How To Become A Market Research Assistant: What It Is and Career Path

What is a market research assistant and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Heather Tanner Ph.D.

A market researcher carries out surveys and collects and analyses data on behalf of organizations. You will specialize in gathering and analyzing data which allows clients to further understand their market, studying market activities, and developing test structures. Your responsibilities are to identify and monitor competitors and changes that may affect sales, consult clients about requirements of projects, formulate a plan and present it to the senior management, and carry out quantitative and qualitative research. You are also to manage and organize information with statistical software and remain fully informed on market trends, other party's research, and implement best practices.

A market researcher should have at least five years of experience. You should also possess good communication and analytical thinking, a high level of organization, and time management skills. Plus, you should be a team player and possess negotiating skills. The average annual salary you will receive annually as a market researcher is $46,000.

What general advice would you give to a market research assistant?

Heather Tanner Ph.D.

Associate Professor, The Ohio State University

Most entry-level jobs have lots of boring elements, which is frustrating when you can't wait to jump in and tackle exciting challenges. However, it would help if you showed your immediate supervisor and the company/institution that you are a good team member, capable, and willing to take on tasks (challenging and boring). Routinely ask your supervisor for new jobs or projects to expand your skillset and knowledge of the company/institution. It would help if you also manage your expectations about how quickly you'll be promoted; it can be frustratingly slow. Finally, it's essential to recognize that you need to manage your reputation - this is a workplace where you need to be perceived as a responsible and competent professional. Therefore, only share information about your personal life and leisure time as if talking to your grandparents.

ScoreMarket Research AssistantUS Average

Salary

4.1

Avg. Salary $52,790

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 14.16%

Black or African American 4.72%

Hispanic or Latino 11.21%

Unknown 4.88%

White 64.90%

Gender

female 63.54%

male 36.46%

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 a market research assistant

Explore market research assistant education requirements

Most common market research assistant degrees

Bachelor's

71.3 %

Master's

10.2 %

Associate

9.2 %

Start to develop specific market research assistant skills

Skills	Percentages
Market Research	10.50%
Real Estate	9.74%
Expense Reports	7.49%
PowerPoint	5.42%
Data Collection	4.95%

Complete relevant market research assistant training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New market research assistants 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 a market research assistant based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real market research assistant resumes.

Research market research assistant duties and responsibilities

Manage existing client relationships and provide support during origination process which improve overall customer relations.
Prepare professional quality written reports and PowerPoint presentations.
Represent major investment banks as issuers and underwriters of domestic and cross-border securitization transactions, focusing primarily on mortgage-backed securities.
Utilize enhanced firm-specific software in conjunction with MATLAB to simulate industry-standard figures.

Prepare your market research assistant resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your market research assistant 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 a market research assistant resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable market research assistant resume templates

Build a professional market research assistant 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 market research assistant resume.