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| Q92A.
| |
I am looking to move
into a client side
insight role in a
kid-focused company.
My tours around several
recruitment agencies
shows that they believe
I have good potential,
yet there are no positions
(or at least not positions
they know of!). How
can I make sure I
at least get to know
about these positions
when they turn up?
I am registered now
with several recruiters,
but never hear anything
despite my trying
to stay in touch with
them...
Also, my experience
is more qualitative
than quant, although
I do do quant research.
How much quant do
I need to have done
before I am considered
a good candidate for
an insight job? I
am currently an AD
and do not want to
take a pay cut in
a move...
I look forward
to hearing your thoughts.
I have been looking
for about 4 months
- scanning [magazines]
and just don't see
any roles that suit
my needs... I want
to be sure that when
they arrive, I am
ready!
Answer |
PREVIOUS
QUESTIONS
| Q86.
| |
I
am a 23 year old Research
Executive working
in a London based
research agency. I
have worked for the
company for a year.
My issue is that that
my job role here does
not provide a lot
of scope for interpreting
results, forming conclusions
and making solid recommendations
to the client. Do
you think that it
would be wise for
me to stay in this
role for the time
being or start to
look for a new agency
now?
Answer
|
| Q82.
| |
I am ten years into
a varied marketing
career in financial
services. My experience
is split between research
and information and
product management,
and I am now at marketing
manager level on the
product side. I am
keen to change direction
and progress my career
in research and information
because this is the
sort of work I enjoy
most. On the flipside,
I haven't developed
in-depth specialist
skills in any particular
area of research/information.
Am I likely to be
successful, would
you suggest an alternative
route, and what steps
would you recommend
I take to move forward?
Answer
|
| Q74.
| |
I have been working
in market research
for around twelve
years. All of my experience
is in business to
business...I am comfortable
but no longer challenged
in this role, but
can see no clear career
path beyond another
b2b agency. What other
career alternatives
do I have?
Answer
|
| Q66.
| |
I am a Statistics
graduate and have
worked as a statistician
and finally in strategy
on the client side
for the last 18 months
- I'm now the end
user of research data.....I
would like to get
back in to the "front
end" of MR (pref in
quant). My current
salary is in the late
20s but I might take
a year out to travel.
What kind of opportunities
will exist for me
when I come back?
I'm guessing I would
have to take a reduction
in salary as well.
How much would you
say?
Answer
|
| Q63.
| |
I have been in the
Operations side of
MR since 6 yrs now.
I wish to switch over
to the Research side.
What would your advice
be on that? What is
the best way to do
that?
Answer
|
| Q59.
| |
I have been working
in research since
leaving university... I have
always worked in quantitative
research... I have
recently been freelancing
in a company which
uses qualitative research
to gain insight into
consumer behaviour.
I have found some
of this work to be
refreshing and interesting,
thus I am wanting
to move totally into
qualitative research.
What is the best way
to achieve this?
Answer
|
| Q38.
| |
I am currently a research
executive within the
media industry. In
2-3 years I hope to
do freelance research
or work in international
research. Do you know
of any good courses
or a route I should
take over the next
few years to help
me achieve my ambition?
Answer
|
| Q27.
| |
I have reached the
level of [Field] AD
and I need to experience
new challenges in
a new company. At
my age (late forties)
what are my chances
and Where should I
go?
Answer
|
| Q20.
| |
I have become disenchanted
with MR as a career.
I have no clear idea
of which direction
to go in as a career
change. Do you know
how I could establish
what to pursue but
maintain my current
income?
Answer
|
| Q23.
| |
I am very frustrated
in both how interested
I am in the work and
the pay I receive.
How can I move forward?
Answer
|
| Q14.
| |
In general terms,
what are the opportunities
and also the pitfalls
of moving from agency
work to clientside?
Answer
|
| Q15.
| |
I am an SRE working
in [a large agency].
I want to change my
career path... I do
not like presenting
and would like a job
that doesn't entail
any...
Answer
|
| Q10.
| |
I am in the US looking
rather unsuccessfully
for sponsorship. My
Qualifications include
an MBA, 18 years on
the supply side...
I am an expert Visual
Basic programmer and
have concentrated
on CATI...
Answer
|
Questions
in
full
and
answers
| Q92A.
| |
I
am
looking
to
move
into
a
client
side
insight
role
in
a
kid-focused
company.
My
tours
around
several
recruitment
agencies
shows
that
they
believe
I
have
good
potential,
yet
there
are
no
positions
(or
at
least
not
positions
they
know
of!).
How
can
I
make
sure
I
at
least
get
to
know
about
these
positions
when
they
turn
up?
I
am
registered
now
with
several
recruiters,
but
never
hear
anything
despite
my
trying
to
stay
in
touch
with
them...
Also,
my
experience
is
more
qualitative
than
quant,
although
I
do
do
quant
research.
How
much
quant
do
I
need
to
have
done
before
I
am
considered
a
good
candidate
for
an
insight
job?
I
am
currently
an
AD
and
do
not
want
to
take
a
pay
cut
in
a
move...
I
look
forward
to
hearing
your
thoughts.
I
have
been
looking
for
about
4
months
-
scanning
[magazines]
and
just
don't
see
any
roles
that
suit
my
needs...
I
want
to
be
sure
that
when
they
arrive,
I
am
ready!
|
| A.
| |
Caroline
says:
From
the
sounds
of
things
you
have
the
right
experience
for
a
clientside
job.
You
do
not
have
to
be
a
quant
stats
or
advanced
methodology
expert
to
qualify
for
clientside
because
you
get
your
research
agencies
to
do
the
leg
work
for
you.
I
have
in
fact
come
across
people
with
relatively
little
quant
experience
who
have
coped
quite
well
on
clientside.
I
think
the
reason
why
it
is
taking
so
long
to
find
something
is
that
you
have
set
yourself
quite
a
specific
brief.
Clientside
is
picking
up
but
not
as
busy
as
agency
and
this
is
across
sectors
so
youth
/
kids
specialist
roles
are
going
to
be
a
relatively
rare
thing.
I
think
you
need
to
be
flexible
and
target
companies
that
have
products
marketed
at
the
kids
sector
eg
soft
drinks,
biscuits,
cereals,
confectionery
and
accept
that
you
will
be
in
a
more
general
role.
With
new
legislation
on
the
horizon
that
looks
to
change
how
we
market
products
to
kids
there
may
be
an
increasing
need
for
insight
managers
to
understand
the
kids
market
better
and
think
of
new
marketing
strategy.
This
may
be
how
you
ultimately
use
your
interest
and
specialist
experience
in
this
area
but
it
may
be
a
question
of
carving
out
a
niche
for
yourself
once
on
board
your
new
company.
|
| Q86.
| |
I
am
a
23
year
old
Research
Executive
working
in
a
London
based
research
agency.
This
is
my
first
job
in
market
research
and
I
have
worked
for
the
company
for
a
year.
My
issue
is
that
that
my
job
role
here
does
not
provide
a
lot
of
scope
for
interpreting
results,
forming
conclusions
and
making
solid
recommendations
to
the
client.
As
a
result,
I
feel
as
if
I
am
not
gaining
enough
market
knowledge
about
the
industries
that
I
am
working
for.
I
have
a
real
urge
to
develop
these
consultancy
based
skills
but
am
concerned
about
moving
companies
after
such
a
short
time.
On
the
other
hand,
I
feel
that
if
I
stay
I
may
fail
to
develop
these
skills.
I
have
a
1st
class
degree
and
an
MRS
qualification
[details
supplied].
I
feel
that
I
have
learnt
many
really
useful
market
research
techniques
in
my
role
covering
Project
Management,
questionnaire
design
and
qualitative
researching.
I
know
these
would
stand
me
in
good
stead
if
I
were
to
move
on
but
I'm
just
not
sure
it
is
a
good
idea
to
leave
so
early
as
I'm
worried
another
agency
might
feel
I
don't
have
staying
power
plus
I'm
not
sure
how
easy
it
would
be
to
find
another
research
exec
role
with
limited
experience
anyway.
Job
advertisements
mostly
seem
to
ask
for
2
years
experience.
Do
you
think
that
it
would
be
wise
for
me
to
stay
in
this
role
for
the
time
being
or
start
to
look
for
a
new
agency
now??
|
| A.
| |
Caroline
says:
I
think
with
a
year's
experience
that
you
should
stay
in
your
present
company
for
at
least
another
6
months.
There
are
a
few
reasons
for
this.
As
you
quite
rightly
say,
there
are
not
that
many
opportunities
around
for
people
quite
as
junior
as
you
and
you
may
find
yourself
experiencing
similar
frustrations
in
another
agency.
Most
importantly
though,
I
think
with
just
a
year's
experience
you
will
have
only
just
learnt
your
way
around
a
research
project
and
essentially
the
'tools
of
your
trade'.
It
is
important
that
your
research
skills
are
technically
sound.
A
poorly
conducted
research
project
will
give
you
inaccurate
data
which
will
affect
your
findings
and
give
the
wrong
results
to
the
client.
In
the
right
company,
consultancy
skills
will
come
with
time,
but
without
a
solid
foundation
of
research
training
and
fundamental
project
management
experience
your
'consulting'
will
be
shaky.
You
are
still
in
the
very
early
stages
of
your
research
career
and
if
you
are
getting
plenty
of
exposure
to
different
ad
hoc
research
techniques
then
I
would
give
yourself
more
time.
If
you
are
only
working
on
continuous
projects
or
stuck
on
one
large
tracking
study
for
a
large
client
then
you
should
firstly
have
a
chat
with
your
boss
and
talk
about
your
career
development
options
in
your
present
company.
If
they
are
not
forthcoming,
then
my
advice
would
be
to
think
about
looking.
However
I
would
be
very
selective
about
who
you
consider
and
the
roles
on
offer.
|
| Q82.
| |
I
am
ten
years
into
a
varied
marketing
career
in
financial
services.
My
experience
is
split
between
research
and
information
(market
intelligence,
market
research,
internal
analysis,
planning
and
forecasting)
-
roughly
5
years
in
total
-
and
product
management,
and
I
am
now
at
marketing
manager
level
on
the
product
side.
I
am
keen
to
change
direction
and
progress
my
career
in
research
and
information
because
this
is
the
sort
of
work
I
enjoy
most.
From
my
experience
I
am
somewhat
of
a
generalist,
with
knowledge
and
skills
across
a
broad
range
of
activities,
and
of
course
have
a
good
understanding
of
the
broader
marketing
issues
which
customer/market
intelligence
can
help
inform.
On
the
flipside,
I
haven't
developed
in-depth
specialist
skills
in
any
particular
area
of
research/information.
I
would
prefer
not
to
have
to
take
a
big
salary
cut
to
train
up.
I
would
therefore
be
looking
for
a
generalist
information-based
role.
Am
I
likely
to
be
successful,
would
you
suggest
an
alternative
route,
and
what
steps
would
you
recommend
I
take
to
move
forward?
|
| A.
| |
Caroline
says:
My
advice
is
to
look
for
a
role
in
specialised
information
and
research
and
stay
in
financial
services.
You
sound
as
if
you
have
enough
experience
to
qualify
for
this
type
of
work
and
your
marketing
experience
will
be
useful
for
working
at
management
level.
Many
people
working
in
information
and
research
often
have
marketing
experience
and
move
in
to
research
in
a
similar
way
to
you.
I
think
you
will
find
it
harder
to
find
something
specialising
purely
in
primary
ad
hoc
research
because
clients
tend
to
look
for
more
'classic'
market
research
training
and
specialist
experience.
|
| Q74.
| |
I
have
been
working
in
market
research
for
around
twelve
years.
All
of
my
experience
is
in
business
to
business.
I
have
gained
wide
experience
of
different
sectors
and
most
types
of
research
(both
domestically
and
international)
but
I
would
say
I
am
a
generalist
practitioner
and
more
of
a
quant
researcher
than
qual.
I
have
reached
a
senior
field
position,
with
no
further
promotion
prospects
within
this
company.
I
am
comfortable
but
no
longer
challenged
in
this
role,
but
can
see
no
clear
career
path
beyond
another
b2b
agency.
What
career
alternatives
do
I
have
if
I
wanted
to
gain
wider
research
experience,
perhaps
outside
b2b?
Are
there
opportunities
for
an
experienced
all
round
researcher
to
apply
that
experience
outside
the
agency
environment
or
even
the
market
research
industry?
I
know
that
branding
or
other
marketing
consultancies
can
employ
researchers,
but
don't
they
tend
to
favour
qual
researchers
with
a
consumer
background?
|
| A.
| |
Liz
says:
There
are
four
things
you
should
think
about.
Research
agencies
are
the
only
bodies
involved
with
research
that
have
field
and
DP
facilities.
So
the
experience
you
are
gaining
in
your
current
role
will
not
be
relevant
if
you
want
to
move
on
from
agency
jobs.
When
applying
for
a
new
job
you
should
emphasise
the
other
experience
you
have
had
and
ideally
take
a
sideways
move
to
a
role
which
doesn't
have
these
responsibilities
in
the
mean
time.
Most
marketing
consultancies
do
a
lot
of
consumer
branding
work
and
because
there
is
often
a
blue
sky
element
to
a
number
of
the
projects,
there
is
an
emphasis
on
qual.
You
would
make
a
move
into
this
area
easier
by
taking
a
job
which
gave
you
more
involvement
with
consumer
and/or
qual
research.
However
the
other
element
you
would
need
is
a
passion
for
branding
and
in-depth
knowledge
of
this
area.
There
are
a
number
of
other
service
organisations
which
employ
researchers.
Management
consultancies
are
the
most
likely
to
consider
a
business
to
business
researcher
with
quant
skills,
however
they
also
want
excellent
academics.
In
addition
most
of
them
are
struggling
at
the
moment
and
there
is
very
little
recruitment
in
this
area.
What
about
moving
to
a
role
as
a
research
buyer
for
a
company?
It
isn't
only
FMCG
manufacturers
who
need
in
house
researchers
to
buy
their
research.
Because
you
are
buying
all
their
research
they
need
applicants
to
have
a
broad
range
of
research
experience.
The
ideal
role
may
not
come
up
immediately
but
this
is
certainly
an
area
worth
considering.
|
| Q66.
| |
I
am
a
Statistics
graduate
and
have
worked
as
a
statistician,
in
a
related
role
in
an
academic
institution
and
finally
in
strategy
on
the
client
side
for
the
last
18
months
-
I'm
now
the
end
user
of
research
data,
but
am
not
involved
directly
in
its
production.
I
would
like
to
get
back
in
to
the
"front
end"
of
MR
(pref
in
quant).
My
current
salary
is
in
the
late
20s
but
I
might
take
a
year
out
to
travel.
What
kind
of
opportunities
will
exist
for
me
when
I
come
back?
Obviously,
the
state
of
the
market
is
somewhat
unknown
looking
that
far
ahead,
but
say
I
was
returning
now.
I'm
guessing
I
would
have
to
take
a
reduction
in
salary
as
well.
How
much
would
you
say?
|
| A.
| |
Liz
says:
In
general
it
is
possible
for
candidates
to
move
from
the
client
side
to
the
agency
side
when
they
are
still
relatively
inexperienced
as
you
are.
Your
statistical
background
will
certainly
make
that
move
easier
particularly
if
you
would
consider
research
roles
in
divisions
with
a
heavy
statistical
bias
to
their
research.
However
you
should
bear
in
mind
that
it
isn't
only
prior
experience
potential
employers
will
be
considering
(although
that
will
certainly
help
you
get
the
interview).
They
will
also
be
thinking
about
whether
your
attitude
and
approach
fits
an
agency
environment,
whether
you
have
relevant
market
knowledge
and
what
they
think
your
client
interface
skills
are
like.
Without
meeting
you
it
is
difficult
to
gauge
these
and
therefore
establish
just
how
easy
it
will
be
for
you
to
get
a
job.
Not
only
will
the
job
market
have
changed
in
terms
of
opportunity
over
the
next
year,
but
salaries
too
will
have
changed.
At
the
moment
I
think
it
unlikely
someone
with
your
level
of
experience
will
get
more
than
£25,000,
but
I
can't
say
that
will
definitely
be
true
in
a
year.
|
| Q63.
| |
I
have
been
in
the
Operations
side
of
MR
since
6
yrs
now
and
have
worked
in
3
different
countries
-
India,
Germany
&
presently
in
UK.
Now
I
wish
to
switch
over
to
the
Research
side.
What
would
your
advice
be
on
that?
What
is
the
best
way
to
do
that?
Currently
I
am
at
18,000
with
appraisal
due
in
October.
My
work
permit
is
sponsored
by
my
company,
and
I
also
haven't
got
a
degree
in
any
research
field,
though
am
PG
in
Literature.
|
| A.
| |
Liz
says:
Hopefully
the
organisation
you
are
with
now
employs
research
executive
staff
as
well
as
operations
people
as
this
is
realistically
the
only
way
you
are
going
to
be
able
to
move
across
at
the
moment,
assuming
you
want
to
stay
in
this
country.
Other
research
organisations
aren't
going
to
be
prepared
to
employ
someone
in
a
trainee
role
who
requires
sponsorship,
when
there
are
so
many
other
trainees
around
to
choose
from.
I
appreciate
your
current
organisation
may
not
be
keen
for
you
to
move,
given
how
difficult
it
is
to
find
good
operations
people.
But
it
is
definitely
something
you
should
bring
up
in
your
appraisal.
Hopefully
you
will
be
able
to
reach
some
sort
of
compromise.
Something
along
the
lines
of
staying
in
your
role
for
another
year,
but
after
that
being
switched
to
a
research
position,
or
possibly
staying
in
your
role
but
being
allowed
to
study
for
the
MRS
diploma.
|
| Q59.
| |
Hi.
I
have
been
working
in
research
since
leaving
university...
I
have
always
worked
in
quantitative
research.
I
have
recently
been
freelancing
in
a
company
which
uses
qualitative
research
to
gain
insight
into
consumer
behaviour.
I
have
found
some
of
this
work
to
be
refreshing
and
interesting,
thus
I
am
wanting
to
move
totally
into
qualitative
research.
What
is
the
best
way
to
achieve
this?
|
| A.
| |
Debby
says:
Gaining
a
foothold
in
qualitative
research
will
require
some
perseverance
on
your
part.
There
are
a
few
jobs
around
but
most
require
someone
who
can
'hit
the
ground
running'
in
respect
of
project
design,
group
moderation,
analysis
and
reporting.
Although
with
your
overall
experience
chances
are
you
could
do
that,
because
you
have
not
done
qual
work
consistently
for
a
reasonable
period
of
time
(say
12-18m
+)
it
is
more
likely
that
you
will
not
get
considered.
We
have
had
your
CV
on
file
for
a
number
of
months
but
have
always
found
it
difficult
to
fit
you
to
clients
requirements.
I
hope
the
following
observations
and
suggestions
help
you
to
strengthen
it
-
please
take
it
as
constructive
criticism
-
then
it
is
down
to
systematically
contacting
companies.
Although
you
claim
9
years
experience,
you
have
done
a
lot
of
chopping
and
changing
especially
in
the
last
few
years.
This
does
not
really
add
up
to
9,
therefore,
nor
does
it
give
the
impression
of
a
really
steady,
committed
person
-
so
somehow
you
need
to
explain
your
way
around
this.
Academic
work
...
sadly
gets
fairly
short
shrift
from
commercial
agencies
unless
they
happen
to
be
in
social
or
possibly
healthcare.
So
it
is
best
if
you
acknowledge
the
'difference'
and
put
in
an
explanation
of
why
you
took
your
next
step
ie
going
back
into
education...
What
you
need
to
do
is
to
identify
your
strengths
in
respect
of
research
eg
rapport
with
people,
analysis
etc
and
bring
these
to
the
fore
of
your
CV.
Also
your
strengths
in
terms
of
sectors
-
it
might
help
to
focus
on
eg
healthcare
to
start
with.
Then
just
keep
at
the
agencies
and
people
like
me.
Good
luck!
|
| Q38.
| |
I
am
currently
a
research
executive
within
the
media
industry.
In
2-3
years
I
hope
to
do
freelance
research
or
work
in
international
research.
Do
you
know
of
any
good
courses
or
a
route
I
should
take
over
the
next
few
years
to
help
me
achieve
my
ambition?
|
| A.
| |
Sinead
says:
There
isnt
really
any
course
that
you
can
do
-
its
always
useful
to
do
the
MRS
diploma
but
it
isnt
essential
for
career
development.
If
you
want
to
work
in
international
research
you
can
approach
that
through
the
usual
routes.
If
you
would
ideally
like
to
go
freelance
you
should
either
contact
a
specialist
freelance
recruitment
agency
or
use
the
next
2-3
years
to
build
up
your
contacts.
Then
ideally
you
should
have
a
ready
made
client
base.
In
the
meantime
you
should
carry
on
developing
your
research
skills.
I
hope
this
is
helpful,
you
seem
to
have
a
clear
plan
which
will
always
give
you
something
to
focus
on.
If
I
can
be
of
any
more
help
please
let
me
know.
|
| Q27.
| |
After
10
years
as
interviewer
and
recruiter
I
have
[moved
into
a
Field
Exec
role
and]
reached
the
level
of
AD
and
I
feel
that
I
have
been
successful
but
I
need
to
experience
new
challenges
in
a
new
company.
At
my
age
(late
forties)
what
are
my
chances
and
Where
should
I
go?
|
| A.
| |
Nick
says:
Age
shouldn't
be
too
much
of
a
barrier
for
you
if
you
have
transferable
skills
and
experience.
That
said,
there
is
still
a
degree
of
prejudice
out
there
but
companies
that
look
at
date
of
birth
are
finding
themselves
in
a
minority,
particular
as
the
skills
shortage
in
the
industry
intensifies.
What
employers
are
looking
for
is
the
right
skills
set,
potential
to
learn
where
you
have
gaps
and
perhaps
most
importantly,
attitude.
The
real
issue
for
you
is
how
you
want
to
progress
your
career.
If
you
are
blocked
because
your
boss
is
at
the
top
and
unlikely
to
move
then
maybe
a
larger
company
could
offer
you
more
responsibility.
What
are
you
particularly
good
at?
If
it's
the
project
management
side
then
play
to
that
strength
by
seeking
out
positions
that
require
strong
organisational
skills.
If
you
have
experience
of
working
directly
with
clients
and
are
good
at
it,
perhaps
you
should
go
for
jobs
that
involve
more
account
management
and
development.
You
should
also
consider
which
aspects
of
your
job
you
enjoy
the
most.
This
often
goes
hand
in
hand
with
your
strengths
but
not
always.
Think
about
how
much
you'd
like
a
particular
role
or
company
culture
as
part
of
your
evaluation
of
any
given
opportunity.
Getting
this
right
does
have
a
major
impact
on
your
performance
and
therefore
future
prospects.
If
you're
good
at
what
you
do,
and
other
companies
need
those
skills,
I
see
no
reason
why
you
shouldn't
be
able
to
find
a
new
challenge.
|
| Q20.
| |
I
have
classic
MR
training
behind
me
(blue
chip
agency
and
currently
blue
chip
clientside)
however,
for
the
first
time,
have
become
disenchanted
with
MR
as
a
career.
However,
I
have
no
clear
idea
of
which
direction
to
go
in
as
a
career
change.
Do
you
know
how
I
could
establish
what
to
pursue
but
maintain
my
current
income?
|
| A.
| |
Peter
says:
There
are
a
number
of
different
avenues
you
could
consider.
If
you
move
completely
away
from
research
then
you
may
have
to
consider
a
salary
drop.
You
may
want
to
consider
a
different
angle
within
research
that
will
provide
you
with
a
new
challenge
but
maintain
salary.
In
terms
of
the
way
forward
I
suggest
you
seek
advice
from
a
consultancy
that
specialises
in
research
and
marketing.
|
| Q23.
| |
I
have
been
in
Market
Research
as
a
Field
Interviewer
for
approximately
16
years.
I
have
done
all
sorts
of
research.
I
have
done
a
Diploma
in
Marketing.
My
kids
have
now
grown
up
and
left
home
so
I
have
free
time
to
travel.
I
don't
want
to
continue
to
do
the
same
thing.
I
have
applied
for
one
job
doing
depth
interviewing
and
interviewing
where
you
use
your
own
initiative
which
sounds
quite
interesting.
I
have
no
experience
as
a
Field
Executive.
I
have
done
some
medical
interviewing
which
I
found
a
bit
more
interesting
and
more
remunerative.
I
am
very
frustrated
in
both
how
interested
I
am
in
the
work
and
the
pay
I
receive.
How
can
I
move
forward?
|
| A.
| |
Peter
says:
I
recommend
you
sit
down
and
identify
which
parts
of
your
role
you
enjoy
and
which
parts
the
role
you
do
not.
From
there
you
may
want
to
consider
other
job
avenues
as
well
market
research
to
see
how
they
compare.
If
you
have
enjoyed
medical
interviewing
then
that
is
one
avenue
to
pursue
further:
it
tends
to
be
better
remunerated.
There
is
always
plenty
of
work
for
good
medical
interviewers.
|
| Q14.
| |
I
have
been
working
in
Market
Research
for
several
years
and
am
planning
to
move
into
London
to
live
and
work.
I
love
working
for
an
agency
and
enjoy
the
variety
of
work
on
offer,
but
do
not
want
to
rule
out
working
clientside
as
I
think
there
are
so
many
exciting
companies
/
brands
out
there.
Also,
I
think
it
will
be
excellent
experience
for
me
if
I
decide
to
move
back
to
agency
work
in
a
few
years.
In
general
terms,
what
are
the
opportunities
and
also
the
pitfalls
of
moving
from
agency
work
to
clientside?
What
is
happening
today
in
market
research
departments
within
large
companies
?...
they
get
pretty
bad
press
(unrealistic
expectations,
too
absorbed
in
their
own
brand(s)
etc).
How
much
of
this
is
true
and
how
much
is
fiction?
|
| A.
| |
Sinead
says:
There
are
pros
and
cons
to
both
the
clientside
and
agency
case.
The
pros
of
moving
to
the
clientside
are
that
you
get
more
exposure
to
all
types
of
research,
for
example
primary
and
secondary,
and
you
get
more
involved
in
the
practicalities
of
research
and
its
implementation
than
you
do
on
the
agency
side.
This
is
also
one
of
the
disadvantages
of
working
on
the
agency
side
and
this
is
usually
what
will
cause
most
agency
researchers
difficulty
when
they
try
to
move
across.
Other
pros
to
working
on
the
clientside
depend
on
what
you
want
long
term
-
it
can
give
you
an
opportunity
to
move
away
from
pure
research
and
into
more
of
a
planning
role,
though
this
is
also
dependent
on
the
company.
Cons
to
working
clientside;
sometimes
the
research
commissioned
is
left
in
a
cupboard
and
not
implemented,
people
often
complain
of
the
inability
to
get
really
involved
in
the
research
as
it
is
commissioned
and
the
in-house
researcher
can
often
be
no
more
than
a
co-ordinator.
Other
complaints
usually
revolve
round
the
fact
that
as
you
have
only
one
client
the
work
can
become
dull
but
this
really
depends
on
the
client
and
their
product
range.
Again
it
depends
on
what
you
want
long
term
and
that
should
help
you
decide
where
you
should
go
next,
if
you
decide
on
clientside
make
sure
you
go
somewhere
which
has
a
fairly
structured
department
otherwise
you
may
end
up
caretaking
projects.
If
you
are
going
to
make
the
move
clientside
now
is
probably
a
good
time
as
you
are
[at
this
stage
of
your
career],
try
and
focus
on
the
industry
sectors
that
you
know
well
as
what
you
lack
in
commercial
experience
you
can
make
up
in
market
knowledge.
There
are
usually
fewer
clientside
than
agency
roles
due
to
a
lower
turnover
of
staff
and
small
departments,
also
many
client
companies
are
based
outside
London
-
lower
rents
etc.
|
| Q15.
| |
I
am
an
SRE
working
in
[a
large
agency].
I
want
to
change
my
career
path
slightly
but
do
not
really
know
what
I
can
do!
I
have
a
largely
Quant
background
but
enjoy
more
creative
work,
particularly
writing.
I
am
interested
in
brand
issues.
I
do
not
like
presenting
and
would
like
a
job
that
doesn't
entail
any.
Do
you
know
of
any
related
areas
that
might
be
of
interest?
|
| A.
| |
Sinead
says:
In
terms
of
what
is
open
to
you
depends
on
what
you
want
to
do.
You
could
move
to
a
more
creative
research
agency
where
you
could
explore
those
skills,
this
can
mean
moving
to
a
smaller
agency
which
means
that
it
is
likely
that
you
will
be
involved
in
presenting.
Alternately
you
could
move
to
a
larger
agency
where
there
may
be
less
pressure
to
present.
If
you
want
to
focus
on
writing
maybe
you
should
move
to
secondary
research
agency
where
you
will
mainly
write
reports
this
might
be
frustrating
though
as
you
may
not
be
involved
in
the
in
depth
analysis.
I
hope
this
is
helpful
-
this
is
a
tricky
one
as
you
do
not
want
to
present,
if
you
have
any
more
Questions
please
let
me
know.
|
| Q10.
| |
I
am
in
the
US
looking
rather
unsuccessfully
for
sponsorship.
My
Qualifications
include
an
MBA,
18
years
on
the
supply
side
of
market
research
doing
more
than
1000
projects
-
much
of
this
in
South
Africa.
I
am
an
expert
Visual
Basic
programmer
and
have
concntrated
on
CATI
(Computer
Aided
Telephone
Interviewing)
work
in
the
past
three
years
(Windows
NT/Server
applications).
I
am
looking
for
a
new
challenge.
Do
you
have
any
advice
on
what
I
should
try
next.
I
have
really
tried
every
avenue
that
I
know
of.
|
| A.
| |
Sinead
says:
I
am
not
that
familiar
with
the
US
market
so
I
am
not
sure
how
relevant
this
will
be.
My
advice
is
to
build
on
the
relationships
you
had
in
South
Africa
and
use
any
contacts
that
they
or
you
may
have
in
the
US
to
try
and
secure
some
employment.
One
of
the
ways
to
do
this
would
be
to
go
back
to
South
Africa
-
work
for
a
company
who
have
offices
in
the
US
and
try
for
an
internal
transfer.
The
only
other
thing
I
can
suggest
is
to
contact
companies
directly
-
there
will
be
an
issue
with
sponsorship,
you
have
to
prove
that
you
have
skills
that
cannot
be
found
in
the
US
market
place
but
I
understand
that
the
number
of
visas
issued
has
increased
but
that
you
need
to
apply
in
November. |
|
Key
to
previous
and
current
Agony
Aunts
/
Uncles
Sinead
Hasson,
Hasson Associates
Kate
Langford,
Hasson Associates
Peter
McGrath,
PSD
Nick
Gendler,
then
of
KD
Consulting
Debby
Robson,
then of SLS
Services
Liz
Norman,
ENI
Caroline
Steane
/
Clive
Warren,
CSA
Recruitment
Jenny
Bastin,
then of Buckingham
Personnel
Helen
Pegnall,
then of ENI
|
|
