Advice on writing a CV for a research assistant position with no research experience

[ban1o]

So I'm a first year student applying to be a research assistant in a lab for the summer and they want me to submit my CV. However I have no research experience whatsoever. What should I include in my CV? So far I have the university I attend, scholarships I have gotten, my approximate grades, work experience(In high school every summer I would work for my dad's pharmacy), and a lot of volunteer experience and extra-curriculars (most of it isn't health or science related). I don't know what else to include though. Should I include relevant courses I have taken in university and what I learned from them? I need help? Do you have advice for making a CV for a research position? Please I need help!

[Lactic Folly]

You can consider a skills-based format to shift the focus away from your lack of formal research experience - e.g. make headings such as problem solving, initiative and ability to work independently, and give examples of how you excelled in those areas through your previous experience.

[CloudNine]

Any ideas on the skills they are searching for in person to fill a summer research position? (ex: a job posting with skills they would want generated?)

[carazadie]

Sounds like you're off to a good start. For what it's worth, I wouldn't worry too much about not having any past research experience. You're a first year student! That's expected. If you're applying for a position that's normally filled by other students, then I wouldn't worry about it.

 

Research is a job, like any other. The boss knows that he or she will have to provide training to the person they hire. It's easy to teach someone the technical skills of a job. Much harder to teach them how to have a good work ethic, punctuality, responsibility, respect for coworkers...that's what I would be looking for, if I was hiring a research assistant (I say this after having worked in a lab for two years).

 

If you can show from your CV that you're a hardworking and conscientious person who is ready to learn, you will stand a good chance.

 

Good luck.

[Bede]

One of the biggest things I see lacking in UG or new grad students is problem solving skills and a lack of creativity. Experiments often don't work and you need to find a way to make them work without running to the PI every day. Emphasize things that you have done in the past that demonstrate that you can solve problems, work independently, etc. For example, as HS student, I competed in a robot building competition (long before Arduino;) and build a cool HS electronics project.

 

Don't worry about not having any papers- you're new to this! Many new grad students don't even have any papers

[AnnaRaven]

Just a quick caveat to the comments here. Your case may be completely different since it's in a lab, but when I was applying to a clinical research position, I was competing against a few other people who had a lot more research experience, either through volunteering or actual jobs, or through undergraduate thesis work. I don't know how competitive the specific position you're looking at is (i.e. if it's at a prestigious institution, if it's for a job most people would qualify for etc.). But mine was quite competitive, and I ended up losing out to another student who had more research experience.

 

That's not to say that you shouldn't apply. I think you should apply and put 100% of your effort in the application. But if you don't get it this time, consider taking a volunteer research position at the same institution, or anywhere related to your field of work. There's only so many ways you can present your CV and cover letter. In the end, nothing speaks for your application like good, hard-earned experience. You're also quite young, so you have lots of time to build that experience. 1 year of volunteer work, and the other years you could be working like pro