Find out the top 10 core skills you need to master as a research associate and what hard skills you need to know to succeed in this job.

A Research Associate is responsible for planning, organizing and conducting research in the scientific, cultural, historical or artistic field for use in the organization or company.

The main duties of this position includes, developing plans for project, studies guidelines prepared by professional staff member for outline research, planning schedules according to a variety of methods to be used, Plans the availability and quantity of resources and number of subordinate personnel assigned to participate in the project, consisting research, utilizing institution library, archives and collections and any other source of information, collecting, recording, analyzing and evaluating facts, discussing findings with proper personnel to assess validity of results, preparing records of completed projects for publication in technical journals.

Core Skills Required to be a Research Associate

Core skills describe a set of non-technical abilities, knowledge, and understanding that form the basis for successful participation in the workplace. Core skills enable employees to efficiently and professionally navigate the world of work and interact with others, as well as adapt and think critically to solve problems.

Core skills are often tagged onto job descriptions to find or attract employees with specific essential core values that enable the company to remain competitive, build relationships, and improve productivity.

A research associate should master the following 10 core skills to fulfill her job properly.

Collaborating with others:

Collaborating is willingly working with one another and cooperating in whatever task one is assigned without behaving poorly or having an attitude change that hurts others.

A Research Associate is meant to collaborate with all workers and management both male and female without causing frustrations or sidelining any worker or delaying their promotion from any informal conversations where most decisions are often made.

Appearance and Grooming:

Appearance and Grooming are the way one presents themselves in a professional environment or the workplace with the aim of gaining positive impression and respect as well.

A Research Associate must be an example in proper grooming and professional appearance while ensuring all the workmates adhere to the basic guidelines presented for good grooming in the workplace that represents the company wherever they go.

Cooperation with colleagues:

Cooperation is the process of working with groups or teams for a common mutual benefit as opposed to working in competition or for selfish ambition.

A Research Associate should learn the art of creating a mutually beneficial exchange among the employees that dwells much on cooperation for the same mutual benefit with adequate resources for all to use rather than creating a spirit of competition.

Dedication to Work:

Dedication to Work is a devotion or setting aside the scheduled time that you are required to work each day consistently without fail as well as being on time and giving 100% of your efforts to doing quality work.

A Research Associate ought to be dependable and set an example for the rest of the workforce by showing up for work on time every day consistently and producing quality work while applying company policies and business strategies.

Initiative:

An initiative is the ability to assess and initiate things independently often done without any managerial influence offered.

A Research Associate must train his workers to take up tasks without being asked to and work on them without being supervised to a quality that is accepted by the company, therefore nurturing a skill that grows the individual and the group as well.

Handling Stress:

Handling Stress is the skill to balance the requirements of the job and your abilities or available resources in performing it.

A Research Associate needs to creatively learn how to schedule work according to the abilities of different individuals to ensure a balance that will not put an unsustainable level of pressure on the employees and cause them to accumulate work related stress.

Results Orientation:

Results Orientation is knowing and focusing on outstanding results and working hard to achieve them because they are significant.

A Research Associate must understand and make it clear to the employees how important results are and the competitive and results driven market that the company is facing while encouraging them to remain focused on the results that every project bears without fail.

Diversity Awareness:

Diversity Awareness is the understanding that people are different and unique in their particular way and respecting their uniqueness.

A Research Associate ought to successfully identify the various types of diversity presented in his company to be able to benefit from these individual differences in the hope of improving the success of his team and encourage the team members to become aware of these qualities and use them appropriately.

Research:

Research is the ability to stay updated on the latest trends in different fields as per your concern or the concern of your company or business.

A Research Associate ought to stay up to date on the latest trends in hiring, leading, retention, technology and much more by using the newest research methods that allow him to make better decisions and improve productivity.

Scheduling:

Scheduling is creating daily workflow charts that the employees are supposed to follow when working and submitting their projects.

A Research Associate must be dedicated to establishing and maintaining the schedule using either manual or technology methods to ensure it is always updated according to the tasks, the employees responsible or the time allocated to each task without fail or delay.

Hard Skills Required to be a Research Associate

Hard skills are job-specific skill sets, or expertise, that are teachable and whose presence can be tested through exams. While core skills are more difficult to quantify and less tangible, hard skills are quantifiable and more defined.

Hard skills are usually listed on an applicant's resume to help recruiters know the applicant's qualifications for the applied position. A recruiter, therefore, needs to review the applicant's resume and education to find out if he/she has the knowledge necessary to get the job done.

A research associate should have a good command of the following hard skills to succeed in her job.

Research Associate: Hard skills list

Accounting
Administration and Management
Analytical
Analyzing Data or Information
Blueprints
Clerical
Communications and Media
Drafting
Economics
Engineering
Equipment Maintenance
Food Production
Installation
Biology
Chemistry
Computer
Controlling Machines and Processes
Design
Design systems
Design products
Electronics
Laying Out
Mathematics
MATLAB
Mechanical
Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Word
Operations Analysis
Operation and Control
Operation Monitoring
Physics
Problem Solving
Production and Processing
Programming
Public Safety and Security
Quality Control Analysis
Reading Comprehension
Repairing
Science
Specifying Technical Devices, Parts, and Equipment
Systems Analysis
Systems Evaluation
Technical Plans
Technology
Technology Design
Telecommunications
Time Management
Troubleshooting
Verbal Communication
Writing
Written Communication
UNIX

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