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Market Research Analysts In Chicago Need To Have A Curious Business Mind

Beware of criticizing someone who seems a bit too nosy. Those personality characteristics may come in handy for one of the top 20 paying jobs as a market research analyst, according to U.S. News.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that there will be a 31.6 percent employment increase in these jobs from 2012 to 2022 - and 131,500 new job openings. The average salary was $60K in 2012, with the highest salary earning over $113K. Even the lowest paid jobs were well over minimum wage rates at approximately $33K.

Software publishers, aerospace manufacturers and the federal executive branch are leaders in hiring job seekers for market research analyst positions. The west coast tends to hire people more often, specifically in San Jose, California; Oakland, California; Oxnard, California; and Seattle, Washington.

But before Chicagoans pack their bags, they may want to check out companies in the Chicagoland area who do hire for these statistical and behavioral positions, including McGraw Hill Financial, Grayhill, Inc., Millward Brown, Path to Purchase Institute (Shopper Marketing magazine) and national companies, such as The Nielsen Company.

Gurus in math, economics, finance and government will definitely want to highlight these interests and degree fields on their resumes.

Market research analysts may be sprinkled throughout a company in finance and insurance; management, scientific and technical consulting services; wholesale trade, company management; and manufacturing. This may also be a lucrative field for freelancers who already hold full-time jobs in government, business and teaching.

Internships that include analyzing data, writing reports, monitoring and reading surveys, and collecting data are some of the best skills to become an expert in this field. A Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) is highly recommended, especially for those who want to work in leadership or the technical industry.

For tech enthusiasts who excel in social media platforms, such as Twitter, Pinterest and Facebook, the lines are blurring between social media marketing expert and market analyst. Companies are using marketing experts to study the shopping and personal behavior of social media accounts in order to advertise to the best audiences. This growing job industry and rising trend to sell advertising helps to increase the need for social media research analysts.

Shamontiel L. Vaughn is a professional journalist who has work featured in AXS, Yahoo!, Chicago Defender and Chicago Tribune. She's been an Examiner since 2009 and currently writes about 10 categories on Examiner.com.

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