Research assistants are people who conduct researches in business or academic worlds and help their supervisors in performing a specific research agenda. Besides assisting professors at universities, research assistants sometimes, assist newspaper reporters, novel writers and other professionals who need help in order to complete their research based work. One may find research assistants working in laboratory setting, as part-time workers at universities or in office settings like marketing research assistant. However, to achieve this job candidates must come up with an extra-ordinary research assistant resume to get this job.
Job Description of a Research Assistant
The common job responsibilities of a research assistant are:
- Collecting and analyzing facts and information
- Preparing questions for interviews and summarizing interviews
- Using software programs to record and organize data
- Conducting literature reviews
- Keeping accurate records of interviews, maintaining the confidentiality of subjects
- Giving access to all findings related data for the lead researcher and/or supervisor
- Using internet, survey results, interview answers, legal documents and similar streams of data to complete their research processes
- Managing project emails
- Preparing project related presentations and articles
- Preparing reports of completed projects for agency funding or publication in different industry journals
- Entering data into a spreadsheet or database
- Contributing ideas on different aspects of the project, in order to make it better
- Assisting the principle investigator in preparing manuscript for submission to scholarly, academic or other journals.
Skills of a Research Assistant
A good research assistant must have:
Communication skills that help in discussing findings and research results with supervisor or lead researchers. Sometimes communicating the results of research makes the research assistant co-author on research publications or presentations
Critical thinking required to determine the right course of action
Analytical skills required to analyze data
Organization skills
Technical skills
Education
Since as a research assistant you may choose business jobs or academic jobs, you need to be aware of the type of the educational requirement that vary for the two types of jobs. For business jobs you will require a bachelor’s degree and for academic jobs, you need to possess graduate degree.
Research Assistant Resume Sample
Ketty Medford
31 Main Street, Nevada
889-205-2254
Email: ketty.medford@example.com
Summary
A hard-working and reliable research assistant with outstanding research potential and skilful at utilising several sources including Internet. Being comfortable taking directives from lead researchers and other research assistants, looking for an opportunity to work on research studies in an institution that provides opportunities for professional development coupled with personal growth.
Skills and Proficiencies
- Ability to build good relationships with research leaders and other research assistants
- Extensive knowledge of database tools and spreadsheets
- Ability to prioritize work
- Ability to plan research work step by step under the supervision of lead supervisor
- Excellent interpersonal and organizational skills
- Time-management skills
- Ability to perform statistical analysis
- Flexibility with working hours
- Computer skills: MS Office skills
Educational Qualifications
Nevada Central University, 2011
Master of Business Administration in Marketing
Experience
HTT Data Research Consultancy
Marketing Research Assistant
November 2012- present
Job Responsibilities:
- Co-ordinating different research projects
- Analyzing questionnaires
- Helping marketing managers to organize market research
- Analyzing statistics and data
- Making regular reports for senior management
- Ensuring the reliability and validity of data
- Meeting researchers and interviewers
- Conducting quantitative or qualitative surveys
- Performing other tasks like: data entry, data analysis, data coding and transcribing
- Attending seminars and conferences with research leads
- Writing company brochures and reports
- Discussing with senior management regarding how to use research findings in the best possible ways
- Assessing future market trends
Whatever may be the career path, you need to be very passionate and interested about gaining research in the chosen field or further your education level in that field. You must have a keen interest in the area to which your research work relates. Once you are confident about the type of work a research assistant does and choose the field of work, you need to prepare a research assistant resume highlighting your skills and expertise. If you are already working in this profile, you must focus on your work history and accomplishments.
