Employment

Employment Philosophy

  • We aspire to hire the "best and the brightest" and provide a work environment that stimulates and engages.

  • We value energy, initiative, and specific competencies over degrees.

  • We promote from within wherever possible

Available Positions


For the right person, that is, someone who has specific relevant skills and who genuinely shares our values, our inclination is to find a way to bring them on board.
For this reason we cannot tell a prospective candidate whether we "have an opening" without first getting targeted information about that person (see below, with specific reference to our Skill Sheet).

For such a person, we generally have - or can create - either a part or full-time position at either the entry or more advanced levels.
(For part-time positions, however, we have generally found that it is difficult to give someone much real responsibility unless they can commit to an average of at least 25 hours per week).

We try to fit candidates' competencies and interests to our needs rather than starting with rigid immutable notions of what "positions" we have. That said, these competencies generally fall into several broad categories described below.

Conceptual Organization Chart

Project Status Pre-Project Design Field Data Processing Analysis
Relevant Position Account Executive Analyst Operations Manager* Analyst
Field
Director
Supervisor
Interviewers
Data Processing
Manager
Computer RA
  Project Manager
Intern

*See both descriptions for Field Director and Data Processing Manager

Position Description Summaries


Brief summaries of most positions at O'Neil Associates follow. Full job descriptions are available by clicking on the graphic above or on the heading of each of the paragraphs below. Before applying for any position, please read these more extensive job descriptions, not just the summaries below.

Duties: Most positions include some combination of project management, client contact, proposal writing, project design, data processing and writing analytical reports. Positions such as Analyst or Account Executive typically require a graduate degree and significant relevant experience, but we are far more concerned with specific skills and competencies than academic degrees. Requirements for other positions vary.

  • Account Executive: The candidate for this position must have a demonstrated track record in new business development and a thorough understanding of social science research methods.

  • Analyst: An analyst candidate will typically have a graduate degree, significant relevant experience in the industry, advanced computer skills (generally superior to the data processing personnel they will generally supervise), and impeccable writing skills. Writing skills will include the ability to decipher crosstabular data and efficiently distill the essential findings. We regard an analyst as a senior researcher. Since we do not regard this as an entry-level position, we generally hire experienced professionals for this position. [click here for a full description]

  • Field Operations: The requirements for this department vary by position. Supervisory positions are generally most appropriate for those who have had significant exposure to opinion research interviewing either as an interviewer or a supervisor. Interviewer positions are frequently held by persons desiring part-time, flexible employment. Employment as an interviewer, however, can also be an ideal starting position for someone who has a serious interest in a career in survey research or wishes to learn more about the field. It also provides an entrée point for someone who does not have specific academic training in survey research or a set of computer skills that would facilitate appointment as a computer research associate. Most of our current staff consists of former interviewers who were promoted to other positions. [click here for full position descriptions]

  • Data Processing: Most positions require a high degree of microcomputer literacy. A thorough mastery of MS Office (including Access) is presumed; desirable competencies include proficiency with CATI systems (in their absence, some linear programming), SPSS, Web page design and PC networks. [click here for full position descriptions]

  • Project Manager: The preferred candidate profile for a Project Manager with our firm is an individual with Social Science research and survey research training with at least some statistics. The candidate will have had exposure to opinion research interviewing either as an interviewer or in a supervisory capacity. The candidate will be highly computer literate (as described in the data processing paragraph above). Project Managers are involved with client contact, research design, data processing and field supervision. [click here for a full description]

  • Intern: O'Neil Associates regularly offers internships to those individuals who don't meet the specific requirements for other positions, but have a genuine interest in survey research. We seriously stress the latter point. Internships are not appropriate for individuals whose resumes indicate that they recently graduated, were unable to find a job in the field for which they prepared, and think that an internship in a research firm such as ours would be an appropriate thing to do until the job that they really want comes along. Someone with that profile will find an internship to be altogether too taxing. For those whose interest in research is sincere, however, it can provide an exhilarating and extremely useful experience. Most former interns have provided written assessments of their experiences and their career relevance. Since these are more relevant than anything we can say, we have posted all of these on our site. We commend them to your attention. Indeed many candidates for other positions have found them to be useful reads. [click here for a full description]

To Apply

  • Read the full job descriptions to be sure a given job is right for you. While we will generally consider you for any appropriate position for which you are qualified unless you specifically indicate to the contrary, demonstrating that you have appropriately assessed the fit between your skills and job requirements generally is a positive indicator.

  • Interviewer candidates should call and ask to speak to a field supervisor. Since this position involves oral communication, we would like our initial contact with you to be over the phone.

  • All other positions involve a serious written assessment of your skills and attributes. To be able to make any sort of reasonable assessment of these, we need to know a bit about you before we can tell you anything about available positions. Remember, the second sentence in this section read: "For the right person, that is, someone who is highly competent and who genuinely shares our values, our inclination is to find a way to bring them on board--whether we "have an opening" or not." So, without knowing something about you, we simply can't tell you anything meaningful. This would imply, at a minimum emailing (to ) the following:

      • A copy of our Skill Sheet. This is the single most important means we have of assessing the relevance of your background. This form is designed to be filled out by an applicant for any staff position with our firm. You spend 5 minutes filling it out, we spend 5 minutes reading it and we have accomplished more than in the typical one-hour interview. It is, therefore, the sine qua non of any application; it is always the first thing we look at. Resumes alone seldom provide enough information to make a judgment about your relevant qualifications.

      • A cover letter will give you an opportunity to describe your interests; a resume provides some of the biographical essentials. (Note: If you send us a resume without the Skill Sheet we will probably infer that you did not take the trouble to read this page.)

      • Analyst candidates (or those wishing an assessment of their prospects in this area) should also send an analytical writing sample as described in the document by that name.

Downloadable Documents

Top