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Market Research Interviewer

Do you want to become a Market Research Interviewer? Here is some information to help point you in the right direction:

Job Description - Print Page

Market research interviewers help to ensure that research undertaken by organisations is effective. They ask questions of people relevant to the product, business or subject being researched. There are three main research areas:

• consumer research - covering goods and services sold to the public
• industry or ‘business to business' research - covering goods or equipment sold by a business to other businesses
• social and political research - covering issues which help plan government policy.

Market research interviewers work different hours, according to each project - daytime hours for some jobs, late afternoon/early evening for others. Many work part time or carry out market research alongside other types of work. Work is office based for telephone interviews, or outdoors in all weathers for home visits or interviewing in public places, eg shopping areas.

Most interviewers work on hourly rates, starting at £7 to £8 an hour. People undertaking regular market research work can earn from £10,000 a year, to £15,000 or more for supervisors or interviewers on specialist projects.

A market research interviewer should:

• be friendly, confident, courteous and tactful
• have good communication skills
• be well-organised, with legible handwriting and the ability to work with facts and figures
• have good health, stamina and perseverance
• enjoy talking to people in different places and situations
• like collecting information carefully and accurately.

There are around 2,000 research agencies, but only some conduct fieldwork and employ interviewers. Although most agencies are London based, they undertake interviews and employ interviewers throughout the UK. Other employers include manufacturing companies, large retailers, government departments and opinion pollsters (companies that conduct opinion polls).

There are no academic requirements for the job, although most employers look for people with good literacy and numeracy. There is no upper age limit for interviewers.

Training for interviewers is on the job, usually involving a short, intensive training course initially, covering all aspects of the work. New interviewers usually carry out their first interviews accompanied by an experienced interviewer or supervisor.

Reliable market research interviewers are likely to be offered more opportunities for work. Many of them work for more than one agency or organisation. In large organisations and market research agencies employing permanent interviewers, it is sometimes possible to progress to senior interviewer, supervisor or area fieldwork manager.

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