Market Yourself.
Clinical research professionals often fail to recognize the importance of continually marketing themselves. It becomes especially vital when there is less industry demand or when projects end unexpectedly. As a consultant or employee looking to make the switch, marketing yourself must be an ongoing activity. Here are pointers.
Continuing Education.
More and more, our clients ask us for assurance that the people we place on their studies are qualified for the job. Many ask for training records or proof of last ICH/GCP training. As a consultant, you must keep up with industry trends and regulations. Perhaps your previous employer paid for your CEUs or to attend ACRP or even to become accredited. Now this becomes your responsibility, and showing recent training sessions or accreditations on your CV will only help to market yourself more successfully.
Networking.
Everybody knows everybody in this industry. It’s really important to maintain contact with your clinical research friends and colleagues so that you can spread the word about your upcoming availability. Consider joining an online networking group, like LinkedIn, but be sure to include what types of projects you like to work on. Ask for any leads on who might be hiring. You may also want to contact a few agencies to broaden your search and expand the choices in your next assignment.
Target Your Clients.
Before you jump right into a consultant’s role, you should determine what companies and development programs interest you, and where you can add value to the client. Research which companies have devices or drugs on your preferred list and then target your search from there.
Cold Calling.
Most clinical research professionals are appalled when cold calling is mentioned. Actually picking up the phone and talking to someone you don’t know and asking for work is humbling. The benefit of cold calling is that you can sometimes work directly with that company and bypass the agencies who are preferred vendors with the company (including us). This could result in higher pay because there is no middleman, but you have to do all the work. As you can see we want to help you as best we can.
Interviewing Tips.
Candidates that come fully prepared make for the best interviews. We advise that you research the company and know which compounds or devices the company is developing and in what phase. Ask intelligent questions, thus taking the interview to another level. Demonstrate the value you will bring the client if hired, whether that value is based on their monitoring or clinical experience, tricks of the trade, site management capabilities, flexibility or multi-functional capabilities. You are “selling yourself” to the prospective client in a way the client can easily measure.
To prepare for your interview, remember:
- Research the company and pipeline.
- Talk with colleagues who have worked with the company to gain an insider’s perspective.
- Speak to your strengths. Remember to sell yourself.
- Practice with a colleague.
Don’t be afraid to ask a potential client if they are interviewing other candidates and how you stack up against your competition. This can give you a lot of insight and clarify any miscommunications or assumptions you have made.
To be a successful consultant, you’ll need to learn how to wear your marketing and sales hat, but it’s the key to keeping you working.