How should I indicate that I held multiple research/teaching positions with the same university in the employment history section of an application?

Question

I am completing a graduate degree right now, and during completion of the degree I was funded alternately by Teaching Assistantships and Research Assistantships, both through my university, under different supervisors. The way my history works out, I was alternating between Teaching/Research each semester. I have already included this in my resume with each position listed once with multiple dates. However, in the electronic application I am working on, I cannot include multiple dates for a single position. Should I list each occasion of being a Teaching or Research Assistant separately on the application? I don't want to have these taking up 5 slots on employment history when I have previous work to include as well.

Another idea: I leave out the Research Assistantship, because it was basically just me being paid to do my own research, but give each semester for the Teaching jobs.

Answer 1

If you're applying for some kind of university appointment, do whatever is conventional for curriculum vitae in your field. Ask your thesis adviser or some other person who knows the ropes.

If you're applying for a position in industry, I hate to break it to you, but nobody cares about the details of your assistantship positions. Just put down one assignment. Call it "Research and Teaching Assistantships." If these assistantships paid for your education, say so. Say "My graduate education was financed 80% by this work" (or whatever is true.)

Under accomplishments list the important stuff, like "published six academic papers on topic x," "helped develop a course for college juniors on topic y," or "specified and recommended the purchase of $xxxx worth of specialized laboratory equipment, and negotiated a good deal with the vendor."

If you're finishing your graduate degrees you definitely know how to get stuff done. Your task here is to convince a prospective employer of that fact.

A secondary task is to give an employer something to talk about in your interview. "What did you learn about developing college courses, and what would you do differently if you could do it over?" is a typical question.

Answer 2

The online application form should have an Additional Information page. Its Usually a blank page.

It should be ok to include Research Assistantship there.

Put some more information and all the dates some extra stuff with what you done at those times.

I don't believe anyone will disregard that.