RA Ship Advice

pursuing a rese a rch assista nt
position in economics
photo: shutterstock .com
introduc tion Research Exposure: The RA role provides a hands-on

view of conducting research, enabling RAs to gauge
This resource provides suggestions for preparing for a
their interest in and enjoyment of conducting research
full-time Research Assistant (RA) position in economics
before deciding to pursue a graduate program. The
research, reflecting what we look for in RA candidates at
research exposure can help you formulate and refine
J-PAL. These positions are also referred to as Research
research ideas for research statements for graduate
Associates and Pre-Doctoral Fellowships. Typically, RA
school applications and funding (e.g. National Science
positions in economics prepare you to pursue a PhD in
Foundation’s Graduate Research Fellowship Program).
economics or other related fields. That said, not every
RAs often pursue PhDs, other graduate degrees such
RA is expected to matriculate into a graduate program
as an MPA or MPH, professional research roles, or
in economics. Successful RAs subsequently pursue other
positions in industry.
career tracks.
The document explains: Knowledge: Not only will you gain skills and knowledge
in your everyday role but often you can enroll
(1) Reasons to pursue an RA position concurrently in classes. This can help supplement
(2) How to prepare for an RA position your background in the coursework mentioned in the
(3) Process to apply for an RA position following section. You may also have the opportunity
to attend seminars and conferences. Although you
r e asons to pursue a n r a position may not follow all the content in an academic seminar
Skills: RA positions teach you the key aspects of the without graduate training, you will pick up more than
research process (e.g. conducting literature reviews, you would expect; we encourage you to attend some
designing studies and surveys, managing data sets, before and during an RA position to see for yourself.
running field experiments, project management,
Impact: An RA role allows you to participate in
programming, performing data analysis, developing
economics research where you can impact important
econometric and statistical knowledge, creating data
issues like poverty alleviation, health, education,
visualizations, presenting analyses in written and
labor, and development.
oral presentations, among other activities). At J-PAL,
RA positions are often, but not always, in one of two
categories: Field RAs develop the skills to conduct an
experiment, while Data RAs develop the skills to
analyze an experiment.
p ove r t y a c t i o n l a b.o r g /c a r e e r s
how to pr e pa r e for a n r a position process to a pply for a n r a position
Coursework: Mathematics and statistics are central When and where to find RA positions: J-PAL and our
to economics research. We look for candidates with partner organization, Innovations for Poverty Action,
coursework such as: single and multivariable calculus, recruit for hundreds of RA positions through our career
differential equations, linear algebra, real analysis, page linked below. We begin our hiring cycle in the fall
probability, statistics, and econometrics. of each year for positions starting the following summer,
which seems consistent with other RA hiring; however,
We look for candidates with coursework in economics recruiting does happen throughout the year. Other RA
but welcome students from other disciplines as well. opportunities are aggregated on the websites of, to name
Additionally, your GPA is important, especially in a couple, the National Bureau of Economic Research and
mathematics, statistics, programming, and economics the American Economic Association.
courses. We especially focus on grades from
Application: For the resume and cover letter, be
advanced courses.
concise and indicate, with examples, how you have the
Skills: Evidence of your willingness and capacity to learn required skills and knowledge for the role. You will
are considered along with your current skill level. The often have to complete a data analysis exercise as part
skills of particular focus are the following: study design, of the application—for which we recommend you:
economic reasoning, programming, data management, write organized code, present results professionally,
data cleaning and analysis, statistical modeling, data and be sure of the validity of the statements in your
visualization, and writing. At J-PAL, the most common write up. For the interview, be prepared to talk about
programming languages are Stata, R, and Python. your previous research, plans for the future, technical
knowledge, and data test.
Experience: Previous research experience is a great
Assessing an RA opportunity: Many professors offer or
signal and may be required for some positions.
Research ability can be demonstrated by completing are willing to provide the opportunity to connect with
an undergraduate or graduate thesis, serving as an RA their current or former RAs and Research Managers
for an undergraduate or graduate professor, or other (RMs). When considering an offer for an RA position,
independent research. For data analysis-focused RA use these conversation starters with the RAs, RMs, and
positions, experience writing code (in, e.g., Stata, R, professors to assess the following:
Matlab, or Python) outside of the classroom, and/or in • Will you be working for a professor? Will it be one
a team environment, is especially desirable. This can professor or several? How many projects?
demonstrate the ability to write and document code that
• How often will you interact with the professor?
is usable by others.
Will the interaction be in-person or virtual?
Recommendations: Letters of recommendation will • How many other RAs will be working for the
sometimes be required for an RA position, and are professor(s)? How is this managed?
often considered a significant element of the application. • In what fields has the professor published? Does this
Previous candidates have had letters from professors align with your interests?
of one of their courses or for whom they worked as
an undergraduate RA or Teaching Assistant. Some • What is it like to work for the professor or on this project?
suggestions for a letter of recommendation: • What has the experience been for previous RAs?
Where are they now?
• We weigh letters from academics more highly than
letters from non-academics.
why we made this resource
• It is better to have a letter from someone who knows
you well than a letter from a well-known scholar who As a network of over 160 affiliated professors, J-PAL and its
does not know you very well. partner organizations recruit for hundreds of RA positions
located at universities, research centers, and non-profit
• A bad letter hurts much more than a good letter helps;
organizations. J-PAL‘s mission is to reduce poverty by ensuring
give letter writers an opportunity to decline. that policy is informed by scientific evidence, and RAs are
critical to building that evidence. We made this resource to
provide transparent and accessible advice for aspiring RAs.
p ove r t y a c t i o n l a b.o r g /c a r e e r s

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pursuing a rese a rch assista nt

photo: shutterstock .com

introduc tion Research Exposure: The RA role provides a hands-on

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