In the face of a possibility that I might not be accepted to a program this year, I wanted to to see if there are any members out there who have advice on securing a paid RA job?
Thanks!
On finding positions:
If you did any research classes in undergrad, those can be great starting points either to work in the same lab or to seek recommendations on other faculty who may be hiring RAs. The bonus of this approach, if you were a good student in the class/volunteer, is that it basically comes with a built-in recommendation. Along those lines, if you did any research as an undergrad, even if only for credit or as a volunteer, make sure that on your resume you include the project(s) you worked on, the PI(s), and your duties. Those things stand out when your resume gets skimmed.
If you live around a place that does research, look at the faculty directories in the departments you are interested in until you find several professors whose research is really interesting to you. Then email them, express your interest, and inquire about opportunities. Hiring a regular employee (full benefits) full time can be a hard thing for a department/organization to do on short notice, but often they can hire you as a temp fairly easily. Not necessarily as great for you in terms of the whole package, but it gets you a job.
If you know of someone already working in research, sometimes networking can help. Some research people know a lot of faculty, a lot of other research personnel with the capacity to hire, and can help matchmake between your interests and known investigator needs. You still need to have the qualifications to be a strong candidate on your own, but this method also comes with a sort of recommendation in that the person helping make the match evidently thinks you are strong enough to be worth considering. This can give you a leg up.
Check out some of the summer programs, too. NIH, NASA, etc. offer research programs with stipends so it may not be a great paying job, but most RA positions aren't. Those programs will look good on your future application.
Make sure you find and become acquainted with your local organizations' job search sites. These tend to have better opportunities than Monster or the big search engines.
I think it is a misconception that most RA jobs want at least a 2 year commitment. For entry-level RA jobs, my experience has been that many PIs LOOK for students in their gap year (singular) because they are highly motivated and interested in the material. Granted, a year is not a long time to learn all there is to know about any lab, but many have plenty of work that you can be trained on and contribute to in 12 months or less. Higher level research jobs do typically require a greater time commitment. Look for grant-funded positions, as often these will say that they can only guarantee funding for a year or some limited period of time (so everyone wins).
Apply broadly. It's sometimes a sort of random process. People you don't think you have much of a shot with will call you, and people you think you are a great fit for won't.
Don't sell yourself short. Just because something is a "desired" characteristic or something that an "ideal candidate should possess" doesn't mean that the job won't compromise for an otherwise strong candidate. (If it's required and you don't have it, you may want to reconsider applying.)
Resume stuff:
Depending on what kind of RA job you want, you also might want to make sure that you list all your lab skills, particularly if you don't have actual research experience. The more you know, the less you have to be taught and the easier it is to bring you on board, so you become a slightly more competitive applicant.
If you are really short of experience, you may want to reference electives that you've taken that are a good fit for the possible job, either as a short section in the resume or in the cover letter. I have seen some PIs look at these and have seen it be a deciding factor in who gets an interview/job and who doesn't.
Always write a cover letter. ALWAYS. It is your best shot to sell yourself and it has to be tailored to each job. Use their posting as a template, figure out how your skills line up. You are going to be competing against career changers, MDs, PhDs, the whole gamut. I used to screen resumes for RA jobs and we would get 50+ applicants for every position posted. In addition to your qualifications, express your enthusiasm, your drive, and your willingness to learn. Those are good qualities that can help set you apart from people who have been in the field longer and are either set in their ways or a little jaded on things. Being fresh can be an asset because you will be taught to their project and don't come pre-programmed with bad habits from other places.
Just my two cents. Good luck!
