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

Written by Katie Fidler

www.craresources.com

www.facebook.com/craresources

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

Written by Katie Fidler

www.craresources.com

www.facebook.com/craresources

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.

Dedicated to Every Client’s Success,

Angela Roberts

Written by Katie Fidler

www.craresources.com

www.facebook.com/craresources

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.

Investing in a Lifetime of Success,

Angela Roberts

Written by Katie Fidler

www.craresources.com

www.facebook.com/craresources

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.

Kind Regards,

Angela Roberts

Written by Katie Fidler

www.craresources.com

www.facebook.com/craresources

Of all the obstacles resume writers face, how to address the issue of temporary work or short term positions seems to be the most common.

Should you list a position you only held for a few months?

If you exclude these short term or temporary positions, could this hurt your chance of employment during the background check stage?

Ask yourself the following questions before making your final decision:

Was the work experience gained relevant to your desired position?  If you gained experiences in the position which makes you more competitive for the job or industry you are pursuing, you should absolutely include it on your resume.  As listed in part 2 of this series on effective resume building, be sure to fully list your key accomplishments, job roles and responsibilities.  Especially those which best align to your desired position’s job functions.

Was the position intended to be temporary? Maybe you worked at UPS during their busy Christmas season to make a little extra money for the upcoming holidays, or perhaps you contributed to a political campaign for the few months leading up to Election Day.  Additionally, I see many consultants with several short term positions on their resume as this is the nature of a consultant’s “work style”.  Jobs which are intended to be short-term can absolutely be included on your resume and may actually work in your favor by showing your versatile experience.  Just make sure to indicate on your resume that the internship was only supposed to last six months, the job was seasonal, or the position was a consulting role and intended to be short.

What were your intentions in accepting the position? Due to the economy, millions of people have been laid off and have had to take any job they can get just to feed their families and pay their bills. You needn’t worry about hiring managers looking down on you for taking a temporary job in order to make ends meet; hiring managers are just as human as the rest of us and find it honorable that you did what you had to do to provide for yourself and your family. They realize that no one is immune to a sluggish economy and will appreciate your “do whatever it takes” attitude.  Just be sure to clearly label these types of positions so the Hiring Manager understands why you deviated from your career path.

So what happens when the position wasn’t intended to be short term and you left under “less than desirable” circumstances?  Stay tuned for part 4 of our series which will handle this unfortunate, yet common, problem.

Investing in a Lifetime of Success,

Angela Roberts

Written by Katie Fidler

www.craresources.com

www.facebook.com/craresources

When drafting their resume, many people struggle with determining exactly what jobs to list. Seasoned professionals who have held long term positions, numerous positions, or have been employed by several different companies may find it difficult to choose which work experiences to list on their resume.

What guidelines should you use when selecting the jobs to best represent you to a hiring manager?

Regardless of your experience and position, you should always list the most recent (or current) position you held. Employers like to know where their candidates’ focus has been leading up to their current resume submission.

So now that you have listed your most recent position, is this enough?  Be sure to fully list your key accomplishments, job roles and responsibilities.  We like to recommend you tailor these tasks to address the job requirements of the position for which you are applying.  Additionally, you should consider highlighting or bolding the tasks which best align to your desired position’s job functions.

Then, fill the rest of your job window with work experiences relevant to the job and industry for which you are currently applying. For example, if you’re applying for a position in Information Technology, you should list at least two or three positions you’ve held where you feel have best prepared you for the job you’re trying to obtain. It doesn’t matter if it has been a few years since you’ve held the positions; hiring managers will want to see your relevant skills and experiences as this will show you have solid work experience and can do the job.

Also, as expressed in the first article in this five part series, don’t underestimate the powerful impression listing relevant volunteer work experience on your resume has. 

Last, but definitely important:  You may find that listing only your most relevant work leaves some gaps in employment on your resume.  It is critical you address these gaps.  But don’t worry, we have discussed how to handle employment gaps in detail here.

Keep an eye out for part three of our five part article series where we are going to address how to handle Temporary Work and Short Term positions.

Investing in a Lifetime of Success

Angela Roberts

Written by Katie Fidler

www.craresources.com

http://www.facebook.com/craresources

You have finally decided to leave your current “dead-end” position and look for a more challenging and enjoyable career.

Where do you start?

Update and polish that resume of course! A key question you should be asking yourself at this juncture is how many jobs you should include on your resume. As a professional, you likely fall into one of two scenarios:

Tenured Professional: If you have been in the workforce for many years and have held several different positions, you may be wondering how many of your past jobs you should list on your resume.

Novice Professional: You may have just earned your college degree and are wondering what hiring managers want to see on your resume.

Most Hiring Managers are looking for a two to three job window, at least. This window should always include your most recent job as Hiring Managers like to know where people are coming from and what they have been doing leading up to the submission of their resume.

In a perfect world, we find that listing at least three jobs on your resume gives it depth and substance. By highlighting your last three positions, you are able to show your career progression, which is a critical message to relay when you are asking to be considered for a new opportunity.

We do understand listing three positions may be more challenging for those who haven’t been in the workforce for long or have held only one or two jobs in their career. If this is your situation, don’t worry! Since honesty is the best policy and creating fictitious jobs to add bulk to your resume will land you right back in the unemployment line, you may have to stray from the norm in order to add quality and showcase your experience and talents on your resume. Volunteer work is something that most people don’t considering adding to their resume, but in reality, listing your volunteer efforts not only says a lot about you personally, but also helps to add depth to your resume, explain your lack of employment, or speak to what you were doing during employment gaps.

Additionally, if you are a recent college grad struggling to add content to your resume, consider listing professional organizations you are or were affiliated with while in school such as business fraternities, participation in student government, etc.

Stay tuned as the next article in this series will discuss the rule on listing relevant work in your resume.

Investing in a Lifetime of Success,

Angela Roberts

Written by Katie Fidler

http://craresources.com/

http://www.facebook.com/craresources

The pressure to impress and succeed can be overwhelming, and appearing anxious during the interview can make you come across unprepared and unqualified.

Here are a few tricks to calm your nerves and give you the confidence to make a great impression on your interviewer.

Be prepared! The best thing you can do to ease your pre-interview anxiety is prepare. Research the company and the position for which you are interviewing. If the company hasn’t already explained the interview process to you, then ask so you know what to expect! For more information on how to prepare for an effective interview, take a look at an in-depth article our team has written on the subject.

Practice makes perfect. Have a friend or family member “interview” you, asking you the questions you think that your interviewer will expect you to answer. Regardless of the industry, you should be prepared to provide a thoughtful response to the following questions:

• Why do I want this job?
• What are my goals? How does working in this position for this company help me to achieve these goals? Where do I see myself in five years?
• How does my experience relate to this position?
• What value will I add to the company?

Expect to Interview the interviewer. In addition to becoming familiar with the questions you may be asked, you should know that questions that you want to ask in the interview. Remember, you are interviewing the company as much as they are interviewing you. Asking questions in an interview shows you have done your homework on the company, are clear on how this company aligns with your career goals, and shows your genuine interest in the company and position.

Treat the interview like a First Date. Calming your nerves before an interview can be as simple as putting the interview in perspective. An interview is nothing more than a conversation with another human who likely shares similar interests to you. If you are friendly and personable, your interviewer will mirror this behavior.

Last but not least, dress to impress. While this may seem cliché, you will be amazed at how you feel about yourself and your abilities when you know you’re looking your best. Becoming less anxious about an interview can be as simple as getting a haircut and putting on your favorite suit.

There is no doubt that the pressure felt preceding and during an interview can be enormous, but it doesn’t have to ruin your performance. Taking heed of this advice will help you feel that you’ve regained control of the situation and give you the confidence to interview well and make a great impression.

I would love your feedback. What do you do to calm your nerves before an interview?

Investing in a Lifetime of Success,
Angela Roberts
www.craresources.com
Facebook

Searching for a job when you have a job can be a challenge, especially when you are truly only passively searching in hopes of finding “something better”.

And why shouldn’t you be passively searching?  I always encourage people to explore their markets as this exploration is the best way for you to truly know what salary you can bring in as well as what options other companies may be able to provide you in the way of career growth.  Sometimes the result of this research is that you find your compensation and career path at your current company is exactly what you are looking for, and sometimes you find the exact opposite.

What I will tell you is if you have decided to explore other positions outside of your current company and you are given a job offer, accepting a counteroffer from your current employer will likely lead to disaster.  You may feel the counteroffer is flattering, however, from where I sit (as a hiring manager and recruiter for about 17 years) the people I have known to accept counteroffers have eventually regretted their decisions.

Here are the top 3 reasons why you should never accept a counteroffer from your current employer:

1.  Once you have threatened to quit you show you are not fully satisfied with something within your position, the company, the compensation, etc.  Even if your reasons for wanting to seek employment elsewhere are temporarily resolved (such as an increase in salary), your employer will feel it is only a matter of time before you threaten to leave again.  You have just made yourself a liability to your company!

2.  Think about why you are receiving that counteroffer…what is motivating your manager to give you what you are looking for now?  Why is the increase in salary, educational reimbursement request, or that promotion you feel you deserve an option now when it wasn’t 30 minutes ago?  While perhaps your current employer may be doing the right thing and genuinely trying to retain talent, you also have to consider that perhaps your current employer is really just trying to protect himself.  Attrition costs companies money and when people leave, their managers look bad.

3.  And most importantly, companies who are operationally and strategically mature will never give you a counteroffer.  These companies know they provide a competitive salary because they do the research to confirm you are being paid at or above industry average.  These companies know they provide a career path for you because they have a robust career development program.  The reality of it is these companies have a plan in place to retain and incent their top talent and want to keep people on board who are happy with their environment.

Now, I know “never” is a pretty strong word and I will admit a small percentage of folks who accept counteroffers have positive outcomes, but I would like for you to think about the risks before you are put into this type of situation.  Know what you want, know what you are willing to accept, and stick to your goals.  Most of all, good luck!

Investing in a Lifetime of Success,

Angela Roberts
www.craresources.com