Research Executive: Changing careers

Candidate came to me looking for a change of career and industry.  Knowledge of the MR Industry was limited to conversations they had had with friends, but this wasn’t providing enough detail for them to make a decision.

On first meeting I was able to provide additional information on what a career in Market Research would look like, the opportunities, the employers and the scope for a long term career. This candidate had experience but would be entry level for market research so I was able to counsel and help the candidate position their ambitions realistically advising them on what the expectations should be in terms of changing industry. 

Through our interview we were able to pull out the transferable skills, providing myself with the confidence I needed to recommend the candidate to clients with a solid belief that they could make the transition successfully.

Before presenting, the candidate needed to be on side and comfortable with the positioning (a lower basic etc.).  The candidate wanted this to happen and so I was then able to speak with close clients and present the candidate to them, in the knowledge that the candidate’s expectations were realistic. 

After a few conversations we entered the interview process with a couple of agencies, for each I remained very close, metaphorically holding the candidate’s hand throughout, providing advice on each step of the process, including a dry run of presentation. The clients were impressed by the candidate’s enthusiasm and recognised that the gaps were not unsurmountable, resulting in an offer.  This whole process took 4 weeks, helped by the fact that the candidate wasn’t working and very flexible on interview times.

Several months on, both client and candidate are really happy, and the candidate has adapted really positively to the new industry, bringing new ideas and ways of thinking to the organisation.  A perfect result all round.