Undergraduate Research Resume—Sample and 25+ Expert Tips

You’re pretty good at gathering and organizing information, but it all gets a little meta when that information concerns your research abilities.

And yet that’s precisely what you need to do to write the kind of undergraduate research resume that gets results.

The good news?

Your skills are exactly, and pretty much, all you need.

In this guide:

• An undergraduate research resume sample better than most.
• How to create the perfect undergraduate research job description for resumes.
• How to write a resume for undergraduate research jobs that stands out.
• Expert tips and examples to boost your chances of landing an undergraduate research job.

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If you’re looking for an undergraduate research resume, you’ll probably need other kinds of resumes real soon. These are just some of our guides:

• Academic CV Template Examples
• Clinical Research Coordinator Resume
• Education Resume Examples
• Graduate School Application Resume Example
• Librarian Resume Examples
• Recent College Graduate Resume Examples
• Recruiter Resume Examples
• Research Assistant Resume Examples
• Scholarship Resume Examples
• Student Resume Examples
• Teaching Assistant Resume Examples
• Tutor Resume Examples
• Undergraduate College Student Resume Examples

Undergraduate Research Resume

Now here’s how to write an undergraduate research resume they’ll love:

1. Choose the Right Undergraduate Research Resume Format

A couple of research recruiters are filtering out time wasters. It doesn’t take long to whittle away a quarter of the applicants.

Where’s your undergraduate research resume? Gone; It was one of the firsts and only took a second. Why?

“If a candidate can’t present their own resume properly….”

It’s an easy cut to make and an easy one to avoid—make your resume format clear and organized. Here’s how:

Undergraduate Research Resume Format

• Use the reverse-chronological resume format to show your most advanced stuff first.
• Choose a fairly standard resume font like Arial in 11–12 pt.
• Leave your resume margins at one inch and plenty of white space throughout.
• Submit a one-page resume. Undergraduate research assistants don’t need more.
• Include at least these resume sections: Header, Summary, Experience, Education, and Skills.

Something else to look out for:

Unusually popular undergraduate research jobs might attract so many applicants that decision-makers might resort to using an Applicant Tracking System (ATS).

And, some ATSs can’t handle resumes in PDF. Therefore, always check the job announcement for a preferred file format before defaulting to PDF.

2. Start With a Compelling Undergraduate Research Resume Profile

Reports have abstracts—

And resumes have resume profiles.

Have you worked as an undergraduate research assistant for a year? Then your profile will take the form of a resume summary. Use:

1. One adjective (efficient, reliable, industrious)
2. Job title (Undergraduate Research Assistant)
3. Years of experience (1+, 2+)
4. How you’ll help (provide excellent research support)
5. Two or three of your most relevant achievements (collected 250+ pages of tissue-culture observations, presented research in front of a committee of 3–8 professors over 20+ meetings)

These undergraduate research resume examples show how:

Undergraduate Research Resume —Resume Summary Example

Industrious undergraduate research assistant with 2+ years of experience, skilled in biology research. Seeking the opportunity to provide excellent research assistance at the Anderson Cancer Center. At the Columbia University Biology Department, wrote and modified 11+ programs in LabView and organized and cross-referenced over 450 Mb of spreadsheets.

Undergraduate research assistant with 2 years of experience. Seeking an opportunity to provide excellent research assistance at the Anderson Cancer Center. At the Columbia University Biology Department, I wrote and modified programs in LabView and organized and cross-referenced spreadsheets.

See the difference?

The first undergraduate research resume example impresses in two ways. First, it’s all about “what can I do to help?” rather than “here’s what I’ll need.” And second, it quantifies duties and tasks, turning them into real resume achievements.

What if you have little or no undergraduate research job experience?

Write a resume objective and pull relevant achievements from any of your past jobs.

No experience at all?

Draw on your academic and extracurricular achievements instead.

Undergraduate Research Assistant Resume—Resume Objective Example

Enthusiastic undergraduate research assistant with 10+ months’ experience, skilled in biology research. Seeking the opportunity to provide excellent research assistance at the UCLA Molecular Biology Department. At the Columbia University Biology Department, collected 150+ pages of tissue-culture observations and presented new research at weekly meetings.

Not much experience in formal undergraduate research work, but I did a great job researching for most of my papers. Looking for a reasonably low-pressure learning opportunity, preferably in molecular biology.

The conclusion is this: little or no experience doesn’t mean anything to offer.

Are you struggling with writing an impressive resume profile? Write it last. 

You’ll already have a recap of everything you achieved throughout your career, so it’ll be easy to create an overview in a summary or objective.

3. Create the Perfect Undergraduate Research Job Description and Skills Sections

Show them you’re ready by making your resume work experience section into a trophy case of accomplishments.

How to put undergraduate research on a resume to achieve just that:

1. Re-read the job ad or announcement.
2. Identify all the skills and duties mentioned there.
3. Think of times you’ve used those skills to impress employers and professors.
4. Write resume bullet points using quantifiers and action verbs describing those times.

These undergraduate research resume examples show how:

Undergraduate Research Job Description for a Resume

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Columbia University Biology Department

2019–present

• Wrote and modified 11+ programs in LabView to record data from experiments.
• Collected 250+ pages of tissue-culture observations from lab-based team.
• Presented new research in front of a committee of 3–8 professors over 20+ weekly meetings.
• Organized and cross-referenced over 450 Mb of spreadsheets.

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Columbia University Biology Department

2019–present

• Wrote and modified programs.
• Collected tissue-culture observations.
• Presented new research.
• Organized and cross-referenced spreadsheets.

Big difference.

It’s OK to estimate some or all of those numbers. Just be sure to keep it realistic and ready to justify.

Short on undergraduate research experience? Look to other jobs for relevant achievements. You may find them in your academic achievements.

No work experience at all? That’s to be expected. Let your education section replace it. Move it up right under the objective. As for the experience, focus on your volunteering or internship efforts instead.

One more thing—no matter how experienced or inexperienced you are, you’ll need skills to put on a resume. But this isn’t like gaming an algorithm, and random spamming skills won’t work. Instead, aim to cover all the skills mentioned in the job announcement or job ad and stop there.

Here are some examples of hard and soft skills:

Undergraduate Research Resume Skills

• Data entry
• Isolating DNA protein
• Tissue cultures
• Navigating the research library
• Planning research projects
• Research databases
• Education skills
• Preparing RNA and DNA solutions
• Biology research
• Maintenance skills

• Communication skills
• Problem-solving skills
• Analytical thinking
• Creativity
• Attention to detail
• Time management
• Organization
• Prioritization
• Teamwork
• Collaboration

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4. Turn an Incomplete Education Into a Reason to Hire You

When decision-makers look through an undergraduate research resume, they’re clearly looking for a solid academic record, but that means a lot more than a solid GPA.

First:

List your degree(s), school(s), and (expected) graduation date(s).

Then:

Add bullet points that show research skills and general academic engagement, think projects, classes, and accomplishments.

This undergraduate research resume example shows how:

Undergraduate Research Resume Example—Education Section

BS in Molecular Biology

Columbia University, New York City, NY

Expected graduation: 2022

• Pursued passion for cellular and molecular immunology coursework.
• Volunteered in the Biology Museum three days a week for two years.
• On track to graduate magna cum laude.
• Maintaining a 3.93 GPA.

5. Boost Your Undergraduate Research Resume With Added Sections

A standard resume has the experience, education, and skills sections, which you have already completed. But if you think what’s left doesn’t look too impressive, you may be right. After all, an undergraduate research resume isn’t expected to present grandeur experience accomplishments.

So add one or two additional sections to highlight the value you bring:

• Additional Activities
• Foreign Languages
• Classes Taken
• Awards
• Hobbies and Interests
• Volunteering Work
• Certifications Section
• Professional References

These two undergraduate research resume examples show good vs. bad:

Undergraduate Research Resume—Extra Sections

Awards and Honors

• Won first place in the biological sciences three-minute thesis competition, 2021.
• Received Dean’s Award for cell signaling poster presentation, 2020.

Languages

• English—Native speaker
• Spanish—Communicative

Hobbies and Interests

• De-hooding hoodies and selling them online
• Smartphone photography

Languages

• English, Spanish

D+, meet A-.

Hobbies and interests can make a great addition to your undergraduate research resume, but as with any other item on your resume, they have to be relevant. Plus, you want to show your proficiency levels next to your language skills.

One last step, and it’s a bit of a doozy—

Even if you’ve never been asked to write a cover letter, you’ll still need one to be considered. 

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Key Points

For an undergraduate research resume that gets interviews:

• Use the undergraduate research resume template. It checks all the right boxes while being quick and easy to read.
• Put undergraduate research achievements in your resume profile, work experience, and education sections to show you’ve got what it takes to get accurate results.
• Choose the right undergraduate research skills to add. Check the job ad or notice to see what the right skills are.
• Write an undergraduate research cover letter. Use it to spotlight your passion for research work as you describe your strong academic record and achievements.

Got questions on how to put undergraduate research on a resume? Got advice for others writing a resume for undergraduate research jobs? Leave a comment down below.

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