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What Is a Field Interviewer and How to Become One

Field Interviewer

What Do Field Interviewers Do?

Field interviewers collect data through surveys and questionnaires on behalf of researchers, statisticians, government agencies, or corporate clients. As a field interviewer, your duties are to distribute and collect surveys, interview sample populations, and pass on the data to researchers who then analyze it for the purposes of policy or sales changes, scholarly research, and political campaigning, to name just a few. When not conducting field interviews, you may have a variety of administrative and clerical tasks in an office. Some field interviewers also contribute to data analysis and research.

What Are the Requirements to Become a Field Interviewer?

The requirements to become a field interviewer depend greatly on the type of industry in which you work. However, you need, at a minimum, a high school diploma or a GED certificate. Experience working in retail or other customer-forward jobs where you learn how to interact with a wide variety of people and get their opinions about topics is helpful in this career. Strong communication skills are also important qualifications. Some field interviewers work in call centers, so familiarity with phone interviews and data entry is necessary to carry out your responsibilities.