Top Clinical Research Director Interview Questions & Answers:

1. Your client is upset with you for a mistake you made, how do you react?

Acknowledge their pain - empathize with them. Then apologize and offer a solution to fix the mistake.

2. Where do you see yourself in five years? Ten years?

Bad Answer: A generic or uninspired answer. Also, answers that show that this career/company is just a temporary stop for them.

Good answer: One that shows the candidate has thought about this question, has plans, and that those plans align with the job and a career path that is possible in the company. You want to see that this candidate is a good long term investment.

3. What education or training have you had that makes you fit for this profession As Clinical Research Director?

This would be the first question asked in any interview. Therefore, it is important that you give a proper reply to the question regarding your education. You should have all the documents and certificates pertaining to your education and/or training, although time may not allow the interviewer to review all of them.

4. Why did you leave your last job As Clinical Research Director?

Regardless of why you left your last job make sure to stay positive. Always smile and focus on the positive reason such you were seeking the opportunity to expand your career opportunities, your interest in working with a new firm that provided greater opportunity, you desired to work in a new location, etc. Don't reference previous job problems or differences with management that caused you to leave. If you stay positive, your answer may help you. If you're negative, you will likely decrease your chances of getting the job for which you're interviewing.

5. Top 13 Situational Interview Questions As Clinical Research Director:

Situational interviews As Clinical Research Director are similar to behavioral interview questions - but they are focused on the future, and ask hypothetical questions, whereas behavioral interview questions look at the past.

The advantage is that employers can put all candidates in the same hypothetical situations, and compare their answers.


1. What would you do if you made a strong recommendation in a meeting, but your colleagues decided against it?

2. How you would handle it if your team resisted a new idea or policy you introduced?

3. How would you handle it if the priorities for a project you were working on were suddenly changed?

4. What would you do if the work of an employee you managed didn't meet expectations?

5. What would you do if an important task was not up to standard, but the deadline to complete it had passed?

6. What steps would you take to make an important decision on the job As Clinical Research Director?

7. How would you handle a colleague you were unable to form a positive relationship with?

8. What would you do if you disagreed with the way a manager wanted you to handle a problem?

9. What would you do if you were assigned to work with a difficult client As Clinical Research Director?

10. What would you do if you worked hard on a solution to a problem, and your solution was criticized by your team?

11. How would you handle working closely with a colleague who was very different from you?

12. You're working on a key project that you can't complete, because you're waiting on work from a colleague. What do you do?

13. You realize that an early mistake in a project is going to put you behind deadline. What do you do?

6. What would your previous employer say is your greatest strength?

Be prepared for this question. If you have to sit and think about it it's going to appear as if you're not sure or that you've never identified your own value in the work place - not good. You don't have to have a complex response. Keep it simple and honest. For example, several possibilities could be Leadership, Problem solving ability, Initiative, Energy, Work ethic, Innovative, etc., etc.

7. What have you done to improve your skills over the past year As Clinical Research Director?

You'll want to be prepare with some very specific examples of what you've done over the last year and what you're currently doing to improve your professional knowledge and skill set as well as anything else you're doing the shows self improvement.

8. Tell me about a time when you had to use your presentation skills to influence someone's opinion As Clinical Research Director?

Example stories could be a class project, an internal meeting presentation, or a customer facing presentation.

9. If you were given more initiatives than you could handle, what would you do?

First prioritize the important activities that impact the business most. Then discuss the issue of having too many initiatives with the boss so that it can be offloaded. Work harder to get the initiatives done.

10. If the company you worked for was doing something unethical or illegal, what would you do?

Report it to the leaders within the company. True leaders understand business ethics are important to the company's longevity

11. Explain what are your weaknesses As Clinical Research Director?

Red flags: This is the peanut butter to the previous question's jelly. Again, everyone should expect it, so it's a bad sign if someone seems totally unprepared, or gives a stock answer like, "I'm a perfectionist." Also, of course, candidates crazy enough to blurt out some horrible personality trait should go in the red flagged pile.

Good answer: Candidates should talk about a real weakness they've been working on improving. For instance, they're not good at public speaking, but they've been taking a course to help them improve. Or maybe they feel that they're easily distracted when working online, but have installed software that helps them stay on task. Answers like these show a desire for improvement, self awareness and discipline.

12. Why was there a gap in your employment As Clinical Research Director?

If you were unemployed for a period of time, be direct and to the point about what you've been up to (and hopefully, that's a litany of impressive volunteer and other mind-enriching activities, like blogging or taking classes). Then, steer the conversation toward how you will do the job and contribute to the organization: “I decided to take a break at the time, but today I'm ready to contribute to this organization in the following ways.”

13. Your coworker highlights your mistakes in front of everyone, how do you handle the situation?

Admit to the mistake without being emotional, but then discuss how you are being proactive in getting it fixed. Lastly, pull the co-worker aside later on to tell them that you'd appreciate it if they gave you the feedback 1:1 first before throwing you under the bus.

14. Have you ever you have been in a position As Clinical Research Director where you've had to fire someone? How did you feel about that experience?

Be very thoughtful about your answer. This is a very serious matter for most companies and requires a very serious answer. You need to express that you will do it when it is the right thing to do but you don't want to give the impression that you're callus to the process. Don't forget that firing is not the same as laying someone off - it typically is for the direct benefit of the company.

15. Can you explain why you changed career paths As Clinical Research Director?

Don't be thrown off by this question-just take a deep breath and explain to the hiring manager why you've made the career decisions As Clinical Research Director you have. More importantly, give a few examples of how your past experience is transferable to the new role. This doesn't have to be a direct connection; in fact, it's often more impressive when a candidate can make seemingly irrelevant experience seem very relevant to the role.

16. Tell me about a time you had to fire a friend?

Hopefully you've never had to do this, but if you did, talk about how hard it was personally to fire anyone but that you did it objectively.

17. What relevant work experience do you have in this career field As Clinical Research Director?

Talk about specific work related experience for the position you're interviewing for. Make sure the experience is relevant. Don't talk about previous experience that is not related to the position in question. If you don't have specific career related experience speak about prior experience that has helped you develop the specific knowledge and skills required for the position you are applying for.

18. What is your biggest weakness As Clinical Research Director?

No one likes to answer this question because it requires a very delicate balance. You simply can't lie and say you don't have one; you can't trick the interviewer by offering up a personal weakness As Clinical Research Director that is really a strength (“Sometimes, I work too much and don't maintain a work-life balance.”); and you shouldn't be so honest that you throw yourself under the bus (“I'm not a morning person so I'm working on getting to the office on time.”)

19. How well do you know our company?

Well, a developed company that is gradually building their reputation in the competitive world.

20. Basic 15 Interview Questions that Test Communication Skills As Clinical Research Director:

For most jobs, communication skills As Clinical Research Director are important. It's hard to work as a team if people aren't communicating well.

At some jobs, like customer service or sales, communication skills are an absolute essential.

These questions are meant to help gauge a candidate's ability to communicate.

1. How do you prefer to build rapport with others?

2. How would you go about simplifying a complex issue in order to explain it to a client or colleague?

3. How would you go about persuading someone to see things your way at work?

4. How would you go about explaining a complex idea/problem to a client who was already frustrated?

5. What would you do if you there was a breakdown in communication at work?

6. Talk about a successful presentation you gave and why you think it did well.

7. How would you explain a complicated technical problem to a colleague with less technical understanding?

8. Do you prefer written or verbal communication As Clinical Research Director?

9. Describe a time when you had to be careful talking about sensitive information. How did you do it?

10. What would you do if you misunderstood an important communication on the job?

11. Talk about a time when you made a point that you knew your colleagues would be resistant to.

12. Is it more important to be a good listener or a good communicator As Clinical Research Director?

13. Tell me about a time you had to relay bad news to a client or colleague.

14. Rate your communication skills on a scale of 1 to 10. Give examples of experiences that demonstrate the rating is accurate.

15. How have you handled working under someone you felt was not good at communicating?

21. How do you deal with conflict in the workplace As Clinical Research Director?

When people work together, conflict is often unavoidable because of differences in work goals and personal styles. Follow these guidelines for handling conflict in the workplace.

☛ 1. Talk with the other person.
☛ 2. Focus on behavior and events, not on personalities.
☛ 3. Listen carefully.
☛ 4. Identify points of agreement and disagreement.
☛ 5. Prioritize the areas of conflict.
☛ 6. Develop a plan to work on each conflict.
☛ 7. Follow through on your plan.
☛ 8. Build on your success.

22. Why do you want to work in this industry As Clinical Research Director?

Make sure you research the industry first. Then find at least 3 core things about that industry that you're passionate about (for example: how their solutions impact clients, their culture, the leadership, etc)

23. What do you like to do outside of work?

Interviewers ask personal questions in an interview to “see if candidates will fit in with the culture [and] give them the opportunity to open up and display their personality, too,”. In other words, if someone asks about your hobbies outside of work, it's totally OK to open up and share what really makes you tick. (Do keep it semi-professional, though: Saying you like to have a few beers at the local hot spot on Saturday night is fine. Telling them that Monday is usually a rough day for you because you're always hungover is not.)

24. Why are you interested in this type of job As Clinical Research Director?

You're looking for someone who enjoys working with the elderly, or a caring, sociable, and nurturing person.

25. Suppose there are three light switches outside a room. Inside is a single light bulb, controlled by one of the three switches. You need to determine which switch operates the bulb. You can turn the switches on and off as many times as you wish (they are all off to begin with), but may only enter the room once. There is no one there to help you. The door to the room is closed, and there are no windows, so you cannot see inside. How can you discover which switch operates the bulb?

Do the following steps:
☛ 1. Turn ON two switches, and leave one OFF.
☛ 2. Wait a few minutes.
☛ 3. Turn one switch from ON to OFF. One is now ON and two are OFF
☛ 4. Enter the room. - If the light is ON, it is controlled by the switch you left ON. - If the light bulb is OFF, touch it. If it is warm it is controlled by the switch you turned ON and OFF. If it is cold, it is controlled by the switch you never turned on.

26. What are your personal skills which make you a candidate for the position As Clinical Research Director?

The list of crucial character traits includes patience, tact, and poise, with personal and cultural sensitivity. One needs the ability to work long hours, with much walking and some physical tasks. But the most important trait of all is to love people and to have the desire to care for them.

27. What differentiates you from the competition?

Think about what you bring to the table that you truly believe is unique - the easiest way to do is to think of your own personal stories that demonstrate your work ethic, skills, and dedication. Most people have some or all of those skills, but the unique stories are what make people stand out in interviews.

28. Are You a ‘People' Person?

Although it may be phrased a little differently, the gist of this question is clear:
Do you like being around people? If you don't, being a medical assistant isn't a good fit for you. After all, you'll be working directly with patients throughout the day. It helps a lot if you sincerely like interacting with them. While answering this question, make sure to mention that you like helping people too. This will drive home the point that you are a talented medical assistant and would be a valuable part of the team As Clinical Research Director.

29. How do you feel about giving back to the community?

Describe your charitable activities to showcase that community work is important to you. If you haven't done one yet, go to www.globalguideline.com - charitable work is a great way to learn about other people and it's an important part of society - GET INVOLVED!

30. How do you feel about this company's vision?

First find out where the company envisions itself in 3-5 years. If you can't find the vision of the company, that's probably a big question mark on the company itself. Once you do, identify how those company's visions align to your personal values and goals and then articulate how tightly correlated that is to the interviewer. For example - this company wants to be the #1 provider of green technology in the world and I feel strongly about that vision because we've got a chance to collectively impact the world to become a greener society and save our clients at the same time!