Your first job in market research

  • Focus your job search on companies that match your long-term career goals. Don’t base your decision to accept a graduate job purely on the salary offered or whether it’s near home. 
  • Think about your values and the values of a prospective employer. Use these to filter out companies that might not be right for you. 
  • Decide the learning process that suits you best. Graduate schemes, offered by large companies, expose you to various parts of the business, so you can choose which interest you most. At smaller companies, you may be thrown in at the deep end, learn lots in a short time, and gain quick expertise in a key area.
  • Stay in demand. Once you’re in your first job, continue your training and development to make yourself more employable in a competitive industry. Get involved with research, insight and strategy-focused networking and social groups, such as R-Net, The Research Club, the Association for Qualitative Research (AQR), the Business Intelligence Group (BIG), and become a member of the Market Research Society (MRS). Read the industry press and blogs, and find a mentor in your company or through networking events. Soon you’ll be seen as part of the industry, not just a bystander.
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