by Hollie Siddique on 8th Apr 2020 Working from home has recently become the national norm and, luckily fo...
More info
- You'll design research programmes and gather market research data to help companies learn about their markets
- You'll need excellent analytical and critical thinking skills
- Specialise in particular kind of research in a company, work for an agency or work as a freelancer
As a market research executive, you'll normally specialise in one type of research: consumer or industrial, social or political.
DAY-TO-DAY DUTIES
Depending on the type of research, in your work you'll usually:
- Meet clients to discuss research projects
- Create a plan or proposal and present it to the client
- Manage a budget
- Design questionnaires and organise surveys
- Brief interviewers and researchers
- Monitor the progress of surveys
- Analyse data and present results to clients
- Advise the client how they can best use the research
DAY-TO-DAY ENVIRONMENT
You'll work in an office.
You'll need
To be a market research executive, you'll need analytical thinking skills, thoroughness and attention to detail, good initiative, customer service skills, knowledge of English language, ambition and a desire to succeed, persistence and determination, and excellent verbal communication skills.
There are no set requirements but competition is strong so you'll usually need a foundation degree or a degree. If you want to go into quantitative work (analysis based on numbers), these degrees may be useful: maths, statistics, business, management, or economics. For qualitative work (analysis based on language), useful degrees include: psychology, sociology, geography, social sciences, or anthropology. English or marketing degrees are also useful, as well as sciences or engineering for some specialist industrial jobs.
You could do a college course, such as a Level 3 Diploma in Marketing, or a Level 4 Diploma in Professional Marketing.
You can also do a marketing executive higher apprenticeship, which includes training in market research.
You could work as a market research assistant, or interviewer, with or without a degree, but you'll need very good communication skills, and ability with numbers and IT programs. You could also start out as a research assistant in an agency, and get promotion to executive or account manager as your experience grows.
Alternatively, you could do a graduate training scheme, specialist course run through professional bodies (such as The Market Research Society's Certificate in Market and Social Research), or get a paid internship with a company.
Being able to speak different languages may also be helpful for international work.
CAREER PROSPECTS
With experience, you could progress into management, or become a self-employed market research consultant. You could also move into the promotional side of advertising or marketing.
