Job Searching For Research Assistantships

[katinatree]

I wasn't accepted into a Clinical PhD program this year and thus am looking for research assistantships. I'm wondering if anyone can offer advice on finding one. I've been told by many that it is the single best way to improve an application.

I'm in an interesting predicament where I'm open to moving anywhere in the United States because I was prepared to move anywhere in pursuit of my PhD, but I'm just not sure how to go about searching. Are those job search engines really reliable? Should I contact professors at universities?

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[reluctantPhd01]

If you are open to moving anywhere, the best thing is to just e-mail people directly. Make sure your e-mail is brief, to the point, and includes a CV that is well edited. Of course, I think now-a-days, even RA positions are super competitive to come by. And with some many people interested, a lot of time labs want to take on people that they already know are quality---e.g. you worked there as an undergraduate, you know somebody, you already have two years of RA experience!

Also, while your enthusiasm is great, I think it's going to be hard to interview and pursue jobs that are so low paying across the country---and kind of not practical.

I honestly think volunteering is not a bad way to get your foot in the door. And a lot of times, professors really value volunteers because they feel , well, you aren't getting paid, so they should at least be giving you valuable experiences. However, sometimes I have found there is red tape with volunteering---e.g. you can't have patient contact because you aren't "staff", but there are often ways around this.

Do you live in a specific area of the country? I could help you more if I knew that.

I do believe that RA experience is the single best way to improve your appliaction to Clinical programs.

 

[psychapps]

I was also unsuccessful my first year applying, so I feel your pain. I think that getting more research experience (with some posters and a pending pub) was definitely a key factor in turning things around this year.

I agree with reluctantPhd that volunteering can be a great way to connect with a researcher and can sometimes lead to a paid position down the road.

Another way to job search is to go to the HR sites of large research institutions. I'm from the northeast, so here are a few key players to look into in that area:

New York State Psychiatric Institute: http://www.nyspi.org/

Western Psychiatric Institute: http://www.upmc.com/HospitalsFacilities/Hospitals/wpic/Pages/default.aspx

Johns Hopkins: https://hrnt.jhu.edu/jhujobs/

Harvard Medical and affiliated hospitals: Partners.org

 

[BiopsychStudent]

I found directly emailing principle investigators with research interests loosely related to my volunteer research experiences, where I expressed specific interest in their research, got me a lot of interviews. Applying through HR databases to large academic medical centers was a waste of time (for me).

Now is the time to start, though, as a lot of RA's will be leaving for grad-school during the summer months.

 

[aventurine]

Second the recommendation for the NY State Psychiatric Institute. Many in the NYC area have found RA jobs there in preparation for grad school.

 

[reluctantPhd01]

Biopsych, I'd actually say folks are too late for the main burst of jobs. Normally these are filled by April 1st or so, even earlier. But there are always things trickling around....I find that most things are filled by March though!

 

[LaserPrinter]

Biopsych, I'd actually say folks are too late for the main burst of jobs. Normally these are filled by April 1st or so, even earlier. But there are always things trickling around....I find that most things are filled by March though!

There is something seriously wrong with the field of psychology's way of going about placing people...

 

[KayJay85]

These are all great suggestions. I, too, was unsuccessful at my first application attempt. I opted to remain at my home university for RAship. It was not a perfect fit at first, but I knew some of the faculty there. I had to start off volunteering to get my foot in the door, but it did not take long before I was offered a paid position. I also fell in love with the research and am still working in that area now. I certainly would not suggest moving across the country (potentially) for a low-paying and fickle (labs lose funding all the time) RAship. Volunteering is a much simpler option.

 

[StacyTXLPC]

I also was not accepted for the 2010-2011 school year and took some time to plan my next move. I earned a practical, terminal MS in 1998, and have been a licensed therapist for 10 years now. Two months ago, I left my position with an EAP, and am now working as a research associate.

I would suggest searching available positions with the VA, military medical facilities, or the Henry Jackson Foundation as they fill a lot of research positions for DOD.

If you cannot find a job, and must be a volunteer research assistant, just start emailing local universities / researchers with shared interest; if they can't help you, they'll usually suggest someone else by name. This is how I got my foot in the door in my current job.

I hope to apply again either this fall or next with this experience under my belt.