Research Assistant Jobs

[BiopsychStudent]

This is coming mostly from my experience as a recent BS in Psychology, and just to get a consensus from other recent graduates... but has anyone else experienced difficulty landing a job as an RA?

My intention getting out of college was to work for a year or two as a research assistant as I applied to PhD programs and to strengthen my CV if I don't get in the first time around, which I am doing right now. But thus far I've had very little luck, which is disappointing and certainly worries me as to my prospects as a doctoral program applicant:

-I have a 3.6 GPA
-I have prior research experience for 18 months
-I'm told my resume is formatted just fine
-I'm 22, but I think I come off as polite, mature, and dedicated in phone interviews and in my cover letters

Most of my job searching has been done on the HR databases of local universities and research foundations and I've applied to around 35-45 jobs in the area where I think I've met the minimum qualifications. So I guess my question is...

...are other people having difficulty with this as well? And if not, is there something I'm not doing or some other route to RA positions? I understand the job market is very poor, and while I don't mean to sound arrogant I have trouble believing these positions are so competitive that I would have trouble obtaining interviews with a strong GPA and undergraduate research experience.

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[cheeze]

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[BiopsychStudent]

I guess you're right, I sort of underestimated the... competition for these jobs because I assumed a lot of the extremely competitive individuals (3.8+ GPA) would be heading straight into graduate programs rather than choosing to work in the field for some years. I ended up basing my decision to take 1-2 years off before I applied on the advice of professors, SDN and other reading that a research assistant position is a good stepping stone to get the experience and publications necessary for grad school - though it seems they're almost just as difficult to get. I'm aware 3.6 usually falls at or below he mean for most most doctoral programs; I'm just surprised its even mediocre when it comes to 'entry level' employment in the field.

I've picked up some books on resumes and coverletters, and went to my college's career center for what it was worth. I'm a little curious about what you said on key words, though, I've sometimes heard that programs look at your resume for specific words before forwarding them to HR departments: are those key words typically the same phrases listed under job descriptions and qualifications?

So how do you go about volunteering at a lab? I'd feel funny calling up out of the blue and asking if they need anyone.

 

[cheeze]

by key words i mean use the words they used in the posting if they're looking for "motivated and driven" demonstrate that in your coverletter.

if they're looking for specific skills e.g. they want someone who can use End Note, write on ur resume: "Computer skills: End Note, Microsoft Office etc. etc." I include those under the subtitle "relevant skills"

To volunteer in a lab, ask your professors/bosses for connections or email professors that you don't know. I got my first volunteer position while my manger told me i got laid off haha! my second one i got emailing out of the blue: introduce your self, state what you've done, state your interests, say you want to volunteer with them, include ur resume. If they want you they'll respond, if they dont they'll just ignore your email

 

[BiopsychStudent]

I've been trying to tailor my resume to specific positions; though I was unsure if exact phrasing needed to be used so they'd be picked up by programs: I know some larger institutions electronically process them.

While I'm not surprised that a lot of RA jobs are looking for specific skill sets: SPSS, Matlab, Animal Handling, Brain Slicing, etc...

...I've been seeing an awful lot that hold strong preference to fMRI and ERP. Short attending specific technical programs to become an EEG or Radiology technician, or pursuing full on graduate school in cognitive neuroscience, I'm a little curious as to the best way to acquire general competency in either of these techniques.

 

[cheeze]

I don't know about electronically processing... never came across that myself. tailoring just takes practice over time you'll figure out whats important. I used to have 3-4 versions of my resume, now i figured a way to just have 1 copy that works for most jobs

Send me a private message if u have any more questions.

 

[BiopsychStudent]

Sorry if I wasn't clear, it was late when I made the post. I was more or less asking if anyone knew how or where to acquire general competency in neuroimaging techniques. My alma mater didn't offer much in the way of classes on the specific use of the equipment other than the general theories behind them. My own background is fairly heavy in biology and physiology which is why its of interest.

I've noticed it as a prerequisite for a fair amount of research assistant positions, not to mention as a possible asset in graduate work depending on the program. It more or less seems to be a potentially skill to have in some circumstances. Based on what you're saying at least, you picked it up volunteering in a lab, which I suppose is what I'll need to do to gain basic familiarity with it.

 

[daydreaming]

I just want to add that the process of looking for RA jobs seems pretty random at times. I applied to so many jobs (maybe 80-100) all over the US last year and got only a few interviews and phone interviews. My upper division coursework is 3.6, GRE 1340. I didn't hear a thing back from most places including a few I'd never heard of but was interviewed by a leading lab in developmental psychology at Harvard.

In the end, I was not able to land any job for which I was interviewed. The market is amazingly competitive for RA positions. I can't even find a volunteer position locally where I live (Seattle, WA area) at nearby universities.

My point in this is, apply everywhere and anywhere. Who knows where you will land a job.

 

[KPsych]

Thought I'd bring this thread back to the surface and see if anyone else is still struggling to find an RA position like I am. Even though I've interviewed for a fair number of positions and been told that I'm a very competitive candidate, I've yet to actually land anything. It's frustrating beyond belief and the fact that I've been out of school since June is really starting to wear on me mentally.

So, is anyone else still looking or has anyone any tips to help those that are struggling to find positions? At the moment, and whether this is normal for this time of year or not, the difficulty for me lies in actually finding RA positions to apply to.

I'd love to hear of anyone's experience in this matter.

 

[love2bfit]

I completely understand what you're going through. I've been seeking a RA position for a few months now. With regard to my experience/education, I have a bachelors degree in psychology, 2 years of RA experience, and a half-year of graduate school (which I left because I hated the program). I applied to about 50 jobs, got THREE phone calls to come in and interview. On the first interview, they were impressed with my credentials but I got beat out by someone who's "been out in the working world a bit longer". My second interview went well, but I still haven't heard back about the status of the position. My third interview was a phone interview, and this was where things turned around. I didn't get the position, but the interviewer was so impressed with my credentials that she passed my information on to another person in the same department who was also looking to hire a RA. Sure enough, after a phone interview and trip to meet the staff, I was offered the position! I'm set to start the job at the end of February.

So, after a host of interviews, here's my advice:
-Have confidence, and don't be afraid to talk yourself up! During all of my interviews I was asked about my skills, and I found that responding positively (and accurately) about what I know how to do is viewed as a positive for sure.
-Don't be afraid to ask questions. Asking questions about the job, what kind of research they're doing, etc. shows that you are interested!
-Follow up, follow up, follow up! I always send a thank you email after an interview. I also usually send a follow up email within the week after the interview expressing my interest (again) and inquiring about the status of the position.
-Don't BS. Interviewers can smell BS from a mile away. Lying/fabricating/padding your resume definitely will not help you land a job. It's best to just be honest!

Hope this helps, guys! Good luck

 

[BiopsychStudent]

Depending on how the rest of this cycle goes I may or may not have to start looking again... I've been given mixed advice on this, but how appropriate is it to email PI's with your CV to see if there's a place in their lab? I'm sure it varies from place to place generally, but is it ordinary for people to cold call labs looking for RA placements?

And for that matter, if you offer to volunteer in a lab is it unheard of for it to possibly lead into employment at a later time? I'd considered volunteering at a lab in order to get some more research experience, though if I end up eventually getting a full time position elsewhere... I can't see how a scant few months of the volunteering at a lab can really contribute to one's CV if you aren't involved in a project from beginning to end. I'm probably wrong on this.

 

[love2bfit]

BioPsych,

I think it is perfectly fine to email PI's with your CV, as long as you approach them in a respectful way. I did this plenty, and found that as long as you express interest in what they are doing and are polite, they respond. Through these emails, I was offered several opportunities to volunteer (though I had to turn them down because I needed a paid position).

To answer your second question, absolutely. Many paid RA's start out as volunteers, and then if/when funds arise PI's start paying them. It really depends on how you fit with the lab... if they see that you are doing great things and can be an asset to the team, they may be more inclined to hire you. This is just my experience though, I'm interested to hear what other people have to say about this!

 

[cheeze]

I don't think you need to be involved in a project from beginning to end. Just make sure ur work has decent depth. In all honesty some projects go on for many many years, its unreasonable to expect you to be there the whole time. Just make sure when u volunteer your not just doing things like data entry, actually develop some specific skill sets (coding, interviewing Ps, analyzing data, manuscript writing). The better thing to do is to develop skill sets relevant to your dream job.

I sometimes get rejected because no experience submitting IRB and grants. Once I got beat out by a candidate who had more qualitative research experience. And at my most recent interview, the interviewer told me I was too young, nothing I can do about that really.

 

[psich]

It is extremely difficult finding RA jobs because no one wants to pay somebody for doing work a volunteer will do...

 

[cheeze]

And so I've noticed and I strongly agree. If anything this job searching process has really trained my endurance and patience which is not a bad thing.

Unfortunately I can't even find a volunteer position... I moved away from college to be near my significant other.... and found myself struggling to convince labs that I'm not gonna go volunteer and ditch it 2 days. I really wasn't going to - but they don't trust people not a part of their school easily.

 

[BiopsychStudent]

If you've already worked as a research assistant I find it odd they'd be so guarded about allowing you to volunteer. Unless they're 'reserving' positions for their own undergraduates I'd imagine your previous experience should at least show you're driven enough to stick with it.

I ended up landing most of my interviews, and a job offer, through cold-emailing researchers with my CV in mid-March. I think I may have just gotten lucky as someone just happened to be leaving (usually the case this time of year), and the lab uses techniques I'm familiar with. More than anything landing paid RA work seems to be very much a crap shoot just as graduate applications can be.

When you've been out of work more than a month or two it might be a good idea to take up clinically related volunteering, or take some classes if you haven't already, both to build your CV, and to have a more interesting answer when they ask what you've been doing for the past 6 months in an interview. (Its a commonly asked question I've come across).