How to hire a market research internship

How to hire a market research internship, step by step

Here's a step-by-step market research internship 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 internship job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new market research internship
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the market research internship you need to hire. Certain market research internship roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect market research internship also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   This list shows salaries for various types of market research interns.

   Type of Market Research Internship	Description	Hourly rate
   Market Research Internship	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.	$12-23
   Marketing Analyst	A marketing analyst specializes in researching market conditions to develop strategies to boost sales and revenues. They are primarily responsible for analyzing competition and trends, identifying the organization's strengths and weaknesses, and determining potential opportunities... Show more	$19-40
   Market Analyst	A market analyst is responsible for examining relevant information that will aid the organization to make informed decisions on market strategy. You will be responsible for assessing consumer preferences that will help the company decide how to advertise and market their products... Show more	$19-43

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • PowerPoint
   • Data Analysis
   • Research Projects
   • Analyze Data
   • Data Collection
   • SPSS
   • R
   • Market Trends
   • Financial Statements
   • Primary Research
   • Market Research
   • Salesforce
   • Competitive Analysis
   • Linkedin

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage existing client relationships and provide support during origination process which improve overall customer relations.
   • Assist with creating and executing paid advertising campaigns via various social media platforms such as LinkedIn and Facebook.
   • Prepare and edit PowerPoint reports from primary and secondary research findings into easy to understand text and illustrating data graphically.
   • Create adhoc database reports using advance SQL queries.
   • Ensure data tabulations done with SAS are accurately compile and present.
   • Used algorithms like regression, clustering and decision trees to analyze the data on SAS JMP.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your market research internship job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A market research internship can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, market research interns' average salary in kentucky is 50% less than in connecticut.
   • Seniority. Entry-level market research interns 46% less than senior-level market research interns.
   • Certifications. A market research internship with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a market research internship's salary.

   Average market research internship salary

   $35,920yearly

   $17.27 hourly rate

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   Entry-level market research internship salary

   $26,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 21, 2026

4. Writing a market research internship job description

   A market research internship 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. Below, you can find an example of a market research internship job description:

   Market research internship job description example

   Interstates is growing, and we are currently seeking two Market Research Interns to join our Team in Omaha. The Market Research Intern will be responsible for researching and summarizing data contact and company information for potential and future clients. We seek an ambitious, innovative individual with the ability to grow with our Team while promoting Interstates' core values.
   
   We are seeking individuals interesting in learning how to investigate companies and individuals to assist the Sales Team in new client pursuit; we are not looking for someone to create statistics. We offer an onboarding and training opportunity to learn about some existing tools and target markets. The main objective is to work with Sales and Business Development to find the 'who's who' at key companies within target markets. We will assist and encourage free-thinking and innovative means of researching, collecting, and sharing information.
   
   Interstates' Story
   We meet the electrical and automation needs of companies around the world. For over sixty years, we've tackled complex challenges and developed innovative solutions. We started out as a small electric company and have evolved into an organization with over 1000 employees and multiple locations throughout the Midwest. During this evolution, the most impressive thing we have built is our team! At Interstates we treat each other like family, because the foundation of our success is our team. We have created a collaborative workplace based on trust, integrity, and support for one another.
   
   At Interstates, our success starts with yours.
   
   Responsibilities
   
   Focus will be investigating and capturing company and contact identification for new and prospective clients within defined markets. There will be some Discover and perform industry research looking for market trends Perform investigations of business names and contacts for the Sales Team to pursue Help assemble and build client and market knowledge Assist in developing a simple method to organize and summarize all data gathered; may evolve to include CRM interaction. Support the front side of the business and sales team. Other duties as assigned
   Qualifications
   
   Education and/or Experience:
   Pursuing a 4-year degree in Business Possess ability and experience with looking up companies, individuals, and assembling summary information utilizing online research options, and various tools and technologies. We may need the intern to make a few phone calls to get additional information to help the Sales Team.
   Preferred Skills:
   Strong organizational skills Strong written and verbal communication Naturally curious, inquisitive, and desire to look for information and answers Proven ability to learn Self-motivated and ambitious Ability to work on a team and help drive others to succeed Strong customer service skills
   
   Travel: This position will be located in Omaha, Nebraska; this is a hybrid position and open to balance time in the Omaha office; looking for a minimum of one (1) day per week in the office.
   
   Interstates is an Equal Opportunity/AA Employer and provides a drug-free work environment.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find market research interns 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 internship job on Zippia to find and recruit market research internship 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

   To successfully recruit market research interns, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete 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 internship

   Once you've decided on a perfect market research internship candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new market research internship. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

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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