Clinical Research Associate Resume Example & Writing Guide
Use this Clinical Research Associate resume example and guide to improve your career and write a powerful resume that will separate you from the competition.
Clinical research is a fast-growing field with high demand for qualified professionals. Clinical research associates work with healthcare companies to design and implement clinical trials—the process of testing new drugs, devices, or other therapies in humans. They also monitor the progress of these trials and analyze the data they generate, which helps guide future research efforts.
If you’re ready to break into this exciting field or make a career switch, you’ll need a resume that showcases your relevant experience and skills. Follow these tips and resume example to write a great clinical research associate resume that will get you hired.
How to Write a Clinical Research Associate Resume
Here’s how to write a clinical research associate resume of your own.
Write Compelling Bullet Points
When you’re writing bullet points, it can be tempting to simply list your responsibilities. But that’s not enough to make a strong impression. Instead, you should use your bullet points to demonstrate your value by highlighting your accomplishments, skills, and results.
For example, rather than saying you “conducted clinical trials,” you could say you “conducted Phase I clinical trial for new drug, resulting in FDA approval and $1 billion in revenue for company.”
The second bullet point paints a much clearer picture of what the job entailed and the outcome of your work. And that’s what hiring managers want to see—so make sure to include that kind of detail in your bullet points!
Related: What Is a Clinical Research Associate? How to Become One
Identify and Include Relevant Keywords
When you apply for a clinical research associate (CRA) position, your resume goes through an applicant tracking system (ATS). This program will scan your resume for specific keywords related to the job opening. If your resume doesn’t include enough of the right terms, the ATS might automatically reject your application.
To increase your chances of getting an interview, use this list of commonly used clinical research associate keywords:
- Good Clinical Practice (GCP)
- Clinical Trials
- Clinical Research
- Clinical Data Management
- Clinical Monitoring
- Clinical Development
- CRO Management
- Electronic Data Capture (EDC)
- Protocol
- Oncology
- Biotechnology
- Life Sciences
- Protocol Development
- Clinical Operations
- Regulatory Affairs
- Protocol Review
- Hospitals
- Regulatory Submissions
- Data Management
- Statistics
- Data Analysis
- SAS
- SPSS
- Clinical Trial Management System (CTMS)
- Institutional Review Board (IRB)
- Electronic Data Processing (EDP)
- Microsoft Access
- Good Clinical Practice Regulations
- Validation
- Laboratory Skills
Showcase Your Technical Skills
As a clinical research associate, you are responsible for designing, conducting, and reporting on clinical trials. In order to do this effectively, you need to be proficient in the use of technology. This might include experience with clinical research databases, data analysis software, or presentation tools. Additionally, clinical research associates need to be familiar with Good Clinical Practice (GCP) and other regulatory guidelines.
If you have experience with any of these programs or platforms, be sure to list them on your resume. And if you’re not familiar with them, now is the time to learn them!
Related: How Much Does a Clinical Research Associate Make?
Remember The Basics
As you draft your resume, there are a few basic rules to keep in mind.
Make Sure Your Resume Is Easy to Scan
There are a few things you can do to your resume to make it easier to read and understand quickly. Aligning everything to the left, using a standard font type and size, and keeping bullets under 2 lines will help make your resume more skimmable. You should also try to leave some white space on the page to help the recruiter easily scan through your information.
Be Concise
A resume should be one page long if possible, but no more than two pages. The most important part is to tailor the resume to the specific role and to focus on the most relevant information. When in doubt, less is more.
Check Your Work
Proofreading your resume is essential to ensuring that it looks its best. There are a few key things to watch for when proofreading: spelling mistakes, punctuation mistakes, and grammatical mistakes. It is also important to be aware of easily confused words. Spell-checking your resume is a good way to catch mistakes, but it is important to have someone else read it over as well.
Consider a Summary
A resume summary statement is an excellent way to show off your skills and experience to potential employers. It can also help to clarify your intentions and goals, making it easier for recruiters to see how you might fit into their organization. When writing your own summary statement, be sure to focus on your strongest skills and experiences, and make it clear how you see your experience translating into the role you’re hoping to land.
Related Resume Examples
