Executive Summary
Hiring specialized roles in clinical research is more challenging than ever. While companies often rely on HR teams to handle hiring, many critical positions are not filled frequently enough for internal teams to have a pulse on top talent. This leads to over-reliance on online applicants, increasing the risk of high turnover, lost productivity, and wasted resources.
Industry data shows that employees hired through online applications have a much higher turnover rate than those sourced through recruiters or referrals. In fact:
- U.S. turnover rates remain high, averaging 20-25% across industries in 2024.
- Online applicants are 35-40% more likely to leave within their first year compared to recruiter-placed candidates.
- Bad hires cost companies up to 200% of an employee’s salary in rehiring and lost productivity.
The key takeaway? The best candidates aren’t applying. Companies need to actively engage passive talent—and working with a specialized recruiting firm ensures access to higher-quality hires who stay longer and contribute more.
Introduction: The Challenge of Specialized Hiring
Over the last 12 months, I’ve noticed a troubling trend: a staggering number of job seekers I speak with have been in their roles for less than six months—yet they’re still looking…actively.
These are professionals who should be focused on contributing to their new company, yet instead, they’re quietly taking recruiter calls, keeping their resumes updated, and planning their next move.
For employers, this is a disaster. In clinical research, it takes months before a new hire is truly productive. Losing them within the first year means losing time, money, and momentum.
So why does this keep happening?
Too often, hiring is treated as a checklist exercise—does the candidate have the right qualifications? Do they check the boxes on paper? While these factors are important, they only solve half the equation.
The real key to retention lies in understanding why candidates are making a move in the first place.
- What dissatisfied them in their last role?
- What are their long-term career expectations?
- What would make them stay at your company instead of looking elsewhere in six months?
When hiring decisions fail to dig deeper into motivation and fit, companies risk bringing in employees who are already one foot out the door.
The problem isn’t just filling positions—it’s hiring people who will stay, contribute, and grow.
And that’s where strategic recruiting makes all the difference.
The Data: Why Online Applicants Aren’t Enough
High Turnover from Online Applicants
It’s a common assumption: with a large number of applicants, companies should have no trouble finding and retaining top talent. But the data tells a different story.
Studies show that employees hired through job boards and online applications are 35-40% more likely to leave within their first year compared to candidates sourced through referrals or recruiters. (1)
Across industries, turnover rates remain alarmingly high in 2024:
- The average U.S. turnover rate is 20-25%, with some industries seeing even higher rates. (2)
- 70% of job changes are voluntary, meaning employees leave by choice—often due to misalignment in job expectations. (3)
- Replacing an employee costs 30-50% of their annual salary for mid-level roles and can skyrocket to **200% for specialized or executive positions. (4)
The High Cost of Turnover in Clinical Research
In an industry where continuity and expertise matter, losing key personnel is more than an inconvenience—it’s a direct threat to trial timelines, compliance, and data integrity.
Take Clinical Research Associates (CRAs) as an example:
- The industry average CRA turnover rate is 26%, meaning more than 1 in 4 CRAs leave their role each year. (5)
- The cost of replacing a CRA is estimated at $65,000 per hire, factoring in lost productivity, recruitment, and training expenses. (5)
Now, apply those same risks to senior leadership hires—where the consequences of a bad hire are even more severe.
A bad executive hire can cost a company up to 400% of their annual salary due to lost productivity, stalled projects, and disruption. (6)
Turnover isn’t just a statistic—it’s a business risk. The cost of hiring the wrong person extends far beyond recruitment fees:
- Delays in trials.
- Lost knowledge and leadership gaps.
- The need to rehire and retrain—again.
Maximizing HR’s Impact: The Need for a Specialized Hiring Partner
HR and talent acquisition teams play a critical role in an organization’s success.
For positions that companies hire regularly, HR teams have established pipelines, internal benchmarks, and hiring playbooks. But what about roles that only open every few years?
Unlike high-volume roles, hiring for highly specialized or executive positions requires:
- Deep industry knowledge to assess top talent.
- A real-time understanding of market trends and candidate motivations.
- Proactive outreach to engage passive candidates who aren’t actively applying.
Instead of spreading HR resources thin across every open role, companies can achieve better hiring outcomes by leveraging specialized recruiting partners.
A collaborative hiring approach allows HR teams to stay focused on retention, culture, and broader talent strategies, while specialized recruiters secure the right talent for hard-to-fill roles.
Conclusion: A Smarter Approach to Hiring for Long-Term Success
To build a stable, high-performing team, companies should follow a tiered approach to hiring:
- Promote from within. Before looking externally, evaluate your current team. Internal promotions reward strong performers, increase engagement, and improve retention.
- Leverage referrals from top performers. The best employees know other high achievers. Encourage referrals from your strongest team members to bring in candidates who already align with your company culture.
- Engage trusted recruiting partners for specialized roles. For positions that require specific expertise, industry insight, and passive candidate outreach, work with specialized recruiters who already have direct relationships with top talent. This approach reduces hiring time, improves retention, and leads to higher-quality hires.
- Expand the search only when necessary. If the right candidate can’t be found internally, through referrals, or via recruiting partnerships, then open the process to job boards. But be aware—job board applicants have the highest turnover rates, requiring extra screening and vetting.
A Strategic Hiring Partner Makes the Difference
At OnPoint Clinical, we specialize in permanent, contract, and FSP staffing solutions that help companies reduce turnover, hire stronger talent, and build more resilient teams.
The best companies don’t just fill positions—they build teams that last.
If your company is struggling with turnover, hiring delays, or finding the right talent, let’s talk.