Market research interviewer

You would ask people questions and collect their answers to provide information to businesses or organisations about public opinion.

You would stop people in the street or phone them to get them to spend time with you and answer your questions.

You’ll need to listen carefully and record the information correctly and clearly: it would be useful to have neat writing.

You’d work for a research agency which would run the project. The agency would prepare a questionnaire designed to find the information that an organisation or business needs.

You might be asking questions for:

• All sorts of businesses

• An advertising agency

• A government department or agency

• A charity

• A polling organisation

As part of a team, you would:

• Go to an information session (briefing) about the research project

• Stop people in the street, phone them or go to their home to ask them questions

• Explain about the research and how it’ll be used

• Ask a number of set questions from the questionnaire

• Record people’s answers on paper forms, a hand-held computer or video

• Organise the results and pass them back to the market research organisation

The agency would require you to complete a set number of interviews with people from the target audience. You’d need to be friendly and polite but also move on quickly if someone isn’t interested.

• Market Research Society - Careers insights and advice about working in market research

• Association for Qualitative Research - Education, training and insights into qualitative research and industry representation