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Research Assistant Cover Letter

Professional Research Assistant Cover Letter Example for 2023

Read for inspiration or use it as a base to improve your own Research Assistant cover letter. Just replace personal information, company application data and achievements with your own.

Willard Gilbert
Researcher
+1-555-0100
example_name@gmail.com
London, UK
11-05-2021
Dear Hiring Manager
It is with great interest that I write to you about the position as full-time faculty in the American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine. I have extensively worked in an academical environment throughout my career and I have found teaching and supervising extremely rewarding. I am Willard Gilbert, senior post-doctoral researcher at Food Innovation and Health lab at Maastricht University and I am writing to introduce myself and express my interest for the position.
My career has allowed me to develop experience in a diverse set of disciplines, being able to work both with big data and with novel genetic engineering techniques, both in academic and big corporation environments. During my PhD, in bacterial genetics and virulence, I have used microarrays technology to characterized important genetic apparatus for the streptococcal species I was working on. For the past years, I have been involved in a human explorative intervention study focused on highlighting the impact of different probiotic products on human physiology. This project has been challenging but rewarding due to its multidisciplinary nature. My roles in this project have allowed me to expand my skill set into areas which I am now motivated in, such as large -omics dataset management, analysis and interpretation, as well as communication with industrial partners. In particular, metabolomics, (meta)transcriptomics and proteomics were part of my every day work file. In addition, I was responsible for writing the statistical analysis plan, performance reviews and the intermediate and final reports. I was also involved in the details of the budget management, allocation and spending. For the final phase, I am leading the preparation of several manuscripts based on the various datasets we have acquired. Thoughout my academic career, I had the pleasure to successfully supervise 11 students, 2 of which  entered the PhD program of our department. Moreover, every year I was teacher assistant and/or lecturer of the courses organized by the Host-Microbes Interaction group. I found interacting with students one of the most rewarding and motivating aspect of my work, often underrated and considered more of a burden than an honor in  the academic environment. I do believe instead that transmitting knowledge and passion for science is one of the most important roles in our society, and one of the reasons I have always worked in the university.
I have an acute curiosity, excellent team player, and I am particular flexible, I have successfully worked with plants (as biofactory for potential vaccine production, master thesis), bacteria (Streptococcus suis new genetic tool development and genetic studies, PhD), zebrafish (new infection model for S.suis) and human subjects (explorative dietary intervention study, postdoc). Due to my experience, skills and passion I believe I am a good candidate for the position.
Please let me know if you require and further information.
 
Looking forward to hearing from you!
Kind regards,
Willard Gilbert

According to 83% of hiring managers, cover letters are an important part of every recruiter’s decision-making process.

What’s more, 72% of them will expect you to hand in a great cover letter, even if this part is listed as ‘optional’ on the job advert.

And if you ask our experts, cover letters are an amazing opportunity to tell a personal story and make the right first impression.

But what exactly is a cover letter and how to write a good one? Let’s see…

Make your research assistant cover letter stand out

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So what’s the difference between a cover letter and a resume?

In short – the resume showcases your achievements and skills, while the cover letter focuses more on your personality and motivations.

Of course, you should mention some of your relevant skills in the cover letter as well. But make sure you’re not repeating your resume word by word.

Now let's move on to the things that make every cover letter great!

Use an appropriate salutation and write a powerful introduction

It’s always better to address your cover letter to a specific person. This shows that you’ve taken the time to research who the hiring manager might be and that you’re attentive to detail.

However, in case you don’t know the recruiter’s name, you can go for traditional gender-neutral salutations.

Here are some of our suggestions:

  • To the [team you're applying for] Department
  • Dear Paul Black
  • Dear Hiring Manager
  • Dear Ms. Stone

The introduction of your cover letter is the first thing the hiring manager will read. Logically, having a strong introduction is your chance of getting their attention.

In order to do that, you need to get creative. Don’t just do what everyone else’s been doing for years, i.e. writing “I found this job opening on that website and decided to apply”.

Rather, show that you are genuinely excited about the position and the company. You could do that by mentioning your love for the industry or what you can bring to the table.

Link your hard and soft skills to your achievements

Although you’ve probably listed all your skills on your resume, it’s worth mentioning them again, but by telling a personal story. Focusing on your soft skills and leaving most hard ones behind is also a good idea.

Maybe you want to mention the things that help you overcome setbacks? Or the things that help you reach your goals? It doesn’t really matter what you choose, as long as you link it back to the specific job requirements.

Naturally, if the job advert mentions some hard skills explicitly, you should do the same in your cover letter. This will help you pass applicant tracking systems (ATS) that screen resumes and cover letters for certain keywords.

Show that you know the company and its problems well

Adding a line or two about the company can help you prove your excitement and readiness to become a valuable team member.

You might also choose to link your previous work-related tasks and achievements to current industry or even company issues and how you think they can be resolved.

Choose the right closing line

While the introduction is the best way to make a good impression, using the right words to end your cover letter can help you get a callback.

Our advice is to make sure that your closing line matches the company culture. However, “Looking forward to hearing from you” and other traditional phrases are always a safe choice.

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Pair your cover letter with a resume that leaves an impression


If you want to leave a long-lasting impression, pair your cover letter with an equally good resume.

Check out our Research Assistant resume examples or hire an expert to help you.