Social Science Research Assistants

Assist social scientists in laboratory, survey, and other social science research. May help prepare findings for publication and assist in laboratory analysis, quality control, or data management.

On the job, you would:

Design and create special programs for tasks such as statistical analysis and data entry and cleaning.
Provide assistance with the preparation of project-related reports, manuscripts, and presentations.
Prepare tables, graphs, fact sheets, and written reports summarizing research results.

Personality

A3	Your Strengths	Importance	Characteristics of this Career
		99%	Dependability - Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
		94%	Cooperation - Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.
		91%	Attention to Detail - Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
		87%	Independence - Job requires developing one's own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done.
		84%	Adaptability/Flexibility - Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace.
		83%	Integrity - Job requires being honest and ethical.
		83%	Self-Control - Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations.
		81%	Achievement/Effort - Job requires establishing and maintaining personally challenging achievement goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks.
		81%	Persistence - Job requires persistence in the face of obstacles.
		75%	Analytical Thinking - Job requires analyzing information and using logic to address work-related issues and problems.
		71%	Stress Tolerance - Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high-stress situations.
		71%	Initiative - Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.
		69%	Concern for Others - Job requires being sensitive to others' needs and feelings and being understanding and helpful on the job.
		60%	Leadership - Job requires a willingness to lead, take charge, and offer opinions and direction.
		51%	Innovation - Job requires creativity and alternative thinking to develop new ideas for and answers to work-related problems.

A3	Your Strengths	Importance	Strengths
		89%	Conventional - Work involves following procedures and regulations to organize information or data, typically in a business setting. Conventional occupations are often associated with office work, accounting, mathematics/statistics, information technology, finance, or human resources.
		67%	Investigative - Work involves studying and researching non-living objects, living organisms, disease or other forms of impairment, or human behavior. Investigative occupations are often associated with physical, life, medical, or social sciences, and can be found in the fields of humanities, mathematics/statistics, information technology, or health care service.

A3	Your Strengths	Importance	Values of the Work Environment
		61%	Independence - Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to work on their own and make decisions. Corresponding needs are Creativity, Responsibility and Autonomy.

Aptitude

A3	Your Strengths	Importance	Abilities \| Cognitive, Physical, Personality
		75%	Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
		75%	Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
		75%	Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
		69%	Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
		66%	Information Ordering - The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
		63%	Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
		60%	Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
		56%	Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
		56%	Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
		53%	Selective Attention - The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
		53%	Mathematical Reasoning - The ability to choose the right mathematical methods or formulas to solve a problem.
		53%	Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
		53%	Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.

A3	Your Strengths	Importance	Skills \| Cognitive, Physical, Personality
		68%	Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
		59%	Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
		55%	Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
		55%	Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
		55%	Mathematics - Using mathematics to solve problems.
		54%	Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
		52%	Active Learning - Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.

Job Details

Responsibilities

Develop technical or scientific databases.

Prepare scientific or technical reports or presentations.

Collect information from people through observation, interviews, or surveys.

Conduct research on social issues.

Prepare scientific or technical reports or presentations.

Prepare information or documentation related to legal or regulatory matters.

Plan social sciences research.

Collect archival data.

Prepare scientific or technical reports or presentations.

Record research or operational data.

Develop software or applications for scientific or technical use.

Develop methods of social or economic research.

Collect information from people through observation, interviews, or surveys.

Administer standardized physical or psychological tests.

Record research or operational data.

Manage scientific or technical project resources.

Supervise scientific or technical personnel.

Manage scientific or technical project resources.

Confer with clients to exchange information.

Collect biological specimens.

A3	Your Strengths	Importance	Attributes & Percentage of Time Spent
		93%	Spend Time Sitting - How much does this job require sitting?
		91%	Electronic Mail - How often do you use electronic mail in this job?
		82%	Face-to-Face Discussions - How often do you have to have face-to-face discussions with individuals or teams in this job?
		80%	Indoors, Environmentally Controlled - How often does this job require working indoors in environmentally controlled conditions?
		79%	Work With Work Group or Team - How important is it to work with others in a group or team in this job?
		75%	Importance of Being Exact or Accurate - How important is being very exact or highly accurate in performing this job?
		72%	Structured versus Unstructured Work - To what extent is this job structured for the worker, rather than allowing the worker to determine tasks, priorities, and goals?
		72%	Freedom to Make Decisions - How much decision making freedom, without supervision, does the job offer?
		71%	Importance of Repeating Same Tasks - How important is repeating the same physical activities (e.g., key entry) or mental activities (e.g., checking entries in a ledger) over and over, without stopping, to performing this job?
		67%	Contact With Others - How much does this job require the worker to be in contact with others (face-to-face, by telephone, or otherwise) in order to perform it?
		59%	Telephone - How often do you have telephone conversations in this job?
		52%	Coordinate or Lead Others - How important is it to coordinate or lead others in accomplishing work activities in this job?

A3	Your Strengths	Importance	Tasks & Values
		93%	Working with Computers - Using computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.
		92%	Processing Information - Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data.
		88%	Analyzing Data or Information - Identifying the underlying principles, reasons, or facts of information by breaking down information or data into separate parts.
		86%	Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates - Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
		82%	Getting Information - Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
		82%	Documenting/Recording Information - Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
		73%	Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others - Translating or explaining what information means and how it can be used.
		70%	Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work - Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
		68%	Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events - Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
		65%	Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge - Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.
		62%	Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships - Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
		60%	Developing Objectives and Strategies - Establishing long-range objectives and specifying the strategies and actions to achieve them.
		59%	Making Decisions and Solving Problems - Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
		58%	Communicating with People Outside the Organization - Communicating with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. This information can be exchanged in person, in writing, or by telephone or e-mail.
		56%	Thinking Creatively - Developing, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions.
		55%	Estimating the Quantifiable Characteristics of Products, Events, or Information - Estimating sizes, distances, and quantities; or determining time, costs, resources, or materials needed to perform a work activity.
		53%	Training and Teaching Others - Identifying the educational needs of others, developing formal educational or training programs or classes, and teaching or instructing others.
		52%	Performing Administrative Activities - Performing day-to-day administrative tasks such as maintaining information files and processing paperwork.

Getting Started

Education:

53%

Bachelor's Degree

37%

Master's Degree

Social Science Research Assistants

What they do:

On the job, you would:

Personality

Characteristics of this Career

Strengths

Values of the Work Environment

Aptitude

Abilities | Cognitive, Physical, Personality

Skills | Cognitive, Physical, Personality

Job Details

Attributes & Percentage of Time Spent

Tasks & Values

Getting Started