Research Assistant Skills You Need to Land a Job [entry-level, medium, senior]

To craft a winning resume, you need to demonstrate certain research assistant skills and accomplishments. Just to be clear, no need to write a resume all by yourself — Skillhub expert resume writers have got you covered.

This piece will tell you everything you need to know and become an ambitious research assistant. Let's start with a definition of this position and the skill set you need to showcase during an interview.

What is a Research Assistant?

Research assistant description starts with doing data mining to assist with academic or private research. The main responsibilities of a research assistant are supporting either a research fellow or a research team through data analysis and interpretation. 

Research assistants are data science professionals: they browse statistics to back up an academic field. If you're an undergraduate student completing your Ph.D., you are a perfect applicant for the role.

Research Assistant Technical Skills

Here’s the list of research skills needed to land an interview:

• Data modeling — understanding how to use specific equipment and the ability to interpret data results is critical for your career.
• Preparation of results — working in various processes, you have to take responsibility for data collection and interpretation and be ready to prove your results to your fellow mates.
• Graphical data analysis — visualization is key to your success; it makes even the complicated terms understandable.

Research Assistant Non-Technical Skills

The employer wants to see you as a person, not just as an exclusive worker who’s interested in company metrics only. Therefore, research assistant duties are not limited by data analysis; they require plenty of soft skills, such as:

• communication
• attention to details
• critical thinking
• time management
• organization

You also have to be ready for Continual Learning: the data world is rapidly changing, and the specialists should be flexible enough. Luckily, you don’t have to learn how to write a resume: you can just request a resume writing service at Skillhub.

Top Skills to Advance in the Position

There are different skills recruiters will need from you for a research assistant position. We have highlighted some of the most popular ones to help you figure out how to become a research assistant:

• critical thinking
• communication
• graphical data analysis
• planning
• interviewing

Besides a resume, recruiting firms will take a precise look at your LinkedIn profile: it should be visually attractive with a clear summary.

Critical Thinking

Research assistant responsibilities include not only dealing with hard data but building relationships with fellow mates. By showing that you can identify a problem and find an appropriate solution, you can boost your career and find yourself promoted in no time.

As a research assistant, you should also realize there can be a different outcome for an issue and predict the results before making a mistake.

Communication

Many people wonder what does a research assistant do, undermining the power of communication at work. Resolving issues for a particular client, you have to understand their needs and meet their expectations.

Communication is also a tool to get ahead in your career: by showing you're open to discussions and equally productive during individual tasks, you'll expand a corporate network. Who knows, maybe those small talks in the hallway can even lead to a promotion?

Graphical Analysis of Data

A research assistant job requires many routine tasks, which include data collection and analysis. Despite your level of experience, employers may ask you to deal with situations you didn’t have before, such as making infographics or visually demonstrating the research progress. 

Planning

Paying attention to details is a decision maker for hiring research assistant staff. What do research assistants do besides data analysis? They think strategically and plan the next steps in scientific explorations. 

Careful planning is one of the leadership skills, useful in any job. It comprises the time management and organization values since the best discoveries are always made because of the best teamwork. 

Interviewing

One of the main skills for research assistant is communicating with business partners and other employees. However, it's not regular small talk (as a part of communication skills); it's the ability to carefully gather the information you need without stepping outside a topic. Politeness is your key to earning trust!

How to Improve a Research Assistant Skills

The proven way to enhance your research skills list is to land a job in a scientific field. We know it's tough to get hired when you have zero experience: your resume has to pass ATS bots, and then there's an interview around the corner. Nevertheless, we highly recommend the work environment as the best one for understanding research assistant responsibilities.

By following instructions, you can create the best bot-beating resume; however, why don't you use that time to improve your job qualification? You can always turn to Skillhub and ask our professional resume writers to assist!

Find the Top Minds in the Field

What's a better way to comprehend the field than a research assistant blog? It can be a great opportunity to land a new job and discover the methods professionals use in their daily routines.

Here's the list of online pages which may help acquire skills for a research assistant:

1. Academics Write — Kim Mitchell, a founder, comes from a nursing discipline. Her blogs are for post-secondary instructors, academic writers, and students.
2. Beyond the Doctorate — the best source about post-doctoral research life and a new vision of technology processes.
3. Diary of Dr. Logic — offers blog posts on several topics related to scholarly publishing and life as an academic.

If you want to dig deeper into the industry, check out these Twitter accounts:

• Emma Lokuciejewski — a science enthusiast from Germany
• Gregory Dion — Associate Professor of Otolaryngology; engages in research of complex airway disorders
• Dr. María D. Mayán — a blog about basic research in age-related diseases 

How to Showcase Your Skills

The more skills you use (according to the research assistant resume description), the more likely you’ll pass an applicant tracking system. 

To make sure your resume is good enough for ATS bots, you need to showcase your skills. Try to find a practical example to describe the skills: mention it in the work experience, and then rewrite it for the skills section.

Research Assistant Skills in a Resume Skills Section

Research assistant resume skills for the qualified candidate should look like this:

• critical thinker
• problem solver
• detail-oriented
• master of data collection and analysis
• oral and written communication

You may add more research skills: resume has to define you as a good person and a hard-working individual. By doing so, you'll impress the potential employer and likely will get yourself a job!

How to Add Research Assistant Skills to a Work Experience Section in a Resume

The best way to highlight your abilities for a hiring manager is to start talking about them on top of your resume. 

Here’s an example of how to put research assistant skills resume:

Laboratory Research Assistant II

The University of Texas, Leukemia Research Team 

2017 to present

• maintained and established tissue culture cell lines
• performed genotyping of mice
• identified cell changes under the microscope.

By clarifying your duties and skills, you can impress the potential employer. If you feel you’re not good at writing a resume by yourself, join a Skillhub community  and say, “I need help with my resume!” Our professional writers will get back to you with career advice.

Wrapping Up the Information

The best way to get research assistant skills is to write a bot-beating resume. This way, you’ll get more interviews and be on the way to new exciting experiences. Don’t get discouraged if your work experience section is blank: think about the abilities you have that can impress a hiring manager and get you hired in no time.

Research assistant qualifications are technical and non-technical. Recruiters often use resume-scanning software to make sure an applicant matches their requirements. You can always get professional help with resume writing and editing; no need to waste precious time. 

So, here’s the advice — leave off your doubts for later, and apply for a job! The proven way to get hired is by creating an ATS resume; the best of our writers are here to assist you.