Want to know how to ensure your trials are monitored successfully?

Our CRA Recruitment Team’s mission is to make your job easier – let us answer your questions

Want to know how to ensure your trials are monitored successfully?

Our CRA Recruitment Team’s mission is to make your job easier – let us answer your questions

Frequently Asked Questions

Hiring Managers

5

I currently use my own network to recruit my Contract CRAs; why would I need to use an agency?

We understand why you would use your network when you can and we currently partner with several Sponsors who use their own network to recruit Contract CRAs. However, leveraging your network shouldn’t mean that you have to settle for someone who doesn’t quite fit.

For example, perhaps none of your contacts are in the right location and you don’t want to pay travel labor and costs. Additionally, while they were highly qualified for a previous study, they may not have the right experience for your current project (i.e., you are launching a Phase I but no one in your network has Phase I experience). Lastly, you may also need a larger quantity of resources than your network can support.

When this happens, we become a valued partner as we will be able to provide CRAs from our network who will meet your exact experience and location requirements.

5

Are all of your CRAs experienced in their field?

We only work with seasoned CRAs who have a minimum of 3 years’ recent experience as a fully dedicated CRA for a Sponsor (Pharma, Biotech, or Medical Device Company) or CRO with the average monitoring experience being between 7 and 10 years.

5

How do you confirm the CRA Candidates are really qualified (i.e., they have done the things they represent on their resume)?

We have an extensive recruitment process which covers several areas including:

  • We subject every candidate to both a “hard skill” and “soft skill” interview, rank the CRAs according to the results, and only work with those candidates who rank above a certain proficiency level in both categories.
  • We obtain a writing sample from every CRA candidate by requiring all of our CRAs to complete a prequalification process through email. Because we require our candidates to defend their qualifications in writing prior to winning an interview, we have a level of comfort that the CRAs we represent will be able to effectively write high-quality reports and letters.
  • We have an extremely robust reference process which makes us extremely effective in eliminating poor quality and fraudulent CRA candidates. First, we require Site References as well as Supervisor References. Second, we require verbal discussions with all Supervisor references and at least 50% of the Site References. Third, we ask open-ended probing questions to really dig into the individual’s qualifications.
  • Where appropriate, we conduct a Background Check which includes verification of previous employment, verification of education, criminal and FDA Debarment check.
5

What is the process of eliminating candidates with falsified resumes / credentials?

Unfortunately, the prevalence of fraud in the clinical research industry is significant. Because we are niched in only providing CRAs, we keep history on every candidate including every interaction and every document received. Because we maintain multiple versions of resumes and social media profiles, often we will see where candidates fraud their resumes by leaving out positions, stretching dates to hide unemployment, or adding employment, titles, education, and qualifications that are not accurate. This history plus the CRA candidates’ results from the interview and reference process gives us the ability to quickly identify fraudulent and/or falsified credentials or education.

Of course, our ‘tried and true’ qualification process is extremely effective when it comes to recognizing falsified resumes and/or credentials; however, we have also provided several resources to the industry in the hopes of supporting those who don’t currently use our services. 

From another perspective, because of our strenuous qualification process and the history we maintain on each candidate, we place High-Quality CRAs over and over again; therefore we have a positive track record with our High-Quality CRAs and have an extremely high level of confidence in their ability to perform well for you.

5

How quickly can you provide CRAs?

Because of our niched network, our recruiters are able to identify High-Quality Field Monitors who fit your location and therapeutic needs quickly, as having readily available quality monitors is typical for us as they roll off of projects. 

We also actively maintain an “availability list” for our qualified consultants. This allows us to know when great quality candidates are coming available so we are able to target them for future contracts. We are able to lock these consultants into new contracts prior to their current contract ending which means we are working with contractors who are in high demand instead of those struggling to find contracts because they are of poor quality.

Because of these established methods, we can typically provide contract CRAs for consideration within one business day.

5

What therapeutic areas does your firm support?

Everything!  With our deep network, we have strength in both drug and device studies as well as every therapeutic…even the challenging oncology space.

5

Are your CRAs vaccinated against COVID?

We have clients with various vaccine requirements (COVID, Seasonal Influenza, Hep B and Hep C, etc).  Our role is to confirm that any CRA candidate we submit to you meets all of your requirements, including any vaccine requirements you have.

5

Do you provide temporary staff (contractors) as well as permanent staff?

Yes, we recruit both Consultants (Temporary Placements) as well as Direct Hires (to become a permanent member of your team).

I would note that we offer a guarantee on all permanent placements.  Additionally, our attrition rates for contract CRAs are in the single digits…much lower than our competitors. 

5

Do you recruit other roles besides CRAs?

We are occasionally asked by our clients to recruit positions outside of the CRA role. We always want to be a valued partner to our clients; therefore we are extremely transparent in that our niche (and thus our expertise) is in the recruitment of CRAs.

5

I have a Re-Monitor Project or am looking for a SWAT team – do your CRAs accept short term projects?

Absolutely. We are diligent in understanding our CRAs’ preferences and many prefer short-term projects, SWAT projects, and high-intensity rescue projects.

5

What type of companies do you work with and are therefore able to provide CRAs to?

We mainly work with Sponsors (Pharmaceutical, Biotech, and Medical Device Companies); however, we also support CROs as well as institutions such as hospitals and universities that conduct Industry Studies.

5

What regions do you support?

We support North America which includes the US and Canada.

5

When should I use a Contract CRA versus directly hiring a permanent CRA?

This will largely depend on your business model, the expectation of future growth, amount of monitoring needed, etc. One of our Operations Managers will be happy to speak to you regarding the Pros/Cons of either option. 

Additionally, we offer an extremely cost-effective Contract-to-Hire option which will enable you to work with the CRA as a consultant prior to bringing them on board as a Permanent Team Member.

5

What are the costs of using your agency for Contract and Perm CRAs?

We only charge for the CRAs’ actual time (and only after your organization has approved their timesheet). Said differently, we will, at no cost, partner with you to:

  • Identify the type of resource you need (perm/contract, location, experience, and qualifications, etc), and
  • Provide a detailed proposal outlining our approach and an estimated budget, and 
  • Write your job description, and
  • Establish a candidate pool, and
  • Submit resumes for your review, schedule interviews, and transition the CRA to your project.

There is only a fee if you onboard and/or hire a CRA – and then the fees are only related to the CRA’s compensation.

  • For perms, this is a percentage of the CRA’s base salary.
  • For Consultants, this is a flat margin on top of their hourly rate. Note that you will never receive an invoice for any Consultant working with you until one of your representatives has approved their timesheet. Therefore, you are never surprised by any invoice or the costs associated.
5

What happens if the Contract CRA isn’t meeting his/her deliverables (i.e., late on report submissions, etc)?

While we take extreme care to fully qualify the CRAs we assign to your study, there may be an occasion where the CRA is not meeting his/her deliverables. At the onset of our relationship with you, you will be assigned a dedicated Account Manager who will work diligently to resolve any issues with your assigned CRAs. There is also a clear communication path so if your Account Manager is not responsive or you feel he/she has been unable to satisfactorily resolve the issue, you will be able to escalate the issue for a speedy resolution.

If the issue is not resolved quickly and to your satisfaction, you have the right at all times to end the assignment of any Consultant we send to you.

Job Seekers

5

Do you offer both Perm and Contract positions?

Absolutely!  Our goal is to get to know you and understand your career goals.  We offer both Perm and Contract assignments, and even short term projects, SWAT projects, and high intensity rescue projects as well.

5

Can I work directly for a Sponsor instead of a CRO? A small company instead of a Large one? Can I choose my Therapeutic? ?

Yes, Yes and Yes.  The majority of our clients are Sponsors and we have a nice blend of small, medium, and large clients across multiple therapeutics.  Our goal is to understand your position goals, the company culture and management style you desire (and thrive in), and then work to place you in that perfect position.  

We have relationships with both Sponsors and CROs at varying sizes and within varying therapeutics; we are sure we have something that will fit your goals. 

5

As a CRA, I have repeat clients. Why should I compete to have craresources represent me?

We actually work with several CRAs who have a strong network of repeat clients; and actually, we love working with CRAs who have this type of outstanding reputation because that means you are the high quality candidate we enjoy partnering with.  

However, leveraging your network of repeat clients doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t explore the opportunity to work with the best in the industry.  This industry is exciting. The technology and science is compelling.  And we only work with clients who respect your role as a CRA.  By working with us, you will have more options to work with excellent Sponsors on compelling, leading edge projects.  

Why wouldn’t you want to work with the premier provider of CRAs in North America?  And more importantly, why wouldn’t you want options?  

5

I am interested in moving into the clinical research field as a CRA. Can craresources help me with this goal?

While we certainly hope that we can work with you in the future, our speciality is the placement of experienced CRAs in North America. However, we do offer a job seeker email course (at no cost to you) that will help you become a more competitive job seeker. Navigate over to our CRA page and opt-in; you won’t be sorry as the content is an excellent source.

And when you have 2-3 years’ experience as an industry CRA, we do hope you give us the opportunity to partner with you.  

5

Can craresources help me decide if consulting is right for me?

We are more than happy to provide details as it relates to the Pros and Cons of becoming an Independent Consultant.  Becoming an Independent isn’t for everyone in every situation, so it is important to become fully informed of both the benefits and the drawbacks.  

Because we want you to make an informed decision, we have put together a Pro/Con list based off of our many discussions with candidates in this space.  Check out our article and reach out to us directly via the Contact page if you would like to discuss further.

5

How often will I be paid and do you offer direct deposit?

We pay our consultants within 15 days of receipt of their approved timesheet, and where possible, we pay you via Direct Deposit.  

We always pay on time and can offer references to prove it. 

5

How quickly do you reimburse travel expenses?

We understand that consultants typically pay travel costs out of their pocket; therefore it is important to us that we reimburse you quickly for those expenses.  We pay our consultants within 15 days of all approved travel costs, and where possible, we pay you via Direct Deposit.  

5

Do you require consultants to carry Professional Liability insurance?

We do require our consultants to have Professional Liability.  Also, some clients also require General Liability.  We are transparent regarding insurance requirements for each position so that you can make an informed decision prior to agreeing to be submitted to the client.  

5

Do you have positions that are non-travel?

While the typical CRA role does require travel, one of the silver linings from the Pandemic is less travel. And yes, occasionally we do have non-travel positions.

Our commitment to you is that we will always be transparent regarding the client’s travel expectations. This ensures you are able to make an informed decision prior to agreeing to moving forward as a candidate.

5

Do you support relocation and/or Visas?

We have found that the typical CRA positions are not eligible for relocation or Visa support. With that being said, don’t hesitate to peruse our open positions or shoot us an email if you have questions! 

Frequently Asked Questions

I currently use my own network to recruit my Contract CRAs; why would I need to use an agency?
We understand why you would use your network when you can and we currently partner with several Sponsors who use their own network to recruit Contract CRAs. However, leveraging your network shouldn’t mean that you have to settle for someone who doesn’t quite fit.

For example, perhaps none of your contacts are in the right location and you don’t want to pay travel labor and costs. Additionally, while they were highly qualified for a previous study, they may not have the right experience for your current project (i.e., you are launching a Phase I but no one in your network has Phase I experience). Lastly, you may also need a higher quantity of resources than your network can support.

When this happens, we become a valued partner as we will be able to provide CRAs from our network who will meet your exact experience and location requirements.

Are all of your CRAs experienced in their field?
We only work with seasoned CRAs who have a minimum of 3 years’ recent experience as a fully dedicated CRA for a Sponsor or CRO with the average monitoring experience being between 7 and 10 years.
How do you confirm the CRA Candidates are really qualified (i.e., they have done the things they represent on their resume)?
We have an extensive recruitment process which covers several areas including:

  • We subject every candidate to both a “hard skill” and “soft skill” interview, rank the CRAs according to the results, and only work with those candidates who rank above a certain proficiency level in both categories.
  • We obtain a writing sample from every CRA candidate by requiring all of our CRAs to complete a prequalification process through email. Because we require our candidates to defend their qualifications in writing prior to winning an interview, we have a level of comfort that the CRAs we represent will be able to effectively write high quality reports and letters.
  • We have an extremely robust reference process which makes us extremely effective in eliminating poor quality CRAs. First, we require Site References as well as Supervisor References. Second, we require verbal discussions with all Supervisor references and at least 50% of the Site References. Third, we ask open-ended probing questions to really dig into the individual’s qualifications.
  • Where appropriate, we conduct a Background Check which includes verification of previous employment, verification of education, Criminal check and FDA Debarment.
What is the process of eliminating candidates with falsified resumes / credentials?
We identify a significant amount of fraudulent activity in the qualification process outlined above. However, because we are niched in only providing CRAs, we keep history on every candidate including every interaction and every document. Because we maintain multiple versions of resumes and social media profiles, often we will see where candidates fraud their resumes by leaving out positions, stretching dates to hide unemployment, or adding qualifications which are not accurate. This history plus the CRA’s results from the interview and reference process gives us the ability to quickly identify fraud and/or falsified credentials.

From another perspective, because we maintain this history, we place High Quality CRAs over and over again; therefore we have a positive track record with our High Quality CRAs and have an extremely high level of confidence in their ability to perform well for you.

How quickly can you provide CRAs?
Because of our niched network, our recruiters are able to identify High Quality Field Monitors quickly, as having readily available quality monitors is typical for us as they roll off of projects. We actively maintain an “availability list” for our qualified consultants. This allows us to know when great quality candidates are coming available so we are able to target them for future contracts. We are able to lock these consultants into new contracts prior to their current contract ending which means we are working with contractors who are in high demand instead of those struggling to find contracts because they are poor quality.
Do you provide temporary staff (contractors) as well as permanent staff?
Yes, we recruit both Consultants (Temporary Placements) as well as Direct Hires (to become a permanent member of your team).
Do you recruit other roles besides CRAs?
We are occasionally asked by our clients to recruit roles outside of the CRA role. We always want to be a valued partner to our clients; therefore we are extremely transparent in that our niche (and thus our expertise) is in the recruitment of CRAs.
I have a Re-Monitor Project or am looking for a SWAT team – do your CRAs accept short term projects?
Absolutely. We are diligent in understanding our CRAs’ preferences and many prefer short term projects, SWAT project, and high intensity rescue projects.
What type of companies do you work with?
We mainly work with Sponsor Companies (Pharmaceutical, Biotech and Medical Device Companies); however, we also support CROs . Our focus is on Industry trials only.
What regions do you support?
We support North America which includes the US and Canada.
When should I use a Contract CRA versus directly hiring a permanent CRA?
This will largely depend on your business model, expectation of future growth, amount of monitoring needed, etc. One of our Operations Managers will be happy to speak to you regarding the Pros/Cons of either option. Additionally, we offer an extremely cost effective Contract-to-Hire option which will enable you to work with the CRA as a consultant prior to bringing them on board as a Permanent Team Member.
What are the costs of using your agency for Contract and Perm CRAs?
We do not charge for our upfront consultation. Said differently, we will consult with you to:

  • Identify the type of resource you need,
  • Write your job description,
  • Establish a candidate pool,
  • Submit resumes for your review, schedule interviews, and transition the CRA to your project.

 

There is only a fee if you onboard and/or hire a CRA – and then the fees are only related to the CRA’s compensation.

  • For perms, this is a percentage of the CRA’s base salary.
  • For Consultants, this is a flat margin on top of their hourly rate. Note that you will never receive an invoice for any Consultant working with you until one of your representatives has approved their timesheet. Therefore, you are never surprised by any invoice or the costs associated.
What happens if the Contract CRA isn’t meeting his/her deliverables (i.e., late on report submissions, etc)?
While we take extreme care to fully qualify the CRAs we assign to your study, there may be an occasion where the CRA is not meeting his/her deliverables. At the onset of our relationship with you, you will be assigned a dedicated Account Manager who will work diligently to resolve any issues with your assigned CRAs. There is also a clear communication path so if your Account Manager is not responsive or you feel he/she has been unable to satisfactorily resolve the issue, you will be able to escalate the issue for a speedy resolution.

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