I saw a post the other day where a job seeker was upset because an interviewer asked why she had been out of work for so long. Guys, every interviewer is going to ask about an employment gap. The real question is how you prepare to answer it with confidence and professionalism. So let’s tackle the real question: What is the right way to address a long gap between jobs? How much should you say or not say when asked about it? And how do you maintain your confidence when long-term unemployment begins to feel personal?

In this week’s roundtable, our team leads an honest and practical conversation about how to handle long-term unemployment on your resume and in your interviews. We also discuss the mindset that could cause you to come across as defensive. The discussion explores how to reshape your story so potential employers view your experience as a strength rather than a setback.

Should you explain your gap in your cover letter or include a short note on your resume? Can volunteer work, certifications, or courses help you tell a stronger story? What about when the reason for your gap is deeply personal, such as caregiving or burnout? The team shares smart strategies, thoughtful wording, and insights on when to give context without oversharing.

This conversation goes beyond formatting advice. It examines how mindset impacts results during a job search. We remind listeners that long-term unemployment is not a reflection of worth. Instead, clarity, honesty, and confidence are what truly stand out to hiring managers.

If you have been facing long-term unemployment, you will not want to miss this episode. It may just help you turn your employment gap into one of the most powerful parts of your professional story.

Listen to Secrets of a CRA Recruiter on Your Favorite Channel! 

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Building the right partnership is never accidental, regardless of whether you are building relationships in your personal life or your career. In this episode, our team explores the parallels between choosing a talent match (aka a recruitment agency) and choosing the right partner. Just like dating, selecting a recruiter calls for discernment, honesty, and a clear understanding of what you want. Too often, job seekers and hiring managers settle for convenience or overlook red flags, only to discover later that the relationship lacks trust and shared goals.

When we talk about a “talent match,” we mean more than just placing a candidate or landing a job. True alignment stems from shared values, ethical practices, transparent communication, and mutual investment. The quick, easy path may look appealing, but meaningful professional partnerships, like healthy personal ones, take effort and integrity.

This conversation challenges both companies and candidates to view recruiting through a more intentional lens. Would you go on a blind date without checking who you are meeting? The same principle applies here: research, vetting, and thoughtful interaction matter. The best partnerships form when both sides take time to assess fit, define priorities, and build credibility.

The takeaway? Do not just settle for convenience. Choose a recruiter like you would a partner; one who listens, invests, and brings out your best for the long term. Tune in to learn how finding your ideal talent match can transform your career relationships.

Listen to Secrets of a CRA Recruiter on Your Favorite Channel! 

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Great Recruiters Are Nothing Like Used Car Salesmen

There is a persistent misconception in the public imagination: when some people hear the phrase “recruiters,” they immediately picture a pushy used car salesman. Flashy, slick, and only interested in making a quick deal.

No offense to those in car sales.

Here is the truth: great recruiters could not be further from those stereotypes. If you are a candidate seeking your next opportunity or a client hoping to add top talent to your team, knowing what sets great recruiters apart is essential. Here is how you can identify truly great recruiters and recruitment agencies.

Great recruiters are true industry experts

They do not just skim the surface. Instead, they immerse themselves in your sector, mastering its language and cultural nuances. This is much like learning a foreign language. You do not become fluent just by reading a phrasebook, but by living the experience. The best recruitment agencies specialize in your niche. This ensures their recruiters can quickly recognize exceptional candidates and understand the unique needs of hiring companies.

Great recruiters offer consultative guidance

Rather than acting as transactional matchmakers, great recruiters provide valuable hiring consultation, such as training on effective interview techniques for both candidates and hiring teams. You should look for agencies that help with resumes, craft tailored job descriptions, and offer thorough compensation insights. These are signs of a recruitment firm that prioritizes your long-term success.

Great recruiters build genuine relationships

Top recruiters understand that recruitment is about partnership, not one-off arrangements. You deserve a dedicated, experienced Account Manager who stays the course and earns your trust over time. If your recruiter is not honest, transparent, and truly invested in your best interests, you have not yet found a great recruiter.

Great recruiters stand by their placements

The confidence of great recruiters is shown through placement guarantees. With a robust screening process and a strong belief in their ability to deliver exceptional talent, they are willing to offer money-back guarantees on placements to clients. This demonstrates a true commitment to quality.

Great recruiters go beyond job boards

Instead of relying only on postings and waiting for applicants, great recruiters proactively source talent. They target, engage, and attract top performers. Even those who are not actively seeking new roles. This means your new hire will be someone genuinely motivated to join your organization, not just someone in need of a job.

Great recruiters are true partners

The best agencies behave as though they are on retainer, fully invested in your search, but they only get paid when they make a successful placement. As a candidate, you should never be asked to pay a fee. Agencies operating on this basis are rare, but they are the ones who demonstrate true partnership and the “and then some” factor.

Ultimately

Great recruiters act as trusted guides and advocates, not as fast-talking salespeople. They bring expertise, integrity, and a commitment to building long-term relationships that benefit both candidates and clients.

Looking for a great recruiting agency? You have found it! Give us a call. 

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Our digital world makes it easier to find relevant jobs. Our social media platforms, communication forums, and professional networking communities facilitate easy email correspondence with potential employers throughout the job application process. But because email correspondence is so easy, professionals should be aware of the unspoken ‘rules’ concerning business email etiquette. This article will provide several email etiquette examples to help job seekers leave a good impression. 

Keep in mind that email etiquette is more than just monitoring what you type within the email. 

Use a Professional Email Account

Using an unprofessional or inappropriate email address can raise doubts about your suitability for the company or role. As a job seeker, you should consider your email address as part of your personal brand. 

Enhancv just published an article stating that 76% of job applicants are ignored if the applicant’s email address is deemed unprofessional. 

So what is considered unprofessional? 

Don’t use a shared email account.

Don’t share your job search or professional networking email account with a roommate, sibling, partner, or spouse. Recruiters and hiring managers want to dialogue directly with you. Not only will they be unimpressed when they receive an email from jimmyanddiane@dontdothis.com, but they will also be concerned with sharing private information about your candidacy. 

Never conduct a job search using your current work email address.

This seems like a ‘no-brainer’ but we often see folks use their current work email address when contacting us for open positions. And we aren’t alone. According to Enhancv, 13% of those polled admitted to using their company email to conduct a job search in 2024. 

Why would you do that? 

Aren’t you (as the candidate) concerned that your current employer will frown upon that behavior? On the receiving side, I certainly frown on it. It raises serious concerns about your ethics and professionalism. 

Informal email addresses will reduce your credibility.

You also want to refrain from using email addresses that are too personal or extremely informal. For example, a candidate using divaprincess@domain.com reached out to me once. 

Maybe she thought she was being funny or quirky, but I found it quite negative. Perhaps my previous experience working with divas, mean girls, and princesses caused me to be immediately turned off by her outreach. Maybe she was an excellent candidate. But I never found out because I didn’t review her credentials. Ultimately, I couldn’t shake the concern I had about her judgment in using such an unprofessional email while attempting to network or job search. 

How to select a professional email address.

For those of you who have changed your name (married, divorced, etc), ensure the email address you use for the job search matches the name you go by.  

This includes the use of nicknames. Your resume, cover letter, social media profiles, and email address will better represent your professional brand if you are consistent in the name used across all platforms. 

You may want to consider setting up an email account just for job searching and professional networking. This will ensure your job search and networking emails don’t get mixed up with your personal messages.

Ideally, your job search or professional networking email address will be firstnamelastname@gmail.com. And yes, the use of gmail.com is on purpose. Unless you have a branded domain, we recommend using Gmail for better deliverability (and receivability).  

Include a Signature

All of your important contact information should be included in an email signature. At a minimum, include your full name, email address, and phone number. If possible, include a link to your LinkedIn profile and if you have created a branded style for your resume and cover letter, consider using the same style (fonts, colors, and graphics) in your signature. 

As a side note, steer clear of adding quotes to your signature as it may be seen as unprofessional. Worst case, it may distract or offend a potential hiring manager. Best case, it will likely detract from the point of the email. 

Format it Like a Business Letter

Emails should not be one long paragraph of words. Research shows that including a moderate amount of whitespace in emails improves readability and visual appeal. Therefore, the formatting should mirror that of a typical business letter. Use clearly defined paragraphs with spaces between. The entire message should be left-justified and either single-spaced or spaced at 1.15. 

And for goodness sake, proofread for errors. While the percentages of rejections vary across surveys, hiring managers consistently reject candidates due to misspellings, typos, and grammatical errors. 

Be Brief and Concise

Research from Litmus shows that people spend about 9-12 seconds reading an email. And a Boomerang study states that for an email to be effective, it should be between 50-125 words.  

The reality is that hiring managers will not read a long email from a job candidate. Most hiring managers use email services such as Outlook, which show an email preview that is usually the first 4-5 sentences of the email before it is opened. Therefore, focus on including all relevant and important information at the front of your email.

You want to hook your reader quickly, so they stay engaged throughout the entire message.

Salutations Can Be Tricky

If you know the person you are writing to, address your email directly to that person. But be formal. 

For example, you would send an email to me with the salutation “Dear Ms. Roberts” instead of “Good morning, Angela”. You should only use the hiring manager’s first name under the following circumstances: 

• I introduce myself as Angela on a call or interview. Therefore, you can call me Angela moving forward. 
• You call me Ms. Roberts and I give you permission to use my first name. 
• We build a relationship (which is the goal). 

Side note – never (never) revert to using a nickname without gaining permission from the other party. Angela is Angela (not Angie). Susan is Susan (not Sue). Robert is Robert (not Bobby). 

But what if you don’t know the receiver’s name?

I delete a couple of emails a week that are addressed to ‘Dear Sirs’. Why…why…why would anyone send me an email using such an egregiously incorrect salutation? 

The point of your email is to get personal. And when you trip over the opening salutation by being thoughtless and transactional, you show me that you aren’t a critical thinker. Even worse, by sending me an email titled ‘Dear Sirs’, you are showing me that even when you should be on your best behavior you revert to pattern and habit. 

Think. 

As a side note, some experts will tell you to address the email to ‘Dear Hiring Manager’. I don’t completely disagree with that advice, but I feel it is more efficient to just move into the first paragraph of your message if you don’t know the receiver’s name.  

And speaking of the first paragraph… 

Don’t Waste Email Real Estate With Meaningless Opening Phrases.

A list of email etiquette examples wouldn’t be complete without telling you to get right to the point of the message. While you want to be polite, don’t waste important space with phrases like “I hope you are doing well and staying safe”. 

You don’t care if I am doing well and staying safe. But you do care about the job I am offering. Be clear about the reason you are writing. In fact, I recommend you start the first paragraph with a sentence like “I am writing to you today to express my interest in…”.

Simple and direct. 

How do You Send Your Email?

Before you hit that send button, test it. Send the email to yourself and two to three colleagues so it can be thoroughly checked before you send it to the recruiter or hiring manager. 

Do not mass email your resume and cover letter to several employers at the same time. Do not use the Bcc option either. Your resume and cover letter should be tailored for each position to increase your chances of being selected for an interview.

I do, however, recommend you openly copy yourself when you send the email. File it, being sure to keep track of all applications, follow-ups, and responses.  

Other Common Failures

Here are some additional areas to consider:  

• Always include a clear subject line in your email. I recommend listing the position as well as your name so the receiver can either route the email to the right person or easily find it later. 
• Do not use your email’s “stationary” feature. Emails with background images or color make it hard to read. And unless you are applying for a graphic design position, colorful stationary emails will detract from your brand as a serious professional. 
• Avoid ornate or difficult-to-read fonts. Instead, use an easy-to-read font such as Arial. Also, make sure the font size is between 10 to 12 point and all words are in black or standard color. 
• Unless a word is grammatically correct in all capitals (IBM, as an example), refrain from writing words in all caps. Not only will spell check not identify misspellings when words are in all capitals, but it is unnecessary. 
• While you want to express enthusiasm in the tone of your email’s message, do not use bold or colorful font to indicate excitement or importance. 
• Never use slang, acronyms, or emoticons. You must represent yourself as a professional in every interaction.

In Conclusion

You have worked hard to build your resume and cover letter. You have also put a lot of effort into finding the right job for you. Don’t let these email etiquette examples negate your efforts.

Have questions? Contact us and we will help where we can.

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Today’s roundtable is about how to work with a recruiter. And while we speak about working with a recruiter to obtain a new position, we also discuss how to continue working with your recruiter to transition into your role (if a perm position) or as you work out your assignment (if contract).  

A primary focus of this roundtable is how to work with a recruiter transparently. And more importantly, we discuss how important it is to select a recruiter who will be transparent with you.

Why do we think this topic is important? 

Because when you are transparent with your recruiter (and your recruiter is transparent with you), the chances of you finding a position with a transparent company are much higher. I have seen multiple studies that present how workplace transparency is the number one factor in employee happiness. Statistics show that companies that practice workplace transparency have teams that are more likely to meet their goals because transparency fosters collaboration.  

And from my 30+ years as a supervisor, I can testify that managers who are transparent with their team members are proven to have a more engaged, innovative, and creative team. So let’s dig into today’s discussion on how to work with a recruiter clearly and transparently…and how it will help you find the perfect fit with a wonderfully transparent company.

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Several years ago Lou Adler wrote an article that described what recruiters and talent leaders felt were challenges to hiring the right person. He boiled their feedback into two primary categories: Teams aren’t seeing enough quality candidates, and Hiring managers are the problem, not the solution. 

Hiring the right person can certainly be a challenge. And yes, we see many Sponsors and CROs speak to a shortage of qualified CRAs as the reason to settle. But I don’t feel there is a shortage of high-quality CRAs. I do, however, feel the real ‘shortage’ companies are challenged with is their inability to attract great talent.  

But this is a discussion for another day. 

Today, I want to ask if you agree with Lou’s assessment. Do you feel hiring managers are the problem when it comes to a company’s ability to hire great talent? We teamed up with one of our industry leaders, Brian Dempster, to shed some light on the topic. We address the idea that hiring the right person starts with using the right interviewer. 

And no, not all clinical operations managers make good interviewers. But is the hiring process complete without clinical operations being involved? Likewise, I have met many recruiters who are terrible interviewers – especially when it comes to sussing the technical details. In a nutshell, my opinion is that the largest barrier most companies have to hiring the right person is their recruitment strategy…or lack thereof. 

We hope you enjoy the discussion!

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Been stung by Sneaky Fees?

I hear it all the time: Recruiters are too expensive.  Are they? Or is it that due to myths caused by sneaky fees and unethical billing practices many recruiting agencies get a bad reputation. We have found that many competing recruitment companies are not clear on what types of Agency Fees and/or Charges are standard.

Therefore, unfortunately the practice of Sneaky Fees and Surprise Billing is real.

Let’s talk a little about what you should expect as both a Job Seeker and Hiring Manager. We also discuss the pitfalls and sneaky billing practices we have seen recruitment firms practice that can put your company (and your budget) in jeopardy.

As a side note, we recently published an article on this topic in the hopes of protecting you. Hope you enjoy!

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The topic of hidden agency fees is a hot one for both job seekers and companies alike. When I first entered the job market, I was afraid of approaching a recruitment company because I was worried I would have to pay a fee as a job seeker. What I didn’t understand is that job seekers should never have to pay a fee! 

On the flip side, while companies do expect to pay recruitment fees, many companies are not clear on what types of charges are standard. Let’s talk a little about what you should expect as well as the pitfalls and sneaky billing practices that can put your company (and your budget) in jeopardy.   

Sneaky Billing

Imagine receiving a credit card bill that only listed a total amount due. Would you pay the bill without asking for transaction details?

Call me old fashioned, but I wouldn’t. And I wouldn’t expect my clients to either.

Several years ago, the Accounts Payable representative of one of our Sponsors sent an email to me asking about the Project Management fees on the last three invoices received. The email startled me because we don’t provide project managers to this Sponsor – only CRAs.

When I opened the invoices in question, I sighed a little bit of relief when I realized they were actually from another recruitment agency. It was interesting though, because as I viewed these invoices, what I found to be most interesting was that this “other” agency doesn’t provide PMs to this Sponsor either. 

They also don’t provide operational oversight to the CRAs, so in my mind, I just couldn’t understand what the ‘Project Management Fee’ was for.  I was curious about these fees so called my client to discuss. She told me this was the cost of the agency’s Account Manager to handle escalations when the CRA wasn’t meeting expectations! 

Wow! She then told me that these surprise and hidden recruitment fees were the reason why they were in the process of ditching that agency.

What Should Account Management Cost?

There should be no costs associated with an agency handling escalations. Here is why: When one of my clients calls me to complain about a CRA, I do four things:

1. Apologize profusely that there is an issue, while ensuring I gain full understanding as to the details of that issue from the client’s perspective. 
2. Immediately contact the CRA to discuss the root cause of what is going on.
3. Work with the CRA and Client to put an action plan in place to resolve.
4. Track that action plan to closure, ensuring every item is resolved to the Client’s satisfaction.

I never charge for my time when it comes to handling escalations. If a CRA that we have vetted and placed isn’t meeting expectations, it therefore becomes my responsibility to resolve the issue. 

An Acceptable Invoice

There was an additional (and significant) issue with these invoices outside of the surprise recruitment fees: there was no documentation to support any of the charges. 

We live in an industry that has to be audit-ready at any given time. Along those lines, I feel that invoices for time and expenses should be just as audit-ready as the data gathered from clinical trials. With that being said, invoices that simply provide the total costs shouldn’t be accepted.

• For hours, there should always be a client approved timesheet included in the invoice. How else will the Client be able to confirm the hours are accurate?
• Additionally, from a competency standpoint, all time should be broken down into meaningful categories. For example, clients may want their spend tracked to different project codes or different charge categories such as site management, training, monitoring, report writing and travel time.
• And for Pass-through expenses, there should always be an itemized listing of what the expenses are for, and receipts should always be included. Providing this detail not only ensures there are no mistakes, but also enables the client to confirm the charges adhere to their travel guidelines.

Shame on any agency that a) isn’t transparent in their billing, fully disclosing the associated timesheets and expenses or b) charges recruitment fees for handling complaints and escalations.

Avoid Surprises by Automating Time and Expense Tracking

There are a lot of benefits to having an automated time and expense tracking system in place. If your company doesn’t already have one (and there isn’t the budget to establish one), consider leveraging a recruitment agency that uses an automated system.  

Why? 

Improves Accuracy and Efficiency

Several years ago Ungerboeck produced the results from a controlled study where 215 students were given 30 data sheets that contained six types of data to process. The studies made an average of 10.23 errors when manually analyzing the data sheets. However, when using an automated system, the error average dropped to 0.38 mistakes.  

Why does this matter? A recent survey from the Workforce Institute shows that 49% of US based workers will leave a company after two paycheck errors. And what a silly reason for attrition! 

Additionally, when the administration team doesn’t have to spend time manually calculating timesheets, they will be able to spend more time on higher priority tasks. Better accuracy and increased productivity? Seems like a win/win. 

Provides the Ability to Analyze Spend

A robust time and expense tracking system will provide the ability to monitor and control costs associated with every project. Additionally, outside of tracking the time and expenses per project, you can also break down the labor into specific charge categories which will enable your leadership to quickly identify billing outliers. 

For example, perhaps 9 out of 10 CRAs only bill between 3-5 hours to write a report while 1 charges 10 hours. As an operations manager, wouldn’t you want to be able to see this type of outlier so you can dig into the root cause? This type of data will certainly enable a proactive management approach for your projects. 

Tracks Tangible Data for Future Project Estimates

And for those of you with future projects in queue, knowing the actual spend of previous similar projects will give you the data needed to more accurately estimate these upcoming project budgets. 

Not Sure What Normal Is? 

Call us for a safe discussion. We are happy to answer your questions without strings (and no stalking afterwards). We look forward to hearing from you! 

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Being Ghosted…Welcome to the Job Application ‘Black Hole’ 

When I was initially planning to leave IBM, I started applying to senior level IT positions in the downtown Atlanta area. I knew I was qualified…but every job application was met with zero feedback.  

I was frustrated as well as insulted. And I felt hopeless. 

Now that I am on the recruiting side, I have learned there is always a reason why job seekers don’t receive a response to their job applications. In all actuality, there are usually several reasons. Let’s take a look as to why job recruiters may be ghosting you.  

You Thought Your Job Application Was About You

If you walk away from reading this article with only one important tidbit, this is it: 

That job post doesn’t exist because you need a job.  

It also doesn’t exist so that you can to work from home / grow your career / enable you to make more money / homeschool your kiddo / insert your personal reason here. 

That job post DOES exist because the company has a need.  

It bears repeating: the company has a need.  

Of course, you have a need too, and in a perfect world, your personal needs and career objectives will certainly align with what the company needs. So the real question is how do you, as a mature job seeker, clearly articulate this alignment when completing your job application?  

My illustration

I recently hired a Virtual Assistant.  Those of you who have followed me for a while know that I am a huge fan of pre-qualifying candidates by asking a series of questions through email before progressing them to an interview.  

I should note that the questions are always simple, and while some of the questions are competency-based (describe your experience with xyz), my favorite question for every role is always: Why did you apply for this particular position? 

The wrong answer(s)

Now, before I tell you the right or wrong answer to this question, let me ask you this: why do you think I (or any Hiring Manager) would ask this question?  

The secret?  There isn’t a hiring manager alive who doesn’t want to believe that you have hand-selected their position.  This means, that if you approach the job application process while only viewing your side / your needs / your ambitions, then you are taking a very flawed approach to the job search.  

So now that you have thought of why this question was asked, do I even need to tell you the wrong answers? In the specific situation where I was looking for a virtual assistant, the wrong answers included:

I was laid off from my other job.

I am truly sorry to hear that.  But do you know what I am hearing?  Duh – I need a job and you have one available.  

EEK – What a way to make me feel special. Do you want to know what every hiring manager is thinking when you use this reason?  I, as a hiring manager or business owner, have put my blood, sweat, and tears into this company. Do you think I would hand the reins over to someone who…well…doesn’t care about my blood, sweat, and tears?  You could work at a fast food restaurant and gain income. You can sell shoes to gain income. This does not answer my question as to why you applied to this particular position over every other option available. 

The real answer? Speak to something in the position that resonates with you.  Why do you want this particular position? I get it – you likely have a mortgage to pay or kiddos that need to go to college. But why this particular position?  

If you can’t make me (or any hiring manager) see that you actually want this position outside of the paycheck, then you are not likely to progress. 

I would be able to work from home. 

I have worked from home since the year 2000.  I traveled extensively for the first 10 years, and I absolutely loved working out of my home office when I wasn’t on a plane. Working in my fuzzy bunny slippers and having a more flexible schedule was a big perk.  

So I get it. But surely something else about the job description, the company’s philosophy, or the project’s mission resonates with you? 

I was interviewing recruiters several years ago when I asked one candidate what challenge she felt she would have to overcome when it came to working from home. She was honest, stating that she felt there would be no challenge as she would be able to keep her laundry caught up, and her house clean. And her husband was excited about the idea that she would always have dinner ready when he arrived home from work.  

Another gal stated that she had decided to homeschool her 8-year-old, so working from home would be very convenient.  

YIKES. 

It will take a lot of effort (and a few arguments) to make your friends and family understand that working from home means working from home. While I love that we offer work-at-home positions, I want to speak with candidates who selected our opportunities because of the actual job (the function or challenge of the role) or because of how cool our company is (our philosophy, mission, and contribution to the industry).

I also want to know how they will keep their work-at-home and life-at-home tasks separate. 

This job will allow me to travel. 

…and you have always wanted to travel. Trust me…it isn’t as glamorous as you think so if you select a position due to travel alone, you will likely be very dissatisfied at some point. When I traveled for IBM, I often went straight from the plane to my client’s site. I would work all day, then either travel to the hotel for a bite and to catch up on email, or travel back to the airport to catch my flight out. 

If you see the travel as a perk to a position that already sounds interesting to you, great! And in that case, be sure to discuss the traits of the particular position that made you want to apply (the tasks, challenges, the difference you will make, etc). 

But never (never) explain that you applied for a travel position because you want to travel. 

I was looking through the job ads and your post seemed interesting. 

A much better answer…but still not good enough. Be specific and personal. What seemed interesting? Why did it seem interesting? How does that particular area of interest align with your career goals?  

I will be happy to answer that question during an interview.  

No, you won’t. Because I don’t interview people who are unable or unwilling to follow directions.  This type of response shows me that either you:

• don’t have the competency to follow simple directions, or
• can’t be bothered to do the work (cough…read my perception of you is that you are lazy), or 
• have an issue with authority and will therefore consistently refuse to follow directions, or
• have such a high opinion of yourself that your feeling of entitlement makes you believe that you deserve to progress solely due to your awesomeness.  

Booooooo…..reject. 

The Point of Every Job Post (seriously – Every. Job. Post.)

At the risk of repeating myself (but because it is so important): There isn’t a hiring manager alive who doesn’t want to believe that you have hand-selected their position.

This means, that if you approach the job application process while only viewing your side / your needs / your ambitions, then you are taking a very flawed approach to your job search.  

Maybe you aren’t as qualified as you think you are

You may feel you meet the actual job qualifications, but job recruiters may see something different. While this doesn’t excuse the ‘non-response’ from the job recruiter, it should serve as a reminder that you must always self-assess.  

It should also provide a reminder that you are always competing with other candidates who may be more qualified than you. 

Working With a Recruiter to Find a Job

When I first started working in this industry many years ago, one of my candidates was an older gentleman who had been in the industry for a very long time.  He was what you may call a ‘jack of all trades’ as he had done a ‘little bit of this and a little bit of that’ throughout the industry (and throughout his career).  

I liked him. He was sweet.  And I hadn’t yet learned the lesson that hiring managers want to select candidates who are clearly in control of their careers.  

I was unable to find a position for him. He became quite rude, accusing me of letting him down. My feelings were hurt and I learned a valuable lesson as it related to my true role as a CRA Job Recruiter. 

The Job Recruiter’s True Role

If you choose to work with recruiters during your job search, it is important to understand the recruiting specialist’s role. Please note that I understand there are many BAD recruiters in the industry, and while I expect you have likely experienced the ‘good, the bad, and the ugly’, let me take a brief moment to highlight some key characteristics of a quality job recruiter.

An honest, highly qualified, and well-respected recruiter is after only two things:

• building exceptional relationships with quality candidates and hiring managers, and
• matching these outstanding candidates with awesome hiring managers in a way that is of the highest good to all parties. 

Additionally, an honest, highly qualified, and well-respected recruiter will not: 

• work with poorly qualified or unprofessional candidates, or
• work with poorly managed companies or unprofessional hiring managers.

Recruit the Recruiter

You should hand-select your recruiters just like you hand-select your jobs!  The relationship between a quality recruiter and their hiring managers is very strong; therefore, know that a great recruiter can be your best advocate when you are seeking a new position.

Also, know that a poor recruiter can damage your brand.  So be picky! 

Here are some questions you should consider asking your future recruiter before allowing them to represent you: 

• Good recruiters will only send my resume to Hiring Managers when I have given my permission for them to do so. What is your methodology for gaining my consent to share my credentials with others? 
• So that I can make an informed decision before submitting my job application, I expect my recruiter to not only provide details about the job but also educate me regarding the company’s culture. How knowledgeable are you of the company and hiring managers for this particular position?  
• My perfect recruiter will inform me of the interviewers’ and hiring team members’ personalities and backgrounds, thus providing valuable information to make me a better interviewer.  How much ‘pre-interview’ coaching do you provide?  
• A great recruiter will provide feedback on my personal brand, coach me on what my compensation or contract CRA hourly rate should be, and help me tailor my resume and cover letter. Do you provide these services to the CRAs you represent?
• What other steps do you perform to make me a more competitive candidate? 

What any high-quality recruiter really wants from you

Honesty. Transparency. Relationship. 

Don’t stretch dates to hide a blip in your employment. Don’t pretend to have experiences, education, or qualifications you really don’t have. Instead, be honest about your situation. Be honest regarding any mistakes you have made. And be honest about what you are really looking for.  

Also, show professionalism and kindness in every interaction with your recruiter.  We recommend that when you are speaking with a recruiter you act as if you are speaking directly with the hiring manager. For example, if you schedule a time to interview with your recruiter, make sure you are in a quiet place and prepared for the interview. Driving down the road, watching a baseball game on TV, and grocery shopping are not appropriate places to be during the time of your scheduled interview – regardless of whether that interview is with a sponsor or recruiter.

Help us to help you  

Quality job recruiters are very particular about the candidates they refer to their clients. Therefore, if a recruiter doesn’t feel confident in the story you are telling, your professionalism, skills, or otherwise feels your credentials are not marketable, your name and resume will be placed in the “no” pile and the recruiter will simply move on to the next potential candidate.

Working with a recruiter during your job search could be very beneficial to you if you select the right one, and if you are honest and transparent with them.  A quality recruiter can be your best advocate and will help you gracefully navigate every job application you submit.

Want to speak with us more? Feel free to contact us and we will help where we can.

The post Your Job Application Isn’t Just About You appeared first on craresources.

Several years ago, a small oncology pharma reached out to us in a panic. The interim analysis results from their large phase III solid tumor study showed the data was a mess, and they realized they needed to re-monitor their project ASAP if they hoped to move forward.  

And given their financial situation, if the project wasn’t salvaged quickly, their company would be in jeopardy of having to close its doors.  

So…What Happened? 

While we provided a team of SWAT oncology CRAs to re-monitor their study, doesn’t the situation beg the question of how this happened to begin with? 

How did this pharma progress to the project’s interim analysis before leadership knew their monitors weren’t doing a sufficient job? The Clinical Monitoring Plan and the Clinical SOPs were more than adequate to provide guidance to the CRAs. Additionally, both the CRA Manager and Sr Director of Clinical Operations had been oncology nurses as well as oncology CRAs, so they knew first hand what the CRAs were supposed to be doing when on-site. 

One of the root causes of the issue was that the pharma’s leadership undervalued from where to source the CRAs.  

The Rise of the Recruitment Agency

Did you know that prior to the pandemic there were approximately 25,000 staffing and recruiting companies operating across over 49,000 offices in the United States?  

Let me ask you this – do you believe all of these recruitment agencies are ‘equal’? Of course you don’t (I knew it was a silly question when I asked it). In my universe, staffing and recruiting agencies will typically fall into one of three ‘big bucket’ categories.

The Bad And The Ugly  

Hiring teams and job seekers alike have experienced these agencies. This type of agency doesn’t coach their recruiters to hone their listening and communication skills, and of course this leads to poor or non-existent feedback after interviews or submissions. Additionally, agencies and individual recruiters who fall into the ‘bad’ category are more likely to ask intrusive or inappropriate questions, which can get you into major trouble with the EEOC as a hiring team. 

They also don’t care to connect with you as an individual in order to truly understand your needs or goals. They may try to bully hiring managers into onboarding underqualified candidates or job seekers into taking positions that aren’t a perfect fit for them. 

And…they may even lie to you. I have heard horror stories where ‘the bad and the ugly’ agencies submit candidate resumes to clients without the candidates’ permission (eek!). I just don’t see how this helps the hiring team or the job seekers.  

The Soup to Nuts Agencies

I am a big fan of stores like QuickTrip™ , Circle K™ and the 7-Eleven™, aren’t you?  Stores like 7-Eleven™ truly accommodate a large target audience by making it extremely convenient to pick up milk and bread while filling up your gas tank. Afterall, aren’t the Big Gulps awesome on a long trip?

But aren’t there logical limitations to what you can (and should) be purchasing from a convenience mart?  For example, would you buy sushi from the 7-Eleven™? I have seen convenience marts offer sushi….so the question isn’t whether they have it. The question is if you should buy it. 

So how does this concept translate into selecting your staffing partner?

As a Hiring Manager, just think about it – wouldn’t it be great if you could go to one agency and have all of your hiring needs met through this single point of contact?  This “7-Eleven™” approach is highly desired by many, and from a perspective of managing your vendors and suppliers, I absolutely understand the appeal. 

But should you trust these “soup to nuts” companies when it comes to recruiting the highly skilled CRAs who will inevitably make or break your clinical study?  We aren’t talking about hiring a greeter at Wal-Mart, we are talking about hiring quality clinical site managers or clinical research associates. Said differently, if a recruiter just submitted a qualified accountant to you this morning, does that mean she is capable of finding a competent CRA for you this afternoon? 

The Real Question

The question isn’t whether these “soup to nuts” agencies will recruit CRAs in their 7-Eleven™ approach…the question is should you ask them to. 

Remember the pharma I introduced at the beginning of this article? When it came to hiring the CRAs they needed to monitor this extremely important trial, they used the same recruiting agency that they used for all of their other positions. Unfortunately, while the agency had expertise recruiting nurses, it didn’t have experience recruiting Clinical Site Managers or CRAs. Therefore, the agency provided folks who had been oncology nurses but it was up to the CRA Manager and Sr Director to train them…all while the project was ongoing.

We see this all too often where, out of an adversity of working with too many recruiting agencies, Sponsors prioritize working with those agencies who can provide all of their resources.  

The Niched CRA Recruitment Agency

Niched recruiting firms focus in one specialized area and we believe both hiring teams and job seekers should consider working with niched agencies when it comes to a highly specialized role.  In the context of recruiting CRAs and Site Managers, here are the reasons why you should consider working with a Niched Clinical Research Associate Staffing Firm: 

They have knowledge of our industry  

When you watch the Olympics, do you notice the judged competitions use field experts to evaluate the competitors?  You would never see a gymnastics competition being judged by someone who has little or no experience in that niche. Sure, you could give a novice gymnastics judge a checklist to go by and they could muddle through it…but wouldn’t that destroy the credibility of the competition results?

Using that same train of thought, you could certainly give a “soup to nuts” recruiter who has little or no experience in the clinical research field a checklist and she will “muddle through it”.  But what level of confidence should you have in the end result?   

When you select a staffing or recruiting agency, make sure that organization understands your industry. In a perfect world, you will want to engage a niche recruiting agency which specializes only in your industry.  It is like learning a foreign language – you can take a class in Spanish and only be able to ask where the bathrooms are, or you can move to Mexico and become absorbed in the language…and thus turn into an expert!  A quality niched CRA recruitment agency will make sure their CRA recruiters are “absorbed” in the industry and can quickly identify quality candidates as well as quality hiring companies.

They understand industry trends  

A mature recruiting agency will be more than a match maker. Because niched CRA recruitment agencies only work with companies conducting clinical research, and will primarily recruit CRAs, they will have a pulse on what your competition is doing to attract top talent. For example, as a Niched CRA Recruitment agency, we can educate you on industry trends such as the current Contract CRA Hourly rate which can be critical when it comes to competing for those high quality CRA resources.  

Additionally, niched CRA recruitment agencies are able to offer hiring consultation to their hiring teams and job seekers. For example, we offer training for effective interviewing to both our candidates as well as our hiring teams.  We also assist with resume reviews for CRA candidates as well as write job descriptions for our clients. 

They have history with CRA candidates  

Working with a recruiting agency should be about developing a relationship, not a one-time business transaction. Because Niched CRA Recruitment Agencies focus all of their efforts into networking for their specific skill set, they will build ongoing relationships with their CRA candidates as well as the Hiring Managers.  A great Niched CRA Recruiting agency will re-use quality candidates because they know their work ethic and abilities.  Just as importantly, these niched agencies will also be able to track the negative history of poor quality candidates too and keep them far-far-away from your studies.  

Engage the Right CRA Recruitment Agency For Your Needs

In today’s market, we see CRA recruiters who are reactive, transactional, proactive, and interactive. Perhaps a ‘Soup to Nuts’ recruitment agency is right for you…but don’t select one just because your organization has always done it that way.  

Along those same lines, don’t settle for a ‘bad or ugly’ agency.  

Assess…determine what will work best for your team. The reality is that you should work with an agency who behaves as if you have them on retainer, but only gets paid when they make a placement. Also ensure your agency thoroughly understands your needs as well as the role.  And one last thought, ensure their communications are proactive, honest, and transparent.  

Need a new CRA Recruitment agency? We would be honored to discuss your needs.

By the way, do you want to listen to the narration of this article?  We offer it here and on our podcast channels. Enjoy!

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