Let's Talk About Lab Managers/Paid RA Positions

[FantasticalDevPsych]

So I've probably been rejected from everywhere this application season.

This is my first time applying and I applied straight out of undergrad. I plan to try again at least once more as I don't want to give up on my PhD just yet!

Upon revealing the devastating news to my undergrad advisor, they suggested that I take a lab manager position and that I'd benefit from the opportunity especially since they considered many current/former lab managers this time.

I am graduating from a state school, an R1, and ranked top 15 in psych with my BS in May. I am a psychology major with SPSS experience and some Python programming experience who will have been in my Developmental lab for 2.5 years when I graduate. I also will have completed two theses (a lit review and an experimental one) by then. I am already on the CogDev listserv which sends out listings for these jobs in my area.

My questions to the cafe (especially fellow psych geeks) are as follows:

Have you been in one of these positions?

Did it/or do you think it helped your chances of getting into a PhD program?

How close was the lab you worked in to your actual research interests?

About how many positions did you apply for?

What are interviews for these like (if they are done)?

What is your advice for someone applying to these positions?

[Generis]

I have never been a lab manager, but after graduating I managed to get a research analyst position at a research firm (edu) and it has reeaaaallllyy helped me. I got to do literature reviews, data collection, cleaning, analysis, and visualization. I learned different statistical packages, applied my previous knowledge in stat to projects, and got paid for it!! Best of all, I got to publish, both for my job and still volunteering in my old lab During these past few years.

My experience had not only helped me get into my top phd program this round, but gave me a lot of skills to bring to the program with me. As one POI from another program said to me, "It's like the rich get richer in graduate school, and with your experience you are already so far beyond a lot of students, you'll get the good work."

My point is that this could be a blessing in disguise. I know it was for me, and it's definitely not a waste of your time. Lab manager positions get posted on lab websites, list serves, and even places like indeed.com (more rare). My advice would be to find one where you can be as active as possible, publish, and come out with good letters.

Best of luck!

[briarcliff]

I've been a psychometrist (18 months in private practice, 18 months for a lab) since earning my BS, and I would not have gotten into grad school w/o this experience. Working for a PP let me work with a wide variety of patients and in a number of settings, I also worked closely with insurance companies (which is a nightmare). As a research psychometrist, I've gotten to publish, which is obviously a huge boost to my CV, and I could very clearly articulate my research interests, since I had been working fulltime with research that interested me prior to applying.

[SallyHam]

I would say it helped me a lot!

Being a lab manager got me into grad school, and it helped me develop my interests. It's important to try out new methods and experience other research areas/topics.

 

I'd say I applied to maybe 5 or 6 positions.

The interviews are usually just skype interviews, and mostly have to do with what your skills and previous experiences are.  Sometimes it involves first interviewing with a HR person or the current lab manager and then the professor you'd work for.

 

My advice is just to be open to everything. Be open to moving, be open to new research and new departments!  I ended up working a business school and I never thought that would happen to me, and it turned out wonderfully.

 

Also, I wouldn't be afraid to just openly email and ask faculty you're interested in if they have positions. My current research associate position was obtained by cold-emailing a faculty that didn't have an opening at the time, but still hired me on the spot, and now I make a decent amount just doing research.

[TheMercySeat]

Did it/or do you think it helped your chances of getting into a PhD program? 

It absolutely helped me get the interviews!

Profs saw that I have several publications and presentations.

...then they realize that my experience is applied, and not experimental, and so after the interview, they select students who are still working on their BA over me in some programs.

In my experience, the options around where I live are either:

(1) if you're independently wealthy, you can volunteer in an experimental lab.

(2) if you want a paid position, you will have to do applied work that is either (a) clinical, ( b ) marketing-related, © related to assessment development/psychometrics. These positions are typically grant funded on point a, and sometimes for point c. 

(3) My lab experience was enough to override my garbage GRE Q!

 

 

How close was the lab you worked in to your actual research interests? 

Not in the least bit! But it gave me spectacular quant/psychometrics training, which also captured the attention of many programs. 

 

About how many positions did you apply for? 

Oh jeez... like 20 a week. This was during the depths of the recession, mind you. Some programs told me that I was 'overqualified' because I had a MA.

 

What are interviews for these like (if they are done)?

If you can handle PhD psych interviews, then they are generally a cakewalk!

For academic positions at a university and government positions, I generally met with the professor and a research assistant.

I met with the entire research staff on a 6 hour long Odyssey for a nonprofit research job, which was the exception to the norm. 

 

What is your advice for someone applying to these positions? 

(1) Ivy league schools were trashy! They would call me in two or three times for RA interviews, and I would never hear from them again. At least PhD programs have the decency to send a minimum of impersonal stock mail/email rejections!

(2) The non-ivy private universities and state universities were classy! They notified me when I was not accepted post-interview, and they were kind enough to ring me with constructive feedback ("overqualified"... blah!)

(3) Also note that you can have all of the publications and presentations in the world, but that will not 100% guarantee a spot in every program. Some admissions committees were glaringly political in my experience, and it was clear from site visits who knew the right people and who did not. People who do not even have a BA/BS still have a shot at beating you out, even if you annihilate them in publications and presentations. POIs will still introduce applicants as 'blah's student,' and if you are not 'blah's student,' then you will probably be at a disadvantage. 

(4) Tying into an earlier point, not all professors respect all forms of research. For example, despite studying the same phenomenon, some experimental programs were condescending towards the fact that my experience was applied, and not 'pure' lab work. My work was on multimillion dollar grant in collaboration with government scientists and six professors at top tier psych departments throughout the country as part of an innovative training program for people who decide whether or not we should nuke other countries... you'd think that they would give me some credit, given that such a project is a tad bit more complex than a single PhD-level researcher working on a low stakes 100k NSF grant.

Edited March 7, 2015 by TheMercySeat

[Mystic_Fog]

On 3/6/2015 at 7:41 PM, SallyHam said:

Also, I wouldn't be afraid to just openly email and ask faculty you're interested in if they have positions. My current research associate position was obtained by cold-emailing a faculty that didn't have an opening at the time, but still hired me on the spot, and now I make a decent amount just doing research.

Any advice on this? I cold emailed a lot for grad school applications, but it feels way more intimidating to do it for a paid position they aren't advertising. Did you attach a CV or anything like that in the initial email, and how were you able to (respectfully) make it clear you were looking for a full time paid position, not to volunteer?

 

Money makes everything more complicated

[eternallyephemeral]

6 hours ago, Mystic_Fog said:

Any advice on this? I cold emailed a lot for grad school applications, but it feels way more intimidating to do it for a paid position they aren't advertising. Did you attach a CV or anything like that in the initial email, and how were you able to (respectfully) make it clear you were looking for a full time paid position, not to volunteer?

 

Money makes everything more complicated

I personally don't think they are any different. The individual professor isn't advertising for the grad program, and it's also paid (either by the prof or by the department).

Saying you want to work and you want it to be full time should be enough to signal that you expect to be paid. If they misunderstand, just decline before you sign any contracts or agree to 'work' for free for them.

[grilledcheese1]

I notice that OP is already attending, but hopefully my answer will help other people thinking about applying!

 

Have you been in one of these positions?

I'm currently a full-time lab manager.  I'm leaving in a few weeks to start an Educational Psychology Ph.D. program at my top choice school.

Did it/or do you think it helped your chances of getting into a PhD program?

I think it helped immensely.  I got interviews everywhere I applied, had an extremely successful application season, and got accepted to all of my top schools.  I learned so much more about research, academia, my interests/goals, and being a graduate student than I ever did during my years as an undergrad RA.  I'm also a lot better at talking about research and thinking critically about it. 

How close was the lab you worked in to your actual research interests?

Pretty close.  Some projects in the lab aligned closely with my research interests, others did not.  I had the opportunity to start my own study based on my research interests (but that was also connected to the PI's interests), which helped a lot.  My interests also developed quite a bit because of being part of the lab, so i'm now interested in doing some related work.

About how many positions did you apply for?

A little over 100.  My interests are in developmental psychology, but I also applied to clinical RA jobs, ABA therapy jobs, etc. - anything that would hire someone right out of college with a psychology degree.

What are interviews for these like (if they are done)?

Most of the interviews I received were for lab manager positions.  They were conducted over Skype and they mostly asked questions about my research experience, research interests, and future plans/goals (lab manager/RA positions want to hear that you plan on attending a Ph.D. program in the field - job postings often list that the job is intended for people with this goal).  There were usually 2 rounds - the first with the current lab manager and the second with the PI.  A few interviews were panel interviews with the PI, lab manager, grad students, and postdocs.  There were some situational questions and questions about my technical/problem-solving experience (a lot of these positions are programming-heavy, and more are becoming that way).  I also remember getting asked what I like to do for fun for a lot of my interviews.  For the clinical research position interviews, I actually had to travel to the location to interview there, and I was not reimbursed for travel expenses.

What is your advice for someone applying to these positions?

Apply for as many positions as you can find, because they are EXTREMELY competitive.  I'm pretty sure that working in the labs of 2 of the top researchers in the field, along with having straight As, were two major factors in the large success I had both getting job interviews and PhD interviews.  If you are going to interview with a lab, read some of their papers and come up with insightful questions about their work (as well as other questions about the lab and position).  Think about how you would solve different problems that might come up in a research position, such as dealing with an underperforming RA or dealing with a technology issue, so that you can answer these questions when they come up in interviews.  You will have more success in getting your application looked at if you directly email lab managers/PIs asking for openings.  Subscribe to listservs in your field, as there are tons of job openings there that have you directly email the lab manager/PI instead of applying on an HR site (which is basically sending your resume and cover letter into a black hole - a lot of positions on HR sites are already spoken for).  Tailor your cover letter to each lab and talk about your skills and how your experiences helped you develop these skills (the top skills I saw labs look for are organizational skills, communication/interpersonal skills, and attention to detail).  Oh, and programming experience will help a LOT for jobs in experimental labs.

Edited May 14, 2016 by grilledcheese1