Scientific Research

A simple, well-organized resume is a great place to start. Generally, staying away from extra graphics and the free templates online will help you to rework and add to your resume as you continue to gain experience, allowing you to adapt content over time. See SuccessWorks’ Undergraduate Research Guide (see pg. 7-8 for specific tips)

Employers and graduate programs are very interested in learning about:

• Your undergraduate research experience from campus labs, summer research programs, and internships. 
• Don’t have specific research experience outside of class? Discuss project work from relevant courses. 
• Describe your involvement and outcomes from these assignments to impress your audience about the lab skills and knowledge you’ve developed. 
• You can also add a Relevant Coursework section underneath the Education section. 

You may need to write a few different versions of your resume, including one “Comprehensive Resume” that has all of your past work written out and can easily be cut down and re-ordered based on the type of position in which you are applying, in order to highlight different types of experiences. 

More tips:

• Use related headings, based on the opportunity that interests you. 
• Use keywords and phrases from position descriptions as they relate to your experience to make sure your resume is noticed. 
• Resumes go through an applicant tracking system when submitted online and scan for these keywords.

Ready to get started on your resume? Check out the SuccessWorks resume page and SuccessWorks’ Undergraduate Research Guide (see pg. 7-8 for specific tips), and set up an appointment with a Peer Advisor or Graduate Intern for feedback on your draft!

It depends on the type of jobs and internships that interest you! The community newsletter highlights relevant opportunities as they’re posted, and the Undergraduate Research Guide provides you with resources and tips to find campus labs, internships, fellowships and post grad resources. See the More Resources to Explore section of the career community page to find relevant job boards, staffing agencies, and professional associations.   

Handshake is also a good site to check out, because it has information about career fairs and employer events as well as job and internship postings.. And of course, there’s studentjobs.wisc.edu where you’ll find regularly posted student research assistant positions and local opportunities around Madison.  

Larger job boards (LinkedIn, Indeed, Glassdor etc.) are always an option, too. While they can be overwhelming they do give you suggestions in the job search window of other titles to search. This can be helpful in creating a keyword list to help narrow your search. For the time being, I recommend you start with more focused search resources like the ones included above. 

Not all positions. You may find that while you enjoy research, you would rather be in a different work environment. Perhaps you would like to have more contact with people, but are unsure how your scientific knowledge would still be valued? Check out positions related to client services, technical writer, business analyst, and biotechnology sales to name a few. All different skill sets and personality types are needed, in addition to having a scientific background.

No! There are multiple paths to working in a research setting without a master’s degree or Ph.D. Starting out, if you already have extensive research experience as an undergraduate, you may find opportunities to continue on as a research assistant, depending on lab funding. Or, universities may have entry-level research assistant positions to apply to, especially within a school of medicine/health sciences. 

Clinical research coordinator/lab manager roles are also another possibility to use coordinating and organizational skills to assist in the research process and help run the logistics of a lab, especially one with human participants.  

Within industry, there are plenty of opportunities to start out as a lab technician, an associate research scientist role, or quality control or quality assurance specialist related roles, for example.

The truth is you develop several transferable skills like problem solving, analysis, critical thinking etc. No matter what type of science you major in, having a scientific background can compliment a related career in communications, business development, regulatory affairs, consulting, policy, informatics, and much more.

Just getting started with your resume or cover letter? 

The Resume and Cover Letters page has all you need to put together a solid draft! 

Then, start with our General Advising to help you make sure your application materials are ready to submit and highlight all of your relevant skills and experience!

Looking to gain research experience outside of class and want to join a lab or find an internship?

Or do you have in-depth questions about figuring out when and if graduate school is right for you,  how you can use your science and research background both in and outside the lab for post-graduation employment, weighing your career options in research in academia vs. industry, and what other career options you could pursue with your skill set, then make an appointment to meet with Maureen, the Career & Internship Specialist for Scientific Research. Our specialists can help you with mock interviews, honing your application strategy, negotiating a job offer, and discussing the transition from college to career or graduate school. Make an appointment with Maureen here.