Graduate Careers

What is market and social research?
The industry in Australia
Internships
Traineeships
Salaries
What employers look for
Getting experience
Find out more

What is market and social research?

Market research is used to advise companies about what products to launch, what kinds of advertising to develop, why people like or don’t like their products and services, and which ads work and why. It is a voyage of discovery and learning. In social research you have the opportunity to help government authorities plan communications strategies to make us a healthier community, save lives, build a sustainable future, or to conduct polls that shape our political direction. There are also specialised areas of research, including employee research, sensory research (taste, colour etc.) and media audience research.

Over time you will have the opportunity to specialise, perhaps in specific research techniques, or on types of products and services that most interest you. Market and social research is one of the best ways to become a ‘guru’ on a product, service, or a whole industry.

The industry in Australia

In Australia market and social research comprises a $700 million industry, with over 1800 executives and more than 10,000 employees. The 334 research supplier organisations range from boutique consultancies with only a few people, to large multinationals.

Many market and social research companies and their clients are international groups, so even if you work in an Australian research firm, chances are you will work on international projects with people from all over the world. If you work within an international organisation there may well be opportunities for travel or even overseas postings. If you speak a second language, you will have a good chance of getting to use it.

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Internships

Internships are becoming more common, and many graduates are coming to Australia from Europe and elsewhere as interns. Internships involve work experience, either for a few weeks (typically unpaid) or a few months (paid). By contacting organisations and offering yourself as a work-experience intern, you will enormously increase your chances of getting work with that organisation.

Traineeships

The Australian Market and Social Research Society also arrange graduate traineeships in NSW and Victoria, comprising a year's placement in a research supplier firm. These are advertised in August for the following calendar year.

Salaries

Good researchers with strong expertise command high incomes and employment packages with many additional benefits. A graduate will start on around $45,000, and can progress through to the $100,000 level very quickly. Senior researchers can earn $200,000 or more.

What employers look for

While employers will expect executive staff to hold a tertiary qualification (usually a bachelor degree), many other considerations are taken into account, such as:

• any work experience you have done — particularly in the industry, such as market research interviewing
• your ability to communicate well in writing and verbally. Employers may ask to see examples of work you have done, and they will certainly look for people who communicate well in an interview
• references from employers.

Market and social researchers can be graduates in almost any field, although it helps to have done a few units of psychology, commerce or marketing. However sociology, anthropology or statistics are all subjects of interest.

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Getting experience through interviewing or casual analysis work

Additionally, it is recommended to get casual work with market and social research organsations. Interviewing work is well paid compared to similar casual work, and commonly it is available in the evenings and on weekends, so it is particularly convenient for students. From interviewing, those with the talent for leadership can readily become supervisors, and this experience in management will kick-start your career in market and social research.

Find out more

For more information, visit the Australian Market and Social Research Society (AMSRS) website at www.amsrs.com.au . AMSRS have a brochure and video available about starting a career in market and social research.

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