Resources for your pharmaceutical job search

As you know, I am a huge believer that doing self-study and learning about the pharmaceutical industry job you hope to fill is an important step in preparing for a successful job search. These are just some quick links to books that might be helpful in finding a job in the pharmaceutical industry.

These books cover a wide range, from general pharmaceutical career advice, to detailed specifics about business development, pharmaceutical sales, medical science liaisons, clinical research, regulatory affairs and medical writing. I will follow up on each of these books in more detail in future posts.
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Posted: March 13th, 2011 | Author: | Filed under: Business Development, Clinical research, Clinical Research Associates, Medical Science Liaisons, Regulatory affairs, Resources, Sales | No Comments »

Tools for Success: Transitioning to Pharmaceutical Careers

This is an interesting article.  Whether you’re a physician, or a PhD, or just trying to make a transition into a clinical research career from another path, I think there is some interesting advice to take away.

Many physicians have successfully navigated their way from clinical practice to the pharmaceutical sector, serving in positions ranging from entry-level medical director to CEO. But others have stumbled while making the transition from clinical caregiver to leader in the corporate realm.

Most would agree that physicians are, by and large, smart people with good work habits. But the behaviors that are sought after and rewarded in clinical or academic environments are not exactly the same behaviors one looks for in the realm of drug development.

Transforming Clinicians into Industry Leaders – Pharmaceutical Executive.


Posted: March 6th, 2011 | Author: | Filed under: Clinical research, Training | Tags: , , , , , , , | No Comments »

The future of CRA jobs

Clinical Research Associate jobs are in high demand. CRA jobs pay well, are often home-based, and offer a relatively high degree of personal autonomy. It’s a job that offers a good mix of solo time as well as working with others, and it’s a job where you can really feel like your work matters, because you’re contributing to the safe development of new drugs that can improve lives. The CRA role hasn’t changed a great deal over the years, with the exception of the increasing adoption of electronic methods for collecting case reports. But the nature of CRA employment has changed and is continuing to shift as companies change the way they do business. This article will discuss the four most common CRA employment arrangements and make some predictions for the future. Read the rest of this entry »


Posted: February 11th, 2009 | Author: | Filed under: Clinical research, Clinical Research Associates | Tags: , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments »

Clinical research careers — South Park style

Quintiles, the world’s largest contract research organization, produced this series of “South Park”-style videos promoting careers with the firm. CROs can be a great place to start a clinical research career because they provide exposure to a variety of clinical trial protocols and therapeutic areas. The Quintiles website includes a journal that gives an idea of how a clinical research associate spends her time on site visit and office days.

There are a few other videos in this series:


Posted: January 31st, 2009 | Author: | Filed under: Clinical research, Fun | Tags: , , , , | 1 Comment »

How to write a clinical research associate resume

This post will help you write a resume for clinical research jobs: entry-level clinical research associate jobs, clinical research coordinator jobs or clinical trial associate jobs would be good targets for this advice.

The hardest step to a successful career in clinical research is the first one. Getting your foot in the door takes patience, preparation, ingenuity and a toolkit of supporting materials and behaviors that will make you stand out above the competition.  A well-crafted resume can help you get your chance to shine as a clinical research associate, medical science liaison or other pharmaceutical professional.

There are a million guides out there that will give you good general advice on writing and formatting your resume, and (with one important exception) I’m not going to waste your time by duplicating that advice here. These tips are specific to the clinical research field. If you’re applying for entry-level clinical research associate jobs, the following suggestions may help your resume get noticed. Read the rest of this entry »


Posted: January 29th, 2009 | Author: | Filed under: Clinical research, Clinical Research Associates, ICH-GCP, Resumes & CVs | Tags: , , , , , | 13 Comments »