How do I find research experience?

[orion.x]

Hi everyone, I am realizing I do not have enough research experience for the PhD programs I am looking to apply to. I am having a really hard time finding psychology related research assistant positions in my area, and wanted to seek advice on here on where to look. I am taking a gap year and am applying for next year but I am worried I will not have enough time to find research experience.

I already reached out to universities and the one I graduated from but have either not heard back or was rejected as many positions are only for undergraduate students. A quick google search did not bring up anything new or desirable for psychology related positions. Does anyone know of specific sites to look for this kind of work? Thank you in advance as I am starting to feel hopeless.

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[psych.meout]

You could look at the job boards for any academic medical centers, VAs, and other places outside universities where research is being done.

Sometimes you can also find clinical jobs where research is being done. For example, I know someone who got involved in research based on fidelity and implementation research that was being done at a program for treating people with SMI. I got most of my pre-grad research experience from an assessment-focused job that just coincidentally started doing some research after I was there for a year or so.

 

[orion.x]

You could look at the job boards for any academic medical centers, VAs, and other places outside universities where research is being done.

Sometimes you can also find clinical jobs where research is being done. For example, I know someone who got involved in research based on fidelity and implementation research that was being done at a program for treating people with SMI. I got most of my pre-grad research experience from an assessment-focused job that just coincidentally started doing some research after I was there for a year or so.

Ooo okay thank you so much! I will look into that

 

[The Cinnabon]

Hi everyone, I am realizing I do not have enough research experience for the PhD programs I am looking to apply to. I am having a really hard time finding psychology related research assistant positions in my area, and wanted to seek advice on here on where to look. I am taking a gap year and am applying for next year but I am worried I will not have enough time to find research experience.

I already reached out to universities and the one I graduated from but have either not heard back or was rejected as many positions are only for undergraduate students. A quick google search did not bring up anything new or desirable for psychology related positions. Does anyone know of specific sites to look for this kind of work? Thank you in advance as I am starting to feel hopeless.

Finally, something I feel I can contribute on! Okay, so I do hate to break this to you but getting a post-bacc RA job can be quite competitive, especially if you're geographically restricted. I landed my RA gig earlier in the summer by being extremely geographically flexible (although I did only apply to jobs with a solid research fit.) I did have a decent amount of research experience coming out of undergrad which is why I probably had a decent interview to application rate. I think I applied roughly to 30 gigs, across the united states, and got around 10 interviews with two offers. I didn't have too much actual experience in my research area of interest though (roughly 6 months out of the 3 years of research on my CV) so if you're really serious about landing one of these jobs I would try the "shotgun approach" like yours truly. Said approach is essentially applying to many different places until you get a hit, make sure to customize your CV and cover letter for the places (don't sacrifice quality) but don't get your hopes up for any single place or spend any extra time on any given place until you land an interview.

Friends of mine with no research experience or research experience outside of psych altogether said they applied to upwards of 100 places before finally getting a hit. It's not fun, but it's manageable so long as you go in knowing you have some work cut out for you.


Oh yeah here's some specific sites I used:

For the VA: https://www.research.va.gov/programs/orppe/NPCs-and-Associated-VAs.pdf

This is a solid database of VA non-profits to look up that tend to hire the RA's that work here. You do get some on USAjobs or the like, but I find that it's much easier for the VA to hire you on as a contractor. I actually ended up as a contractor at one of these places by using this as my bible (targeting the one's in "flyover" tends to be making emails btw).


A few other sites with postings: Psychology Job & Research Opportunities

Psychology Job & Internship Opportunities

For Undergraduate Students and Recent Graduates Seeking Full-Time or Summer Employment

psychologyjobsinternships.wordpress.com

I'd also do some good ole' googling of academic medical centers to see if they're hiring, sometimes a faculty lab page will outright state it.

Using "google jobs" tends to be low-yield.

Good Luck!

 

[orion.x]

Finally, something I feel I can contribute on! Okay, so I do hate to break this to you but getting a post-bacc RA job can be quite competitive, especially if you're geographically restricted. I landed my RA gig earlier in the summer by being extremely geographically flexible (although I did only apply to jobs with a solid research fit.) I did have a decent amount of research experience coming out of undergrad which is why I probably had a decent interview to application rate. I think I applied roughly to 30 gigs, across the united states, and got around 10 interviews with two offers. I didn't have too much actual experience in my research area of interest though (roughly 6 months out of the 3 years of research on my CV) so if you're really serious about landing one of these jobs I would try the "shotgun approach" like yours truly. Said approach is essentially applying to many different places until you get a hit, make sure to customize your CV and cover letter for the places (don't sacrifice quality) but don't get your hopes up for any single place or spend any extra time on any given place until you land an interview.

Friends of mine with no research experience or research experience outside of psych altogether said they applied to upwards of 100 places before finally getting a hit. It's not fun, but it's manageable so long as you go in knowing you have some work cut out for you.


Oh yeah here's some specific sites I used:

For the VA: https://www.research.va.gov/programs/orppe/NPCs-and-Associated-VAs.pdf

This is a solid database of VA non-profits to look up that tend to hire the RA's that work here. You do get some on USAjobs or the like, but I find that it's much easier for the VA to hire you on as a contractor. I actually ended up as a contractor at one of these places by using this as my bible (targeting the one's in "flyover" tends to be making emails btw).


A few other sites with postings: Psychology Job & Research Opportunities

Psychology Job & Internship Opportunities

For Undergraduate Students and Recent Graduates Seeking Full-Time or Summer Employment

psychologyjobsinternships.wordpress.com

I'd also do some good ole' googling of academic medical centers to see if they're hiring, sometimes a faculty lab page will outright state it.

Using "google jobs" tends to be low-yield.

Good Luck!

Thank you so much! I am worried that I will not find something by the time I apply and will have to take another year off. I will start the search here, though, and see what I can get. I appreciate the resources!

 

[Temperance]

Add search alerts for all of the major job listing aggregator sites like Glassdoor, Indeed, or LinkedIn. Because I was looking for paid research positions in my research area, I used "<research area> research" as my search terms for the alert. One thing to note is that these sites are often delayed in listing new jobs because they fetch listings from other places, so setting up alerts is mostly a way of finding employers that you may not be aware of and to shortcut checking dozens of agencies.

Other sites that collect post-baccalaureate job postings:

Post-Graduate Research Jobs

Job postings will be updated as they come in. Please check back regularly. If you'd like to view other job boards and read some advice on how to apply for post-graduate research positions in psychology, see this helpful resource.

undergrad.psychology.fas.harvard.edu

R.A. Positions – Clinical Psych Grad School

clinicalpsychgradschool.org

Psychology Job Wiki 2022-2023: Predocs - Psychology Job Wiki

psychjobsearch.wikidot.com

Two Google Docs that provide additional information and resources:

Resources for Applying to Post-Graduate Research Positions in Psychology

docs.google.com

Psych Post Grad Research Jobs and Opportunities.docx

docs.google.com

Listservs for professional organizations will sometimes have job postings, as well. If you're already a member, then I would suggest subscribing to your organization's listserv or forums; not only can you find job postings but also you can learn a lot about the state of the discipline or your research area from watching discussions. I wouldn't pay the membership fee just to get access, especially if you're hard-up on money, but I'd strongly suggest getting involved if you've already paid the dues.

If you are still in contact with any faculty mentors at your alma mater and have not done so already, then let them know that you're looking for positions so that they can give you a heads-up of positions they're aware of or refer you to colleagues who may be looking.

 

[psycho1391]

Hi Orion,
Our lab in Syracuse/Rochester/Buffalo is hiring. It would be through the VA. Not sure if NY is in the cards for you, but our team does research in integrated primary are.