Here's my two cents - which is probably worth precisely that.

I think the field is changing pretty fundamentally.  At this point, I want to recruit people with solid liberal arts backgrounds who can materially engage with PIs and their work.  We'll teach them the rest.  So, "years in the field" is of less importance - to me, anyway.

A

On Tue, Jan 7, 2025 at 9:02 AM Nathan J. Gruber <xxxxxx@gmail.com> wrote:
Hello RESADM-L community,

It's Nate Gruber again. I promise this one will be shorter than my last one in November asking for advice on how to get into Research & Grants Admin work. 

My question today is, how important or how much weight is years of "experience in research admin" given when evaluating candidates for entry to low level openings (i.e. Grants Specialist I, Pre-Award Admin I, etc). 

I see a lot of job openings in research admin that have something along the lines of this: "A minimum of two (2) years of research administration experience..." with the number next to years of experience ranging anywhere from 1-5 years for these seemingly entry level positions. These can be found in both minimum qualifications or preferred qualifications section of a given job description. I assume if it's in the minimum section, there's more weight or importance placed on that experience thing. 

My sense at times is that my application materials are often being summarily swept aside because of the lack of research admin experience, even if I meet all other qualifications listed. For some openings, I've been moved to no longer under consideration within days of applying and there are even some openings that are still actively being advertised.

I know I'm likely going up against many more applicants for any given opening than I realize and It's likely just my mind assuming the worst, but I just wanted to get a sense of how much weight that particular line in a job description is given. 

I would love to get some insights on this from those in the field. How does one get into this field, or even a fair look with little to no prior experience in Research Admin? 

Thanks in advance!

Nate Gruber, MPP, CNP
Email: xxxxxx@gmail.com
Phone: (563) 451-6068

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