Research Assistant Resume Sample

Whether you’re an undergraduate looking for your first paid role in your field or an accomplished professional, a position as a research assistant is a great way to further your career while contributing to important projects.

But research teams and professors take their work very seriously, so they’re not going to hire just anyone.

That’s why it’s important to demonstrate in your resume that you’re highly competent, and have the analytical skills needed to contribute to their research.

To help you land your ideal position, here are three helpful tips on how to write a resume for a research assistant role:

1. Open with a strong research assistant resume summary

If you’re applying for a senior or mid-level research assistant position, the hiring manager will want to see more than just your degree.

To get the best chance of being hired, you need to make a great impression as quickly as possible. The most effective way to do this is to start your resume with a convincing resume summary.

A resume summary puts your key accomplishments and skills front-and-center, making it especially valuable for anyone applying for jobs as a research assistant. In a few short bullet points, you can convey to the hiring manager or professor what your key strengths are, what kind of experience you have, and why you’re suited to the position.

For reference, here’s the summary that our sample candidate used to introduce their biology research assistant resume:

Knowledgeable: Over 3 years of experience in the field of molecular biology.

Diligent: Observed and analyzed cell changes with 99% accuracy.

Innovative: Developed a research proposal to measure mutagenic effects of toxicants, securing $30,000 in grant funding.

When writing your resume summary, make it concise and highlight a few of your most impressive accomplishments to convince the hiring manager to continue reading.

2. Learn how to list research on your resume effectively

If you’re applying for a senior or mid-level research assistant position, the hiring manager or professor will want to see more than just your degree. To impress them, demonstrate what kind of experience you have and how well you handle your responsibilities.

To convince them that you’re the right candidate for the position, you need to know how to put research experience on your resume effectively.

To start, here’s what you need to include:

• A brief overview of your accomplishments
• The topic you were helping to research
• A description of your involvement in the research
• Some details about key discoveries or takeaways that resulted from the research

For example, here’s how one candidate showcased a research project they worked on while studying at Stanford University:

The goal of putting research on your resume is to demonstrate how you contributed to the research process, what you’re capable of accomplishing, and the impact of your findings.

3. Highlight key skills

Research assistant work requires a range of hard skills to successfully meet job expectations.

To prove that you have the right knowledge for the position and are adequately qualified, include a targeted list of skills for a research assistant on your resume.

What do we mean by targeted? Simple: read through the job description and note specific abilities or strengths that the employer wants applicants to have. Then, tailor your skills section to these abilities and strengths by highlighting the ones that apply to you.

Paying attention to the details of the job description helps you stand out, and makes you look uniquely prepared to tackle the challenges of the job (hopefully you are).

But if that’s not enough, here are a handful of general skills expected of research assistants, whether you’re working in biology, communications, or another field:

• Data evaluation
• Data entry
• Microsoft Powerpoint/Excel
• Teaching
• Attention to detail
• Statistical & graphical analysis of data
• Ability to adhere to safety protocol
• Equipment maintenance

The Next Step

By following these top research assistant resume writing tips, you can better highlight your professional strengths and start getting more interviews.

But before you get writing, make sure your resume looks ready to impress by trying one of our free resume templates.

And if you want to make the process of crafting your resume easier, try out our easy-to-use resume builder. Put in your information and our software will help you make a great looking resume in just a few minutes.