How To Assess and Hire a New Coordinator

How to Assess and Hire a New Coordinator

• Interview questions for someone who has no prior clinical experience
  • Why are you interested in this position?
  • What do you know about clinical research?
    • Is the person knowledgeable about the purpose and significance of clinical research?
    • Does the candidate seem enthusiastic about clinical research?
  • What medical areas interest you?
    • Do the candidate’s interests overlap with the clinical trial in question?
  • What are your future career goals?
    • Does the candidate demonstrate long-term interest in medicine and/or research?
    • If the person is invested in the fields of medicine and research, he or she may be equipped to successfully conquer the steep learning curve of coordinator training.
• Interviewee has previous experience
  • Why are you interested in this position?
  • What types of trials have you been involved with in the past?
    • Do the candidate’s previous experiences overlap with the clinical trial in question?
    • If not, does the candidate seem willing to learn about a new type of clinical trial?
  • What have you learned from your previous experience(s) as a clinical research coordinator?
    • The candidate should be able to provide concrete examples and discuss the lessons they learned.
  • What are your future career goals?
  • Do you have other experiences in a clinical research setting? Please explain.
    • Examples may include recruitment experience, experience dealing with budgets and contracts, and experience training other staff members.
• Qualities to look for in a potential coordinator
  • Prior knowledge or demonstrated willingness to learn
  • Autonomy
  • Readiness
  • Ability
  • Motivation

*TIP: Interview 10 qualified applicants for every one person you want to hire.