At a market research firm, polling operation, university survey center, or federal statistical contractor, you conduct survey interviews by telephone — dialing assigned numbers, administering scripted questionnaires, and capturing responses into the CATI system.
The respondent on the other end of the line is who the role serves — convincing them to participate, then administering the scripted instrument while maintaining rapport that keeps them engaged through the interview. Each call follows the protocol; each completed interview adds to the study sample. Completed interviews per shift and refusal-handling quality are the operating measures.
What this work asks of you in practice is the conversational warmth that survives rejection at scale — most calls end before the interview begins, and the interviewer keeps voice and energy steady through hundreds of attempts. Variance is wide: at academic centers the methodology is rigorous; at commercial firms it runs faster; at political polling firms it spikes around election cycles.
This role suits people who are comfortable on the phone for full shifts, steady through high rejection rates, and patient with script discipline. Survey-research credentials and CATI-system training anchor advancement. The trade-off is the queue-bound shift work typical of phone-room positions and the modest pay across the industry, with the steadier employment in academic and government survey work compared to commercial.
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Roles like this one sit within a broader occupational category. The numbers below reflect that full landscape — helpful for context, but your specific experience will depend on level, specialty, and where you work.
Roles with similar work and overlapping career paths
View all Admin & Office roles →At a market research firm, polling operation, university survey center, or federal statistical contractor, you conduct survey interviews by telephone — dialing assigned numbers, administering scripted questionnaires, and capturing responses into the CATI system.
Median pay for a Telephone Interviewer is about $54K nationally, with the field ranging roughly from $32K to $119K depending on experience, employer, and metro (BLS).
Core skills for this role include Speaking, Critical Thinking, Active Listening, Reading Comprehension, and Writing.
Most people in this role hold a bachelor's degree.
Employment in this field is projected to decline about 8.4% through 2034, with roughly 165,030 people working in it today (BLS).
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