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When applying for research assistant positions, you’re up against fierce competition: highly motivated, ambitious, extremely talented, and well-educated scholars and scientists. But you are going to beat them all.
How do I know? Because I’m about to show you the most effective strategies for writing a job-winning research assistant resume. Scroll down one fold, and you’ll see a perfect research assistant resume sample. Better yet? Keep reading, and in 7 minutes you’ll learn how to write an equally amazing research assistant resume yourself, step by step.
In this guide, you’ll see:
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Sample resume made with our builder—See more resume samples here.
Looking for a different education-related resume:
Here’s a sample research assistant resume you can copy, tweak, and use.
Katherine Davenport
Lab Research Assistant
katherine.r.davenport@gmail.com
440-123-3412
linkedin.com/in/kathydavenport
Columbia University MSc in Molecular Biology graduate (4.0 GPA, Graduated Magna Cum Laude) with 3+ years of experience assisting and overseeing research projects involving isolating and analyzing RNA, DNA, and protein. Seeking to join UPenn’s Myeloma Research Team to leverage my data entry and lab maintenance skills to help the research team deliver accurate results.
Laboratory Research Assistant I
The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Leukemia Research Team
2018–2019
Key achievement: Introduced a new standard operating procedure for monitoring and shelving tissue culture supplies to increase efficiency by 33%.
Undergraduate Teacher Assistant
Columbia University
2016–2018
Research Assistant Experience
Various
2011–2016
MSc in Molecular Biology, Columbia University, New York, NY
2015–2018
3.9 GPA
Favorite fields of study: Molecular Biology and Genetics, The RNA World: A Functional and Computational Analysis, Cancer Cell Biology, Immunobiology
Extracurricular activities and achievements:
BSc in Biology, Penn State, Philadelphia, PABachelor of Fine Arts, Cornell University, Cum Laude
New York City, NY
2011–2015
"Bibliometric Analysis of Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology Research Output." Journal of Advancements in Library Sciences 2, no. 2 (2018): 18-24.
"Methods in Plant Molecular Biology and Biotechnology." Chronicle.com
Now here's how to write a rearch assistant resume:
1
Think about this—
Research team supervisors and head professors have to review hundreds of research assistant applications. How much time do you think it would take them to read every single research assistant CV or resume, cover letter, proposal, or transcript of records?
Too much time.
That’s why decision makers don’t read every application document they get. They just skim them for most relevant information.
So—What should you do?
Make it easy for research recruiters to find what they’re looking for in a jiff.The best way to achieve that? Format your research assistant resume the right way and choose a clear, legible research assistant resume template.
Key thing is to divide your resume into sections and put them in the right order.
Writing an undergraduate research assistant resume or a research assistant resume with little experience? Here’s the proper template:
For a postgraduate or graduate research assistant resume with relevant research experience to showcase, move your research experience above the education section:
In each section, list your experience in reverse chronological order, starting with your current or most recent activities.
Make the section headings in bold and slightly larger than the rest of the text. Be consistent with your headings format and with the layout of each section.
Use clear, legible fonts. Make your research assistant CV or resume look scholarly. Don’t cram it with gimmicky graphics. White space is your friend—decision makers need some breathing room!
For more information on how to choose a good template and layout for your research assistant resume, read: Resume Layout Templates and Examples
Now, let’s break down how to write each section of an excellent research assistant resume and see some examples.
2
Regardless of which one you choose, this section comes at the very top of your resume, just below your contact information.
A research assistant resume objective or summary is a short and snappy paragraph that explains why you’re an ideal candidate for this job. It serves as a “trailer” for the rest of your research assistant CV.
Get it right, and every research recruiter will actually read your whole resume with interest.
Should you write a research assistant resume objective or a summary?
That depends on your research experience.
Either one you pick, remember about one thing—
Focus your research objective or summary on what you can offer your prospective employer, not what you want to get out of the job.
Alright, enough theory. Time for some examples.
right |
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Senior year biology student at Anytown University (current GPA: 3.9), looking to join XYZ State University Department of Marine Biology Research Team. Seeking to leverage strong data entry and lab maintenance skills gained through volunteer lab experience at the campus to ensure all research databases and libraries are easily accessible to XYZ State’s students. |
See that? “I’ve learned a lot already, and I want to use this knowledge to make sure all your research projects run smoothly.”
That’s an offer no research recruiter could refuse.
Now, have a look at a not-so-great resume objective example to know what you should avoid.
wrong |
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Medicine student with strong academic record looking to join a research team to gain new skills in gathering, processing, and analyzing clinical data. |
Why is it so bad?
First of all, it’s not specific. What exactly does “strong academic record” mean?
Secondly, it doesn’t refer to any particular research job or project. That’s a red flag for research recruiters—it means this candidate probably spams identical, generic research resumes out to all research institutions and doesn’t really care what job he gets. Every research team wants to recruit research assistants that are passionate about a given research position.
Finally, it makes no offer. The bottom line is “I want a research job so that I can learn more.” That’s what everyone else wants and it’s not enough.
Now, let’s review two very different research assistant resume summaries.
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Columbia University MA in Psychology graduate (3.8 GPA, Graduated Magna Cum Laude) with 3+ years of experience assisting and overseeing research projects involving 1000+ participants. Seeking to join UPenn’s “Transitional Housing Problems” Research Project to leverage expertise in screening participants, administering phone surveys, and collecting and entering data to help the research team deliver accurate results and meet deadlines. |
wrong |
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MA in Psychology graduate experienced in interviewing, reviewing literature, recruiting subjects, and safeguarding data. Other skills include organization, personal networking, bookkeeping and complex problem-solving. |
See the difference? The first example is full of details and lists hard numbers.
The second one barely mentions skills that any good research assistant must have. There’s nothing exceptional in “reviewing literature” or “safeguarding data,” is there?
It’s pretty obvious which of these two candidates will land the interview.
When making a resume in our builder, drag & drop bullet points, skills, and auto-fill the boring stuff. Spell check? Check. Start building a professional resume template here for free.
When you’re done, Zety’s resume builder will score your resume and tell you exactly how to make it better.
Writing the perfect research assistant resume objective or summary can be tricky. For more expert tips and real-life examples, check out our handy guides: How to Write a Resume Summary Statement and How to Write a Resume Career Objective.
3
If you’ve got little or no research experience, the education section of your research assistant resume has to shine.
What do you put in an undergrad research assistant resume education section?
All of the above are absolute must-haves. But you should also include the following to truly make your student research assistant resume stand out:
These will show that you’re passionate about the area of science you’re studying.
See what an excellent research assistant resume education section looks like in practice:
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BSc in Biology Expected to graduate in 2019 University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 3.9 GPA
Favorite fields of study: Molecular Biology and Genetics, The RNA World: A Functional and Computational Analysis, Cancer Cell Biology, Immunobiology
Extracurricular activities and achievements:
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“She’s exactly the kind of dedicated research assistant we’re looking for!”
This academic experience section is guaranteed to bring this kind of response from the research team recruiters.
If you’re writing a senior research assistant resume and have oodles of relevant research experience, limit yourself only to the most important academic achievements and don’t include favorite fields of study in your resume education section.
Also, put your education section below your research experience.
Read on to see how to describe your past research assistant duties and responsibilities.
If you want to learn more about listing your education on a research assistant curriculum vitae or resume, check out this piece: How to Put Education on a Resume
4
Got professional research experience?
If so, you need to know exactly how to write about research you’ve done on your resume.
This section will be critical. For senior research assistant positions, recruiters will want to know how well you handled your past research assistant duties more than anything else.
The trick?
In your research experience section, don’t talk only about your duties and responsibilities. Highlight your achievements and accomplishments instead.
Take a look:
Again, let’s see some examples!
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Laboratory Research Assistant I The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center Leukemia Research Team Aug 2017–May 2018
Key achievement: Introduced a new standard operating procedure for monitoring and shelving tissue culture supplies to increase efficiency by 33%. |
wrong |
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Research Assistant The University of Texas, 2017-2018
Responsibilities:
|
The contrast is clear—
The right research assistant CV sample showcases quantifiable achievements and specific duties. Plus, it’s packed full of action words.
The wrong one? That reads like a re-written description of responsibilities listed in the job ad.
If you want to learn more useful tricks on how to put research duties and responsibilities on an excellent research assistant resume, see this handy guide: How to List Work Experience on Your Resume
5
That’s okay.
In your student research assistant resume work experience section, list all your past professional experiences.
Think you don’t have any? Think again. Even the smallest activities count.
Such as? Have a look.
Even if some of the gigs you’ve done in the past aren’t related to your area of research interest, you should still put them in the work experience section.
This way, you’ll show that you’re dependable, well-organized, and responsible.
For more actionable student research assistant resume samples and ideas on how to make the most of your research assistant resume when you’ve got little or no experience, check out our guide: First Resume with No Work Experience Samples
6
When it comes to listing your skills, relevance is key.
What does it mean for you?
That you shouldn’t cram your resume with all research assistant skills you think you have, entered in whatever order you think is right.
Check the research job description and look for skills-related keywords.
Have these skills? I bet you do! So put them on your resume.
Let’s say, the professor put these skills in the job offer:
In your skills list, prove you’ve got them, like this:
Research: conducted deep research into 15 unique project topics as directed by professors. Commended by 3 professors for quality of research.
Data entry: Performed regular data entry tasks on first-year student project grades for 400+ students.
Physical strength: Able to lift up to 70 pounds.
Want to add some additional researcher skills? Let me give you some inspiration.
This study suggests that 10 qualities essential for a prospective researcher to succeed are:
Want to dazzle every research committee? Make your skills list reflect those values.
Hungry for more examples of the best skills sets to put on your research assistant CV? Read: Examples of What Skills to Put on a Resume
7
Got all of the above research assistant resume sections?
Great. Almost there.
Want to outshine other candidates?
Add an additional section to your research assistant resume. Show recruiting professors that your skills and experiences have been awarded and appreciated by others.
Struggling for ideas on what’s worth putting on a research assistant CV?
Here’s a handy list of entries applicable for undergraduate, entry-level research assistant resumes:
If you’ve already worked as a researcher for some years, your resume can also benefit from an additional section listing your best accomplishments.
Have a look at some ideas:
Need more examples on achievements that can enhance your research resume? Read: Achievements and Accomplishments to Put on a Resume
8
Optional cover letters aren’t optional.
See, 45 out of 100 recruiters won’t even be bothered to open your research assistant resume if there’s no cover letter attached.
Besides, cover letters can do what even best resumes can’t. They tell a story. And even researchers and scientists love stories a lot more than data sheets.
Think about applying for your first research assistant position. Daunting, isn’t it?
It’s your research assistant cover letter that can get you there!
In your cover letter, you can explain your passion for the science area you pursue, talk more about your skills and support them with solid evidence.
But it’s not only junior research assistants who should write a cover letter.
Everyone should—Writing a cover letter basically doubles your chances of landing that interview.
There’s no arguing with stats, is there?
Plus, a great cover letter that matches your resume will give you an advantage over other candidates. You can write it in our cover letter builder here. Here's what it may look like:
See more cover letter templates and start writing.
You can learn how to write a cover letter that gets every research professor excited to interview you from our beast of a guide: Write a Cover Letter in 8 Quick Steps
To have a truly excellent research assistant resume follow the key steps we covered:
All check? Well then—Good luck at your big interview!
Got any questions? Need further help? Want to chat about writing your research resume? That’s great cause I can’t wait to hear from you! Drop me a line in the comments. Let’s chat!
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