Market researchers seek to answer one central question; what products do consumers want and what are they willing to pay for them? To answer this question they gather and analyze data on markets, competitors, and consumers. They are then able to forecast consumer and sales trends and measure the effectiveness of a company’s marketing strategy. To thrive in this field you need to have excellent analytical and communication skills. An educational background in market research, statistics, or a similar field is also strongly preferred.
This booming industry is set for the employment of market researchers to grow by 22% between 2020 to 2023. This is significantly above the average for all occupations. To win one of these roles, you need a resume that stands out from the crowd and wows recruiters. This guide will help you elevate your resume using resume samples and recruiter-approved tips.
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Market research analysts help companies get a better idea of what their consumers want and how they and the markets behave. This helps companies produce the right products at the right time and the right price. Some of the tasks you may be assigned include, data gathering, analyzing and synthesizing data, and preparing reports.
While this can be an entry-level position, recruiters will most likely require a bachelor’s degree in market research, business, or a similar field. Any experience as a market researcher will also be a huge plus. Take a look at this successful market research analyst’s resume.
New technology and programs are being created every day and you need to ensure your skills section includes the latest industry-standard tools for data collection, data synthesizing, and forecasting.
You may not have always been a market research analyst, but you may have been a business analyst like this applicant. Be sure to include that experience as well. The skills gained in those positions are easily transferable.
Insights analysts make the unknown, known. They take data, look for insights or takeaways from that data, and present it to the relevant stakeholders. In essence, their job is to focus on what the next steps are and what the best decisions a company can make are. You need to have excellent analytical and critical-thinking skills. Similarly, you need to have great communication skills to collect data and also present your reports to the decision-makers.
Recruiters will expect you to have a bachelor’s degree in market research or a similar field and will expect you to have experience in the same. Here is a strong insights analyst resume sample to assist.
Your insights should help companies save costs and be more efficient. Impress recruiters by including specific metrics of cost saving and increased efficiency. For example, this applicant increased efficiency by an impressive 72% at their previous job.
Show recruiters your level of experience in the industry by using industry keywords throughout your resume. This applicant effectively uses terms like ‘standardize data’, ‘QA’, and ‘performance exposures’.
Market research specialists will look at the data collected by market research analysts and provide useful insights and recommendations to a company’s decision-makers. Your tasks will therefore include report writing, strategy development, and account handling. This position requires a lot more interaction with the client so excellent communication skills are essential. You may also find yourself working with one or more market research analysts, so you will also need to be an effective leader and team member.
A bachelor’s degree in market research, business, or a similar field is the minimum expectation. Some companies will require further education like a master’s degree or specific certification. Here is a strong market research specialist resume sample.
Showing recruiters career progression in the market research industry, indicates your level of commitment to the profession, your wealth of knowledge in the field, and your excellent track record as an employee.
As mentioned, you will be communicating with decision makers quite a bit, so being able to communicate in different languages is a huge advantage. This is especially true if you are applying to multi-national companies.
This is an entry-level position and is a great way for someone to enter the market research profession. As a qualitative research assistant, you will assist in the collection and analysis of data to provide useful insights to decision-makers. You may also assist in developing research procedures and methodology. You will obviously need to have excellent data collection and data analysis skills to thrive in this position. In terms of your educational background, a degree in market research, math, or a similar field would be highly desired by recruiters, as would research experience.
You may not have a wealth of professional research experience, so feel free to include research experience from college, even if it’s not market research. Research skills are generally transferable.
Show recruiters that you are experienced as a qualitative data analyst by including the industry standard tools in your skills list. Be sure to keep updating it as new tools are developed or as you become experienced with additional relevant tools.
As a hiring manager who has worked with top companies like Nielsen, Ipsos, and GfK, I have reviewed countless market researcher resumes. In this article, I will share insider tips on what makes a market researcher resume stand out and land interviews. These tips are based on real feedback from hiring managers in the industry.
Emphasize your experience with various research methodologies, such as:
Avoid simply listing the methodologies without context, like this:
Instead, provide specific examples of how you applied these methodologies to solve business problems and drive impact.
A resume summary for a Market Researcher position is optional, but it can be a valuable addition if you want to provide context or highlight key qualifications that may not be immediately apparent from the rest of your resume. It's especially useful if you're changing careers or have a lot of experience to summarize. However, avoid using an objective statement, as it's outdated and doesn't add value to your resume.
When crafting your summary, focus on your most relevant skills, experiences, and achievements that align with the Market Researcher role. Keep it concise, typically no more than a paragraph, and avoid repeating information that's already covered in other sections of your resume.
Your work experience section is the heart of your resume. It's where you showcase your professional accomplishments and skills to potential employers. As a market researcher, it's essential to highlight your ability to analyze data, identify trends, and provide actionable insights. Here are some tips to help you craft a compelling work experience section that will catch the eye of hiring managers.
The education section of your market researcher resume should be concise yet impactful. It's an opportunity to showcase your relevant academic background and any specialized training that qualifies you for the role. Here are some key tips to keep in mind when crafting this section:
Strong action verbs help recruiters easily understand the tasks you have undertaken as a market researcher and the successes you have had with those tasks. They help you and your successes stand out from the crowd and can help you secure that job. For a marketing research position, using action verbs that emphasize how you successfully handle data collection, analysis, reporting, and forecasting, is essential.
Here is a list of useful action verbs to get you started.
For a full list of effective resume action verbs, visit Resume Action Verbs.
Market research is a technical profession and as such, the skills section of your resume should be equally as technical. What recruiters will be keen to see is what data collection and analysis skills and tools you have, as well as what forecasting and projection tools and skills you use. Including industry standard tools and skills is also an effective way to bypass resume filters that may have been put in place by recruiters.
Here are some general hard skills expected in your profession. Use those that are relevant to you to bolster your skills section.
You can include the above skills in a dedicated Skills section on your resume, or weave them in your experience. Here's how you might create your dedicated skills section:
This word cloud highlights the important keywords that appear on Market Researcher job descriptions and resumes. The bigger the word, the more frequently it appears on job postings, and the more 'important' it is.
Thank you for the checklist! I realized I was making so many mistakes on my resume that I've now fixed. I'm much more confident in my resume now.
