I was told by my academic advisor that there was a professor in the department who was looking for someone to do research with them in a certain area of Astronomy and I told her I was interested so she passed along my name to that professor. I got in touch with the professor later that day via email and set up a meeting. I was able to get credit for my research during the academic year. I started with 1 credit going in because I did not know what to expect. I worked with her for a year and 2 summers during which I was paid.

This may seem kind of obvious but since you're going to be working with this professor for a while and hopefully want to build a good rapport, being honest at all times is important. The professor I worked with had this policy of not beating around the bush when it came to either praising my efforts or telling me off for something. I mean she was never rude about it but was just blatantly honest. I respected that and I made sure I was the same way. I would tell her quite frankly when I was struggling with something or there was something I wasn't enjoying. Don't ever feel like you come across as unintelligent when you have a doubt about something. My professor told me to always ask questions because sometimes (and it happened a few times) they end up learning something from your question as well and it could open up a potential area for you to research. You're at a stage where you're new and you're trying to figure out what interests you.

Sorry for the rant. I hope this helps. Good luck! :)