Top Career Hacks for Compliance Professionals

Modified on March 5, 2026 to remove the “subscribe” option. This blog has been retired and replaced by the S.P.I.R.I.T. newsletter.

Good morning, good afternoon, and good evening, Compliance Rockstars, Clinical Research Professionals, Ethics Enthusiasts, and Investigators! 190 blog subscribers!

I hope everyone has been doing well! I know it has been a while since I’ve published a post. I’ve been attempting to follow all the compliance news occurring. It seems as though something new happens every week, if not every day. There is certainly a lot of stress and uncertainty within the research and compliance world.

Which is why I feel this post couldn’t be shared at a more appropriate time.

I would like to share top career hacks for compliance professionals. Not only can you apply these hacks to your career, but also in your life.

In these times of uncertainty, it is crucial to take a step back and reconnect with yourself.

As much as we talk about emotional intelligence and empathy towards others, self awareness is just as important. We should always take active steps to center ourselves.

As a general reminder, these are my own interpretations. Any legal information discussed within this post should be discussed with your institution.

Let’s take a moment to reflect on these career and personal wellness hacks:

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It’s okay to say “I don’t know”

Have you ever been asked a question during a presentation or meeting you weren’t sure how to answer?

Did the question seem out of left field? Was it about a topic that you didn’t account for? Maybe it was related to something that you deemed irrelevant?

As you imagine this scenario, I want you to try to remember how you felt. Did it make you feel incompetent? Were you caught off guard? How about your physical state? Were your palms sweaty? Did your jaw clench? Did you feel shortness of breath?

As someone with anxiety, I have certainly had these moments. Just sheer panic and fear of what someone would think of me. But you know what I’ve learned? It’s worse to pretend like you know the answer.

The best thing to say is, “I don’t have the answer right now. I can certainly look into this and get back to you.”

or

Another option I like is to say, “This is an excellent question and something I didn’t consider. Let me get back to you once I learn more information.”

By admitting you don’t know something, it shows integrity to your audience. It’s important to be candid. You should try not to focus on feeling incompetent. If anything, this is an opportunity for growth. You get to learn something new!

You can apply this in your personal life as well. You could be having a conversation with someone, and you have no clue what they’re saying. Again, in lieu of being embarrassed, take a leap and learn more about it! I always like to say that I am a “forever student”. I truly enjoy learning on my own, but even more so from others. Especially if they are passionate about the topic.

Build your network

Ever heard of the proverb, “it takes a village”?

Well, that’s because it does! You can read all the policies and procedure pertinent to your compliance area. You can watch all the videos you want from experts discussing a topic in depth. What you have to learn to accept is that you possibly couldn’t learn all of this on your own. And that’s okay. There’s a reason why we have different folks for various compliance areas. Sometimes, IRB professional needs to connect with a COI team for potential conflicts of interest related to an investigator’s research. Perhaps that same IRB professional needs to check in with Export Security for an investigator’s travel plans.

Recognizing that it takes a village is another positive step forward towards career growth. I urge you to build your network. Get to know folks from various fields in research administration/operations at your institution. Have lunch with them and ask them what it is they do. Ask them how does your area of expertise intersect with their daily tasks.

What about folks who were multiple compliance hats at their institution?

These folks should look at building their network outside of their institution. Of course, institutions have their own sets of policies and procedures. The key is to connect with folks who may have encountered the same or similar issue that you have. How did these folks handle the situation at their institution? Can you directly apply the resolution at your institution? If not, can you adapt certain aspects of the resolution?

When you have a group of folks you can ask questions and bounce ideas off of, this is called your network. Applying this concept to your personal life, we call this a support system. To compare, your support system is comprised of individuals that you can count on. These are the people you go to when you’re in a pickle and you don’t know what to do. These are the people you can also bounce ideas off of. This is why human connection is so important both at work and outside of the workplace.

Give yourself mental resets

Have you ever worked on a project where you just stared at your screen for hours? You wanted to make progress but felt stuck.

Perhaps you’re setting up decorations for your child’s birthday party. You have a vision of how the decorations should look, but you’re overwhelmed with frustration. Things aren’t turning out as you pictured in your mind.

If this has ever happened to you, you’re not alone. At moments like these when all seems lost, you need to step back. This is what we call a mental reset. By taking a break from the situation, you are allowing yourself that space to be gentle with yourself. Sometimes closing the laptop or stepping into another room away from the decorations can provide the clarity you need.

You can take mental resets by:

• Simply stepping away from what is causing you frustration.
• Going for a walk and getting fresh air.
• Taking deep breaths to steady your mind.
• Practicing meditation or prayer.
• Doing something that brings you joy. Maybe a book you’ve been reading.
• For anxiety, trying the grounding technique and stimulating your senses.
• Washing your face with cold water to refresh yourself.

Whichever method you choose, I guarantee that you will feel much better at tackling your issue. These mental resets will help you figure out how to solve your problem. The beautiful thing is that there aren’t limits to the number of mental resets one can take. Take as many mental resets (i.e., breaks) as needed to center yourself and start again.

Celebrate your triumphs

Did you just receive an award at work for outstanding performance? Maybe you finally organized that storage closet that you never let your house guests see.

Whatever the achievement may be, no matter how big or small, should be celebrated! It doesn’t have to be an elaborate celebration with a lot of people and balloons. It can be something simple as buying that shirt you’ve had in your cart for months. Or maybe you take a day trip to enjoy nature. Celebrating your triumphs can promote your self-worth. As much as you remember the bad times, take the space to embrace the good times. Fill your heart and life with as much joy as you can. Life is too short not to be celebrated.

Group similar tasks together

In today’s world, it is so easy to be overwhelmed.

You can find yourself drowning in reviewing submissions, emails, meetings, and spontaneous tasks that fall in your lap. Days such as these are often unpredictable. It’s essential to take a step back and pause before you react.

At the start of your day, look at your calendar and compare this to any anticipated daily tasks.

Are there any daily tasks that coincide with a particular meeting you have scheduled that day?

• If so, group those tasks together and prioritize completion based on when the meeting will start. If you’re unsure which tasks to complete first with respect to the meeting, review the meeting agenda (if available). Then, complete the tasks in the order of the meeting agenda.
• If an agenda is unavailable, complete the tasks in a logical order that aligns with your compliance area’s process flow. When you present your task deliverables in this format, meeting attendees will be able to follow along with ease.

What if your free of meetings for the day and you have this daunting to-do list?

Again, review this list and see which tasks are similar to one another. Once you have grouped similar tasks together, consider how these tasks should be completed:

• Are any of these task groups dependent on one another?
• Can any of these task groups be completed quicker than other task groups?
• Do any of these task groups depend on an action from a collaborator?
• Can any of these task groups be streamlined via automation (e.g., creating a mail merge file)?

You can also apply this methodology in your personal life.

Again, let’s consider the following:

• Are any of these task groups dependent on one another?
• Can any of these task groups be completed quicker than other task groups?
• Do any of these task groups depend on an action from another household member?
• Can any of these task groups be streamlined (e.g., setting up automatic withdrawals on bill payments)?

By pausing to plan and group tasks together, you’ll find that your daunting, busy day won’t seem so grim. If something seems impossible:

• Take a mental reset to acknowledge you are unsure how to proceed. Remember, it’s okay if you don’t know the answer.
• Reach out to your network (i.e., support system) for guidance.
• Work through your tasks at your own pace. I promise you there isn’t a time limit.
• Give yourself a pat on the back for taking care of business. You made it! Celebrate it!

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I hope you found this post insightful!