CRA BASICS, TIPS AND CAREER DEVELOPMENT FOR ENTRY LEVEL CLINICAL RESEARCH ASSOCIATES OR THOSE INTERESTED IN BECOMING CLINICAL RESEARCH ASSOCIATES
When I was first starting out on my job search I used Google to search for CRA jobs using keywords such as “Clinical Research Associate job” of “Entry level Clinical Research Associate jobs”. Most of the hits came from Indeed so I started using Indeed directly to search for jobs. In addition to that I would go on companies of interest websites and search for jobs in their directories. The next place that I sought after jobs was LinkedIn. They have job postings there. I also recommend you keep your profile up-to-date as several recruiters will use your LinkedIn account to reach out to you about similar positions to the one you are in, once you have a CRA job and have posted it on your profile. Now going directly to recruiters will be my first choice for job search its much simpler and straight forward way of looking for a new job. I hope this post helps you out in your job search. Please let me know in the comment section if you have any more suggestions.
Thanks for reading!
-Sara
Hi! I am a cancer researcher from Sweden/Denmark. I have done my PhD on cell signalling in cancer. I have a good experience in almost all molecular biology methods. Currently I am on stipendium/project, working with mitochondrial DNA in local University. My dream is to get a job in the pharma company. Please give me some suggestions on that! Have been without proper job for more than 3 years:-(
Hi Sara,
When you were starting your search as a CRA did you already have experience in the clinical research field?
I have worked for a CRO in clinical trials for years in the laboratory and in a supervisory role. I had to manage several Trials and had weekly calls with the clients monitors, participate in audits, etc. I thought that this would get my foot in the door but so far no luck. Would my experience in clinical trials research not hold more weight since I have the understanding of a CRO laboratory and could use that to better communicate with the sites? Am I looking at this the wrong way?
What do you mean by ‘going directly to recruiters’? Would you find the recruiters from companies you like on Linkedin and send them a message asking if they would have positions as a CRA? I don’t get it, please reply 🙂