How To Become An Internet Researcher: What It Is and Career Path

What is an internet researcher and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

Quoted expert

Pedar Foss Ph.D.

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being an internet researcher. For example, did you know that they make an average of $12.0 an hour? That's $24,970 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 19% and produce 150,300 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to an internet researcher?

Pedar Foss Ph.D.

Professor of Classical Studies, DePauw University

The advice to students who are graduating is that college prepares them not just for their first job but for a lifetime of adapting to the changing labor landscape. What matters is not what one is doing at age 25, but at age 40. Flexibility, adaptability, and nimbleness, combined with an open mind and exposure to multiple points of view and numerous disciplinary approaches to problems, will ensure that a student can surf their career and not get swamped by a wave of change that overcomes someone who has learned/done only one thing and is therefore stuck in that job.

ScoreInternet ResearcherUS Average

Salary

2.0

Avg. Salary $24,970

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

4.9

Growth rate 19%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.13%

Asian 10.60%

Black or African American 5.29%

Hispanic or Latino 12.66%

Unknown 5.03%

White 66.29%

Gender

female 59.04%

male 40.96%

Age - 34

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 34

Stress level

4.9

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.2

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

4.6

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become an internet researcher

Explore internet researcher education requirements

Most common internet researcher degrees

Bachelor's

59.3 %

Associate

15.6 %

Master's

10.8 %

Start to develop specific internet researcher skills

Skills	Percentages
Company Database	23.56%
Research Strategies	20.83%
Search Engine	15.11%
Linkedin	9.30%
Data Management	4.15%

Complete relevant internet researcher training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New internet researchers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an internet researcher based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real internet researcher resumes.

Research internet researcher duties and responsibilities

Create Linux shell scripts to automate common process which severely reduce manual work load and processing time for the entire lab.
Update web pages using CSS style sheets and copy-pasting HTML code.
Design and fabricate self-assembled DNA cascades apply for heavy metal detection.
Detail internet searches conduct in LinkedIn for large multi-national organizations to support recruiting efforts.

Prepare your internet researcher resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your internet researcher resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on an internet researcher resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable internet researcher resume templates

Build a professional internet researcher resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your internet researcher resume.

Apply for internet researcher jobs

Now it's time to start searching for an internet researcher job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do internet researchers rate their job?

5/5

Out of 1 Internet Researcher reviews, 100% were positive.

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Based on 1 ratings

Career growth

5.0

Pay / salary

5.0

Overall rating

5.0

Work/life balance

5.0

Internet researcher reviews

5.0

A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2023

Pros

If you have a computer and internet access, you have the equipment necessary to start an internet research business. There are no time constraints since the internet is always available. If you have a background in a research-based field such as journalism or library science, you will more easily be able to market your value to potential clients. Your business can be home-based or mobile. If working from home, you also should be able to deduct expenses for your home office when filing your taxes. You can expand your knowledge as you work. You can target broadly or specialize in specific areas such as market research, genealogy research, statistical research, etc. Your researching speed will increase as you become more familiar with online search tools and resources.

Cons

You may find it difficult to sell the value of your services to clients if you are unable to convince them that your background and experience have provided you with skills that go beyond run-of-the-mill internet searches. Establishing the business likely will require extensive networking, marketing, and self-promotion to build a client base. You have to be able to objectively evaluate information since not all information found on the internet is accurate. You need to have the skills and knowledge to go beyond basic Google or Bing searches. There are billions of pages of data that popular search engines don't reach, and you need to know how to find that data to be valuable to your clients. You have to be especially careful to avoid plagiarism and know how to cite your sources when gathering information online. You need to understand the different search operators and how to use them to find what you're looking for. You need to know what questions to ask your clients to get a clear understanding of what information they need.

A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2020