It may seem obvious but often the Sponsor provides limited information about a role which can lead to misunderstandings and delay the hiring process.
1. When requesting CRA resource, be as specific as possible – “not just we need a CRA in Spain”. Apart from the obvious- FTE, start/stop dates, Country, Therapy area etc. It is important to know the “culture” the CRA is working in. Hence answers to questions relating to size of the team, who is the CRA reporting to, type of support from HQ etc are important to inform potential candidates of the environment they will be working in.
2. To facilitate a “smooth” start, make sure there is a good induction programme at the start of their contract and that the CRA has the correct access to technology at day one. Nothing fails to impress a professional CRA more than the absence of hardware or access to user names/passwords. Remember, as much as the CRA has to impress the Sponsor, it is a two way process.
3. If there is a CRA handover involved, make sure that this is well thought out in advance so that the CRA has the best opportunity to succeed from the start.
4. If early on in the contract, there are indications that the CRA is not adhering to the contract- eg late reports, not attending TCs etc, do not wait 6 months to discuss this with Klinikos. Our role also involves understanding any issues and taking an active part to resolve them at an early stage.