Market researcher
Market research interviewers find out what people think about products, services or issues.
What you'll do
Day-to-day tasks
In your day-to-day tasks you may:
- explain the purpose of your survey and encourage people to take part
- ask people questions about a product or service by telephone or online
- interview people in person in the community, or by visiting them at home
- ask questions from a scripted questionnaire or survey
- record people's answers, sometimes videoing them during the interview
- organise the results and pass them to your supervisor
- write survey reports and store information securely
Working environment
You could work from home, in a contact centre or in the community.
Career path and progression
With experience, you could become a supervisor or area fieldwork manager. You could also become a research assistant in a market research agency or social research organisation.
Some market research interviewers choose to specialise in areas such as medical research. There may also be demand for interviewers who are fluent in other languages.
What it takes
Skills and knowledge
You'll need:
- customer service skills
- excellent verbal communication skills
- the ability to use your initiative
- to be flexible and open to change
- active listening skills
- excellent written communication skills
- to be thorough and pay attention to detail
- analytical thinking skills
- to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently
How to become
You can get into this job through:
- a college course
- an apprenticeship
- applying directly
- specialist courses run by a professional body
You could do a college course, which may be useful when looking for a job. Courses include:
- Level 1 Certificate in Customer Service
- Level 2 Certificate in Principles of Working in Customer Service
- Level 2 Certificate in Principles of Marketing
Entry requirements
You'll usually need:
- 2 or fewer GCSEs at grades 3 to 1 (D to G), or equivalent, for a level 1 course
- 2 or more GCSEs at grades 9 to 3 (A* to D), or equivalent, for a level 2 course
More Information
You could apply for a place on an apprenticeship to get into this career. Examples include:
- Customer Service Practitioner Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship
- Customer Service Specialist Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship
- Multi-channel Marketer Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship
Entry requirements
To get onto an apprenticeship, you'll find it useful to have:
- some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship
- 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship
More Information
Charities often recruit volunteers to help with market research activities. This could give you valuable experience for job applications. You can find opportunities on sites like Do It.
You could apply directly for jobs. Experience in marketing, call centre operations or customer service may give you an advantage. Employers will be interested in your personality, your enthusiasm and your communication skills.
You can do market research courses through The Market Research Society, which may help you get into this job.
Career tips
Experience in sales or marketing could help you get into this career. For some roles it may be an advantage to be able to drive.
Further information
You'll find more advice about working in market research through The Market Research Society.
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External links
This page contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.