How to hire a junior research associate

How to hire a junior research associate, step by step

Here's a step-by-step junior research associate hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a junior research associate job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new junior research associate
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your junior research associate job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a junior research associate for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a junior research associate to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a junior research associate that fits the bill.

   The following list breaks down different types of junior research associates and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Junior Research Associate	Description	Hourly rate
   Junior Research Associate	Survey researchers design and conduct surveys and analyze data. Surveys are used to collect factual data, such as employment and salary information, or to ask questions in order to understand people’s opinions, preferences, beliefs, or desires.	$28-61
   Research And Development Internship	When it comes to Research and Development Internship, the duties will vary according to the organization or company. Most of the time, the responsibilities will revolve around observing the industry, taking part in the research and analysis, lend a helping hand in experiments and surveys, explore theories and attempt to create a model of out it, present findings for evaluation, and develop more innovative designs and systems... Show more	$14-22
   Research Internship	A research intern is responsible for assisting the research team with conducting an investigation, compiling information, and analyzing results for an organized research study. Research interns' duties also include understanding the work processes and operation procedures, sharing strategies and recommendations on research methods, reaching out to appropriate research correspondents, managing clients' inquiries and concerns, keeping important client records for reference, studying current market trends, and maintaining the eagerness to learn... Show more	$12-28

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Financial Models
   • Macro
   • Bloomberg
   • R
   • User Interface
   • Statistical Analysis
   • Data Collection
   • Data Analysis
   • JavaScript
   • Front End Development
   • CSS
   • Research Reports
   • Research Projects
   • HTML

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage investigator initiate and cooperative group correlative studies to identify biomarkers to ascertain tumor burden and clinical outcomes in lymphoma.
   • Work on front end pages that are developed in a professional manner using HTML, CSS, JavaScript and JQUERY.
   • Produce weekly industry updates and help to prepare initiation of coverage on new companies and create PowerPoint presentations for analyst marketing.
   • Investigate the quality and application of enzymes for use in the food industry.
   • Collect and report numbers to the DNI and affect agencies on a quarterly basis.

   More junior research associate duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the junior research associate job description is a good way to get more applicants. A junior research associate salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for a junior research associate in Pennsylvania may be lower than in Washington, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level junior research associate. Additionally, a junior research associate with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average junior research associate salary

   $87,565yearly

   $42.10 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level junior research associate salary

   $60,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 16, 2025

   Average junior research associate salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Maryland	$121,160	$58
   2	Ohio	$112,601	$54
   3	New York	$109,584	$53
   4	New Jersey	$106,558	$51
   5	Hawaii	$97,794	$47
   6	California	$97,330	$47
   7	Florida	$59,444	$29
   8	North Carolina	$59,376	$29
   9	Minnesota	$56,292	$27

   Average junior research associate salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Goldman Sachs	$107,724	$51.79	4
   2	Morgan Stanley	$101,718	$48.90	17
   3	AllianceBernstein	$101,047	$48.58
   4	Riverbridge	$89,463	$43.01
   5	TissueTech	$87,925	$42.27
   6	GRAIL	$87,396	$42.02
   7	Rapt Studio	$87,120	$41.88
   8	Usibelli Coal Mine	$84,711	$40.73
   9	University of Hawaii Foundation	$81,371	$39.12	12
   10	Synergy Enterprises	$80,580	$38.74
   11	University of California-Berkeley	$77,895	$37.45
   12	Bard College	$77,459	$37.24	1
   13	Raytheon Technologies	$72,094	$34.66	3
   14	University of Cincinnati	$61,790	$29.71	7

4. Writing a junior research associate job description

   A junior research associate job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a junior research associate job description:

   Junior research associate job description example

   Cleveland Research Company is an employee owned, independent research firm, headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio. Founded in 2006, CRC has expanded to 15 research teams publishing research on over 150 companies. We pride ourselves on a disciplined research process that has us regularly engaged with the industries and companies we cover.

   We are focused on identifying fundamental inflection points to aid in the rigorous analysis of our covered companies and industry forecasts. Our clients find value from getting in front of key themes and trends that lead to better strategic and financial decisions. We are committed to a singular focus on provide the most accurate and reliable research product in the market. If you are interested in equity and market research within an environment that fosters teamwork and excellence, Cleveland Research could be the place for you!

   As a full-time employee, you will work with our sales team helping to develop relationships with clients and prospects, as well as helping our clients to identify trends in the names that we cover.

   Responsibilities include:

   • Work in a team-oriented environment helping to strengthen existing client relationships by driving greater client interactions & usage of CRC channel research product
   • Develop a strong knowledge base of covered companies/industries
   • Cultivate a thorough understanding of CRC’s unique channel research product
   • Help identify prospective clients
   • Travel & participate in client meetings with CRC senior analysts and C-level company management teams

   In addition to working on our sales team, you will have the opportunity within the first 12 months to:

   • Comprehensive training program including classroom style sessions and job shadow experiences
   • Become certified with FINRA after passing your SIE, Series 7, 63 exams
   • Participate in weekly analytical group discussion with the President & compete in a mock portfolio competition
   • Travel to visit our institutional money manager clients

   Position Requirements:

   • A graduate or undergraduate business degree
   • 1-8 years of experience in a Finance, Accounting or Consulting related fields a plus
   • Strong work ethic and interest in learning the equity research industry
   • Well-developed analytical skills with the ability to master complex tasks and multi-task with minimal supervision
   • Outstanding time management with excellent communication and writing skills

   BENEFITS: Competitive salary + bonus, fully paid Health insurance coverage, 401(k), hybrid work schedule and a variety of other perks.

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5. Post your job

   To find junior research associates for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any junior research associates they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level junior research associates with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your junior research associate job on Zippia to find and recruit junior research associate candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit junior research associates, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new junior research associate

   Once you have selected a candidate for the junior research associate position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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