How to hire a market research consultant

How to hire a market research consultant, step by step

Here's a step-by-step market research consultant hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a market research consultant job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new market research consultant
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a market research consultant do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The market research consultant hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A market research consultant's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, market research consultants from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   Here's a comparison of market research consultant salaries for various roles:

   Type of Market Research Consultant	Description	Hourly rate
   Market Research Consultant	Market research analysts study market conditions to examine potential sales of a product or service. They help companies understand what products people want, who will buy them, and at what price.	$25-63
   Research Director	Research Directors oversee the research initiatives of the company. They are usually deployed in the academe, research facilities, or companies with research and development departments... Show more	$32-82
   Research Leader	Research Leaders are academicians who oversee a group of researchers conducting a study. They are usually well-known researchers in their field of study or area of interest... Show more	$30-85

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Client Facing
   • Risk Management
   • PowerPoint
   • Project Management
   • Financial Services
   • Data Analysis
   • Capital Markets
   • CRM
   • Product Development
   • Data Collection
   • Strategic Recommendations
   • Business Decisions
   • Market Research
   • Primary Research

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage existing client relationships and provide support during origination process which improve overall customer relations.
   • Develop and enhance existing SQL queries to complete business processes.
   • Deliver the results in interactive PowerPoint presentations and 'leave behind' custom reports.
   • Extract data from existing data stores using data query technology (SQL).
   • Study and assess first hand responses towards Facebook posts conduct by businesses and organizations (ex.
   • Pull, manipulate and interpret large amounts of data via SPSS and provide meaningful and actionable analysis and reports.

   More market research consultant duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your market research consultant job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A market research consultant salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for a market research consultant in Florida may be lower than in Washington, and an entry-level market research consultant usually earns less than a senior-level market research consultant. Additionally, a market research consultant with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average market research consultant salary

   $85,073yearly

   $40.90 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level market research consultant salary

   $54,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 18, 2025

   Average market research consultant salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Washington	$119,390	$57
   2	New York	$100,257	$48
   3	California	$92,010	$44
   4	Oregon	$90,886	$44
   5	North Carolina	$86,494	$42
   6	Connecticut	$82,852	$40
   7	Minnesota	$82,692	$40
   8	Pennsylvania	$82,433	$40
   9	District of Columbia	$81,162	$39
   10	Massachusetts	$81,142	$39
   11	Illinois	$79,704	$38
   12	Michigan	$78,453	$38
   13	Maryland	$77,446	$37
   14	Texas	$68,993	$33
   15	Louisiana	$68,504	$33
   16	South Carolina	$65,226	$31
   17	Colorado	$65,062	$31
   18	North Dakota	$64,406	$31
   19	Missouri	$64,199	$31
   20	Georgia	$64,151	$31

   Average market research consultant salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Invesco	$123,765	$59.50	3
   2	Bank of America	$115,350	$55.46	28
   3	Eli Lilly and Company	$113,850	$54.74	16
   4	Wells Fargo	$112,546	$54.11	35
   5	Kibble and Prentice	$106,549	$51.23
   6	QuintilesIMS	$106,399	$51.15	61
   7	U.S. Bank	$106,236	$51.08	42
   8	Vistex	$105,210	$50.58
   9	HCSC	$101,728	$48.91	16
   10	Caterpillar	$101,404	$48.75	4
   11	Sigma	$99,124	$47.66
   12	NW Natural	$98,077	$47.15
   13	MetLife	$95,804	$46.06
   14	MPG	$92,365	$44.41
   15	Technomedia	$92,006	$44.23
   16	Informa Plc	$91,308	$43.90
   17	Population Services International	$91,275	$43.88
   18	Delta Air Lines	$89,757	$43.15	2
   19	Paychex	$87,536	$42.08
   20	Fidelity Investments	$85,401	$41.06	15

4. Writing a market research consultant job description

   A market research consultant job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a market research consultant job description:

   Market research consultant job description example

   Active participation in a range of market strategy projects essential to KP's membership and margin goals. Market Strategy&Analysis Consultants provide analytical/strategic-thinking and leadership skills that enable project teams to: 1) isolate business issues; 2) design and execute analytics for studying business issues (market research, scenario planning, forecasting, market share, profitability, etc); 3) bring technical/content expertise (competitive intelligence, utilization, financial analysis, deep data analysis&programming); 4) vet findings and make formal recommendations to senior levels of KP leadership; 5) create documents (strategic segment plans, utilization reports) that inform critical strategic issues.
   Essential Functions:
   
   - Works with business/segment owners to identify key business issues.- Manages major analytical and/or strategy projects.- Develops analytic framework required to analyze business issues.- Sets project and staff priorities.- Owns the outcome- represents findings to stakeholders.- Serves as subject matter/technical expert to Analysts.
   
   Basic Qualifications:Experience- Minimum four (4) years of related experience OR a master's degree and minimum one (1) year of experience.Education- Bachelor's degree in related field, OR four (4) years of experience in a directly related field.- High School Diploma or General Education Development (GED) required.License, Certification, Registration- N/A Additional Requirements:- Thorough knowledge of policies, practices and systems.- Complete understanding and application of principles, concepts, practices, and standards.- Full knowledge of industry practices.- Broad application of principles, theories, and concepts in applicable discipline, plus working knowledge of other related fields.- Skilled in MS Excel, Access and other databases. Must know how to manipulate databases such as MS Excel and/or Access, as well as manipulating reports and generating reports.- Must be able to work in a Labor/Management Partnership environment.
   
   Preferred Qualifications:- Minimum five (5) years of related experience.- Master's degree in business, public health, or related preferred.
   
   COMPANY: KAISER
   
   TITLE: Consultant - Market Strategy Analysis
   
   LOCATION: Oakland, California
   
   REQNUMBER: 1110273
   
   External hires must pass a background check/drug screen. Qualified applicants with arrest and/or conviction records will be considered for employment in a manner consistent with Federal, state and local laws, including but not limited to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, protected veteran, or disability status.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find market research consultants for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your market research consultant job on Zippia to find and recruit market research consultant candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites such as swipe files, exit five, marketinghire, american marketing association.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit market research consultants, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new market research consultant

   Once you have selected a candidate for the market research consultant position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new market research consultant first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire a market research consultant?