Do you want to apply for a Clinical Research Associate position to help you get closer to your career goals? Applying for jobs on Seek, LinkedIn, and other job boards can be a time-consuming process, however, to streamline the process, you can ensure your resume writing helps you to stand out from the crowd, and your online profile helps you to get an interview!

If a recruiter or hiring manager are looking for a Clinical Research Associate, they are searching for specific transferable skills. With less than ten people being interviewed for the job and hundreds of people, just like you, applying, The Perfect Resume team have created Resume Writing Tips to help you stand out from the others.

What do recruiters look for in a Clinical Research Associate resume or an online profile?

Tailoring your resume to a Clinical Research Associate position is mandatory today to ensure that your application will pass Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS). In doing so, your resume will be read by the prospective employer. Then, fingers crossed, you will be shortlisted as a potential candidate and be called for not one, but multiple job interviews!

Firstly, before you apply to be a Clinical Research Associate, you need to be acquainted with what a Clinical Research Associate does!

Clinical Research Associates handle the clinical trials and studies pertaining to biotechnological and pharmaceutical products, drugs, and procedures. A clinical research associate, also known as a CRA, conducts research to ensure these products are safe to allow on the market.

Hiring Managers are looking for a detail-oriented, flexible and highly organised Clinical Research Associate to assist in generating and overseeing documentation and records. The clinical research associate will develop and outline trial protocols, establish trial sites, train site staff, and manage Investigational Product (IP) and trial materials. The clinical research associate will manage multiple aspects of the subjects' welfare. You will conduct regular site visits, generate and distribute internal and external newsletters, prepare final reports, and liaise with interested parties regarding all trial aspects.

To be successful as a Clinical Research Associate, you should have knowledge of necessary healthcare and medical procedures, be open to learning, and have strong communication skills. Ultimately, a high performing Clinical Research Associate should be able to achieve compliance with SOPs and local regulations, and ICH and GCP guidelines and be able to recognize logistical problems and initiate appropriate solutions.

Knowing this, your resume and online profile should include the hard and soft skills that the recruiter or hiring manager is looking for in a candidate.

The Clinical Research Associate position description template will also contain pivotal information about what the candidate will need to do daily. Such as:

• Creating and writing trial protocols, and presenting these to the steering committee.
• Identifying, evaluating, and establishing trial sites, and closing sites down on completion of the trial.
• Training site staff on therapeutic areas, protocol requirements, proper source documentation, and case report form completion.
• Liaise with the ethics committee regarding the rights, safety, and well-being of trial subjects.
• Ordering, tracking, and managing IP and trial materials.
• Overseeing and documenting IP dispensing inventory, and reconciliation.
• Protecting subjects’ confidentiality, updating their information, and verifying IP have been dispensed and administered according to protocol.
• Conducting regular site visits, coordinating project meetings, and writing visit reports.
• Implementing action plans for sites not meeting expectations.
• Liaising with regulatory authorities.

You will also have some requirements and personal attributes that you will need to demonstrate in your resume to ensure your potential employer will take your application seriously, such as:

• Bachelor’s degree in biological science or a related field.
• 2+ years of experience as a clinical research associate.
• Knowledge of the pharmaceutical industry, terminology, and practices.
• Knowledge of FDA regulations and their practical implementation.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Proficient computer skills.
• Proficient with Microsoft Office Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Ability to manage and prioritize workload effectively.
• Available to travel extensively and on short notice, and ability to manage travel schedules, such as flight schedules.


You may also want to do some industry research to find out what other companies want in their Clinical Research Associates.