most states will issue temporary licensure pending ARRT confirmation. Ask your target employers about their flexibility on start dates if your credentialing window slips.

Looking for your first imaging role?

Browse open positions at radiologyjobs.com.

Sources

ARRT (American Registry of Radiologic Technologists) certification timing data
ASRT 2025 Radiologic Sciences Staffing and Workplace Survey