soft skills for market research

Top 12 Market Researcher Skills to Put on Your Resume

In today's competitive job market, standing out as a market researcher requires a blend of technical expertise and soft skills. A well-crafted resume that showcases the top market researcher skills can significantly enhance your chances of landing your desired position, demonstrating to potential employers your ability to uncover insights and drive business decisions.

Market Researcher Skills

• Google Analytics
• SurveyMonkey

SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) is a software tool used by market researchers for data management, statistical analysis, and visualization, facilitating insights into market trends and consumer behavior.

Why It's Important

SPSS is important for a Market Researcher because it offers advanced statistical analysis, data management, and visualization capabilities, enabling precise insights and decision-making based on market data.

How to Improve SPSS Skills

Improving your proficiency with SPSS for market research involves enhancing data analysis skills, understanding advanced statistical methods, and streamlining data management processes. Here's a concise guide to help you:

Enhance Data Analysis Skills : Familiarize yourself with SPSS's wide array of data analysis capabilities. Start with basics and gradually move to complex analyses. IBM's official SPSS tutorials provide a good starting point.

Learn Advanced Statistical Methods : Delve deeper into statistical methods relevant to market research such as regression analysis, factor analysis, and cluster analysis. Online courses on platforms like Coursera or Udemy often offer specialized training.

Improve Data Management : Efficient data management is crucial. Learn to use SPSS syntax for repetitive tasks, which saves time and reduces errors. The UCLA IDRE resource is a great place to learn about SPSS syntax and data management.

Use Add-Ons and Extensions : Explore SPSS add-ons and extensions for market research-specific analyses. IBM's SPSS Extensions Hub offers various plugins and extensions that can enhance your SPSS capabilities.

Stay Updated : Keep up with the latest updates and features in SPSS. IBM often updates SPSS with new functionalities. Regularly check the IBM SPSS Software page for updates and new features.

Join SPSS Communities : Engage with SPSS user communities for insights, tips, and tricks. Platforms like SPSSX Discussion and ResearchGate are valuable for peer support and learning.

By focusing on these areas, you can significantly improve your SPSS skills tailored to market research needs.

How to Display SPSS Skills on Your Resume

2. Qualtrics

Qualtrics is a sophisticated online survey software and experience management platform that enables market researchers to design, distribute, and analyze surveys to gather valuable consumer insights and data for strategic decision-making.

Qualtrics is important for a Market Researcher because it provides a comprehensive platform for designing, distributing, and analyzing surveys, enabling the collection of valuable consumer insights and data to inform strategic decision-making and market understanding.

How to Improve Qualtrics Skills

To improve Qualtrics for a Market Researcher, consider the following concise strategies:

Customize Surveys: Utilize the Qualtrics library to access a wide range of question types and templates. Tailor surveys to match your research needs and brand identity for better response rates.

Advanced Analytics: Leverage Qualtrics' advanced analytics tools to perform detailed data analysis. Use predictive intelligence and statistical analysis to gain deeper insights from your survey data.

Integrate Data Sources: Use the Qualtrics API to integrate external data sources. This allows for richer data analysis and a more comprehensive understanding of your market research findings.

Automate Processes: Implement Qualtrics' workflow automation features to streamline data collection and analysis. Automate tasks such as survey distribution and follow-ups to increase efficiency.

Utilize Dashboards: Create interactive dashboards using Qualtrics XM to visualize your data in real-time. Share insights with stakeholders in an accessible format for informed decision-making.

Continuous Learning: Stay updated with the latest features and best practices through the Qualtrics XM Basecamp and Qualtrics Community for tips, tricks, and support from the user community.

By implementing these strategies, a Market Researcher can significantly enhance the functionality and efficiency of their Qualtrics platform for more effective market research.

How to Display Qualtrics Skills on Your Resume

Tableau is a powerful data visualization tool used by market researchers to analyze and present data through interactive and shareable dashboards, helping uncover insights and trends to inform decision-making.

Tableau is important for a Market Researcher because it provides powerful visualization tools to analyze complex datasets, uncover insights, and present findings in an understandable and engaging manner, facilitating data-driven decision-making.

How to Improve Tableau Skills

Improving your Tableau skills as a Market Researcher involves focusing on data visualization, analysis techniques, and staying updated with the latest Tableau features. Here’s a concise guide:

Learn Advanced Visualization Techniques: Understand how to create and use advanced charts and graphs that are most effective for market research data. Tableau's Advanced Charts and Graphs guide is a great resource.

Master Calculations and Analytics: Deepen your knowledge of Tableau's calculated fields and analytics features to derive more insights from your data. The Tableau Calculations Tutorial can help.

Incorporate External Data Sources: Learn to integrate external databases and web data connectors for richer, more comprehensive market insights. Connecting to Data in Tableau provides instructions.

Stay Updated with New Features: Tableau regularly updates its platform. Keeping abreast with these updates can significantly improve your capabilities. Explore What’s New in Tableau .

Utilize Tableau Public: Share your visualizations with the community for feedback, and learn from others. Visit Tableau Public for inspiration.

Participate in Training and Certification: Consider official Tableau Training and Certification to enhance your skills further. Check out Tableau Training and Certification for courses tailored to different expertise levels.

Join Tableau Community Forums: Engage with other Tableau users, ask questions, and share knowledge. The Tableau Community Forums are invaluable for quick tips and solutions.

By focusing on these areas, you can significantly improve your Tableau skills, making your market research more insightful and impactful.

How to Display Tableau Skills on Your Resume

Python is a versatile and widely-used programming language, favored for its simplicity and efficiency in data analysis, automation, and integrating systems, making it a valuable tool for market research tasks.

Python is important for a Market Researcher because it offers powerful data analysis and visualization tools, enabling efficient handling of large datasets, insightful trend analysis, and clear reporting, thus enhancing decision-making processes.

How to Improve Python Skills

To improve your Python skills as a Market Researcher, focus on these concise steps:

Learn the Basics Properly :

• Master Python syntax and basic concepts such as variables, data types, conditionals, and loops. Codecademy’s Python Course is a good starting point.

Understand Data Handling :

• Get comfortable with pandas for data manipulation and analysis. Practice by working on real datasets. Pandas Getting Started Tutorials are very helpful.

Master Data Visualization :

• Learn to use libraries like Matplotlib and Seaborn to visualize data for insights. Matplotlib Tutorials and Seaborn’s Gallery will guide you.

Apply Statistics and Machine Learning :

• Use libraries such as NumPy, SciPy for statistical analysis, and Scikit-learn for machine learning. Scikit-learn’s User Guide is a comprehensive resource.

Work on Projects :

• Apply your skills on market research projects or Kaggle competitions to solve real-world problems. Kaggle offers a plethora of datasets and challenges.

Stay Updated and Network :

• Join Python and data science communities on platforms like Stack Overflow and LinkedIn to stay updated on the latest trends and network with professionals.

Continuous Learning :

• The field is always evolving, so make use of online resources like Coursera and edX to keep learning new tools and techniques in Python and data analysis.

By following these steps and consistently practicing, you’ll significantly improve your Python skills tailored to market research.

How to Display Python Skills on Your Resume

R is a programming language and free software environment used for statistical computing and graphics, widely utilized by market researchers for data analysis, visualization, and statistical modeling.

R is important for a Market Researcher because it provides powerful and flexible statistical analysis and data visualization capabilities, enabling deep insights into market trends, customer behavior, and predictive modeling, all crucial for making informed business decisions.

How to Improve R Skills

Improving your R skills, especially for Market Research applications, involves both broadening your understanding of R's capabilities and deepening your expertise in specific, relevant packages and methodologies. Here are concise steps with resources to guide you:

Master the Basics : Ensure a strong foundation in R basics. The R for Data Science book is an excellent resource, covering data manipulation, visualization, and basic statistical analysis.

Learn Tidyverse : Tidyverse is a collection of R packages designed for data science. It simplifies many R tasks. Start with the Tidyverse website for a comprehensive guide.

Understand Data Visualization : Effective visualization is key. Master ggplot2, a part of Tidyverse, through the book ggplot2: Elegant Graphics for Data Analysis .

Specialize in Market Research Techniques : Delve into packages and techniques specific to market research, such as conjoint analysis with the conjoint package and segmentation using factoextra for cluster analysis. Explore relevant CRAN Task Views or the CRAN Market Research section.

Improve Data Manipulation Skills : Data manipulation is crucial. Get proficient with dplyr and tidyr for cleaning and preparing data. The Data Transformation with dplyr chapter is a good start.

Learn Shiny for Interactive Apps : Shiny allows you to build interactive web applications directly from R. It's useful for sharing insights within your organization. Start with the official Shiny tutorial .

Stay Updated : The R landscape is always evolving. Follow blogs like R-bloggers and join the RStudio Community to stay informed about the latest packages and techniques.

Practice on Real Data : Apply your skills to real market research datasets. Websites like Kaggle offer a plethora of datasets to practice on, along with competitions to test your skills.

Contribute to Open Source : Consider contributing to an open-source project on GitHub . It's a great way to learn from others and improve your coding style and efficiency.

By following these steps and utilizing the linked resources, you can significantly improve your R skills, making you a more effective and efficient market researcher.

How to Display R Skills on Your Resume

SAS (Statistical Analysis System) is a software suite used for advanced analytics, business intelligence, data management, and predictive analysis, enabling market researchers to analyze complex data, identify trends, and make data-driven decisions.

SAS (Statistical Analysis System) is crucial for Market Researchers due to its powerful data management, statistical analysis, and reporting capabilities. It enables them to efficiently process large datasets, uncover insights through sophisticated analytics, and make data-driven decisions to inform market strategies.

How to Improve SAS Skills

Improving your SAS (Statistical Analysis System) skills as a Market Researcher involves enhancing your capability to manage, analyze, and interpret data efficiently. Focus on these key areas:

Master the Basics : Ensure a solid understanding of SAS basics. SAS offers free e-learning courses that are perfect for beginners.

Learn Data Manipulation Techniques : Efficiently manage and prepare your data for analysis. The SAS Data Management page provides insights and tools.

Statistical Analysis Proficiency : Deepen your statistical analysis skills. Explore SAS/STAT software for advanced analytics.

Visualization Skills : Enhance your ability to present data compellingly. Look into SAS Visual Analytics for dynamic data visualization tools.

Macro & Automation : Learn to write SAS macros to automate repetitive tasks, improving efficiency. The SAS Macro Language documentation is a good starting point.

Stay Updated : SAS evolves constantly. Keep abreast of the latest features and techniques by visiting the SAS Support Communities .

Practice : Apply your skills to real-world datasets. Websites like Kaggle offer datasets and challenges that can provide practical experience.

By focusing on these areas and leveraging the resources provided, you'll significantly improve your SAS skills and enhance your value as a Market Researcher.

How to Display SAS Skills on Your Resume

Excel is a spreadsheet software used by market researchers for organizing, analyzing, and visualizing data to support decision-making processes.

Excel is crucial for market researchers because it facilitates efficient data organization, analysis, and visualization, enabling the extraction of actionable insights from complex datasets.

How to Improve Excel Skills

Improving your Excel skills as a Market Researcher involves mastering data analysis, visualization, and automation techniques to efficiently analyze market trends and make informed decisions. Here are concise steps and resources:

Advanced Formulas : Master complex formulas like INDEX-MATCH, INDIRECT, and array formulas to manipulate and analyze data efficiently. ExcelJet's Formula List provides a comprehensive guide.

Pivot Tables : Learn to quickly summarize large data sets into meaningful reports. Microsoft's PivotTable Guide offers a solid starting point.

Data Visualization : Enhance your ability to present data through advanced charts and graphs. Chandoo's Charting Techniques offers innovative ways to visualize data.

Power Query : Use Power Query to automate the process of importing, transforming, and integrating data from various sources. Excel's Power Query Overview is a helpful resource.

Power Pivot : Gain insights into large data sets with Power Pivot, creating complex models and relationships. Microsoft's Power Pivot Tutorial provides a comprehensive introduction.

Macros & VBA : Automate repetitive tasks and custom analyses with VBA scripting. Excel Macro Mastery is a great resource to learn from.

Excel Shortcuts : Increase your efficiency with keyboard shortcuts. Excel Shortcut List helps speed up your workflow.

Courses and Certifications : Consider taking advanced Excel courses or obtaining certifications. Coursera and Udemy offer courses tailored to various skill levels.

By focusing on these areas and utilizing the provided resources, you'll significantly enhance your Excel capabilities, making you a more effective and efficient market researcher.

How to Display Excel Skills on Your Resume

SQL (Structured Query Language) is a programming language used for managing and manipulating databases, allowing market researchers to efficiently organize, retrieve, and analyze data to uncover insights and trends.

SQL is crucial for a Market Researcher because it enables efficient querying, manipulation, and analysis of large datasets to extract actionable insights, trends, and patterns critical for making informed business decisions.

How to Improve SQL Skills

Improving your SQL skills, especially as a Market Researcher, involves understanding and mastering both the fundamentals and advanced aspects of SQL. Here are concise steps and resources:

Learn the Basics : Start with SQL syntax, basic queries, and understanding how databases work. W3Schools offers a great starting point.

Practice Regularly : Apply what you learn on platforms like LeetCode or SQLZoo , which offer a variety of problems to solve.

Understand Data Analysis Functions : Focus on functions and operations important for data analysis, such as aggregate functions, JOIN operations, and window functions. The Mode Analytics SQL Tutorial is particularly useful for data analysis.

Learn to Optimize Queries : Understanding indexing, query execution plans, and how to optimize SQL queries for performance is crucial. Use The Index, Luke is a great resource for learning about indexing and query optimization.

Explore Advanced SQL : Delve into stored procedures, triggers, and complex queries. PostgreSQL’s official documentation offers insights into advanced features, which, despite being PostgreSQL-specific, can provide a good understanding of advanced SQL concepts.

Stay Updated and Join Communities : SQL standards and best practices evolve. Join communities like Stack Overflow or Reddit’s r/SQL to stay updated and get help.

Implement in Real-Life Projects : Apply your skills in market research projects, using SQL for data manipulation, analysis, and reporting. Real-life application solidifies learning and uncovers areas needing improvement.

By following these steps and utilizing these resources, you’ll enhance your SQL capabilities, thereby significantly contributing to your efficiency and effectiveness as a Market Researcher.

How to Display SQL Skills on Your Resume

9. Google Analytics

Google Analytics is a web analytics service that tracks and reports website traffic, providing insights into user behavior, which is essential for market research and understanding audience preferences.

Google Analytics is crucial for a Market Researcher as it provides detailed insights into user behavior, traffic sources, and engagement metrics, enabling data-driven decisions to optimize marketing strategies and improve user experience.

How to Improve Google Analytics Skills

Improving Google Analytics for a Market Researcher involves:

Setting Clear Objectives : Define what you want to achieve with your data. Focus on specific goals like increasing conversion rates or understanding user behavior.

Utilizing Custom Dashboards : Create custom dashboards for a quick overview of the data most relevant to your market research goals. Google's Custom Dashboard Solutions guide provides a starting point.

Segmentation : Use segmentation to dissect your data for more nuanced insights. For instance, segment users by demographics, behavior, or traffic sources. Google Analytics Segmentation Guide offers detailed instructions.

Integrating Google Analytics with Other Tools : Enhance your insights by integrating Google Analytics with tools like Google Ads, CRM systems, or Google Search Console. For Google Ads integration, see Link Google Ads and Analytics.

Leveraging Enhanced Ecommerce : If relevant, use the Enhanced Ecommerce features for deeper insights into user shopping behavior and product performance. The Enhanced Ecommerce Guide provides comprehensive information on setup and analysis.

Utilizing Event Tracking : Implement event tracking to understand how users interact with your website beyond page views, such as downloads, video plays, and link clicks. The Event Tracking Guide can help you get started.

Regular Audits and Data Cleanup : Regularly audit your Google Analytics setup to ensure data accuracy and relevance. This includes reviewing tracking codes, filters, and configurations. Google's Best Practices for Analytics provides a checklist.

Continuous Learning and Experimentation : Stay updated with Google Analytics features and best practices. Google offers free courses at Google Analytics Academy .

By focusing on these areas, a market researcher can significantly enhance the utility and accuracy of insights derived from Google Analytics, leading to more informed decision-making.

How to Display Google Analytics Skills on Your Resume

10. Power BI

Power BI is a data visualization and business intelligence tool that enables market researchers to analyze data, uncover insights, and create interactive reports and dashboards for informed decision-making.

Power BI is important for a Market Researcher because it enables efficient analysis and visualization of market data, facilitating informed decision-making and strategic insights through interactive reports and dashboards.

How to Improve Power BI Skills

To improve Power BI skills for a Market Researcher, focus on these concise strategies:

Master DAX : Deepen your understanding of Data Analysis Expressions (DAX) for more sophisticated data manipulation. DAX Guide is an excellent resource.

Learn M Query : Enhance your data transformation skills in Power Query using M language. Microsoft’s M Language documentation offers comprehensive guidance.

Data Visualization Best Practices : Study best practices in data visualization to make compelling reports. Microsoft’s Power BI guidance provides useful tips.

Use Power BI Service : Familiarize yourself with the Power BI Service for sharing reports and dashboards. Explore Power BI Service documentation for insights.

Incorporate External Data : Learn to integrate external data sources for richer insights. The Power BI Desktop documentation covers various data connection methods.

Stay Updated : Follow the Power BI Blog for the latest features and updates. The Power BI Blog is a valuable resource for staying current.

Engage with the Community : Join Power BI communities for tips, tricks, and support. The Power BI Community forum is a great place to start.

By focusing on these areas, Market Researchers can significantly enhance their Power BI skills for more effective data analysis and reporting.

How to Display Power BI Skills on Your Resume

11. SurveyMonkey

SurveyMonkey is an online survey tool that allows market researchers to design, distribute, and analyze surveys to gather data and insights from targeted audiences.

SurveyMonkey is important for a Market Researcher because it offers an easy-to-use platform for designing, distributing, and analyzing surveys, enabling efficient collection of data and insights from targeted audiences to inform market trends, preferences, and decision-making processes.

How to Improve SurveyMonkey Skills

Improving SurveyMonkey for a Market Researcher involves optimizing survey design, distribution, and data analysis capabilities. Here’s a concise guide:

Utilize Logic Features : Leverage SurveyMonkey's advanced logic options like question skip logic, question piping, and advanced branching to create dynamic surveys that adapt based on respondents' answers, ensuring more relevant data collection.

Enhance Survey Design : Use SurveyMonkey's design features to create visually appealing surveys. Incorporate your brand elements and choose a responsive design to improve the respondent's experience and increase completion rates.

Pre-Test Surveys : Conduct pre-test surveys with a small segment of your target audience to identify potential issues with question clarity and survey flow. Use SurveyMonkey’s preview and test feature to refine your survey before wide distribution.

Leverage Distribution Channels : Explore SurveyMonkey’s multiple distribution options including web links, email, social media, and embedded surveys on websites to reach your target audience effectively.

Analyze Data Efficiently : Utilize SurveyMonkey’s analysis tools for filtering, cross-tabulation, and exporting data for deeper insights. Integrate with tools like SPSS for advanced statistical analysis.

Benchmark Results : Compare your survey results against SurveyMonkey's industry benchmarks to gauge your performance against competitors and identify areas for improvement.

By integrating these strategies, a Market Researcher can significantly enhance the effectiveness of their surveys, leading to more reliable data and actionable insights.

How to Display SurveyMonkey Skills on Your Resume

NVivo is a qualitative data analysis software that enables market researchers to collect, organize, and analyze unstructured data, such as interviews, surveys, and social media content, to uncover consumer insights and trends.

NVivo is crucial for market researchers as it enables the efficient organization, analysis, and interpretation of complex qualitative data, thus enhancing the depth and accuracy of insights into consumer behaviors and preferences.

How to Improve NVivo Skills

Improving your proficiency in NVivo as a Market Researcher involves enhancing both your technical skills with the software and your ability to apply its features to market research methodologies. Here are concise steps to achieve that:

Familiarize with the Basics : Start with the official NVivo Quick Start Guide to grasp the fundamentals of importing data, coding, and querying.

Advanced Training : Enroll in NVivo Advanced Training to learn complex functions like sentiment analysis, auto-coding, and matrix coding queries, which are crucial for analyzing market research data.

Webinars and Tutorials : Regularly watch webinars and tutorials offered by QSR International. They cover diverse topics from basic operations to specific applications in market research.

Integrate with Survey Tools : Learn to integrate NVivo with survey tools like SurveyMonkey or Qualtrics. This integration guide will help you streamline the process of importing survey data directly into NVivo for analysis.

Networking and Community Engagement : Join the NVivo Community to share insights, ask questions, and learn from experienced NVivo users who specialize in market research.

Practice with Real Data : Apply what you've learned by working on real market research projects. Experiment with different types of data (text, video, social media) to understand the nuances of coding and analysis in NVivo.

Stay Updated : NVivo is regularly updated with new features. Keep an eye on the latest updates and learn how to utilize them to enhance your market research analysis.

By following these steps and regularly applying NVivo in your market research projects, you'll improve both your efficiency and the depth of analysis you're able to achieve with the software.

How to Display NVivo Skills on Your Resume

Related Career Skills

• Survey Researcher
• Clinical Researcher
• User Experience Researcher
• Marketing Project Manager
• Market Development Specialist

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In today's competitive global economy, market research is an essential tool. It's what helps entrepreneurs refine their startup ideas to have the best odds of success. And it's also what established businesses use to explore the viability of new products and services. In short, modern businesses rarely make a move without doing market research first.

That makes the skills of market research analysts quite valuable in today's job market. But learning how to be a market research analyst isn't as straightforward as you might think. And that's because it's a discipline that's part science and part art form – meaning you'll need to develop a diverse skill set to be good at the job.

Here are the essential skills of a market research analyst.

Data Analysis Skills

At its heart, market research involves the collection of large amounts of data , which you then mine for useful insights about a given line of business or industry. And that means that data analysis is the most important part of the job of a market research analyst.

Specifically, market research analysts must understand four specific data analysis types, which are:

Descriptive Data Analysis – Techniques to organize and categorize historical data to identify existing trends. This is often used to quantify the results of past business practices in raw terms (like the number of sales, products manufactured, site visits, etc.).

Diagnostic Data Analysis – Techniques to compare data sets that help identify causal relationships. For example, if a descriptive analysis revealed increasing sales over a given period, a diagnostic analysis would seek the reason for the change (such as a marketing campaign, a price change, or an external trend).

Predictive Data Analysis – Techniques that use existing data to forecast future trends and outcomes. This often involves complex mathematical models and the application of machine learning algorithms to extract meaningful predictions from available data sets.

Prescriptive Data Analysis – A more advanced form of predictive analysis, prescriptive analysis attempts to forecast potential outcomes that result from hypothetical changes to business practices. An existing business might use this to determine if ending production of a particular product might have unintended consequences, or if the launch of a new product might make others redundant.

Data Collection Skills

Even though market research analysts often work with data that businesses already have on hand, they're frequently called upon to collect new data, as well. And that means they need to be skilled in a variety of data collection techniques, too. These include:

Interpersonal and Interview Skills – Market research analysts often use focus groups and customer interviews to collect specific data to use in their work. But getting usable data means having a high level of interpersonal skills and interview skills . This is critical to extract usable information that's free of potential biases.

Survey Creation – Market research analysts must know how to create scientifically valid surveys to focus in on the information they're hoping to gather. They also have to be familiar with using form builder software to create and publish digital versions of the surveys they create.

Data Curation – This refers to the skills needed to manage collected data and distill it down to what's useful for market research purposes. In other words, it means knowing how to eliminate irrelevant data and prepare what's left for the process of market research.

Communication Skills

One of the major purposes of market research is to uncover business insights that inform strategy. But data alone isn't always enough in a business context. And that's why a market research analyst needs strong communication skills , too. This allows them to communicate the significance of their findings to stakeholders, who may then use them in their decision-making processes. Without those skills, they'd be unable to function effectively within a business's hierarchy.

Data Visualization Skills

In addition to communication skills, market research analysts must understand how to create compelling data visualizations that aid in communicating their findings to others. Data visualizations are graphic representations of datasets, aimed at highlighting relevant trends or takeaways from the data. They make it possible for stakeholders without a background in data analysis to see and understand the work that a market research analyst does.

Knowledge of Human Behavior and Psychology

Since the role of a market research analyst is to understand how consumers will act and react to products, services, and business strategies, they need a deep understanding of human behavior and psychology. This is because market research doesn't always yield clear answers to every business question. And that's where the role of a market research analyst comes much closer to being an art form than a science.

Market research analysts have to use their knowledge of psychology to design appropriate investigations that will yield useful insight. This means they need a sharp sense of intuition and insight into consumer behavior. Otherwise, there would be no way to narrow down possible areas of inquiry. The knowledge provides valuable context and allows the market researcher to make baseline assumptions that guide their work.

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The Bottom Line

At the end of the day, the role of a market research analyst revolves around data. And that's what makes data analysis skills so crucial to the job. But unlike the role of a data scientist , a market research analyst must also know how to collect useful data through field research and direct consumer contact. They also have to understand the mind of the consumer. In other words, they must know their subjects as more than just raw numbers and data points.

All these skills allow market research analysts to provide the valuable insights that modern businesses now depend on. They reduce the number of costly errors that businesses make when they approach decisions without the appropriate information. And they deliver better and more relevant products and experiences to consumers. That said, it should be no wonder that market research analysts are so in demand in today's job market. And now you know exactly what skills to develop if you want to be one of them.

About the Author

Philip Piletic closely follows the impact of technology on education, and its evolution from traditional to modern methods that include e-learning, courses, gamification, and others. He has also helped the Sydney-based IT & Business school in developing their IT courses.

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Top market research analyst skills for 2024

Market research is a rapidly evolving space. Artificial intelligence is completely reshaping what’s possible, by who and the skills researchers need to bring the most value to their work and themselves. With the help of findings from the 2024 Qualtrics Research Trends report, here we look at the major trends in a changing landscape, and the skills that are most in demand.

The market research landscape in 2024

In a growth-obsessed business world, good market research is the key to responding fastest, creating a competitive advantage and converting potential into success.

And today, fueled by artificial intelligence (AI), the world of market research is evolving at an unprecedented rate.

It’s no surprise that, according to the latest Qualtrics Research Trends report , the value of good research is higher than it has ever been. It’s equally unsurprising that investment in market research is very much on the rise.

Every year, we ask thousands of researchers from across the globe about their experiences to understand how the market is shifting and create the annual Qualtrics Research Trends report. Here are the four main trends we discovered for 2024.

1. Succeeding in the AI revolution is paramount

As sophisticated AI has become an accessible, everyday tool for workers and businesses, its application to market research – generating rich insights from mountains of qualitative and quantitative data in the blink of an eye – has become abundantly clear.

AI has lept from a helpful tool to an integral component of market research, and it’s reshaping the research landscape.

We’re seeing it used to analyze multi-source (qualitative and quantitative) research to generate insights, transform raw findings into marketing strategies, and drive new efficiencies through AI-driven survey reviews that are preventing data-damaging question types or structures.

Our research found that 47% of researchers globally are already using AI in their day-to-day work, and 92% are confident that they understand how to apply AI to research activities. Despite the ‘AI will steal your job’ narrative persisting, most researchers (87%) feel overwhelmingly strong about their job security.

Market research is ripe for AI innovation; it’s an ideal starting point for companies to see what AI-fueled innovation looks like. The race is now focused on how to leverage AI tools to generate the best results.

2. Digital qual is taking over

Digital qualitative research has fast become a popular route for researchers searching for deeper, more nuanced feedback from more people in a cost-effective way. In fact, 87% of researchers say that most or an equal amount of their qualitative research is currently conducted remotely or online vs. in-person.

But how did we get here? There are two key trends that have driven this transition.

On one hand, conducting comprehensive research via traditional methods, like in-person focus groups and large-scale surveys, has become a pain point for market research analysts – it can be slow, labor-intensive and expensive. On the other is the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced researchers to adopt digital-first approaches out of necessity – and saw consumers accept digital interactions as standard enmasse.

As digital qualitative technology evolves at a rapid pace, market research teams are retooling and restructuring to embrace both in-person and online research methods as the demand to collect data in a contactless, remote way grows.

Our research shows that cost effectiveness is the primary benefit of digital qual, but there are many more: increased geographical diversity, faster time to insights, increased accessibility and better reach of target audience are the other key drivers.

3. Data quality is becoming even more important

Behind every good decision lies good quality data – this has always been clear, but as consumers and technology evolve, it has become increasingly difficult to capture.

AI’s impact on market research is immense but it’s not necessarily all positive: it’s no coincidence that rising issues with quality data have coincided with the rise of generative technology like ChatGPT. 43% of respondents in the 2024 Qualtrics Research Trends report say identifying and/or preventing AI-generated responses is a challenge when collecting data using online providers.

But there’s a flip side to this issue, and AI is of course at the center of it once again. While data quality is at risk from AI, it can also be maintained and improved by it. AI can be used to automatically flag issues, like respondents who completed surveys too quickly or open-ended questions that contain nonsensical answers, and intelligently comb through thousands of data points far more efficiently and effectively than a data analyst can.

However they get there, the organizations that prioritize a relentless pursuit of data excellence will be best prepared to make strategic, data-driven decisions.

4. The skills gap is widening

While we’re definitely seeing market researchers adopt AI and learn new AI-focused skills, the pace at which they’re developing these skills is lagging behind the speed at which the technology itself is evolving. According to our data, a third of researchers globally say they outsource projects because their teams don’t have the research skills to manage them internally.

Although AI appears to be widening the skills gap, yet again it can also be the solution to it. Skills development can’t come without the capacity to learn, and AI-powered automation can take on repetitive manual tasks better than ever before – freeing up valuable time for upskilling.

Free eBook: 2024 research trends report

5 market research skills organizations are prioritizing in 2024

The research industry is in a state of significant change. We’re seeing a rapid adoption of new technologies, which is in turn reshaping the skills required for success.

But while new skills are highly valuable, it’s important to not neglect the timeless skills that will be sought after in current and future market research analysts.

As we delve into the top five research skills organizations are prioritizing in 2024, we recommend that you complete a quick skills audit. Determining where your strengths and weaknesses are, what you know and what you don’t, will give you the clarity to understand how you can become a more well-rounded – and employable – researcher or market research analyst.

Starting this list with what is now arguably the most crucial skill today.

AI is being applied at all stages of the research lifecycle, from quality assurance checks on surveys to spot biases to data cleaning, analyzing video from in-person qualitative research to creating highlight reels and shareable results. So, while broadly having good “AI skills” is certainly the way forward now, in the very near future the onus will be on specializing in specific components of AI-driven research.

Our recommendation is that you infuse AI into everything you do and go from there. The exponential growth of data and advanced AI tools makes knowing and understanding them essential for staying competitive in a data-driven market.

Safe to say, nothing is more central to career growth in market research right now than knowing how best to apply AI.

Statistical analysis skills

From new skills to those that will always be in demand.

Statistical analysis skills comprise the likes of statistical modeling, data collection strategies, data visualization and presentation, reconfiguration, Excel, R, SAS, Python – the list goes on. A timeless necessity, solid statistical techniques create the ability to interpret and manipulate data, and identify patterns and trends. In the Big Data era, the ability to distill meaningful information from vast datasets is more critical than ever for effective decision-making.

As researchers and organizations double-down on technologies, honing your statistical data analysis skills as a foundational competency can truly set you apart.

Digital qualitative skills

As digital qualitative research takes center stage, the broad collection of skills required to maximize it have become highly sought after.

Digital qualitative skills encompass designing, conducting and analyzing data from online interviews, focus groups and various other digital qual methods. It’s an umbrella term that also includes prospecting, designing research programs, crafting proposals, managing relationships and identifying target audiences. The main complexity, however, is that all of these skills must of course be done remotely.

A significant portion of researchers (36%) report difficulties in establishing the same level of rapport with participants online as in face-to-face settings. From communication skills to critical thinking, and becoming well-versed in all things consumer behavior, developing the core competencies to mitigate the challenges of online-only interactions is essential for any market researcher.

Data integration skills

This one is particularly important for modern organizations using digital technologies for market research. Data integration, on any research project, can be very complex – especially if market researchers are pulling and interpreting data from multiple sources.

Data integration skills are also essential for closing experience gaps, something that every organization is prioritizing.

The best researchers have a thorough understanding of how to extract information and combine data sets without compromising data quality. They’ll also understand how to structure APIs, use spreadsheets, model data, use statistical analytics programs and coding languages, and more. Of course, with newer market research platforms, much of this can be done with ease.

Automation skills

Automation has become vital in streamlining market research.

Automation skills enable researchers to use AI and machine learning for tasks like data analysis and report formatting, freeing them up for more strategic work. By mastering automation, researchers are better positioned to adapt to new trends and methodologies, ensuring their work remains relevant and impactful.

Developing automation skills isn’t just about understanding and using tools; it’s about reshaping the role of the market researcher to be more efficient and adaptable, and creating capacity for in-depth market research analysis and strategy development.

The importance of getting the basics right

In the fast-evolving field of market research, where cutting-edge technologies and advanced technical skills are often spotlighted, the importance of mastering the basics can’t be overstated. The foundation of effective market and marketing research lies in getting the basics right.

It's essential to not lose sight of fundamentals like survey best practices, interview skills and well-researched questions. These basics are the cornerstone of accurate data collection and ensure the clarity and relevance of the research. They are vital for engaging the right audience and for the effective analysis and interpretation of data.

While advanced technologies and skills are crucial, they should enhance, not overshadow, the foundational aspects of market research.

Embracing platformification in market research in 2024

In today's fast-paced market, having the right technology is crucial, just as much as having the right skills. The future of market research is "Platformification”, integrating various tools into a unified platform. This approach isn't about accumulating disparate solutions; it's about creating a cohesive system that enhances the capabilities of researchers at all skill levels.

Platformification streamlines research methods , data sources and analytics into a single, accessible platform. It allows for quick sharing of insights through tailored dashboards, offering both basic and complex analyses suitable for different roles.

For market researchers, this shift is transformative. It elevates their role from being reactive data analysts to proactive strategists, enabling on-demand insights and strategic recommendations across the buyer’s journey.

While fundamental research skills remain essential, platformification can expand the researcher's value and the impact they create.

How can we help

In a highly competitive business world – with disruptive new entrants more empowered than ever before – researchers need smarter, faster research solutions to stay ahead of the game.

Qualtrics® Strategic Research is an end-to-end research platform that brings together both quantitative and qualitative methods and AI-powered analytics to uncover insights at scale.

• Collect, analyze, share and act on insights from a variety of qualitative methods, including video feedback, video diary studies and in-depth interviews
• Leverage pre-built customisable projects, programs and dashboards
• Automate advanced statistical analyses including Conjoint and MaxDiff
• Easily build profiles, segments, and proprietary panels and reach out on the right channels through personalized targeting

Aaron Carpenter // Experience Management Content Strategist

Aaron is a highly skilled and accomplished content strategist specializing in experience management. With a keen understanding of the ever-evolving landscape of digital content, Aaron brings a unique perspective to the art of crafting engaging and impactful experiences for users.

Will Webster // Co-founder at interlude

Will Webster is the co-founder of the employee wellbeing tool Interlude. With over decades of experience writing for some of the largest brands, he is a skilled copywriter passionately writing in his free time.

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Resume Worded   |  Resume Skills

Skill profile, market researcher, improve your resume's success rate by using these market researcher skills and keywords ..

• Hard Skills and Keywords for your Market Researcher Resume
• ATS Scan : Compare Your Resume To These Skills
• Sample Resume Templates
• How To Add Skills
• Market Researcher More Resume Templates

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Looking for keywords for a specific job search for your job title here., © 2024 resume worded. all rights reserved., market researcher resume keywords and skills (hard skills).

Here are the keywords and skills that appear most frequently on recent Market Researcher job postings. In other words, these are the most sought after skills by recruiters and hiring managers. Go to Sample Templates ↓ below to see how to include them on your resume. Remember that every job is different. Instead of including all keywords on your resume, identify those that are most relevant to the job you're applying to. Use the free Targeted Resume tool to help with this.

• Market Research
• Market Analysis
• Data Analysis
• Secondary Research
• Quantitative Research
•  Find out what your resume's missing
• Marketing Strategy
• Competitive Analysis
• Primary Research
• Qualitative Research
• Microsoft Access
• Market Intelligence
• Digital Marketing
• Business Development
• Online Research
• Lead Generation
• Strategic Planning

Resume Skills: Research & Analysis

• Data Collection
• Consumer Behavior
•  Match your resume to these skills

Resume Skills: Tools

• Google Analytics
• SurveyMonkey

Resume Skills: Statistical Techniques

• Regression Analysis
• Hypothesis Testing
• Chi-Square Test
• A/B Testing
• Correlation Analysis

Resume Skills: Languages

• Spanish (Fluent)

Resume Skills: Big Data Analytics

• Apache Spark

Resume Skills: Programming

Resume skills: machine learning.

• Scikit-learn

Resume Skills: Data Visualization

  Where on my resume do I add these buzzwords? Add keywords directly into your resume's work experiences , education or projects. Alternatively, you can also include a Skills section where you can list your technical skills in order of your proficiency. Only include these technical skills or keywords into your resume if you actually have experience with them.

   Does your resume contain all the right skills? Paste in your resume in the AI Resume Scan ↓ section below and get an instant score.

Compare Your Resume To These Market Researcher Skills (ATS Scan)

Paste your resume below and our AI will identify which keywords are missing from your resume from the list above (and what you need to include). Including the right keywords will help you get past Applicant Tracking Systems (i.e. resume screeners) which may scan your resume for keywords to see if you're a match for the job.

Sample Market Researcher Resume Examples: How To Include These Skills

Add keywords directly into your resume's work experiences , education or skills section , like we've shown in the examples below. use the examples below as inspiration..

  Where on my resume do I add these buzzwords? Add keywords directly into your resume's work experiences , education or projects. Only include these technical skills or keywords into your resume if you actually have experience with them.

How do I add skills to a Market Researcher resume?

Go through the Market Researcher posting you're applying to, and identify hard skills the company is looking for. For example, skills like Market Analysis, Market Research and Marketing Strategy are possible skills. These are skills you should try to include on your resume.

Add other common skills from your industry - such as Marketing, Data Analysis and Research - into your resume if they're relevant.

Incorporate skills - like Online Research, Lead Generation and Competitive Analysis - into your work experience too. This shows hiring managers that you have practical experience with these tools, techniques and skills.

Consider including a section in your resume dedicated to your research experience. On Market Researcher resumes, hiring managers want to see research projects which you led or where involved with, and their outcomes.

Try to add the exact job title, Market Researcher, somewhere into your resume to get past resume screeners. See the infographic for how to do this.

Word Cloud for Market Researcher Skills & Keywords

The following word cloud highlights the most popular keywords that appear on Market Researcher job descriptions. The bigger the word, the more frequently it shows up on employer's job postings. If you have experience with these keywords, include them on your resume.

Get your Resume Instantly Checked, For Free

Upload your resume and we'll spot the issues in it before an actual market researcher recruiter sees it. for free., market researcher resume templates.

Here are examples of proven resumes in related jobs and industries, approved by experienced hiring managers. Use them as inspiration when you're writing your own resume. You can even download and edit the resume template in Google Docs.

Resume Example Market Research Specialist / Market Researcher

An effective Description of the templates...

Download this resume template

Market research specialists will look at the data collected by market research analysts and provide useful insights and recommendations to a company’s decision-makers. Your tasks will therefore include report writing, strategy development, and account handling. This position requires a lot more interaction with the client so excellent communication skills are essential. You may also find yourself working with one or more market research analysts, so you will also need to be an effective leader and team member. A bachelor’s degree in market research, business, or a similar field is the minimum expectation. Some companies will require further education like a master’s degree or specific certification. Here is a strong market research specialist resume sample.

Tips on why this template works

   show career progression through promotions..

Showing recruiters career progression in the market research industry, indicates your level of commitment to the profession, your wealth of knowledge in the field, and your excellent track record as an employee.

   Highlight your language proficiencies.

As mentioned, you will be communicating with decision makers quite a bit, so being able to communicate in different languages is a huge advantage. This is especially true if you are applying to multi-national companies.

Resume Example Professional

This resume template is suitable for experienced hires or mid-level hires. The education contains two examples of an education experiences, but only include one (your most recent one) if you're a senior level employee.

   Makes great use of space

It strikes the right balance between white space and content, and doesn't waste space on unnecessary images and icons. Remember, recruiters aren't looking at how creative you are when it comes to your template. Your content is core and should be the focus.

   Strong resume bullet points

This job seeker uses resume bullet points that uses strong action verbs, and most importantly, contain numbers that demonstrate the significance of their accomplishments.

Resume Example Highlights (Free)

This template is clean, readable by resume screeners, and is effective at calling out key accomplishments and projects from specific work experiences. This would be useful if you have been at a company for a while, or been in a consulting-type of role, and want to point hiring managers to your most impressive accomplishments.

   Strong action verbs

Action verbs are important on your resume are vital. They evoke strong imagery to your reader, and this resume does an excellent job by using words such as “spearheaded,” “managed,” and “drove.” These words will help you to put your achievements in perspective, in conjunction with measurable results. Use action verbs relating to the skills you want to highlight.

   Specific examples of finished projects

Many of your accomplishments will involve your responsibilities in your employer's high-level projects. Recruiters want to see what you’ve completed in previous roles -- such as the Operations Improvement Project and new iPhone app launch highlighted in this resume. The numbers make your experience real, rather than a vague “oversaw several teams for a project.” What did you do specifically? Be specific.

Resume Example Modern Two-Column

This two column resume template has been designed and created in Google Docs, and puts an emphasis on a skills section. You can download it in Word, or edit it directly in Google Docs.

   Prioritize work experience, while including other key sections

The two-column in this Google Docs resume template prioritizes the work experience sections, while maximizing the content into the resume. Not all two column templates are ATS-compatible, but this one is when it is saved as PDF and passed through a resume screener.

   Includes a strong Skills section

Skills sections are a great way to include specific keywords and skills that you have, that haven't been included in other parts of your resume. This helps you get past resume screeners that scan your resume for specific keywords.

Resume Example Clean Modern

If you're a job seeker with a few years of experience under your belt, use a template like this one. It's simple, effective at highlighting our work experience, and minimizes the emphasis on the education section (the dates are omitted which is good to prevent ageism, especially if you graduated more than 10 years ago).

   Professionally-designed template

Minimal templates like this one are exactly what mid-to-senior level recruiters want to see - it shows professionalism, focuses on accomplishments, and makes full use of each page.

   Resume summary highlights key accomplishments

The first rule about including a resume summary is that it does not repeat accomplishments mentioned elsewhere on the resume. This resume stresses new software engineering and leadership skills right at the top of the resume, and includes an award too. If you include a summary, try to include a mix of both technical accomplishments (e.g. projects you developed or led), as well as career-related accomplishments (e.g. being promoted).

Resume Example Entry-Level (Free)

Use this Google Docs template if you're a student, recent graduate, or a career changer. Right out of college, you may not have much experience in the field. To supplement that, use your experience in clubs and activities, volunteering, projects, and useful coursework to help highlight your knowledge on the subject.

   Emphasis on education

If you're an entry-level job seeker that has recently completed education (or in the process of completing a degree), you should prioritize your education and include it first. This Google Docs template does this.

   University projects relevant to the job

If you're an entry level job seeker (or a career-changer), you may not have enough work experience to fill up your resume. This is where class projects and university projects come in. This template has a section dedicated to projects, which you can use to talk about volunteering, class projects, or personal projects relevant to the job.

What skills should you put on a Market Researcher resume?

Some popular Market Researcher hard skills are Market Research, Market Analysis, Data Analysis, Secondary Research, Marketing, Research, Quantitative Research and Marketing Strategy. Depending on the job you apply to, skills like Qualitative Research, Lead Generation, Management, Online Research and Competitive Analysis can also be good to include on your resume.

Target your Resume to a Job Description

While the keywords above are a good indication of what skills you need on your resume, you should try to find additional keywords that are specific to the job. To do this, use the free Targeted Resume tool. It analyzes the job you are applying to and finds the most important keywords you need on your resume. It is personalized to your resume, and is the best way to ensure your resume will pass the automated resume filters. Start targeting your resume

Most resumes get auto-rejected because of small, simple errors. These errors are easy to miss but can be costly in your job search. If you want to make sure your resume is error-free, upload it to Score My Resume for a free resume review. You'll get a score so you know where your resume stands, as well as actionable feedback to improve it. Get a free resume review

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Find out what keywords recruiters search for. These keywords will help you beat resume screeners (i.e. the Applicant Tracking System).

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6 Key Market Research Skills for 2021

It’s that time again, when we begin to focus on the coming year and what it may have in store. One area that saw remarkable shifts in 2020, both in challenges and opportunities, is market research. For a peek at the future, we reached out to several leading market researchers and insights professionals and posed the question: What’s one skill or area of expertise you want to focus on developing in 2021, and why?

Not surprisingly, some are focused on how doing everything online has generated more and more data— good news but in some ways challenging news, too, as competition for stakeholders’ attention grows fiercer. To increase the influence of research findings on business decision making—which maximizes the research ROI and benefits everyone—it’s necessary to break through the noise and keep stakeholders engaged. And, of course, more time spent online also opens more and different opportunities to engage with customers and prospects.

Another trend is the power of human creativity in extracting meaning from data. Technology can only take us so far, in both gathering and analyzing data. Human learning continues to be critical, along with our unique ability to use stories to find and share meaning.

And because everything old eventually becomes new again, we see renewed attention to a foundational market research skill: the art of the interview.

Check out the top skills and areas of expertise that six market research leaders plan to focus on in 2021.

Omnichannel Strategies

Jerry Han, Chief Marketing Executive at PrizeRebel , is focused on omnichannel technology and marketing. According to Han, as more large companies and brands are making effective use of omnichannel strategies in their marketing and brand awareness plans, it has become practical to use an omnichannel approach in data gathering for market research.

Knowledge in omnichannel technology and marketing is a crucial skill to master in 2021. Omnichannel market research targets all possible places where the audience possibly hangs out, including in-store, digital, or mobile platforms to give a more comprehensive outlook on the target market…[It’s] a relatively new concept, but it shows massive potential in reshaping data gathering for marketing campaigns.

Deeper Analysis and Experience Management

Michelle Diamond, CEO at Elevate Diamond Strategy , is emphasizing deeper data analysis (as opposed to more data collection) to maximize value from the plethora of data being generated. She also sees opportunities in experience management, which helps companies capitalize on opportunities and mitigate problems before they occur.

The world is going even more online than we were before and the need to make better sense of all this additional data is crucial. In addition, companies are more sensitive now to anticipating problems beforehand, as reacting to problems later can be costly from a financial and reputational standpoint.

Both these trends highlight the value in—and the need to—act on insights in real time. Businesses have treasure troves of data, and uncovering actionable insights from that data will help them mitigate risk and deliver positive customer experiences. 

Data Triangulation

Speaking of acting on insights in real time: Andria Long , Growth & Innovation Advisor, says the key to differentiation is being able to learn and act faster. She considers the most important skill for the insights professional to be data triangulation : uncovering and synthesizing connections across multiple and diverse data sources.

At the end of the day, everyone has access to the same data…converting data into insights is critical. The ability to see what’s NOT there and make something happen is essential with accelerated industry transformation, growing volumes of data, and rapidly evolving consumer preferences.

She goes on to note that it’s human learning that enables insights professionals to stay relevant and continue growing professionally in an era of machine learning.

In addition to data, we need to gain insights from observation, experience, reflection, and reasoning and make recommendations to drive growth.

Back to Basics: Interviewing Skills

According to Colin Palfrey, CMO at Majesty Coffee , everyone should be honing the skills needed to interview customers and others in their target audience. Good interview skills have become more important than ever with many people working remotely, as the dynamics of interviewing virtually are different than interviewing in person: 

Everything has changed in the last eight months, and if you want your business to thrive, you need to be in touch with your audience. I’ve found that actual interviews are so much more efficient than surveys. When you interview someone, you can understand the context a bit more and ask follow-up questions.

Storytelling

One evergreen challenge for market research professionals is communicating insights to stakeholders in a way that sticks and drives action. With researchers and stakeholders working remotely or in different locations, keeping stakeholders engaged and interested is more important than ever. Organizing data and research findings into meaningful stories is a great way to hold stakeholders’ attention and make an impact.

Bruce Harpham , Marketing Consultant, is getting serious about developing his storytelling skills.

I gather a lot of data, quantitative and qualitative, while working with clients. Without a story to organize all this data, it is nearly impossible to remember insights and improve.

To build his storytelling chops, Bruce is reading (Wired for Story: The Writer’s Guide to Using Brain Science to Hook Readers from the Very First Sentence by Lisa Cron) and writing (participating in National Novel Writing Month).

Activating Insight

In addition to conveying insights through stories, researchers can increase their influence by tailoring their insights delivery to stakeholders and getting creative with the formats of their presentations. 

Chris Martin, CMO at FlexMR , is considering the stakeholder’s perspective and says it will be vital, through 2021 and beyond, for research professionals to get better at activating insight.

The explosion of research and analysis technology of the past decade has given stakeholders access to an increasingly complex data landscape. Research professionals need to find new ways and new skills to help grow the influence of research conclusions.  Ensuring that findings have an impact on business decision making means competing for stakeholder attention in a competitive environment. Creativity, strategy and storytelling will all be essential components—applied in original and inventive ways to maximize stakeholder engagement.

Hopefully, 2021 will hold fewer surprises than this year, less disruption and urgent adaptation and more smooth sailing while we learn to leverage some of the skills and processes that emerged in 2020. But whatever 2021 has in store, developing the skills and areas of expertise above can help research professionals be agile and act as strategic advisors for their stakeholders. 

We see the future of market research as exciting as it’s ever been, and we want to thank the research and insights professionals who helped us take a look at what lies ahead.

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Five Market Research 'Soft Skills' You Can Nurture During the Pandemic Shutdown

by Infotools on 08 Apr 2020

We’ve pulled together advice, insights and musings, along with new thoughts from our team to give you five important market research skills to think about and develop.

Adapting and navigating our “new” way of life has been challenging, to say the least. As market researchers, many of us see our daily jobs shift to an increasingly digital format, including changing the ways we connect with respondents, collect and analyze data, and present insights. As we find ourselves settling into a rhythm, our workdays and personal lives may look very different from our “pre-pandemic” schedules. If there’s one thing this global shutdown has allowed us to do, it’s to rethink our priorities and areas of focus.  

We’ve pulled together advice, insights, and musings from some of our past content, along with new thoughts from our team, to give you five important market research skills to think about and develop during this time. While these are essential to our jobs as researchers, the truth is that we may have been neglecting them during the frantic pace of life. As this pace slows and changes, here are soft skills to consider nurturing in your own work: 

Always a favorite subject of ours, we’ve written a lot about finding ways to tap into this innate human trait. In fact, it may have been your sense of curiosity and excitement surrounding learning new things that made you enter your career in market research in the first place. We love the insights that Evette Cordy, author of “Cultivating Curiosity,” shared with us on the topic. This is a skill that can directly impact our jobs and the value we bring to the table. Rebecca Brooks of Alter Agents said: “a curious researcher who truly understands their client’s needs will deliver something unexpected and powerful.”

Adaptability:

We’ve all had a crash course in this particular skill lately, haven’t we? In fact, our ability to adapt to different clients, situations, timelines, and pressures was a vital component of success in market research even before the COVID-19 pandemic. As in-person meetings have moved to video calls, and things like qualitative research have explored digital connections with respondents, adapting is the name of the game. Our EVP, John Bird, says that the shifts we’ve made to accommodate the crisis can be translated to game-changers in the way we deliver insights. We’re going digital already, so explore new ways of doing things like moving away from “death by PowerPoint” to “slick interactive reporting tools that are fun.”

Storytelling:

This age-old skill will never fall out of favor. In fact, it is becoming more and more important in the age of information. Try your hand at some of the more interactive and dynamic tools, as John says above, to uncover the stories the data is telling you and your clients. In our paper, “ What does it take to become a successful market researcher ,” Lisa Wilding-Brown of InnovateMR said that being a good storyteller is key. “At the end of the day, if you are great with numbers, great with data, and then you fall short of articulating all of it into a meaningful message for your constituents, it is all a waste.”

Leadership:

In times of uncertainty, many people seek guidance from others. If you are looking for increased responsibility in the workplace, now is the perfect time to shine. As organizations - and individuals - may be struggling to find their way, this may be your moment to speak up and bring new ideas to the table. Don’t wait for others to take a leadership role; use this opportunity to make your voice heard. If you are already in a leadership role in your organization, take time to focus on essential skills such as making a positive difference in the lives of those you manage. During a crisis, this is very important as your acknowledgment of professional and personal challenges at this time can go a long way in building morale and keeping people productive.

We just wrote about the importance of this trait on our blog. When emotions are high and uncertainty reigns, a little bit of understanding and empathy can go a long way in the face of a crisis. Not only is this the right thing to do, but empathy for our respondents in market research can also have a positive impact on data quality. We want to understand what people are doing and thinking, and why they are behaving in a certain way and how they are feeling. Uncovering this depth of insight requires empathy. Putting insights into action, with empathy in mind, can help to build relationships, promote positive behaviors (like purchases) and boost loyalty. Tap into and nurture your empathetic side; it will serve you well in the consumer insights work you are doing.

Paul Neto of blockchain company Measure Protocol, also a contributor to our “successful market researcher” paper, said that it is a “willingness to take risks and experiment with new approaches that can spell success.” We invite you to experiment with your market research “soft skills.” It may feel a bit out-of-character or uncomfortable, or it may feel like coming home to something you may have forgotten about while keeping up with the demands of your daily schedule. You won’t be sorry!

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Market Research Analyst skills for your resume and career

A market research analyst needs a range of hard skills to excel in their role. These include data analysis, data collection, market trends, and statistical analysis. According to Dr. Jackie Gallagher , Associate Professor and Chair at the University of Mary Washington, "the ability to find good, reliable, information, to be able to do research, to think critically, and to assess information critically" is also crucial. This includes the ability to use tools like SQL and SPSS.

In addition to hard skills, a market research analyst also needs to possess soft skills. According to Dr. Robert Gowdy , Associate Professor at Virginia Commonwealth University, "companies want to hire people who can be productive immediately." This means that a track record of work in the exact area the company is hiring for is essential. Dr. Charlotte Kunkel , Professor of Sociology at Luther College, also emphasizes the importance of critical thinking and analysis, saying that employers will be looking for skills to evaluate evidence and offer solutions.

15 market research analyst skills for your resume and career

1. powerpoint.

PowerPoint is a presentation software developed by Microsoft. Market research analysts use PowerPoint to present their findings to clients and senior staff. They create presentations using charts, graphs, and other visual aids to illustrate their data. As Dr. Glenn Whitehouse , Associate Dean and Associate Professor at Florida Gulf Coast University, puts it, "Learn workplace technology. ... [L]earn those applications like the philosopher you are. Anyone can learn what the buttons do on PowerPoint, but not everyone understands the principles of an effective presentation."

• Prepared reports, interpreted results and communicated findings using Excel and PowerPoint for client presentations and senior staff speaking engagements.
• Translated statistical data into strategic, relevant, concise and insightful PowerPoint data stories and presented to stakeholders.

2. Data Analysis

Data analysis is a process of examining data sets to draw conclusions or identify patterns. Market research analysts use data analysis to provide full research services, conduct in-depth analysis of consumer data, and track trends. They also use data analysis to evaluate market trends and strategies. Stephen A. Matthews Ph.D. , Liberal Arts Professor of Sociology at Pennsylvania State University, highlights the importance of data analysis for market research analysts, saying, "I hope our Ph.D. graduates have both soft skills (e.g., people skills, communication (writing/speaking), team science/work skills, critical thinking skills) as well as the technical skills (e.g., data analysis, data visualization, data ethics, IRB experience, etc.)."

• Provided full research services for business-to-business and business-to-government data analysis on federal, state and local business and IT needs.
• Performed data analysis and supervision of data tabulation as well as supervised interviewers in recruiting and fielding of interviews.

SPSS is a statistical software that helps analyze and manage data. Market research analysts use SPSS to conduct primary research and analyze results. They also explore and mine data using SPSS to provide consumer insights that drive marketing strategy. For instance, they use SPSS to assess data quality, diagnose issues, and create cross-tab reports for clients. They also train new hires on SPSS usage, syntax, and quality control.

• Analyzed data using descriptive and inferential statistics using multivariate techniques and SPSS Statistics software.
• Conducted primary research of aftermarket warranty products and analyzed results using SPSS.

4. Market Research

Market research is the process of gathering and analyzing data to understand market trends and customer needs. Market research analysts use market research to obtain information about customers, competitors, and market conditions. They analyze this data to identify opportunities, develop marketing strategies, and make informed business decisions. They may conduct primary research by surveying customers, or they may use secondary sources like industry reports and market studies. They then present their findings to management and other stakeholders to help drive business growth.

• Utilized primary and secondary sources of market research data to provide actionable information used to increase advertising sales and circulation.
• Developed research projects for specific business issues - integrated market research information into company system to develop new leads.

5. Data Collection

Data collection is the process of gathering information from different sources. Market research analysts use data collection to perform research analysis, develop effective questionnaires, and automate data collection to achieve objectives. They also conduct extensive market analysis based on demographic and primary/secondary consumer data collections. They supervise and monitor data collection for large corporate research studies and coordinate data collection for use in publications and by colleagues. They even design innovative data collection techniques, like using social media to court customers.

• Performed regular data collection and analysis using Microsoft Excel and stored information for use in publications and by colleagues.
• Developed data collection, analysis and reporting of clinical pathways, patient satisfaction data and financial data

6. Market Trends

Market trends are patterns that emerge in a market over time, such as changes in consumer behavior or preferences. Market research analysts use market trends to better understand their target audience and the competitive landscape. They analyze data to identify trends, synthesize secondary research, and monitor economic, political, social, and regulatory perspectives. By doing so, they can provide key insights and recommendations for their organization's marketing strategy. They also use market trends to evaluate investment opportunities and predict future market movements. For example, a market research analyst might analyze data on consumer goods distribution to understand market trends and make recommendations for investments.

• Analyze comprehensive commercial real estate information on buildings and development across major regions to better understand capital market trends.
• Research, analyze, and prepare reports of international/domestic lumber market trends and fluctuations for submission to executive management.

Choose from 10+ customizable market research analyst resume templates

7. product development.

Product development is the process of creating and improving a product. Market research analysts use product development to discover new opportunities and improve existing products. They gather quantitative and qualitative data on competitors' products, financial models, and user satisfaction to guide product development. They also analyze data to help product management and project management departments set directions for designing new features. For example, they might conduct conjoint surveys to evaluate new product development and present the results to C-level executives.

• Conducted quantitative and qualitative research to discover competitor product development, financial models, and user satisfaction to isolate market opportunities.
• Created Feasibility Summary for new product development to include Technology Readiness, Manufacturing Capabilities, Resources and Expertise.

8. Analyze Data

To analyze data is to examine and interpret data to draw useful conclusions. Market research analysts use analyze data to gain insights into consumer behavior, identify trends, and assess the effectiveness of marketing strategies. They use statistical methods to analyze data and extrapolate information, collect data from various financial sources, and present their findings to clients. For instance, they might analyze data obtained from focus groups, one-on-one interviews, and research to understand the preferences and needs of their target audience.

• Used statistical methods to analyze data and extrapolate information that was used in production processes and in marketing and advertising campaigns.
• Analyze data and perform calculations and modeling for customized and syndicated projects.

9. Primary Research

Primary research is collecting original information directly from a target audience, often through surveys, focus groups, or interviews. Market research analysts use primary research to identify customer satisfaction and distribution channels, summarize secondary research reports for executives, and optimize sampling and data appends for studies. They may also analyze data to inform future business strategy, set target indicators for customer loyalty, and understand treatment algorithms.

• Designed primary research for focus groups, surveys and public opinion polls to identify customer satisfaction and distribution channels.
• Conducted primary research, both qualitative and quantitative, and summarized secondary research reports for distribution to university executives.

SQL is a programming language used for managing data held in a relational database. Market research analysts use SQL to create reports and analyze data. They use SQL to extract data from databases, identify trends, and investigate unexpected results. They also use SQL to automate manual processes, such as developing pre-approval packages for loan reviews.

• Retail Portfolio Analysis: Developed/Executed SQL statements to create Retail Customer Portfolio Analysis reports by market.
• Maintain competitor location data in SQL Server databases by updating and maintaining data from vendors and other sources.

11. Market Analysis

Market analysis is the process of researching and analyzing market conditions to gain insights into consumer behavior, industry trends, and competitive activity. Market research analysts use market analysis to identify potential investment opportunities, gather information on consumer demographics, and inform product positioning and forecasting. For example, they might conduct research on federal and state regulations to determine career paths and potential student demographics, or collaborate with marketing specialists and account executives to obtain high-quality market analysis. They also use various computer software to conduct complex market analysis and create detailed reports for internal and external clients.

• Performed market analysis of Federal and State regulations involving requirements of expected career paths and potential student demographics in varying locations.
• Conducted research and market analysis for strategic business opportunities through federal research labs and tier one defense industry suppliers.

12. Strong Analytical

Strong analytical skills are the ability to gather and analyze data to make informed decisions. Market research analysts use strong analytical skills to evaluate various portfolio characteristics, maintain sector databases and financial models, research and retrieve loan documentation, and manage and execute market research projects. They leverage these skills to problem-solve and communicate their findings effectively.

• Utilize strong analytical skills and database skills to create performance metrics and evaluate various portfolio characteristics, primarily using Excel spreadsheets.
• Leverage strong analytical and problem-solving skills.

13. Project Management

Project management is the process of planning and overseeing the execution of a project. Market research analysts use project management to support research activities, develop and analyze reports, and maintain client relations. They also use it to manage their work with external vendors, business development opportunities, and sales divisions. As Shalini Gopalkrishnan , Visiting Professor at Menlo College, puts it, "project management, data science, human resources, and supply chain management are needed now."

• Support research activities for syndicated and single client consulting research projects including project management, analysis and presentation development.
• Project management and documentation of training manual procedures for Fixed Income work with query analysis reports.

14. Research Findings

Research findings are the results of a study or investigation. Market research analysts use research findings to develop reports, recommend strategic initiatives, and communicate with clients and colleagues. They analyze raw data and present their findings to senior managers. They also use research findings to determine the appropriate marketing course of action for products and services, and to help stakeholders make sound decisions.

• Applied qualitative and quantitative techniques to interpret data, develop reports, and generate substantiated recommendations based on research findings.
• Proposed and defined strategic initiatives based on research findings to senior management and product teams.

15. Statistical Analysis

Statistical analysis is the process of using statistical methods to summarize and draw conclusions from data. Market research analysts use statistical analysis to identify market trends, understand consumer behavior, and predict the effectiveness of marketing campaigns. They use statistical methods to analyze data from surveys, focus groups, and other sources, and then use that information to provide insights to their clients or employers. For example, they might use statistical analysis to identify which demographics are most likely to respond to a particular marketing campaign, or to determine whether a particular product or service is likely to be successful in a given market.

• Conduct insight derivation through profiling, market segmentation, identify target market and create customer promotions using multiple statistical analysis procedures.
• Reduce process complexity in customer behavior prediction through statistical analysis of client data and the creation of innovative tools.

12 Market Research Analyst Resume Examples

Build a professional market research analyst resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 12 + resume templates to create your market research analyst resume.

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List of market research analyst skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for a market research analyst resume and required skills for a market research analyst to have include:

• Data Analysis
• Market Research
• Data Collection
• Market Trends
• Product Development
• Analyze Data
• Primary Research
• Market Analysis
• Strong Analytical
• Project Management
• Research Findings
• Statistical Analysis
• Quantitative Research
• Financial Analysis
• Competitive Analysis
• Market Research Data
• Market Research Studies
• Qualitative Research
• Competitive Intelligence
• Business Development
• Market Intelligence
• Swot Analysis
• Real Estate
• Survey Data
• Statistical Data
• Quantitative Analysis
• Internal Clients
• Pivot Tables
• Competitive Landscape
• Consumer Insights
• Research Results
• Google Analytics
• Competitor Analysis
• Business Plan
• Customer Demographics
• Product Demand
• Market Size
• Buying Habits
• Target Market

Updated February 16, 2024

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Market Research Analyst Related Skills

• Analyst Skills
• Analyst Sales Skills
• Data Analyst Internship Skills
• Data Research Analyst Skills
• Market Analyst Skills
• Market Analyst Internship Skills
• Market Research Internship Skills
• Market Researcher Skills
• Marketing Analyst Skills
• Marketing Research Analyst Skills
• Marketing Research Internship Skills
• Pricing Analyst Skills
• Product Analyst Skills
• Research Analyst Skills
• Research Consultant Skills

Market Research Analyst Related Careers

• Analyst Sales
• Data Analyst Internship
• Data Research Analyst
• Market Analyst
• Market Analyst Internship
• Market Research Internship
• Market Researcher
• Marketing Analyst
• Marketing Research Analyst
• Marketing Research Internship
• Pricing Analyst
• Product Analyst
• Research Analyst
• Research Consultant

Market Research Analyst Related Jobs

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Hard and Soft Skills Every Research Team Should Cultivate

Grayling ferguson, 5 design principles to enhance your market researc....

Design is something we all use, whether consciously or unconsciously in the insights industry. Desig...

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Skills can be acquired in different ways and are frequently categorised as either ‘hard’ or ‘soft’ skills. Hard skills ensure a workforce is qualified and equipped to carry out the job at hand. This type of skill can be measured and can be learned through training (in a classroom setting or on the job), are usually job-specific, and often can be evidenced via application and/or certification; for example, a medical degree, a mechanic fixing a car or a joiner fitting a kitchen. Whilst hard skills ensure the job is done, how workforces approach their clients and colleagues requires another set of skills entirely.

I am, of course, referring to soft skills. Soft skills are harder to measure, are more universal and can be applied in a wide variety of scenarios and situations. They are interpersonal skills that are more relationship focused and can include: organisation, attention to detail, leadership, multi-tasking, time management, communication and social skills – just to mention a few.

Your skills are essentially what you bring to the table in the workplace, so to have a mixture of hard and soft skills seems to be a good place to be. According to a LinkedIn study , 57% of leaders say soft skills are more important than hard skills, with leadership heading up the list.

Skills in Research

When turning our focus to market research specifically, research requires multiple skills (both hard and soft) to allow projects to run smoothly. Hard skills that come to mind are focussed around the actual application of conducting the research, so designing your research tasks and using analytical avenues to explore the results of the research, whether this be qual or quant-based. It’s easy to see hard skills as the core aspects for running research, because ultimately there is an order to the market research process and steps to follow where training and certification can be acquired.

To achieve a high standard of research, I think the key hard skills that are important for a research team to cultivate are: the ability to write research questions in a way that is consistent, interesting and necessary to obtain materials to challenge the objective(s), a level of programming that the software they are using demands to successfully present the questions and/or materials to the participants, knowledge in 1 or more analysis software packages (ideally both qual and quant capabilities), and then of course skills for a presentation software to deliver that final package to the client.

Soft skills go a level deeper and also lend themselves to aspects of the research process outside of the standard practice. For example, reaching out to clients and participants requires a level of understanding and communication that are appropriate for the research topic and relationships. Various elements of a project require organisation, time management and attention to detail – just to mention a few other skills. I am going to focus on three soft skills that I think are key for running a successful research project:

1. Time Management

As with all projects, time management is key to meeting that all-important deadline that marks the end. In market research that final deadline is usually the gateway to further discussion and decision making for the business commissioning the research. However, within the project structure, there are deadlines that ensure the next stage can begin, so for example, recruitment will close to allow the research to begin. Without discipline for moving to the next milestone, the researcher runs the risk of losing time on another aspect of the project, which could result in either cutting another area of the project short and/or running over that all-important final deadline.

Analysis is a good example of this, and is a great demonstration of why timelines are so important to assist time management of a project. Analysis of data can be approached in many different ways via a large choice of software, once a researcher gets their teeth into that qual and/or quant data it’s easy to go down a rabbit hole exploring interesting results and comments that have been collected throughout the research. However, this is where time management plays a large part in being able to maintain focus and meet those deadlines because at the end of the project the stakeholders are going to want results, whether that be a full report/debrief or workings/exec summary.

Empathy allows you to see the perspectives of others, as such it is a tool that researchers can use to get to the core purpose of the research with the client and then relay this in a coherent way to participants to get the information they need. When the hypothesis is successfully established – this mindset and understanding from the client perspective then feeds into the rest of the project build and those other hard skills we mentioned earlier.

Empathy also aids with effective communication, putting yourself in someone else’s shoes at various stages of the project will allow an ability to see different perspectives and needs. This is especially important when reaching out to participants, and even more so if they are a vulnerable group and/or the subject matter is sensitive – context is everything! As researchers we want people to open up and tell us what they really think, even better, show us what they really feel, even if this is on a sub-conscious level. To pick-up on these subtlety’s and draw out the real answer to our ‘why?’; empathy is so valuable to get that next level insight.

3. Critical Thinking

Critical thinking is a key skill to apply throughout a research project. From receiving a research brief to presenting results, each stage of the process needs to be carefully considered and executed. Take our methodology for example, to choose the correct method of running the research requires a consideration for the hypothesis, sample, timescales, budget and resources. Carefully considering all of those variables and options together is no small task.

Critical thinking probably comes into its own at the analysis and reporting part of the research project. Here, we are analysing the data to find the results and those all-important actionable insights. The researcher must pull out any insights with the original brief/hypothesis in mind, whilst also keeping an open mind for anything unexpected that comes out of the research that may be useful/impactful to the business commissioning the research. Throughout the data collection and analysis, the researcher must also be building a story to allow creation of an engaging output for the stakeholders – whilst also deciding what specific information and data to present in the final documentation. A lot to think about!

Cultivating Research Team Skills

Whilst there are some skills that lend themselves more favourably to research, there are no hard and fast rules or exclusive list of required skills research teams should have. Soft and hard skills complement each other and are equally important in a research setting because the way people think and apply themselves is different and individual. Building a team around what skills people have is important, rather than just focussing on a few core hard skills that a standard project requires.

Encouraging growth and self-progression is what research teams should cultivate to grow a team with an array or soft and hard skills that feed into each aspect of a project. Learning from experience and peer input is a great way to ensure a team has a wide variety of skills to offer clients as the skills individuals bring to a team give an enhanced quality and combined perspective. My colleague, Matthew, draws on his own personal experiences and further highlights the importance of diverse, unique experiences and interests in the way they impact and assist the way research is run in his blog .

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The 11 Most Important Hard & Soft Skills Marketers Need to Have

What hard and soft skills do you need to speak the right marketing language and connect with audiences? Learn the most important ones here.

Picture this: You’re wearing many hats as far as marketing goes.

You’re ready to rock the digital marketing sphere.

Not so fast!

You could be lacking in the soft skillset department, and you might not be able to speak the marketing language fluently.

This mistake may compromise your exposure, distancing you from the online population.

We’re talking billions, here.

The internet population is, well, vast.

Don’t believe it?

I’ll show you the stats: A whopping 40% of the world’s population is online, every single day.

Here’s a chart from Internet Live Stats to prove it.

And a cool 75% of internet users are reading blogs, every day.

How can you afford to not tap into this crowd, especially today?

Isn’t it time you:

• Took your customer base a notch higher (if you’re a solopreneur) with marketing skills that work?
• Hired quality talent (if you’re a business) that leaves no stone unturned when it comes to attracting prospects?
• Add massive value to brands (if you’re a marketer) with unmatched campaigns?

In this article, you’re going to learn just that:

Here are the most in-demand hard and soft marketing skills that brands hire for.

Hard Versus Soft: Understand the Difference

Simply put, hard skills are structured and systematic.

You should learn these if you’ll be in marketing for the long haul, even if it means taking a course.

I’m talking about stuff like SEO, PPC, machine learning, etc.

Meanwhile, soft skills help you accomplish the technical skills. They help you adapt to certain situations.

If, for instance, you aren’t already creative during this pandemic, you’re probably losing sales. Creativity is a vital soft marketing skill.

I can’t stress it enough.

It doesn’t matter if you’re a seasoned marketer.

But it’s of little use if you aren’t pairing it up with soft skills.

What makes you stand out from the pack, at least as far as marketing goes?

Skillsets distinguish you from the rest of the crowd.

They can be categorized into both “hard” and “soft” skillset types.

6 Hard Skills Marketers Need

This list is in no particular order. Let’s get into it!

1. Get to Know SEO

Show me a marketer who ignores SEO and I’ll show you their haphazard results.

SEO is a core language of solid digital marketing in 2020 and beyond.

So, speak it fluently, all the time!

Your ultimate goal with SEO?

To be found easily by your target audience.

Publishing a string of content (i.e., blogs) is useless if it isn’t attracting your target audience.

Bottom line: Even if you aren’t looking to become an SEO expert , at least master the basic SEO concepts .

Pair it up with Search Engine Marketing (SEM) and you’re almost there!

2. Embrace & Prioritize Content Marketing Formats

From social media to videos and blogs, your content should be able to convert.

Create social media posts that engage with your audience the most.

Craft killer blogs that are shared the most.

Work on publishing in the top formats that generate maximum results.

Some of your audience will read the blog, others will watch the video, which is similar to engaging with you or the brand you’re portraying real-time.

Need even more ideas? Here are 100 types of content you can create .

Content marketing, when done right, can move you closer to your target audience.

When done wrong, though, content marketing can distance you from potential customers.

3. Understand the Ins and Outs of Email Marketing

Your prospects don’t read every email.

They read great emails – compelling content that makes their hearts skip a beat.

So, if you’re looking for your emails to be read, you’ve got to be a wizard in the game.

I’ve found for myself personally this doesn’t come naturally.

Email marketing isn’t easy.

It took me about four years to get comfortable with it.

The basics to know are how to:

• Write and schedule or send a great broadcast.
• Set up an email sequence to nurture your audience.
• Properly tag and categorize your subscribers. For example, you want to understand how to tag subscribers who have purchased a course or training that you’re writing an email for, so they don’t get sold to twice.

But there’s a lot more to email marketing than these basics.

Brand new to the game of email?

• Mailchimp has a powerful resource center dedicated to education on this topic. It’s worth checking out.
• Campaign Monitor’s resource center is equally educational.

4. Know Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO)

It doesn’t matter if your campaigns are bringing in mammoth traffic.

It’s of little use if the prospects aren’t converting.

So, what are your CRO goals?

What do you want people to act on?

After all, the ultimate goal of marketing is for your leads to take a given desired action.

It’s better to attract one or two leads who eventually convert than lure in a few thousand with zero conversions.

Learning CRO is key particularly if you’re looking for your leads to purchase a product, download free stuff, subscribe to your mailing list, etc.

Understand the major terms associated with CRO: engagement metrics, conversion funnels, and A/B testing, etc.

And don’t neglect your site’s layout, navigation, and speed – page elements are a vital part of CRO.

5. Get Comfy with Some Machine Learning

A bot can’t brainstorm a high-conversion ad.

And it can never write humanly crafted, awesome content .

But it can help tackle ordinary tasks, so you can save time for important duties.

Many machine learning actions are built into the tools we use as marketers.

Get familiar with what those parts are, and understand how they work.

Google even has its own AI platform , housing Google technology, products, open-source platforms, and a library on education around AI.

Combining machine learning and natural language processing makes you work smarter.

5 Soft Skills Marketers Need

What are the top soft skills every good growth-focused marketer needs to have?

Here are the top six. (You might be surprised at #6!)

1. Curiosity

Marketing is ever-changing.

Your hunger to learn emerging trends should be unmatched if, in fact, you’re looking to be brilliant in this field.

Be among the first folks to read the latest marketing updates.

Ask questions whenever you don’t understand a concept. You can even take to a Facebook group or post on Twitter and tap into the wise minds of our times for help.

I do it often – I recently posted this tweet to ask thoughts from my peers of a concept I read in one of Robert Bly’s books. The conversation and feedback was amazing!

“A copywriter is not a creative artist. They are a sales person. They do not need to be original or reinvent the wheel: they need to use existing formulas and methods that work.” – Robert Bly, The Copywriter’s Handbook (1985) Agree or disagree? 🤔 — Julia McCoy (@JuliaEMcCoy) July 21, 2020

Staying curious is how you’ll stay competitive in this saturated industry.

Your passion to learn new stuff should never die.

2. Employ Persuasion

How much of a persuader are you?

Okay, okay…

Grade your persuading power on a scale of one to five.

Where would it sit?

Anywhere between four and five?

You deserve an accolade from me!

But, if it’s resting at three or less, you need to work on it.

Marketing is all about persuasion.

So, persuade potential customers whenever you can! Convince your boss to invest in some technology that (you think) will help skyrocket your marketing goals.

Just remember to always base your arguments on logic.

3. Encourage Creative Juices

Online competition is stiff. To be able to stand out from the pack, you need to be different by tapping into your creative juices.

Are your copy and images out of the ordinary?

Are you creating unique campaigns that truly stand out?

The thing is, prospects like to be enthralled and won before they want to take the next step with you or your brand.

Otherwise, they keep scrolling.

Creativity wins! Make sure to allow yourself time away from the desk immersed in something that boosts your creative juices — for me, that’s playing the harp, taking a hike out by the lake, or watching a super-good medieval fantasy show or movie.

4. Multitasking Is a Plus

If you’re able to do more than one thing simultaneously, it’s a good thing. (Really.)

In digital marketing, it’s not uncommon to be handling a ton of things in tandem.

You might be expected to reply to your readers’ comments on your blog while engaging a similar audience on social media.

However, just make sure you’re prioritizing the most important tasks.

Those that will add more value to your business rather than just distract you.

5. Live and Unlearn

Still holding onto what made your campaigns tick five years ago?

You might need to unlearn a few things. Today, your customers’ tastes and preferences are ever on the move.

What attracted them to you in the past might not work today.

Unlearn your hard-held beliefs and be willing to embrace new tactics, always.

Don’t worry about making mistakes, either. Instead, learn from them.

6. Trust Your Sixth Sense

This could also read “trust your gut.”

Sometimes, as a digital marketer, you must learn to trust your sixth sense.

You never know when it’s going to come in handy. Not neglecting your sixth sense, when it beckons, could save you a ton of trouble.

It might attract a prospect when you’re least expecting it.

If you’re well versed in this industry, and understand your target audience, following your intuition on next big steps can yield big fruits.

For example, it was on intuition that I began telling my story of escaping a cult I grew up in as a child, and building a business while still in that cult – (WHAT, right??) – sharing with the entire world that my passion was my lifeline (and incidentally, following that passion has allowed me to build everything I have).

I even told this story in all its polarizing glory right here with the awesome Danny Goodwin on the Search Engine Journal show.

I’ve been told, “Most people wouldn’t tell this story.”

I’ve been told, “You’re crazy for talking about growing up in a cult!”

Yet, witnessing how the book I wrote on my story, “ Woman Rising: A True Story “, sold over 700 copies on launch day formed immediate proof for me that following my gut was the best move.

And today, I’ve built connections and rapport through telling this authentic story that never would have seen daylight if I hadn’t followed my intuition.

Trust your intuition. Tell your stories authentically.

Now, Go Rock the Marketing World Like a Pro

To kill it in this industry, get familiar with and begin practicing these practical skills.

Don’t take your marketing skills for granted. It’s how you can outperform the competition.

More Resources:

• 20 Essential Skills for Digital Marketers
• Top 8 Skills Every Great SEO Professional Needs to Succeed
• 10 Content Marketing Skills You Need to Master (Plus Tips on How to Master Them)

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In-Post Image #1: Internet Live Stats In-Post Image #2: Google AI

Julia McCoy is an 8x author and a leading strategist around creating exceptional content and presence that lasts online. As ...

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More From Forbes

The top 10 in-demand soft skills to learn in 2024, based on research.

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Soft skills are valued more by employers than technical skills and knowledge

Looking back to 10, 15, or even 20 years ago, "hard," technical skills, were what got your foot in the door and enabled you to progress in your career. But now, employers' attitudes towards work and suitable talent criteria have changed. Soft skills are the new currency of the workplace.

What Are Soft Skills?

Soft skills, perhaps better referred to as power skills, are psychosocial skills that are applicable to any workplace and enable one to succeed in their career and work well with others.

In its skills outlook for the Future of Jobs 2023 report , The World Economic Forum highlighted from their extensive research several soft skills as leading the way in high demand, and consequently enabling those who possess them to earn higher income: "The socio-emotional attitudes which businesses consider to be growing in importance most quickly are curiosity and lifelong learning; resilience, flexibility and agility; and motivation and self-awareness—evidence that businesses emphasize the importance of resilient and reflective workers embracing a culture of lifelong learning as the lifecycle of their skills decreases," the report's findings reveal.

The research also concluded that "emerging technologies such as generative AI are reshaping workforce demands, and employers are placing greater emphasis on 'soft' skills. These skills allow companies to respond to change and are resistant to automation."

The beauty of soft skills is that they are highly transferable across industries, which makes it easier for you to make a career pivot or progress up the ladder faster, or even start your own business due to their liquid nature and employer's perspectives and acceptance of them.

Best High-Yield Savings Accounts Of 2024

Best 5% interest savings accounts of 2024, what soft skills are in high demand.

According to recent analysis from CashNet USA of more than 17 million American job listings on Indeed.com, 10 soft skills were identified as of the greatest priority in the United States, while other skills were broken down by most in demand by state .

1. Strategic Thinking

Within the top 25% wage bracket, it was identified that the most in-demand soft skill is strategic thinking, accounting for around 65% of job adverts for highly paid roles. Strategy skills—in which you analyze a situation and set goals systematically—are a necessary quality for not only leaders, but aspiring leaders and managers, and high-achieving non-leadership professionals.

Other skills listed from CashNet's analysis (in order of demand) include:

2. Negotiation

Negotiation skills play a vital role in everything from sales pitches, to securing and finalizing business contracts, to ensuring customer satisfaction, to handling sensitive situations at work and ensuring both parties can mutually agree. To build your negotiation skills you could consider undertaking negotiation training or taking training to improve your communication skills.

3. Persuasion

Persuasion is a form of communication skills, and can often be confused with negotiation tactics, but there is a clear difference. While negotiation works for the aim of enabling both parties to reach an agreed outcome through mutual compromise, persuasion is useful to get the other party to agree on your side. However, both skills work hand in hand.

4. Presentation Skills

Especially as we move into hybrid working presentation skills and essential part of your communication toolkit.

You need to be able to adapt your presentations to be engaging, convey the right information in a concise manner, and be powerfully effective in a way that pulls in the attention of your audience whether they're based at their work from home desk or in the office.

Communication skills such as negotiation and persuasion, are necessary for businesses to thrive and ... [+] to maintain healthy work relationships

5. Critical Thinking

Critical thinking is a major component of strategy and decision-making. To think critically, you need to carefully gather and analyze facts and use your observations to make a sound judgment.

While this is obviously an essential quality for leaders and managers, there will be situations at work when you will be required to think critically in an emergency or where you are granted more autonomy over your work, and these skills will necessarily come into play. This demonstrates responsibility and ownership, and self-awareness to be accountable for your actions.

6. Mentoring

When we think of soft skills, mentoring isn't exactly the skill that first comes to mind. But mentorship is a critical part of developing and demonstrating your competence for management and leadership roles. Furthermore it demonstrates teamwork and collaboration, and improves other skills such as patience and communication, as you train and mentor others.

7. Emotional Intelligence (EQ)

Emotional intelligence is defined as the ability to understand and regulate one's own emotions and to relate to those of others. It is evident based on the World Economic Forum's report that soft skills related to emotional intelligence are seen as highly desirable by employers.

Some key indicators that you have high emotional intelligence include how well you actively listen and demonstrate empathy, how you respond and react to challenges, how you view failure, and your perspective on your professional growth and development.

8. Innovation

Do you consider yourself to be an innovative or creative thinker? Even if you feel that you don't have anything unique or value to bring to the table, aim to stretch yourself every day by considering various approaches and always challenging assumptions and the status quo. Not because something has always been done a certain way does it mean that it can be rendered effective.

Do brainstorming exercises on your own and with your team, and view a business problem or problems at work from every possible angle, carefully evaluating pros and cons. You can stretch your imagination by constantly asking yourself, What else?, even if your ideas may look outrageously silly at first.

9. Financial Management

You don't need to work in the finance department of your organization to need to have a good grip of the finances. Undertake training, and where possible, learn from your company's financial team so that you can understand what goes into the financials, and what part you play in helping to cut down unnecessary expenses. Learn basic business finance terminology. This will work in your favor should you pursue a promotion

10. Resilience

Resilience is a trait demonstrated by those who have high levels of emotional intelligence. Being resilient means that you view failures and setbacks with new eyes. Instead of quitting or blaming external factors, you undertake a period of self-reflection, critically analyze the situation, and get back up again to try something new, using the lessons learned.

Soft skills transfer across multiple industries and can be used in almost any setting

When you have these 10 soft skills, you will be empowered to make the best decisions for your organization and for your career, and will be more in-demand with career and business opportunities flooding your way.

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National Soft Skills Association

To promote and enhance programs that increase soft skills

Study: Boosting Soft Skills Is Better Than Raising Test Scores

By National Soft Skills Association 149 Comments

A recent study was just released by Northwestern University’s Kirabo Jackson on the effect of soft skills vs test scores. This study demonstrates that schools that build social-emotional qualities are getting better short-term and long-term results for students than schools that only focus on improving test scores.

https://hechingerreport.org/early-research-focuses-on-schools-that-develop-students-social-emotional-qualities/

This study included 150,000 high school students in all 133 Chicago Public Schools from 2008 onward, and reported that schools putting soft skills ahead of test scores produced students with higher grades, fewer absences and fewer disciplinary problems and arrests in high school. The students who attended these high schools also graduated and went to college at higher rates .

Another focus of the study was on two problematic behaviors—attendance and disciplinary incidents with ninth graders from 2011-2017. The results showed that schools emphasizing soft skills over test scores had fewer absences as well as disciplinary incidents. For students who entered ninth grade between 2011-2014, researchers found that students who attended schools focusing on soft skills had fewer arrests during their high school years and graduated in higher numbers.

Jackson says, “You could actually do a lot more good by focusing on schools that promote social-emotional development as opposed to focusing on schools that focus on test scores.”

In February of 2020, Jackson presented the findings at a conference for the National Center for the Analysis of Longitudinal Data in Educational Research (CALDER). There are four co-authors from The University of Chicago Consortium on School Research, Northwestern University and Mindset Scholars Network.

The Value of Soft Skills in the Labor Market

By National Soft Skills Association 29 Comments

Economists are increasingly focused on the importance of so-called “soft skills” for labor market success. The evidence is overwhelming that these skills — also called “non-cognitive skills” — are important drivers of success in school and in adult life. Yet the very term soft skills reveals our lack of understanding of what these skills are, how to measure them, and whether and how they can be developed. And the term “non-cognitive” is simply used to mean “not predicted by IQ or achievement tests.”

Read the full article: https://www.nber.org/reporter/2017number4/deming.html

Why Soft Skills Are so Difficult to Teach

By National Soft Skills Association 21 Comments

A lot has happened in the field of soft skills over the last few years. Awareness of the need for employees to possess soft skills such as attitude, communication, critical thinking, and professionalism, to name a few, has begun to reach a fevered pitch. High school career and technology education (CTE) programs as well as post-secondary institutions have identified the need to offer training in soft skills. Many programs have taken the approach of trying to integrate soft skills training with hard skills training. On the surface, integrating the two sounds like a good idea, however I wonder what the results of such training will provide. The reason for my doubt is that just teaching the concepts of soft skills is not good enough, you have to go deeper.

The Foundation Blocks of Soft Skills

There are hidden skills or competencies that are needed as the as foundation blocks upon which soft skills can be taught. These necessary building blocks are known as emotional intelligence or EQ. EQ is a learned ability to identify, explain, understand and express human emotions in healthy and productive ways. Without these foundation blocks, a learner’s ability to understand and to use soft skills is very limited.

Here is how this works:

In education, the targeted skill being taught is soft skills. The next step is to identify the soft skills competencies that need to be taught. Simple, right? What is missing are the foundation blocks that the soft skills competencies are built upon. Those foundation blocks are EQ competencies.

The foundation blocks of Interpersonal Skills

Interpersonal skills are actually social skills and cover how to interact with other people and present oneself in an acceptable manner. It includes such topics as interpersonal skills, controlling your emotions, socializing at work, networking, responding to conflict and helping customers.

The core EQ foundation skills needed in order to develop these interpersonal skills are self-esteem, interpersonal awareness, empathy and supportive environment.

• Self-esteem is how positively you view yourself. It is a perceived level of personal worth and is the most important EQ competency of them all for developing positive relationships. Contrary to what the current experts say about self-esteem (they think it does not exist), it is a key competency in interpersonal relationships, for it dictates how people might feel about themselves in social situations. If people feel good about themselves, they also demonstrate positive feelings about the others around them.

• Interpersonal awareness first starts with intrapersonal awareness or awareness of self. Once people become aware of themselves they can then become aware of others. Awareness of others also requires a good understanding how others might be responding to them. Many people on the autism spectrum struggle with this concept.

• Empathy is the cornerstone of EQ. Empathy covers how to sense, understand, and accept another person’s thoughts, feelings and behaviors. Empathy is a primary characteristic of skilled communicators and a key aspect in interpersonal or social skills.

• Supportive environment is the extent to which friends, family or peers have impact on an individual’s achievement and how they can positively encourage people in achieving their personal goals and improving relationships.

As you can see here, there is a lot more to the soft skill of interpersonal skills than meets the eye. Remember you cannot teach soft skill competencies while ignoring the underlying necessary EQ competencies.

The NOT So Surprising Thing that Google Learned about Its Employees – And What It Means for Today’s Students

By National Soft Skills Association 35 Comments

  In an article in today’s Washington Post written by Valerie Strauss, The surprising thing Google learned about its employees –and what it means for today’s students , the Post explains what Google learned about its employees through their own research on hiring, firing, and promotion data accumulated since the company’s founding in 1998.  This results of this research project, called Project Oxygen, shocked everyone by concluding that among the eight most important qualities of Google’s top employees, STEM skills came in dead last.

The other seven qualities were all soft skills and include:

• Being a good coach
• Communication skills
• Possessing insights into others and different values and points of view
• Empathy toward one’s colleagues
• Critical thinking
• Problem solving
• Drawing conclusions (making connections across complex ideas)

While this is a very excellent insight and very important to recognize, it is not new to us at the National Soft Skills Association.  Let me quote an article we posted on August 3, 2017.

“It has been 100 years since the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching released a study on engineering education authored by Charles Riborg Mann. In his study, 1,500 engineers replied to a questionnaire about what they believed to be the most important factors in determining probable success or failure as an engineer. Overwhelmingly, personal qualities were considered seven times more important than knowledge of engineering science.

A second circular letter stating Mann’s results was sent to 30,000 members of four large engineering societies, and each member was asked to number the six qualities needed for top engineers. The top six qualities were:

• Understanding of others

Notice that the top four are soft skills while only the last two were hard skills?

Education Has Not Changed

A quick study on curriculum used in high schools, community colleges, colleges and universities across this country reveals that nothing has changed in 100 years. Educational institutions simply ignore the research on soft skills along with the requests of their local employers. They continue to teach the technical knowledge and skill sets for an occupation but leave out the soft skills assessment and training that are critical to success in any occupation.

After working in this industry for over forty years, I have come up with the conclusion that soft skills are not taught because there is an assumption that students already have these skills, even when employer advisory panels tell them that their graduates do not.

Bad Assumptions Lead to Bad Results

In most situations, educational institutions assume that their students posses these skills, learning them either from their families or other life experiences. This may have had some validity in the past, but if parents or other adults do not possess soft skills, how can they teach them to others? This incorrect assumption leads to costly errors in the hiring process. I don’t have to go into the cost of a mis-hire. It is sufficient to say that, when a student leaves a college, enters the working world, and does not even know enough to show up on time every day, the cost to the employers is in the tens of thousands of dollars, to say nothing of the cost to the self-confidence of the employee.

Check the Standards

I once asked a good friend of mine who worked for a state Department of Public Instruction if he could give me the standards for freshmen algebra. After several weeks of searching, he came back to me and was embarrassed to say that there were no standards other than seat time. Since then, there has been a push to create state and national education standards for academics. A quick check on those reveals that there are still no standards for soft skills.

It was established back in 1918 by Mann’s study on engineering education that approximately 80 percent of success is due to soft skills while 20 percent is due to hard skills.

I ask a simple question—W hy has this fact been ignored by the educational establishment for 100 years?”

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10 Most In-Demand Soft Skills to Put on Your Resume

L ong gone are the days when listing hard skills was the best (and oftentimes only) way to get your foot in the door at a prestigious company. While technical knowledge and training will always be important, soft skills (or essentially personality traits) are becoming increasingly important to highlight on your resume. And it makes sense, as more companies prioritize work culture and, therefore, the personalities of those they’re hiring.

But which soft skills are the ones that standout the most on a resume? Using data from Indeed.com, CashNetUSA scoured job ads for 46 predetermined soft skills to find the ones that appeared the most on high-paid jobs that surpassed the 75th percentile of wages in America’s most populated cities as well as each state. These are the soft skills that came out on top.

10. Resilience

Percentage of highly paid jobs requiring the skill: 34.29%

Resilience is a soft skill that highlights your ability to handle stress and challenges that come up at work. 

A good example of how to add this to your resume could be, “Showed resilience when leading a team after budget cuts by still delivering work on time and within scope.”

* Data comes from a January 2024 report released by CashNetUSA .

9. Financial Management

Percentage of highly paid jobs requiring the skill: 38.24%

If you’ve ever been in charge of a budget of any size, you can say that you have financial management skills. 

For instance, something like “oversaw the financial management of the freelance budget” could work if you hired contractors for a specific project.

8. Innovation

Percentage of highly paid jobs requiring the skill: 39.24%

Sure, this one makes our eyes roll a bit, too, but in today’s fast-paced world, innovation is key. No one wants an employee that stays stagnant or, worse, digs their heels in at the slight mention of change. 

You know who’s not stagnant? Someone who “excelled at brainstorming and ideation in the innovation process for [fill in project name].” You get it.

7. Emotional Intelligence

Percentage of highly paid jobs requiring the skill: 43.11%

We’re actually pleasantly surprised with this one. After all, we didn’t think corporations necessarily had it in them to care about this.

Jokes aside, having emotional intelligence is something that makes a good team member and an even better manager. After all, it’s hard to resolve team conflicts without it. The more a company emphasizes a “harmonious work environment,” the more this soft skill will matter.

6. Mentoring

Percentage of highly paid jobs requiring the skill: 47.89%

Here’s another managerial skill that job ads like to use to weed out the haves from the have-nots when it comes to managers. Do you actually enjoy mentoring people or have you just fallen up the corporate ladder into a management position?

True leaders will make mentoring a priority and want to highlight it on their resume.

5. Critical Thinking

Percentage of highly paid jobs requiring the skill: 47.94%

“Critical thinking” or “problem solving” can be put in the same bucket as resilience. How did you handle a challenging situation at work? It’s even better if you have data to back up your claim.

Well, maybe you “demonstrated strong critical-thinking skills when analyzing financial reports and making forecasts for the following quarter.”

4. Presentation Skills

Percentage of highly paid jobs requiring the skill: 56%

Presentation skills are the nature of the beast when it comes to today's Corporate America. That's because lots of today’s high-paying jobs require working with cross-functional teams and being able to explain your work in easy, digestible terms.

Think someone on a data science team explaining their findings to a marketing team. Along with "presentation skills," you could also add the specific presentation tools or software you use for your presentations on your resume.

3. Persuasion

Percentage of highly paid jobs requiring the skill: 57.41%

Persuasion sounds rather seductive, but it's crucial when trying to get specific projects across the finish line.

It's also a term that's used a lot in marketing when talking about "persuasive marketing skills" required to communicate well with a customer audience.

2. Negotiation

Percentage of highly paid jobs requiring the skill: 58.26%

This skill goes back to business basics. Proper negotiation skills come in handy in any aspect of life, whether you're negotiating a $1 billion merger or whether or not your toddler can have dessert for breakfast.

That said, it's a skill that takes time to hone — which is why it's considered all the more valuable.

1. Strategic Thinking

Percentage of highly paid jobs requiring the skill: 64.77%

Strategic thinking is essentially a combination of innovation and critical thinking, but the best way to incorporate this keyword on your resume is by using the CAR (challenge, action, result) technique.

You could say something like, "Used strategic thinking skills by analyzing user engagement data and running an A/B test that resulted in increased engagement of 20 percent."

For more resume advice, check out "How to Make Your Resume Shine."

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How to Make a “Good” Presentation “Great”

• Guy Kawasaki

Remember: Less is more.

A strong presentation is so much more than information pasted onto a series of slides with fancy backgrounds. Whether you’re pitching an idea, reporting market research, or sharing something else, a great presentation can give you a competitive advantage, and be a powerful tool when aiming to persuade, educate, or inspire others. Here are some unique elements that make a presentation stand out.

• Fonts: Sans Serif fonts such as Helvetica or Arial are preferred for their clean lines, which make them easy to digest at various sizes and distances. Limit the number of font styles to two: one for headings and another for body text, to avoid visual confusion or distractions.
• Colors: Colors can evoke emotions and highlight critical points, but their overuse can lead to a cluttered and confusing presentation. A limited palette of two to three main colors, complemented by a simple background, can help you draw attention to key elements without overwhelming the audience.
• Pictures: Pictures can communicate complex ideas quickly and memorably but choosing the right images is key. Images or pictures should be big (perhaps 20-25% of the page), bold, and have a clear purpose that complements the slide’s text.
• Layout: Don’t overcrowd your slides with too much information. When in doubt, adhere to the principle of simplicity, and aim for a clean and uncluttered layout with plenty of white space around text and images. Think phrases and bullets, not sentences.

As an intern or early career professional, chances are that you’ll be tasked with making or giving a presentation in the near future. Whether you’re pitching an idea, reporting market research, or sharing something else, a great presentation can give you a competitive advantage, and be a powerful tool when aiming to persuade, educate, or inspire others.

• Guy Kawasaki is the chief evangelist at Canva and was the former chief evangelist at Apple. Guy is the author of 16 books including Think Remarkable : 9 Paths to Transform Your Life and Make a Difference.

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