How to hire a research trainee

How to hire a research trainee, step by step

Here's a step-by-step research trainee hiring guide:

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

What does a research trainee do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your research trainee 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 research trainee 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

   Hiring the perfect research trainee also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   This list shows salaries for various types of research trainees.

   Type of Research Trainee	Description	Hourly rate
   Research Trainee	Market research analysts study market conditions to examine potential sales of a product or service. They help companies understand what products people want, who will buy them, and at what price.	$16-31
   Marketing Research Analyst	The primary role of a market research analyst is to collect and analyze data on competitors and consumers. Market research analysts have to study market conditions and investigate probable service or product sales... Show more	$17-38
   Graduate Research Student	Graduate research students are learners who conduct degree program-related research in a research unit or an academic department. These students manage themselves independently as well as their work... Show more	$9-28

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Cell Culture
   • R
   • Data Analysis
   • Elisa
   • MRI
   • Clinical Trials
   • Statistical Analysis
   • Laboratory Experiments
   • Biomedical
   • Research Study
   • Informed Consent
   • NIH
   • RNA
   • Molecular Biology

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage laboratory requirements and mentor other food engineers how to use HPLC and UPLC
   • Evaluate patients' study eligibility via medical history, obtain informed consent, enroll patients, and achieve enrollment quotas.
   • Conduct the DNA extraction and ELISA on blood samples.
   • Work on rabies vaccine production from chick embryo and extraction of DNA and RNA from animal tissue and cells.
   • Perform organic synthesis reactions, follow by work-up.
   • Isolate DNA and proteins from solid tumors and cell lines.

   More research trainee duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your research trainee job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A research trainee can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, research trainees' average salary in mississippi is 58% less than in delaware.
   • Seniority. Entry-level research trainees 48% less than senior-level research trainees.
   • Certifications. A research trainee with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a research trainee's salary.

   Average research trainee salary

   $48,078yearly

   $23.11 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level research trainee salary

   $34,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 25, 2025

   Average research trainee salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New York	$66,952	$32
   2	Connecticut	$60,635	$29
   3	California	$59,866	$29
   4	Maryland	$56,284	$27
   5	Michigan	$55,531	$27
   6	Virginia	$55,327	$27
   7	Massachusetts	$51,179	$25
   8	Texas	$45,409	$22
   9	Illinois	$45,268	$22
   10	Colorado	$40,486	$19
   11	Tennessee	$39,788	$19
   12	Florida	$39,359	$19
   13	Arizona	$37,021	$18

   Average research trainee salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Brigham and Women's Hospital	$54,114	$26.02	114
   2	Sony Pictures	$50,158	$24.11	3
   3	MMR Research	$50,140	$24.11
   4	Beaumont Health	$49,225	$23.67
   5	MKTG	$48,915	$23.52
   6	Northwell Health	$48,837	$23.48	20
   7	JBS USA	$45,417	$21.84	20
   8	University of Virginia	$45,246	$21.75	170
   9	Vinmar International	$43,421	$20.88
   10	University of Tennessee	$40,707	$19.57	27
   11	Johns Hopkins University	$38,055	$18.30	180

4. Writing a research trainee job description

   A research trainee 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. Below, you can find an example of a research trainee job description:

   Research trainee job description example

   Join a cutting-edge program in neuroprosthetics and brain-computer interfaces. We are looking for talented Research Engineers and Scientists with experience in neuro-rehabilitation and translational research and clinical studies. See our recent magazine cover story on our work:
   
   You will work closely with a team of highly experienced and talented engineers, neuroscientists, doctors and medical technology experts, with the mission to restore movement and/or sensation in those who have suffered a traumatic injury or stroke.
   More Information on Position:
   
   This role is within the Neural Bypass and Brain-Computer Interface Laboratory, led by Prof. Chad Bouton, at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research aims to restore movement and sensation in people living with paralysis.
   
   We are developing invasive as well as non-invasive approaches to interface with the nervous system. We work with brain implants for high-fidelity control of paralyzed limbs. We are also developing wearable technology that provides gross motor control that can be clinically and commercially viable for everyday use.
   
   Our goal is to explore, innovate and design novel interfaces, hardware, software, and subsystems for the sensorimotor nervous system.
   
   We are looking for a skilled and motivated Neural Engineer to join our team. We are specifically looking for candidates with experience in designing electronics and hardware/software subsystems.
   
   As a part of the position, the candidate will work with a diverse and highly interdisciplinary team of researchers and engineers.
   
   Job Responsibility
   
   * This role will work with Professor Chad Bouton, within the Neural Bypass and Brain Computer Interface Lab*
   * Plan and carry out cutting-edge research and development of neural interface technology
   * Collaborate with neuroscientists and other engineers to design experiments to showcase better human-neural interfaces
   * Create hardware and software prototypes
   * Design breakthrough solutions involving neurostimulation, embedded devices, EMG measurement, wireless technology, and AI at the edge
   * Measure and evaluate the performance of the neural interfaces
   * Contribute to grants and research manuscripts
   * Interact with wider community of neuroscientists and neural engineers to seed collaborations
   * Engage in internal and external team collaborations to meet ambitious research goals
   * Attend relevant conferences, workshops and growth opportunities
   * Performs research and/or development work under the guidance of an investigator, associate investigator or assistant investigator.
   * Responsible for the collection, analysis and interpretation of research data related to specific project.
   * Submits manuscripts and abstracts for publication/presentation.
   * Performs a variety of tasks, including but not limited to, correspondence, attending meetings, database maintenance, maintaining records, charts, etc.
   * Responsible for all other activities, clinical and administrative, as appropriate.
   * Operates under general guidance and work assignments are varied and require interpretation and independent decisions on course of action.
   * Performs related duties as required. All responsibilities noted here are considered essential functions of the job under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Duties not mentioned here, but considered related are not essential functions.
   
   Job Qualification
   
   PhD in Electrical/Computer Engineering or related field
   
   0-3 years of experience working independently to design, execute, interpret and present research
   
   Preferred Qualification
   
   * Experience working with novel/prototype hardware, subsystems, electrical stimulators, robotics, or physical computing
   * Experience with wearable and/or implantable devices
   * Familiarity with machine learning algorithms
   * Familiarity with real-time signal processing (filtering, debouncing, etc.)
   * Technical and non-technical communication skills

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right research trainee for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

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

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit research trainees, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   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 research trainee

   Once you've selected the best research trainee candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them 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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How much does it cost to hire a research trainee?