What does it take to be a successful researcher?

I am currently searching for new research opportunities. Every day, I go through numerous job postings that look for highly driven candidates with a strong background in research methods and excellent writing and communication skills. After a while of searching, all the ads look pretty much the same. Except one.

I recently came across an advertisement looking for a Research Assistant at Northwestern University in Chicago. In the section describing minimum competencies for the position, the first quality mentioned was: “humility and the desire to learn”. And it further continued: “open and responsive to feedback”, “strong motivation to succeed as a member of our interdisciplinary research group”. I don’t know if it’s just me and my limited experience looking for a research job in the United States, but my initial thought was: “In my field, you don’t really see such job descriptions very often…”

I loved the attitude, like a breath of fresh air. Without a doubt, emphasizing technical skills is critical to getting the job done. Yet, there is a growing need for interpersonal skills in research jobs, which are slowly making their way into resumes and job advertisements in health sciences, however, much more reluctantly, it seems, than in other disciplines. 

And it made me wonder: What would a job advertisement look like if I was hiring a young researcher? Aside from technical skills, what are some of the qualities that guarantee success in research and are worth cultivating as soon as possible? Here is my take on what it takes to be a successful researcher: 

I applied for the position the very same day I found it. I made sure to emphasize that working with a research group that values the above competencies would be a true privilege.