Applying for Research Assistant but facing rejection :(
I’ve finished uni with a first and looking to do some research assistant (psychology) work. So far I’ve applied to 3 posts and been rejected. Am I doing something wrong? How can I stand out? Any experiences and tips would be greatly appreciated!
Congratulations on your 1st.
First 3 rejections is nothing. Keep looking and applying. Remember there are thousands of psychology graduates produced every year as it's one of the most popular degrees. You are up against a lot of competition. Most people need to apply to dozens of jobs before they get one.
We don't know if you are doing anything wrong without seeing your CV. Some things to note though:
1) What level of jobs are you applying to? Research assistants are everything from those without a degree to those with a Masters degree.
2) Do you have any RA experience e.g. from your degree? This would really help. What mark did you get in your project (the closest thing to RA work)?
3) Many PIs will want to use an RA they know e.g. students they teach, because you want to be able to trust that someone can do the tasks without messing up.
4) Where are you looking for jobs? Given 3), one avenue to try is asking any lecturers you know from your course if they know anyone who is looking for an RA. We sometimes recommend potential students or graduates with other colleagues we know, and many RA jobs exist on the grapevine rather than the traditional job sites (I'm a psych lecturer).
First 3 rejections is nothing. Keep looking and applying. Remember there are thousands of psychology graduates produced every year as it's one of the most popular degrees. You are up against a lot of competition. Most people need to apply to dozens of jobs before they get one.
We don't know if you are doing anything wrong without seeing your CV. Some things to note though:
1) What level of jobs are you applying to? Research assistants are everything from those without a degree to those with a Masters degree.
2) Do you have any RA experience e.g. from your degree? This would really help. What mark did you get in your project (the closest thing to RA work)?
3) Many PIs will want to use an RA they know e.g. students they teach, because you want to be able to trust that someone can do the tasks without messing up.
4) Where are you looking for jobs? Given 3), one avenue to try is asking any lecturers you know from your course if they know anyone who is looking for an RA. We sometimes recommend potential students or graduates with other colleagues we know, and many RA jobs exist on the grapevine rather than the traditional job sites (I'm a psych lecturer).
Thank u so much 
So far all 3 have been RA posts for universities (via indeed, university email) and require a degree of 2:1, although 2 did state that a masters degree would be desirable. Yes I do have some RA experience through my dissertation which received 80. How should I go about describing this in my statement? I feel like I may have undermined this. Are RA referrals by lecturers (ones not advertised) unpaid work? I’m completely fine with this as I just want to gain experience before pursuing masters.
So far all 3 have been RA posts for universities (via indeed, university email) and require a degree of 2:1, although 2 did state that a masters degree would be desirable. Yes I do have some RA experience through my dissertation which received 80. How should I go about describing this in my statement? I feel like I may have undermined this. Are RA referrals by lecturers (ones not advertised) unpaid work? I’m completely fine with this as I just want to gain experience before pursuing masters.
Original post by Anonymous
I’ve finished uni with a first and looking to do some research assistant (psychology) work. So far I’ve applied to 3 posts and been rejected. Am I doing something wrong? How can I stand out? Any experiences and tips would be greatly appreciated!
In STEM an RA position is typically a post PhD role, even a good BSc 1st or distinction at Masters would be an instant reject without that. Are you actually looking at jobs at the right level for your qualifications ? Note also that the 2:1 minimum is the kind of think that HR might bolt on to a job advert, you need to look in detail at the profile of people actually doing these roles to get a sense of what is needed to be competitive versus what is the minimum on the job ad.
Original post by Anonymous
Thank u so much
So far all 3 have been RA posts for universities (via indeed, university email) and require a degree of 2:1, although 2 did state that a masters degree would be desirable. Yes I do have some RA experience through my dissertation which received 80. How should I go about describing this in my statement? I feel like I may have undermined this. Are RA referrals by lecturers (ones not advertised) unpaid work? I’m completely fine with this as I just want to gain experience before pursuing masters.
So far all 3 have been RA posts for universities (via indeed, university email) and require a degree of 2:1, although 2 did state that a masters degree would be desirable. Yes I do have some RA experience through my dissertation which received 80. How should I go about describing this in my statement? I feel like I may have undermined this. Are RA referrals by lecturers (ones not advertised) unpaid work? I’m completely fine with this as I just want to gain experience before pursuing masters.
80 is a great mark so that's in your favour. I would try and work this into your cover letter and CV as a highlight. RA referrals could be paid or unpaid, but advertised ones won't be unpaid. If you are happy with unpaid, it's well worth sending a speculative e-mail to the department of your local university - we often get these send round to all staff. You might be lucky and someone is willing to offer something even if short-term. Once you're there and make a good account of yourself you might be the first you hear about paid RA positions.
Persistence is a key trait. You may not be doing anything wrong, it's just that there are other better candidates you are competing against.
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