I was recently asked how far back a criminal background check can go. A candidate shared that she had received a DUI nearly twenty years ago, and she wanted to know how long it would remain on her record.

The truth is that there is no universal limit on how far back background checks reach. Companies can review your criminal history regardless of when the offense occurred. That question led me to consider the real concern for many people: how to get a job with a criminal record.

According to research from the New York University School of Law, nearly one-third of working adults have some type of criminal record.

Wow.

That fact may surprise you (it did me), but it also means you are far from alone if you have a record.

What the Law Says About Criminal Records and Employment

In my experience, most company HR representatives do their best to evaluate candidates fairly. However, the law does allow employers to ask about your criminal history. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) makes it clear that employers cannot discriminate based on race or national origin when considering arrests or convictions.

Here is what that means: employers can ask about your record, and they can consider it when making a hiring decision. But they must evaluate the conviction in relation to the job responsibilities rather than rejecting you out of hand.

Offense Type and Job Relevance

When learning how to get a job with a criminal record, it is important to understand that context matters. The type and seriousness of an offense play a major role in how employers respond.

For example, a single DUI conviction from decades ago may not affect a candidate applying for a clinical research associate role. However, repeated DUI convictions would raise concerns since travel is an essential job requirement. Employers have the responsibility to balance opportunities with risk management.

Arrest Versus Conviction

Another important factor is the difference between an arrest and a conviction. Being arrested does not mean you were guilty of a crime. However, employers may still ask about arrests. If they do, they will consider your explanation of the circumstances before making a final hiring decision.

Be Honest and Prepared

The most important strategy for anyone exploring how to get a job with a criminal record is honesty. Hiring managers understand that people make mistakes. What matters most is how you handle the conversation.

When asked about your record, give a clear and truthful explanation. Share what happened, what you learned, and how you have moved forward. Employers respond more positively when they see accountability, growth, and honesty.

I can assure you from experience that dishonesty always eliminates candidates. A conviction rarely leads to automatic rejection, but lying always does.

Practical Steps for Moving Forward

If you are searching for a job with a record, here are key steps to improve your chances:

1. • Know your record. Request a copy of your criminal history so you understand what employers will see.
   • Prepare your explanation. Create a brief, honest statement that highlights personal growth and lessons learned. Translation: don’t offer excuses or blame.
   • Apply strategically. Pursue positions where your offense does not directly conflict with job duties.
   • Highlight strengths. Focus on your skills, accomplishments, and professional value rather than your record.
   • Seek support. Career coaches and legal experts can provide guidance tailored to your situation.

Final Encouragement

If nearly one-third of working adults carry a criminal record, you can succeed as well. Jobs are available, and many employers want to give qualified candidates a fair opportunity.

If you need specific advice about the application process, interviews, or disclosures, let us know. We are here to help you move forward with confidence.

Start by signing up for our free Career Coach & Job Search Mentoring Community. The current public community is designed to answer your basic questions with resources, worksheets, and group support at zero cost. Take advantage of regular office hours and webinars to keep moving forward.

Looking for more? Upgrade to our VIP Intensive community for a small monthly fee and enjoy everything the free group offers—plus extra office hours and exclusive webinars. With fewer members, you’ll receive more focused support and direct interaction with our coach to fast-track your progress.

Need truly personalized help? Book one-on-one coaching for tailored advice on resumes, interview prep, job search strategies, personal branding, and more. Choose a single session, a discounted two-session bundle, or reach out to discuss a custom multi-session plan at even greater savings.

Take your next step: sign up today and let’s unlock your career potential together!

The post How to Get a Job With a Criminal Record appeared first on craresources.

A name change can impact your job search. Deciding to change your name is quite personal, and the truth is there is no right or wrong answer regarding whether you should (or shouldn’t) do it.

However, if you are well-established in your career or have crafted a well-thought-out brand, changing your name can have a negative impact on future job prospects.

Why? Because changing your name may keep you from being ‘found’. Harvard Business Review states that changing your name results in you becoming a ‘ghost’.  We agree.  We often place potential candidates into a ‘not now’ category because they don’t have a supporting digital footprint.  Any professional credibility that may have been linked to your old name can completely disappear if the change isn’t handled effectively.

What to Consider When Changing Your Name

If you decide to change your name, make sure that you don’t get lost! Ask yourself these questions:

• Will you disappear in plain sight of many of your business connections?
• Do you have hard-earned accomplishments, connections, and publications under your current name that need to be transferred to your new name or brand?
• Will your references recognize your new name?

If you are only changing your last name, you don’t necessarily have to change your professional last name to match. For example, I married in 2008 and didn’t officially add my husband’s name until 3 years ago. And when I did change my last name, I hyphenated his to mine. From a branding perspective, I didn’t change any of my social media accounts to include the hyphenated name and still use my maiden name in all professional capacities.

In some respects, changing your last name can be easier than changing your first or middle name. And as a note, first and middle name changes aren’t just for actors and musicians. Many individuals change their first or middle names for many reasons – some of them personal while others may be professional. EZ Name Change gives a wonderful example of a gentleman named Jose who changed his name to Joe to see if his job search results improved.  Alternatively, the example continues with the thought that someone named Joe may want to change his name to Jose due to other reasons.

Some tangible steps to take:

Announce the change. To everyone.

I consistently receive emails from people who seem to know me…but I can’t figure out how I know them. Most of the time I don’t recognize them because of a name change. Yes, I engage with a lot of people so shouldn’t be expected to remember everyone. But if the change is only the name, I am typically able to search our database or my email box to make the connection.

But, when the individual’s email address also changes, it makes it difficult for me to bridge the relationship. Always give co-workers, clients, and business contacts advanced notice of the change to avoid confusion (especially if your email address will change).

Update your digital footprint.

Your LinkedIn profile, business memberships, and social media platforms should all be updated. If you have publications, be sure to update those as well.

Consider using both names for a while.

I often see this and it is extremely helpful for those of us who may be searching for you. And if you change your email address, set up forwarding so that you don’t miss someone’s contact attempt.

One more thing…

When applying for positions with your new name, consider stating the change in your cover letter or even on your resume. Being upfront will avoid confusion and will be critically important when you get to the reference or background check stages.

The post I Can’t Find My Favorite CRA! Name Change Confusion appeared first on craresources.

Most of us are more than just a little stressed as we find ourselves working from home or even worse, on a hiatus from work without income until this crisis is over. While we are confident that our industry will pick back up in the near future, we are also thankful that lessons learned from this crisis will only serve to improve clinical functions and efficiency, making us stronger as an industry and a nation.

The good news is that in all this madness, there is one sure way to be happy and healthy now while you are staying home.

Say, Thank you.

Research has shown that expressing gratitude by doing something simple like jotting positive thoughts in a “Grateful Journal” or writing a thank you note can change your mood, alleviate anxiety, improve your relationships with others, and can generally make you feel happier. And being happy impacts our overall physical, mental, and emotional health.

Feelings of gratitude stimulate the parts of the brain that control emotions, memory, and bodily functions. That being said, being grateful can reduce physical pain, help regulate stress, improve quality of sleep, release noxious emotions, and reduce anxiety and depression.

And, remember a few weeks ago when you were sighing and wishing your busy life would slow down? Now is the time to be thankful, now is the time to enjoy the moments at home, to spend time with those you live with and love, to bake and cook, to paint and write, to clean and organize, to listen to music and read a book.

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At this point, you have surely felt the sting of the Covid-19 crisis. We sincerely hope that inconvenience has been the only symptom you have suffered. Our CRAs have told us of their issues with travel, how their sites have been restricted and have canceled monitoring activities, and how their children’s schools have been closed creating an issue with childcare.

With approximately 318,900 clinical trials enrolling and/or providing care world-wide, the ramifications to the clinical research industry will likely be altering – permanently altering. We would like to believe that many of those changes are ones that will make our industry stronger. Will this pandemic force the Clinical Research Industry to embrace Risk Based Monitoring, Decentralized Trials, or Hybrid Trials?

While most of our Monitors have been restricted from travel, they have reported that some sites which had never previously allowed remote monitoring have reversed policies, opening access to databases allowing CRAs to monitor during this crisis. Other sites have been faxing or emailing redacted source documentation to the CRAs so monitoring of critical data can still be performed. What are some of the changes you’ve encountered so far?

We want to hear from you. How have you and your clinical teams been addressing the current crisis in a way that may positively impact our industry’s efficiency moving forward?

The post COVID-19 and Clinical Research appeared first on craresources.

Start with a strong educational foundation

Simple and straight forward, if moving into a CRA Role is your goal, I highly recommend you start with a strong educational foundation.  Most of the Sponsors and CROs we work with require their CRA applicants have at least a Bachelor’s degree in a Life Science or Health related field.  While ‘equivalent experience’ is considered with some of our clients, you are going to be much more competitive and have many more options with a relevant degree.

Additionally, those candidates with previous experience in the medical industry are particularly well-suited for the CRA role.  We see a lot of candidates with a medical background enjoy working as CRAs because it gives them the opportunity to still have an exceptionally positive impact to patients without being ‘bedside’.

Build Job-related Skills & Attributes

The role of a CRA is a very independent one.  There are many ‘fast-track’ courses in existence with the single goal to teach individuals how to monitor.  Gaining regulatory knowledge and understanding how to perform Source Data Verification (along with other monitoring tasks) is critical; however, many individuals under value how important it is to develop the soft skills required to be an effective CRA.

The importance of critical thinking: the decisions a CRA makes when monitoring a site will affect the quality of research performed at that site.  Monitoring has to be ‘interactional’ and thoughtful…not administrative and transactional.  Too often we see CRAs ‘check boxes’ without digging into trends and root causes.  A great CRA is a terrific critical thinker and problem solver…not just a ‘box checker.’

Ability to relate and adapt to all personality types: navigating the dynamics of site staff, dancing around aggressive and forever shifting deadlines, and continually correcting seasoned professionals can all be challenging.  Having the type of personality that can connect to team members at all different levels within the organization is exceptionally important.

Be a self-motivator:  be one of those CRAs who doesn’t have to be managed.  Do what you are supposed to do, when you are supposed to do it.  Raise your hand when you have a problem, question or need help.  And proactively work towards resolutions without being prompted to do so.

Just be honest:  In a field where transparency and ethics are paramount, a CRA needs to not only be self-motivated, educated, and experienced.  The CRA needs to have strong core values in order to deal with the daily tasks and challenges of the position.

People who do a great job are in this industry because they want to be. A great CRA wants to make a difference, help solve problems, be a part of curing illnesses and improving the vitality of lives.

Reference Xtalks Interview with Angela Roberts: How to Land a Job as a Clinical Research Associate

The post Getting Hired as a Clinical Research Associate appeared first on craresources.

No seriously, they really do say the best time to find a job is when you already have one.  A study from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York found that employed job seekers found better offers in terms of salary, and they received more offers relative to the amount of time they spent applying.

When you are unemployed and searching for a job, you just might smell of the desperation and the fear of another missing paycheck.  Employed job seekers will have more bargaining power, discernment, and, most importantly, confidence.

If you begin searching for a job while you already have one, you won’t have to explain why you are currently unemployed.  Employers feel like they never really know why you lost your last job.  It leaves them a little unsure of what they would be getting into by hiring you.

Lastly, being an employed job seeker can show potential employers that you are in control of your career, that you have a good work ethic and fresh skills.  So Carpe Diem.  Count your blessings that you are currently employed and… get to searching.  There is nothing like feeling in control during that interview and, perhaps, looking at the process as you are interviewing your potential new employer.

One more tip, be careful when you are explaining why you are leaving your current position.  One word – positivity.  Don’t bash, don’t complain, but positively describe your desires for new opportunities and responsibilities.  This article written by my colleague might help.

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