Welcome to our blog!
Within the craresources blog you will see industry updates, Job Seeker and Hiring Manager advice. We want you to join us and help create the community you want to be a part of!Welcome to our blog!
Within this craresources blog you will see industry updates, Job Seeker and Hiring Manager advice. We want you to join us and help create the community you want to be a part of!We believe the most important role in this industry is that of a Clinical Research Associate. We ‘pound the pavement’ daily to find the best CRAs…and engage them.
The craresources blog offers advice to CRA job seekers and those who hire them. So buckle up, use the search feature, and if you have questions, give us a shout. We look forward to our collaboration!
Grateful for You
Grateful for You: As we dive into the Holiday Season, I am starting to receive the traditional ‘Seasons Greetings’ messages and cards that always begin arriving in December. I am sure you are too. And while I appreciate the thought, it isn’t always clear which...
How To Avoid Ageism In The Job Search
How To Avoid Ageism: Unfortunately, ageism is real. While I don’t believe most companies consciously practice ageism, I do believe they unconsciously practice it. And research agrees. The UCSF Office of Diversity and Outreach states that everyone has unconscious...
Are your CRA Applicants Lying to You? – A Checklist
CRA Applicants: Do you believe that Fake CRA Applicants really exist? If you are a hiring manager, I can guarantee more CRA candidates are lying to you than you realize. My goal is to provide Interviewers and Hiring Managers with a checklist of things to keep in mind...
Common Social Media Etiquette Mistakes
Social Media Etiquette: Tim was an aspiring executive that our firm had been representing for a couple of months. I had submitted Tim for several director-level positions and he was an extremely competitive candidate. I did not doubt that he would land his first...
Roundtable: How to Ask Someone to be a Reference
How to ask someone to be a reference: Many candidates find it extremely difficult to ask someone to be a reference. I find one of the primary reasons is that the candidate doesn’t want to bother past supervisors. After all, providing a reference can be...
Podcast: Confessions of a Sr CRA
Sr CRA: We receive the question of ‘how to become a Sr CRA so frequently, we recently recorded a roundtable providing tangible advice on how to progress into the role. But due to the frequency of the question, I felt it would be important to ask one of my own: Do...
Overcoming Interview Nerves
Interview Nerves: Amy was visibly nervous. And I was floored…I didn’t expect a Senior Director to have a case of interview nerves. Especially since she and I had worked together for almost a decade. Amy had been a client of ours but unfortunately was recently laid...
Roundtable: How do you Advance to Senior CRA?
Senior CRA: I was recently conducting a coaching session when someone asked what skills or experiences she needed to advance into a Senior CRA role. It seems like a simple question but the answer can be quite complex. Should you focus on gaining foundational...
Roundtable: How to Use Humor in a Job Interview
Job Interview: Does the job interview always have to be serious? Yes…and no. Of course, there are components of every job interview that should be serious. However, I feel that being too serious in an interview is a flawed approach and a missed opportunity. Why? ...
Is CRA Certification Necessary?
CRA Certification: Do you feel that candidates who hold a CRA title should also hold a specific CRA Certification? I am often asked this question by both candidates and hiring managers. It is a terrific question, and quite honestly, I can say that to be a CRA within...
Podcast: The Art of Overcoming a Career Setback
Career Setback: The job search can be a challenge. How do you, as a jobseeker overcome a career setback in a way that makes you stronger? Our special guest John Nocero would state it is time to ‘Becky Up’. Becky Lynch (John’s Shero) has been quoted as saying: You can...
Common Resume Errors
Common Resume Errors: When it comes to common resume errors, most are deal breakers. The question I have is this: Since these resume errors are so common, why do so many people continue to make them? Silly mistakes can make you look careless, incompetent, and...
What is your CRA Recruitment Strategy?
Recruitment Strategy: Most of our clients limit their recruitment strategy to a) posting the position and b) contacting us. When are these two steps enough? And when will they fall short when it comes to attracting top talent? While a simple definition of a...
Roundtable: Counteroffers and Oddball Interview Questions
Counteroffers: Jobseekers should know that there are similarities in how you handle counteroffers and oddball interview questions. Oddball interview questions are unconventional and typically the answers are quite difficult. So what is the purpose of oddball interview...
Roundtable: CRA Doppelgangers: Expand Your Search
Doppelgangers: Have you ever heard the term ‘doppelganger’? Doppelgangers are persons who are considered a double of another individual. Today I want to speak about CRA Doppelgangers and what it means to jobseekers. Why? Because our industry is rocking! There are...
Podcast: Is Leadership a Hard or Soft Skill?
Soft Skill: While leadership is considered a soft skill, effective leaders will use a combination of hard and soft skills to excel in their roles. So how do you learn how to motivate and inspire team members? What personality traits do you need to sharpen to become a...
Podcast: The Unsung Heroes in Clinical Research
Clinical Research: As we struggle to help identify a clear career pathway for those who want to become clinical research associates, I often wonder about the unsung heroes in our industry. I also wonder why these unsung heroes don’t get as much visibility as CRAs...
Roundtable: Does Job Tenure Matter?
Job Tenure: Yes…and no. But before we dig into the truth about job tenure, let’s discuss what it is. Tenure is the length of time someone has worked for one company. Many identify tenure as long or short. And while there are several factors to consider when looking...
Roundtable: Communication and Teamwork Skills
Communication and Teamwork Skills: The ACRP has done a wonderful job putting together a core competency framework for Clinical Study Monitoring. One particular domain covers communication and teamwork skills. In general, this competency area covers relationships and...
What is the Current Contract CRA Hourly Rate?
Contract CRA: Before we can dig into the current contract CRA salary or hourly rate, we should first understand the difference between a candidate-driven and employer-driven market. Once the industry kicked back into gear after COVID, we experienced a strange...