Remember, a resume is often the first impression for a potential employer. Therefore, the purpose of a
resume is to tell a prospective employer clearly and concisely who you are, what you have done, and what
you are able to do. It is aimed at helping you create a connection and land a job interview.
You must put effort into creating your resume. This guide provides best practice tips for applying to The
Rockefeller University’s Research Assistant positions.
Ensure that your resume is specifically tailored to the position you are applying for by emphasizing
relevant knowledge, experiences and skills using the provided information. That means tailoring a resume
to include qualifications and skill sets included/required in the job description.
•
Check your resume for errors, grammatical mistakes and typos!
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Do not include a picture or personal information, including height, weight, marital status, age,
religion, or race.
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Use short statements instead of complete sentences, and bullet points instead of paragraphs.
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Use an easy-to-read format. Be consistent in the use of bold, italics, etc. and have straight margins.
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Avoid personal pronouns (“I,” “my”) and abbreviations (“corp.,” “etc”).
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Use a professional email (e.g. [email protected]).
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Use a consistent font throughout the resume.
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Start with the most recent experience first, listing your experiences in reverse chronological order.
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Make sure to use the proper tenses for current work experiences versus past work experiences.
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Visit your college’s career center to have someone review your resume for thoughts and feedback.
Best Practices:
Resume tips
NAME
Contact Number, Professional Email
LinkedIn URL
EDUCATION:
Specific School City, State
Degree to be awarded Expected date of graduation (month, year)
Major: Minor:
Overall major GPA (if 3.0 or above)
TECHNICAL
SKILLS:
List lab skills and software skills acquired that are applicable to a Research Assistant position
(e.g. PCR, CRISPR-Cas9, genotyping, Western blot, immunofluorescent labeling, ImageJ,
Python)
ACADEMIC
RESEARCH
Title of Project, Full Course Title, Name of School
• Highlight capstone or specific research projects done during coursework
• Start with action verbs to describe the tasks in detail
• Include the outcome or results of the project
RESEARCH
WORK
EXPERIENCE:
Name of School/ Company City, State
Your title Dates of Employment
List relevant research experience done outside your coursework, including work performed at
school, summer internships, or work experiences after college. Include the purpose of the
research project, the outcomes, and any techniques that were used.
• Use bulleted statements, be concise and informative
• List positions in reverse chronological order (start with the most recent jobs first)
• Use action/power verbs to describe duties; use the correct tense -
• Cite specific examples of achievements and responsibilities
RELATED
COURSEWORK:
List science courses applicable to a Research Assistant position
(e.g. Biochemistry, Neuroscience, Microbiology, Cell Biology, Genetics, Structural Biology)
Best Practices:
Research Assistant Resumes
Model for Chronological Resume
