Engaging in research as an undergraduate can strengthen your CV, provide important connections for letters of recommendation, and increase your chances to obtain a research position once you graduate. This page is intended to help students leverage a research experience when applying for jobs or graduate programs. Please also visit OSU's Career Development Center for more help getting connected to employment opportunities, online tools, and individual advising on how to talk about research in job or internship applications.
As you plan to pursue the next step in your career, it’s important to think about how your research experience(s) are highlighted on your resume.
Our research resume design tool offers specific tips for how research experiences, skills, presentations, publications, and awards/honors can be articulated across your resume.
If you're looking for examples of resumes that have research experiences, in addition to other types of employment, check out these examples provided by OSU's Career Development Center:
Some students list specific skills on their resume. These are the career readiness skills that many employers are looking for. Which of these skills did you gain during your research experience?
Remember that resumes can take many different forms; ensure you tailor yours to each specific job, internship, or program opportunity you’re applying for. Include keywords from the field, focus on field-specific skills and projects, and talk about your past experience in terms of transferable skills that will resonate with the reviewer.
After finishing a research experience, presentation, or publication, ask your research mentor how best to articulate it on your resume.
Networking:
Interviewing:
Tell me about a time when you worked with a team to solve a problem.
Tell me about a challenge or failure you’ve faced.
Tell me a little bit about your research experience.
What are your research interests?
What did you learn from working with a faculty member on a research project?
Tell me about your data collection, analysis, or reporting experience.
How comfortable are you with public speaking and presenting your research results?
If you're considering pursuing a master’s degree, professional certificate, or doctoral degree, review these questions to make sure this is the right path for you.
Some graduate programs require that you secure a faculty mentor before applying. Check out these 5 Tips for Contacting a Faculty Advisor for Grad School for advice on how to navigate this process.
A personal statement is used in the graduate program admissions process to assess applicants. It describes your goals (e.g., research or study areas of interest) and intent for attending graduate school. Click here for help composing your personal statement.