A while back I was contacted by a follower on Twitter who was interested in learning more about a career in market research. We connected on Twitter and I passed along my email address to her to send some questions. If you are considering a career in market research, like this particular candidate, these questions may be something you were considering yourself so I thought I would share on the Drive Research blog.
Here is a recap of her questions and my responses below about a potential career in market research:
- What is the outlook for this profession? The outlook on the profession looks extremely bright. Businesses are becoming more aware market research needs to be an integral part of marketing strategy. With the addition of big data, research analysts are one of the top 5 growing careers.
- What is your day like? Although each day is unique, much of my time is spent helping clients. Whether it is working on a survey, working on a report, or speaking with a client over the phone or in-person, it's a very client-centric job.
- What are the pros and cons of working in this industry right now? Pros - job growth, career advancement, and choices between client-side and supplier-side market research. Cons - depending on firm, travel is required for qualitative research which requires skills in prioritizing and time management, and uncertain hours depending on workload.
- How does this job impact your life? One of the best parts about working for Drive Research is I get to learn about a lot of aspects of a variety of different industries and clients. Much of our business is regional in the Central New York area so when I am out at social events, I am always amazed by the network I've been fortunate enough to build.
- How did you get into this field? I originally went to school for accounting but always had a desire to be in advertising. Market research is a perfect blend of numbers from accounting and creativity involved in advertising. After I first heard of market research in my sophomore year and took a class on it my senior year of college, I was hooked.
- Do you know anyone who entered this field with my background in sociology? Believe it or not, I've seen many people come into the industry with a background like yours (sociology, psychology, etc.) Because you have experience in research methodologies, you'll have a leg up on many candidates. Typically those with your background who entered market research struggled to find a career or opening in sociology which matched what they wanted to do. So they took an entry-level job in market research (and most never went back!
Drive Research is a market research firm in Upstate, NY. Questions about a career in market research? Email the Owner and President of Drive at [email protected].