In addition to luck (unfortunately) and those mechanical skills (pipetting, single-handed tube opening etc.) which you pick up through repetition, this is some advice I hope will help optimize your chances of success. Once you get the hang of things, it’s “easy” to pick up new techniques and protocols–it’s more important to develop (and showcase/highlight in any applications) the “softer” skills that are less frequently emphasized often more crucial!

Be resourceful

• Never underestimate the power of a good search engine search, Reddit, etc. to help you figure out what’s going on in your experiment, what opportunities are out there, etc.

Take initiative

• Whether this is “just” looking up a buffer recipe or getting ideas for whole new techniques and experiments to propose to your PI (research advisor)

Get creative

• Often there are many ways something can be done – work with what you have
• Design custom techniques and experiments to answer your questions

Don’t be afraid to try

Thus, by necessity . . .

Don’t be afraid to fail

• Know that “failure” is common, especially if you’re trying new things, and it’s not a reflection of your worth

Know much of your time will likely be spent troubleshooting and optimizing

Don’t lose your passion

Persevere

There’s no “protocol” for being a good scientist, but a good scientist should be able to perform “any” protocol they’re given (within reason, of course–and assuming the protocols are thorough!).

Get comfortable reading and following protocols – and knowing when you can and cannot go off-protocol

Read protocols in their entirety before starting

• Be sure you have everything you need and you ask any questions you have before you start

Manage your time wisely

• Make good use of wait steps.
• Get comfortable running multiple experiments at the same time

but . . .

Be flexible

• When experiments don’t go according to plan, avoid getting frazzled, and try to adapt.

Learn how to do things without a kit

• And know how to make DIY versions of kit components you run out of

Think critically – always know what you’re doing and why

Be observant – of the people around you in the lab and how they do things, as well as of your experiments’ progress

• Work on developing an intuition for what different volumes look like, etc.

Take good notes

Make connections – both between findings and with people!

• Networking really is important!

Read widely – you never know where you might stumble across a technique or idea

Keep an open mind

Pay it forward

Have fun!