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Social research assistant skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025
5 min read
Quoted experts
Dr. Jelena Sanchez Ph.D.,
Dr. David LoConto Ph.D.
Below we've compiled a list of the most critical social research assistant skills. We ranked the top skills for social research assistants based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 11.8% of social research assistant resumes contained social work as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a social research assistant needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 social research assistant skills for your resume and career

1. Social Work

Here's how social research assistants use social work:
  • Revised and created modules for certification for social workers
  • Assisted with the development of curriculum for USC School of Social Work Virtual Academic Center's first PTSD course.

2. Data Entry

Data entry means entering data into a company's system with the help of a keyboard. A person responsible for entering data may also be asked to verify the authenticity of the data being entered. A person doing data entry must pay great attention to tiny details.

Here's how social research assistants use data entry:
  • Perform data entry and coding for data that is influential in a variety of studies.
  • Assisted in various coding projects with large data sets, data entry.

3. SPSS

Here's how social research assistants use spss:
  • Performed data analysis using SPSS and Microsoft Excel
  • Assisted doctoral students to code, analyze and interpret data using SPSS Recruited students for research studies Conducted applicable student studies

4. Research Assistants

Here's how social research assistants use research assistants:
  • Interacted professionally with participants, fellow research assistants, and lab manager.
  • Train new research assistants on studies that are currently active.

5. Statistical Analysis

Here's how social research assistants use statistical analysis:
  • Perform statistical analysis and develop sociological arguments based on the experimental data.
  • Employed statistical analysis and created summary reports disseminated with key stakeholders.

6. Literature Reviews

Here's how social research assistants use literature reviews:
  • Supported professor in conducting systematic literature review on aging with disability by searching databases and reviewing journal abstracts
  • Performed literature reviews regarding the effects of globalization on communities and families.

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7. Research Projects

Here's how social research assistants use research projects:
  • Assisted in research projects regarding the ideology of Cosmopolitanism in the workplace and the role of gender in business negotiations.
  • Assisted on a number of research projects primarily looking at the health and mental health of older adults.

8. Data Management

The administrative process that involves collecting and keeping the data safely and cost-effectively is called data management. Data management is a growing field as companies rely on it to store their intangible assets securely to create value. Efficient data management helps a company use the data to make better business decisions.

Here's how social research assistants use data management:
  • Used organizational skills in balancing data management and survey research.
  • Established and managed data management systems.

9. Data Collection

Data collection means to analyze and collect all the necessary information. It helps in carrying out research and in storing important and necessary information. The most important goal of data collection is to gather the information that is rich and accurate for statistical analysis.

Here's how social research assistants use data collection:
  • Provided accurate documentation of the questionnaire development process, data collection methods and sampling designs.
  • Communicate with Study coordinators to resolve data collection and scheduling concerns.

10. Public Health

Here's how social research assistants use public health:
  • Gathered data state-wide concerning the availability of tobacco products to youth under The California Department of Public Health.
  • Help prepare for and support group treatment sessions with a team of researchers who are passionate about public health promotion.

11. Social Justice

Here's how social research assistants use social justice:
  • Conduct research on national and international programs focused on diversity and social justice.
  • Provide individual and couples therapy with as many as 6 clients a week using Narrative, Social Justice and Feminist theories.

12. Literature Searches

Here's how social research assistants use literature searches:
  • Conducted literature searches and synthesized findings.
  • Conducted scientific literature searches using PubMed and Medline.

13. Data Analysis

Here's how social research assistants use data analysis:
  • Completed ethnographic data analysis and compiled reports.
  • Worked as experimental confederate during lab sessions Coded and archived data for statistical data analysis

14. IRB

An institutional review board (IRB), is a form of committee that applies research ethics by vetting research procedures to ensure they are ethical. In order to decide whether or not research can be undertaken, they often perform a kind of risk-benefit analysis. The IRB's function is to ensure that adequate safeguards are in place to protect the interests and health of humans who are participants of a research sample.

Here's how social research assistants use irb:
  • Assist Core supervisor in creating and maintaining IRB approved protocols and scripts in both English and Spanish.
  • Adhered strictly to laboratory protocol and procedure involving human subjects and contributed to the development/revision of IRB proposals.

15. Research Data

Here's how social research assistants use research data:
  • Reviewed the compiled research data for accuracy, completeness and consistency.
  • Researched corporations on behalf of mutual fund, checked 10-K and 10-Q reports, business research databases (e.g.
top-skills

What skills help Social Research Assistants find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What skills stand out on social research assistant resumes?

Dr. Jelena Sanchez Ph.D.Dr. Jelena Sanchez Ph.D. LinkedIn profile

Assistant Professor of Spanish, North Central College

Currently, multilingual skills shine bright in resumes. Finally, the pandemic reality will validate the global currency of languages.

What soft skills should all social research assistants possess?

Dr. David LoConto Ph.D.

Professor of Sociology, Interim Department Head, New Mexico State University

These days in the job market, the abilities, as mentioned previously, to understand human behavior, contextualize events, and frame what is occurring. The problems that STEM students have now are designing products for humans but do not have that training. Our students are trained to understand humans at the state, institutional, organizational, group, and individual levels in sociology. This allows our students to find jobs if they desire to gain employment in STEM fields and data analytics in general.

What hard/technical skills are most important for social research assistants?

Dr. David LoConto Ph.D.

Professor of Sociology, Interim Department Head, New Mexico State University

Increasingly, we see that the hard skills, due to technology changing so fast, become antiquated quickly. Employees must be retrained yearly or every other year. Therefore, the hard skills have lost some value. We provide our students the opportunity to learn not only statistical packages like SPSS and R, but they have the opportunity to do computational research, textual analysis, and data visualization. This provides our students the opportunity to learn skills they can apply to STEM fields, but our students have the bonus of understanding human behavior. Something that in the workforce is rarely taught.

What social research assistant skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Matthew Wright Ph.D.Matthew Wright Ph.D. LinkedIn profile

Associate Professor, Physics Department Chair, Director of the Business of Science, Adelphi University

Buy a Raspberry PI or a Beaglebone black and do something amazing with it.
All3dp

What type of skills will young social research assistants need?

Sara Church

Lecturer of Psychology, Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College

Young graduates should be thinking about trauma competency that includes somatic approaches. Somatic approaches include a person's mind AND body, which is so important when treating stress of any kind. Young graduates also need self-awareness. Young graduates need to know how to interview! They should set up mock interviews to practice. Interviews are important in our field, because the interviewer is getting a feel for what the person would be like in a helping relationship. They need to be well versed in professionalism and be able to set healthy boundaries within their work. Finally, they need to be culturally responsive and open to learning. This field is broad and can act as one, big difficult conversation. Conversations about differences-about behaviors, about people, about groups and institutions. They need to be ready to have these. SMWC has been very intentional about setting their students up for success in this way.

What technical skills for a social research assistant stand out to employers?

Sya Kedzior Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Towson University

The ability to understand technical or complex scientific processes and communicate that information with the public is one of the most attractive skills for an entry-level worker to possess. Many employers may not have staff skilled in the latest GIS technologies or social media trends. While the ability to use last year's software or network via Instagram might not seem particularly novel to recent graduates, these are skills less likely to be found in the workforce of even 10 years ago. Geographers are particularly well prepared for today's workforce because they've often had coursework across the "hard" and social sciences, along with training in technical skills (usually GIS or quantitative analysis) and written and oral communication skills. Another skill in high demand today is data collection and analysis. I often talk with potential employers who want to hire people who can develop and administer a public survey, and then analyze and write up the results. That requires understanding human behavior, public communication, and different forms of data analysis. But, these are skills that can be developed in perhaps only a few classes as part of a major or minor in Geography and other cognate fields.

List of social research assistant skills to add to your resume

Social research assistant skills

The most important skills for a social research assistant resume and required skills for a social research assistant to have include:

  • Social Work
  • Data Entry
  • SPSS
  • Research Assistants
  • Statistical Analysis
  • Literature Reviews
  • Research Projects
  • Data Management
  • Data Collection
  • Public Health
  • Social Justice
  • Literature Searches
  • Data Analysis
  • IRB
  • Research Data
  • Quantitative Data
  • Stata
  • Social Psychology
  • SAS
  • Survey Data
  • Research Design
  • Journal Articles
  • Mental Health
  • Research Studies
  • Social Research
  • Facebook
  • RAN
  • Informed Consent
  • Research Materials
  • MRI
  • Analyze Data
  • PI
  • EEG
  • Statistical Data
  • Python
  • Experimental Data
  • PowerPoint
  • Research Paper
  • Clinical Trials
  • Symposium
  • Institutional Review
  • Independent Research
  • Research Results
  • GIS
  • NIH
  • Current Research

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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