Survey Interviewer Kaiuiui Rangahautanga

Survey interviewers collect facts and opinions by interviewing people. They conduct interviews for market research companies, government agencies and other organisations.

Survey interviewers may do some or all of the following:

  • phone people to make appointments for interviews
  • interview people at their home or business in person or by phone
  • approach and interview people in the street or other public places such as railway stations or shopping centres
  • ask set questions in a survey questionnaire
  • record the answers on a survey form, computer or tablet
  • keep a record of the interview for the survey supervisor.

Physical Requirements

Survey interviewers need to be able to spend a long time sitting or standing, and have good hearing and clear speech.

Survey interviewers who interview people in person need to be reasonably fit as they may need to walk long distances, or up and down stairs.

Useful Experience

Useful experience for survey interviewers includes:

  • interviewing
  • sales
  • customer service
  • hospitality work.

Personal Qualities

Survey interviewers need to be:

  • good at listening and talking to people from a range of backgrounds
  • tactful, patient, polite and friendly
  • able to follow instructions
  • accurate and honest when recording information
  • able to keep information private
  • good at planning and organising.

Skills

Survey interviewers need to have:

  • knowledge of their interview topic and different interview methods
  • research and writing skills, including the ability to spell correctly
  • good keyboard and computer skills.

Conditions

Survey interviewers:

  • may work full time, part time or on a casual basis
  • work in offices and call centres, or conduct surveys in people's homes or on the street
  • sometimes travel locally or nationally to conduct surveys.

Survey Interviewers can earn around $23-$40 per hour.

Pay for survey interviewers varies depending on experience.

  • Survey interviewers can earn between $23 and $40 an hour.

Some companies offer performance incentives and long-service incentives.

Some experienced survey interviewers are self-employed and contract their services to market research companies for an hourly rate.

Source: careers.govt.nz research, 2018.

Survey interviewers may progress to jobs in areas such as:

  • supervising
  • fieldwork project management
  • market research analysis
  • telemarketing.

Years Of Training

There are no specific requirements to become a survey interviewer. However, a good standard of spoken and written English, computer skills, and a driver's licence are useful.

Survey interviewers usually get training when they start their job.

Survey Interviewer