craresources blog

Written by Katie Fidler

Perhaps the most intimidating thing about searching for a new job is understanding what qualities hiring managers are looking for in potential employees. Fortunately, there are certain candidate qualities all hiring managers look for, regardless of the industry.

Someone who is hands on. When interviewing, you can demonstrate this quality by walking your interviewer through a project you’ve worked on while highlighting your individual contributions and accomplishments.  Make sure you are emphasizing what tasks you have done (using the pronoun “I”) rather than just what the overall team accomplished (using the pronoun “We”). 

Strategic thinkers. Show your interviewer your logic and intuitiveness. If applicable to the position, prepare a 90 day plan that details your “plan of attack” for you first few months at the company.

Someone who is comfortable speaking and addressing people. Virtually every position you could hold involves some degree of communication. Whether it’s speaking with customers, coworkers, or clients, hiring managers are looking for employees who can keep a conversation moving smoothly. This can be demonstrated in the interview itself by not fidgeting and having answers prepared beforehand.

Leadership ability. Even if the position you are applying for doesn’t entail overseeing the duties of others, natural leadership qualities are something that all hiring managers look for. This includes accepting responsibility and volunteering for projects, even if they aren’t the most desirable.

Likeability. While most hiring managers might not admit that this contributes heavily to their hiring decision, your degree of likeability and friendliness is impossible to ignore, and may be one of the first things they notice during the interview. Managers will not hire people who won’t easily assimilate into the work environment and get along with the other employees.

Courage. This doesn’t mean that hiring managers are going to hire the candidate with the most Purple Hearts. Interviewers are looking for candidates who are willing to take risks and accept challenges, even in the face of adversity. Until you are offered the position, it may be hard to demonstrate this, but asking direct and frank questions about the company during the interview will go a long way.

Possessing the “And then Some” characteristic.  This means you have a history of going above and beyond the call of duty.  You can set this initial impression by just simply being prepared for the interview.  You can also share previous examples where you have taken initiative and accepted additional responsibilities without being asked.

The qualities listed above are attributes all hiring managers are looking for in candidates. Your ability to demonstrate them before, during, and immediately following an interview will directly affect your hiring manager’s decision. Communicating and demonstrating your best qualities will go far in landing you that dream job.

Investing in a Lifetime of Success,

Angela Roberts
www.craresources.com
Facebook

Are you ever involved with the hiring process? If so, sign up for our Hiring Manager email course which focuses on how to attract and hire the highest quality candidates.

Written by Katie Fidler

Choosing between independent consulting and being a company’s employee is an important decision. Each choice has its pros and cons, and being fully informed of the benefits and drawbacks will help you decide what is best for you.

We have put together a quick Pro/Con list based off of our discussions with candidates.  This list is not intended to be all inclusive, but hopefully will make sure you have more information to help you make your decision. 

Pros of being an independent consultant:

You have more flexibility with your schedule. If you want to spend the summer with your family in Spain, you are able to choose projects to accommodate your plans.  Like to be off on Fridays?  This is easier to coordinate as a consultant.

You choose which projects to work and which to pass up. If you have a passion for oncology, being an independent consultant gives you the freedom to work only oncology trials. Similarly, if you find cardiology trials to be uninteresting, you can avoid these projects. You can also be more selective as it relates to the type of company you wish to work with (Sponsor vs. CRO, Large vs. Small, Pharma vs. Biotech or Device, etc.).

You may have the ability to take additional tax deductions. If you are an independent consultant, you can write off everything considered to be a business expense. This can include non-reimbursed travel expenses, home office equipment and supplies, home office space, internet and telephone services, etc.

Additionally, independent consultants can typically earn higher hourly rates because company’s incur less overhead and burden costs than they would when hiring full-time employees.

Cons of being an independent consultant:

You now have two jobs – your clinical research contract position and marketing yourself for your next clinical research contract position.  Being a consultant means you are responsible for finding your next contract so you will have to stay focused on constant networking and personal branding. Depending on how often your trials turn over, you may be searching for new trial work several times a year.

You are responsible for your own health insurance and retirement plan. Many talented clinical research professionals choose to be directly employed by a company because of benefits. Providing your own health insurance can be pricey, and putting money aside for your retirement requires a lot of discipline.

You no longer have paid time off. It is simple – when you are not working, you are not getting paid.

You are responsible for providing your own clinical research professional liability insurance. Although the cost is not significant, traditional employees enjoy the benefit of being covered by their employer company while Independent consultants are required to cover themselves.

You are responsible for paying your own taxes.  This doesn’t mean you will pay more taxes, it just means you have to do it instead of someone else doing it for you.  This means you will need to be disciplined enough to continually set aside a portion of your hourly rate pay your own withholdings. 

As you can see, there are plenty of benefits, as well as drawbacks, to being an independent clinical research professional.  In order to make the right decision, you must evaluate what’s most important to you in terms of both your professional and personal lives.

Have any questions?  Ask the team here and we will be happy to help.

Investing in a Lifetime of Success,

Angela Roberts
www.craresources.com
Facebook

Are you ever involved with the hiring process? If so, sign up for our Hiring Manager email course which focuses on how to attract and hire the highest quality candidates.

Written by Katie Fidler

Asking for a raise is not as easy as running into your manager at the water cooler and mentioning that you’d like to be paid more for the work you do.  Choosing the right time and being prepared can make all the difference when asking your boss for a pay raise.

Preparing to ask for a raise starts long before you feel you deserve one.  As a course of professional growth, ask your supervisor what the criteria is for advancement and the things he believes would warrant a promotion or pay increase.  When it is time to ask for that raise, you will have something tangible to reference. 

Know the market value of your job. Network with your peers at other companies or use salary comparison websites to get a feel for the average salary of people in your position.  For assistance in benchmarking the compensation range for your job, check out our article titled What should your Compensation Requirements be?

Acknowledge your training and experience. Any training you’ve received as an employee and the experience you’ve gained while working at the company add value.

Consider what approach to use with your boss. Is he the kind of person that will be impressed by an aggressive sales presentation highlighting your desirable attributes and contributions? Or would he be most affected by a relaxed data-driven presentation?

Timing is key. Asking for a raise right after you complete a big project or right after you’ve decided to take on more responsibilities will seem more justified than if business has been slow and you’ve had a lot of free time around the office. You must also consider your timing regarding the company. Have there been layoffs in the past few months? Are you aware of any cuts in the budget recently? These might be indicators that the company is not unwilling, but unable to give you a raise.

Don’t spring this on your manager. Take the professional route and set up a meeting. This shows not only professional courtesy but will allow you a few days to prepare yourself.

Don’t wait until your evaluation. While this might seem like seem like your best opportunity, most companies actually decide what they are going pay their employees before they enter into evaluations with them.

Have a number in mind. Before the meeting, factor in competitors’ salaries and your own experience and attributes to arrive at a specific amount you think you should be paid. Don’t make your manager guess what you want to be paid. Being forthcoming with show you are confident you believe you deserve this raise.

If you are turned down, ask your manager what areas of your work performance you would need to improve in order to obtain a raise. Asking for a raise can be an intimidating experience, but that shouldn’t shake you from going after what you want and deserve. Being prepared and planning ahead can put you in a great position to ask and receive that raise your company has been putting off.

Investing in a Lifetime of Success,

Angela Roberts
www.craresources.com
Facebook

Are you ever involved with the hiring process? If so, sign up for our Hiring Manager email course which focuses on how to attract and hire the highest quality candidates.

Written by Katie Fidler

While holding a certification in the clinical research field is not required for most positions, it has been our experience candidates who have earned certain certifications find it of enormous benefit.

As you likely know, a certification is simply a formal recognition of your job skills, experience, and performance, and will validate your knowledge and skills to other professionals. Currently, there are over 25,000 certified CRAs in the United States.

You might be wondering, “If a certification is not required, why should I bother with it?”

Here are a few benefits to being a certified clinical research professional:

According to the Association of Clinical Research Professionals, “evidence has indicated that that regulators believe certification reduces risk to research subjects” and it is widely believed that “there are fewer errors, lower costs, more rapid turnaround, and greater safety in clinical trials when certified professionals are involved.” Long story short, being certified will give hiring managers more confidence in your abilities.

For CROs, holding a certification will increase your company’s marketability.

A certification will make you more competitive in the industry and afford you a better professional standing. Said differently, if given the choice between two candidates with equal education and experience, a hiring manager will be more likely to hire the candidate with a certification.

Holding a certification is a “bargaining chip” for negotiating a great salary once offered a position.

If a candidate is new to the field or only has a few years of experience, being certified is essential. While holding a certification is not a substitute for years of clinical trial experience, it will validate your skills and knowledge to the hiring managers and give them the confidence to hire you.

Lastly, a major benefit of taking and passing a CRA certification exam is personal satisfaction. Your skills and experience will not only be validated to the hiring managers, but to yourself. Certifications are less than $200 and many can be taken online. Why not spend a few hours and a little money to take the exam? It will do nothing but benefit you in the long run.

As a clinical research associate, positions for which you are applying may or may not require you to hold a certification. The bottom line is that while it may not be required, holding a certification will do nothing but help you in the long run. Being certified helps to reaffirm your job skills, industry and trial knowledge, and experience to hiring managers and yourself.

Investing in a Lifetime of Success

Angela Roberts
www.craresources.com
Facebook

Are you ever involved with the hiring process? If so, sign up for our Hiring Manager email course which focuses on how to attract and hire the highest quality candidates.

LinkedIn, the professional networking site, is replacing the Rolodex in today’s Clinical Research industry. Having a LinkedIn profile is essential for professionals in every industry, but is especially critical for self-employed contractors in Clinical Research. As a 1099, you always have two jobs: the first being the actual work you do as a CRA, CRC, or CTM and the second being head of your promotional, marketing, and advertising departments. You are responsible for reaching out, making connections, finding contract opportunities, and dazzling hiring managers to land the gig. Being a contractor definitely adds to your workload and responsibility, but your LinkedIn profile can make your job easier.

LinkedIn can be the perfect supplement to your resume, if you are leveraging the opportunity appropriately. Having a complete profile is a must for contractors in this industry, as LinkedIn one of the easiest and most cost effective way of advertising yourself and your expertise. A complete profile does not mean you simply list the sponsors and CROs you’ve worked with during your career, but also detailing the kinds of experience you gained from each contract. Hiring managers and recruiters are not just looking for employment history when screening your profile; they are looking at the situations to which you’ve been exposed. Here a few pieces of information they look for when screening a potential candidate’s LinkedIn profile:

• Phase experience (Phases I, II, III, or IV)
• Device experience
• Therapeutics (Oncology, Infectious Disease, CNS)
• In-house or regional home-based experience
• Education (BS, BSN, CRA certification)

Having this information on your profile will not only make you look like an expert in the industry, but will allow hiring managers and recruiters to quickly and easily identify your skill sets and qualify you for a position.

Another reason why having a LinkedIn profile and updating it regularly is important is because your work is in constant flux. Contracts vary in length, and it is possible that your position and responsibilities have changed dramatically since the last time you spoke with a particular hiring manager or recruiter. The resume you emailed them just nine months ago may be out of date now, but if they can supplement it with your updated LinkedIn profile, they will know what it is you’re doing now and if your area of expertise has broaden since you last spoke.

Not only is LinkedIn an effective way to advertise yourself and your skills sets, but it is also a great way to learn more about the sponsor company, CRO, or individual hiring manager as your prepare yourself for a phone or face to face interview. LinkedIn provides company feedback from current and past employees, giving you some insight to their corporate structure and methodologies. Viewing a hiring manager’s profile before an interview and seeing that, for example, they have a nursing background or have extensive experience in oncology trials will help you to leverage your own nursing background and oncology experience during the interview.

As an independent consultant in the Clinical Research industry, you always have two jobs – your monitoring and management responsibilities as well as your self-advertising and marketing duties. Using LinkedIn to its full potential and leveraging your network will make find your next contract a breeze.

Investing in a Lifetime of Success,

Katie Fidler
www.craresources.com

Facebook

Are you ever involved with the hiring process? If so, sign up for our Hiring Manager email course which focuses on how to attract and hire the highest quality candidates.

Although my Mom has a vision of me working in a beautiful boardroom with professionals in suits, the outside world visualizes Recruiters equal to sleazy used car salesmen with hairy chests and gold chains.

Right? (no offense to used car salesmen…)

So if you are a client or candidate seeking to add quality professionals to your team or wish to find a new career opportunity, how do you identify a GREAT recruitment agency to work with?

1. They are experts regarding your industry:  Make sure the recruiting agency understands your industry.  In a perfect world, you want 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 recruitment agency will make sure their recruiters are “absorbed” in the industry and can quickly identify quality candidates as well as quality hiring companies.

2. They provide Hiring consultation:  A mature recruiting agency will be more than a “match making agency” and will provide training for effective interviewing for both their candidates as well as their Hiring teams.  Additionally, look for agencies who assist with resume reviews for candidates, write job descriptions for clients, and provide consultation on compensation ranges to both candidates and clients.

3. They develop a relationship:   Working with a recruiting agency should be about developing a relationship, not a one-time business transaction.  You should be assigned a dedicated, seasoned, Account Manager….and this Account Manager shouldn’t leave after just a few months.  If you don’t feel your Account Manager is honest, transparent, and is genuinely interested in helping you, then this isn’t the recruiting agency for you.

4. Clients – They offer a guarantee:  Find out if your selected recruiting agency focuses on quality and offers a guarantee on their placements.  If your recruitment team has a robust recruitment and screening process, they will feel so strongly in their ability to identify excellent professionals they will offer a money back guarantee.

5. Clients – They do more than search job boards:  A quality recruiting company will “direct source” into targeted companies to find quality candidates rather than just post positions and wait for the unhappily employed or unemployed to apply.  This means that you are going to hire an employee who has made a career choice to be a part of your company…not just someone who needs a job.

The last statement I would make is about payment.  I would always recommend you work with an agency who behaves like you have them on retainer, but only gets paid when they make a placement.  And by the way, as a candidate you should never have to pay a dime!  These agencies are few and far between, are true partners to you and your organization, and practice the “and then some factor”.

I would love to hear your thoughts about what characteristics you like in a great recruitment agency.

Dedicated to Every Client’s Success,

Angela Roberts
www.craresources.com
Facebook

Are you considering a career change? If so, sign up for our Job Seeker email course which provides valuable insight into how to become more competitive in the marketplace.

Written by Katie Fidler

Making sure the company is running efficiently and effectively is more complicated than hiring qualified people and telling them what to do. Having an incredible staff to support and carry out your business’ goals will only get you so far; the key is fostering a community within the workplace in which your workers not only feel comfortable to work and produce quality results, but empowered to take ownership and make decisions which will have a positive impact to the company. Here are some common mistakes managers make which have a profoundly negative effect on their workers’ attitudes:

Not introducing yourself on a personal level. Personally connecting with your team members will make them feel as if they aren’t just workers, but individuals and key contributors to your organization.  I am not talking about meeting them for drinks at Happy Hour, but simply inquiring about their interests and hobbies. Find a common ground by showing genuine interest in them and what they care about, and you will build trust and alliance.

Refusing to accept responsibility. I have noticed when projects fail and goals are not met, a lot of managers neglect to acknowledge their responsibility for the failure.  Great questions to ask are “What didn’t I do to ensure the successful completion of the project? What support did I not give my employees which may have prevented this end result? Could I have done anything to change the outcome?” Then be vocal about your part in the missed deliverable or milestone – your employees will respect you for it.

Calling employees out in public. There is no quicker way to stifle creativity and create resentment in a team than publicly criticizing someone’s work in front of their coworkers. This is a humiliating act and is likely to cause other workers to think differently of this employee, create tension in the workplace, and establish fear which will keep others from “stepping up”.

Threatening their jobs. The fear of failure is something that can easily take over your employees’ minds and greatly impact the work they produce.  Threatening their jobs will create this fear. Workers who are in constant fear of losing their jobs will either leave the company in search of more security, or they will be too afraid to branch out, embrace new concepts in the workplace, or let their creativity show in their work. If you have an employee who makes a mistake which needs to be addressed, address it!  But do it in a private forum of helping the employee create a plan to improve.  Set your boundaries, but be clear you are there to support the team member while he works on an improvement action plan.

Not being approachable. One of the biggest keys in ensuring your employees are happy, comfortable, and empowered to help the company achieve its goals is by making yourself accessible. Workers who aren’t able to openly ask questions, request more guidance, and brainstorm ideas and concepts will often produce work below your expectations.

What a lot of managers fail to realize is that you need your team members to reach your goals.  Additionally, your team is a direct reflection on you and your ability to lead effectively. Making small changes to your management style could go a long way in making sure employee morale is high and the work being produced is of the highest quality.

What do you think – do you have others “Morale Killers” to add?

Dedicated to Every Client’s Success,

Angela Roberts
www.craresources.com
Facebook

Are you considering a career change? If so, sign up for our Job Seekers email course course which provides valuable insight into how to become more competitive in the marketplace.

Written by Katie Fidler

With companies being more cost conscious and our culture’s growing reliance and utilization of technology, it is no surprise that more and more companies are requesting Video Conference Interviews with candidates.

Video conference interviews are a great way for Hiring Managers to “size up” a potential employee by allowing the Hiring Manager to evaluate the candidate’s communication and presentation skills.

So the question to answer:  Are you prepared for a Video Conference Interview?  How is it the same or different from Phone or Face-to-Face interviews?  Here are a few important tips to keep in mind while preparing for your Video Conference Interview.

Rehearse just as you would before a Face-to-Face interview. Prepare yourself for the questions you’re most likely to be asked and be ready to explain the responsibilities you’ve had in your previous positions. Conduct a mock Video interview with a friend, having them ask you some generic and typical interview questions. Something you may find very helpful is to record your practice interview session so you can analyze your answers and facial expressions later.

Make sure your work space is ready for the Video interview. The space where you will have your interview should be free from clutter and things which will distract your interviewer or divert attention from you. Put your dogs and/or cats into another room, put the baby to sleep, unplug the phone, and put a sign up on your office door so your loved ones are clear they should not make noise while you are on your Video Conference.

Test your connectivity and hardware at least one hour prior to the interview. Ensure that your internet connection is strong and free from interruptions and verify that your camera and microphone are working. Be mindful of your microphone and its position during the interview. Microphones naturally amplify sound, and rustling papers or speaking to closely can make it hard for the interviewer to understand what you’re saying. Check the angle of your camera, making sure that there is a tight view on your head, shoulders, and chest. Monitor the lighting in the area you’ll be doing the interview, as plenty of light will improve the quality of the video being transmitted to your interviewer.

Speak slowly and clearly; as advanced as technology is becoming, there is often a slight lag or delay in the connection, and enunciating your words and speaking slowly will ensure that the interviewer understands what you are saying.

Dress as if you are going to a Face-to-Face interview. Just because you aren’t going to the office doesn’t mean you can wear your pajamas. Your interviewer will take notice of your attire whether you’re physically in front of them or on their computer screen.

A video conference interview shouldn’t be any more intimidating than a Face-to-Face interview, and following these tips will help you prepare and present the your best to the interviewer.

We want to hear from you – how successful have your Video Interviews been?

Investing in a Lifetime of Success,

Angela Roberts
www.craresources.com

Facebook

Are you ever involved with the hiring process? If so, sign up for our Hiring Manager email course which focuses on how to attract and hire the highest quality candidates.

Written by Katie Fidler

Perhaps you left your last job without giving a notice, was asked to step down from your position, failed at successfully executing a job role or project, or just simply didn’t get along with your last boss.

Should you still list these jobs on your resume?

The short answer is yes; especially if the position is recent and relevant.

A background check is going to show that you held the position and omitting it from your resume may cause the Hiring Manager to call your integrity into question. It is almost certain that the Hiring Manager will ask you to explain the circumstances under which you left the position, and it is important to keep the following in mind:

First:  Be Honest.  If you made a mistake, own up to it.  However, make sure you not only explain the error you made, but speak to what you learned from it and what you have personally changed in your behavior to ensure you will not repeat the same mistake twice.  The Hiring Manager will be impressed with your ownership as well as the fact that you are continually learning from your mistakes and growing as a professional.

Second:  When explaining situations which were out of your control, remain professional and detached in your explanation. For example, you can describe a hostile or uncomfortable work environment by simply saying that there was a “change in climate” in the office or business that you weren’t comfortable with.

Just remember that whether you left of your own accord or were asked to resign, come up with ways where you can turn your negative experience into a positive one.  And this last statement is worth repeating:  Be ready to relate to the Hiring Manager what you learned from the situation and how that has made you a better person and professional.

I want to hear from you – have you been fired before?  If so, how did you reflect this on your resume?

Angela Roberts

www.craresources.com
Facebook

Are you ever involved with the hiring process? If so, sign up for our Hiring Manager email course which focuses on how to attract and hire the highest quality candidates.

One of your employees is moving out of the state, and you are faced with the daunting task of replacing him. You shutter at the idea of having to find a candidate who is as qualified and professional as the employee you’re losing. Where do you start? The first step in finding quality candidates is writing an attractive job description; job descriptions are critical in creating a quality candidate pool because you (and your company) never get a second chance to make a first impression. Here are a few key things that transform a generic and boring job description into an opportunity that potential candidates will get excited about:

• Job Title, Role Within the Organization, and working relationships. This includes not only the official name of the position you’re looking to fill, but also the department within the company that this job is associated with. This is also the area of the job description where you will explain how the position ties into the overall goals of the company, as well as who the candidate will be working with. Example: As Venue Relations Coordinator, you will work closely with our experiential marketing team. The Venue Relations Coordinator position reports to John Doe and Mary Jane, Senior Project Managers.
• Forgetting to include the location of the position you’re trying to fill will result is a massive amount of resumes from applicants who will immediately withdraw their application upon learning that they would have to relocate in order to work.
• A fairly common aspect of the job description overlooked by many hiring managers and HR personnel is the About Us. It is so important that you explain what it is that your company does, as well as the company’s culture and environment. Many hiring managers also choose to include vital statistics, such as growth, in order to give the potential candidate a better understanding as to where the company is headed in the future. The About Us Section can also include characteristics of the company, such as size.
• Perhaps the most important pieces of information to include in a job description that will attract high quality candidates are main job duties and responsibilities. Potential candidates need a firm understanding of what will be expected of them, and having a vague or non-descript job duties and responsibilities section will leave the high quality candidates thinking they are overqualified and the lower quality candidates thinking they have what it takes to succeed in this position.
• Directly following the job duties and responsibilities sections should be the prerequisite and requirements section. Information to include in this section is the years of experience, prerequisite positions held, necessary skill sets, and any certifications or memberships candidates should have. Omitting this section will leave you sorting through hundreds of resumes submitted by unqualified candidates and be a waste on your time and theirs.
• Special working conditions, if applicable, should be made known from the beginning. Putting these out in the open will ensure that the candidates who apply are serious about the position regardless of working conditions they might not be used to. Examples of special working conditions include odd hours, on-call responsibilities, and physical duties.
• Last but not least, include information that will make the position even more attractive to potential applicants. Information to include in this section is benefits, training, travel, and advancement opportunities. This is also a great opportunity to show some extra perks of working for your company, such as casual dress, the ability to work remotely, and any discounts that employees may receive (example: Starbucks employees receive discounts on AT&T and Apple products).

Replacing an employee can be a frustrating and challenging task, but writing an effective and attractive job description is the first step in not only making the process easier on yourself as a hiring manager, but finding the highest quality candidates.

Investing in a Lifetime of Success,

Katie Fidler
www.craresources.com

Facebook

Are you considering a career change? If so, sign up for our Job Seeker email course which provides valuable insight into how to become more competitive in the marketplace.

Candidate Page