Cold-emailing PIs for research?

[EileanDonan]

Hello fellow psych nerds,

Having recently graduated and the job app season quickly gearing up, the next best step for me is to acquire a (paid) research position.

On that note, does anyone here have any advice related to cold-emailing PIs of interest to inquire about a potential position? Best way to present yourself and pique their interest? For context, I have a BA and have been helping with various research projects since Fall 2017.

All suggestions appreciated!

[dakotaS]

http://research.berkeley.edu/how-cold-email-professor

[OhHotDog!]

^^^ everything in that link + I would send my CV as opposed to resume

[higaisha]

I love cold emailing tbh, I attach my CV, try to keep it brief, and always make some comment as to a recent paper they've published to show I've read it and how it relates to my interest--showing rather than telling. At the least its lite-networking, even if you don't get a position out of it. 

Edited March 4, 2019 by higaisha

[paraent]

I only emailed labs whose websites advertised a job somewhere. Saves a lot of trouble. There are quite a lot every year!

[TrustedTheProcess]

I would just attach a CV, talk about why you would like to work with them, and what kind of experience you're trying to get. I got my current lab manager job by being hired on as an RA this way and then promoted

[OhHotDog!]

14 hours ago, paraent said:

I only emailed labs whose websites advertised a job somewhere. Saves a lot of trouble. There are quite a lot every year!

This may be a good start but I would also just email labs you are interested in. I did this and if the PIs didn't have anything available for me, they forwarded my information to other PIs : )

 

 

[EileanDonan]

Thank you everyone for the replies!