Psychology research assistant position (paid)

[psychstudent155]

Hi all,

I believe I have read through all of the threads on this topic but I'm still looking for answers. Let me start by saying my end goal is to obtain a Ph.D. in Clinical Psych. I have 2.5 years of research experience, 3.58 cumulative GPA (3.77 GPA in psych), I wrote a senior honors thesis and presented a poster. I want to get more research experience prior to applying to Ph.D. programs.

I graduated from a respected university May 2013, last year I went through the application process of applying for paid research experience. I applied to mostly online job postings (30+) and only received one interview for a volunteer position (found from direct emailing). I volunteered at that lab until October of 2013 when I just had to get a paid job (I did, unrelated field, not doing what I want to eventually do). Thus this year I have begun the process again, I am primarily cold emailing professors who's work interests me (I've sent out 20-30 emails), I have received interest but no interviews.

I am interested in mood and anxiety disorders, etiology and treatment along with underlying mechanisms. I would like to live in the Boston or Philly or New York or any major city.
I want to know if there's anything I should do differently to improve my chances of getting a paid research assistant position.

All advice would be greatly appreciated, I feel I've tried it all!

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[QAsPsych]

Have somebody look at your resume/CV; lower your expectations for how much you will be paid (I only mention this because in looking for these types of jobs I overestimated a reasonable 'salary requirement' by about 10K); move to the place you want to work because most people throw out applications from non-local applicants.

Honestly, though, with 2.5 years of research experience and the rest of your stats, you could probably go ahead and apply for PhD programs at this point.

 

[nessa34]

Apply for more jobs (I applied to over 100) and weigh how selective you want to be in terms of location vs. securing the kind of job you want. My RA job was in a medium sized city in the south and it ended up being one of my favorite places to live.

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[WisNeuro]

Agree with QAsPsych. Unless you will have some guaranteed pubs, you're kind of butting up against some diminishing returns.

As for paid positions, kind of the luck of the draw really. Many places have a glut of people that will volunteer for free, so why hire? A lot of people I know, and myself, got paid positions after volunteering in a lab. There are some direct accession paid positions out there, but may be hard to find in certain regions.

 

[SomeRandomKid3]

Try looking in hospitals. The research will obviously be more health focused, but they will pay. I had a couple of job offers in Boston before I started working at the VA, and I can tell you from experience that most places a) want you to be commit to a two year minimum stay and b) won't pay much more than 32,000 (which is hard to live off of in Boston). If you can get a VA research job, that would probably be ideal pay wise and research wise, given your stated interests.

 

[Psych0502]

Agreed. An undergrad professor gave me the same advice and it worked out.

It's very hard to get a paid position at a university because 1) they have undegrads that can do grunt work for free +grad students who can do more difficult aspects as part of their stipend. 2) you will be competing against a ton of psych undergrads from that institution, including those who may personally know the professor/worked there.

I think academic medical centers are definitely the easiest way to go. I make 42k a year at one and have gotten great research experience--very strongly advise you to look outside the university-box here! I'd suggest Boston's Children's, CHOP, and CNMC to start, given your city preferences.

Try looking in hospitals. The research will obviously be more health focused, but they will pay. I had a couple of job offers in Boston before I started working at the VA, and I can tell you from experience that most places a) want you to be commit to a two year minimum stay and b) won't pay much more than 32,000 (which is hard to live off of in Boston). If you can get a VA research job, that would probably be ideal pay wise and research wise, given your stated interests.

 

[bluemirage92]

Honestly, I don't think there's anything else you can do to improve your chances. In my opinion, luck plays a huge part. If you happen to see an opening online for a lab that sounds really interesting and they happen to need someone with your exact skills, your chances go significantly up, but how likely is that to happen? Even though you may have great stats, sometimes they find a person with all of that AND specific, extensive experience in that field. It's not that you're a bad candidate, it's that they found someone better.

Continue to email professors and apply online. Just make sure to individualize cover letters to each position. Annoying, I know, but you'll increase your chances at an interview. I work in the Boston area; look at the Partners career site for opportunities, especially McLean if you're interested in anxiety disorders.

 

[eesther]

Have somebody look at your resume/CV; lower your expectations for how much you will be paid (I only mention this because in looking for these types of jobs I overestimated a reasonable 'salary requirement' by about 10K); move to the place you want to work because most people throw out applications from non-local applicants.

Honestly, though, with 2.5 years of research experience and the rest of your stats, you could probably go ahead and apply for PhD programs at this point.

Is this true for RA/Lab Manager positions? Should I even bother applying outside of the Northeast? I've applied to over 60 jobs so far all over the country, and am interviewing for one in the Midwest soon. Feeling pretty hopeless...jobs are extremely competitive in my area, so I hoped i'd be able to cast a wider net.

 

[psychstudent155]

Hi Guys,

I know this is a late response, but I wanted to thank everyone for their suggestions. I did end up getting a paid research assistant position at a respected lab in Boston. I'm excited and feel as though my hard work paid off.

Thanks again!

 

[CogNeuroGuy]

I worked for free across multiple departments in addition to working with my primary mentor and eventually was granted a paying neuropsych. assessment job last month to help me while I continue research and to build up clinical experience. This is at a medical university as well.