Employment Intern

Opinion Research Internship

Company Profile:

O’Neil Associates, does public opinion research of a wide variety of types relying on both quantitative and qualitative skills.

We have a 25+ year history of research for an elite but highly diverse clientele in nearly every field imaginable (litigation, healthcare, public affairs, politics, corporate relations, marketing, advertising are but several examples).  Our clients range from some of the largest companies in the world, to a wide range of government agencies, educational institutions to labor unions and other nonprofits.

The only common element of this very diverse clientele is that all of our clients want to deeply understand the perspectives and attitudes of some set of stakeholders.

We use applied and advanced social science techniques to this end.  The techniques we use are highly valued by many business enterprises, but are not taught seriously in any business school. 

To the extent that understanding customer perspectives is a vital component of each, are the techniques by which we understand the public preference for particular toothpaste identical to those used to predict and understand those same consumers’ preference for the next President?  Absolutely and unequivocally, YES.   And these are the techniques we use every day in a wide range of contexts.

We are small enough to be able provide real “hands on” experience for those with the capability of assuming it.  We are particularly proud of the exit evaluation of one prior intern who wrote: “Responsibilities are not given to you at O’Neil Associates, they are thrust upon you”.  She later reported that without the internship she would not have made it past the initial screening in the international finance job she obtained upon graduation. She was an English major -- a background would not have gotten her past the “first cut” in the hiring process of this international firm.  But we remember that she was an English major who happened to be completely conversant with higher mathematics, who grasped problems intuitively, and who was fully capable of producing the client-ready reports that she wrote for us.  We fully recognized that her innate talent made her capable of work far beyond what her undergraduate resume would have suggested.  We value competencies over credentials.

What are we looking for?


We are essentially interested in three things:

1. Level of Interest. Prospects for this internship will be those with a strong substantive interest in what we do.  This may include those with a professional interest in survey or opinion research. Or it may include those who see the competencies we offer as instrumental in allied fields. An advertising major, for example, might find out that at the end of a significant experience here, that they have a stronger research background than anyone else in the agency that hires them after graduation.   Other relevant career paths would include those with an interest in public affairs or politics, or such business applications as marketing, advertising, public relations, or applied social science.

Those looking for a “laid back” experience in an agreeable climate would be best advised to look elsewhere.  We look for those who instinctively do whatever it takes in everything they undertake—and are looking for a career-enhancing opportunity.

2. Competencies. Relevant competencies may come in one of two varieties.

a. Specific Skills  One may come to us with specific relevant skills in survey research. This is likely to be based on prior experience in the employment of either a commercial or academic survey research center.  Relevant competencies and experience would include interviewing, supervision, actual computer programming in SPSS, Access, or web programming (sorry Office mastery or menu-driven computer usage doesn’t qualify—we assume that of everyone), or analytical writing.

b. Compelling General Accomplishments. In the absence of specific competencies in survey research, we are willing to look at exceptional talent. Many past interns have been of this variety.  These have been among the most capable and dedicated of students (two have been Rhodes Scholarship finalists).  Such person should have at least some background in social science coupled with a strong interest in learning how social science and opinion/marketing research are actually conducted in industry.

3. Commitment. While we are flexible on the exact dates, in order to maximize the mutual value of the program, we will give first consideration to those willing to commit to full time work for an entire semester or summer (13 week minimum). A 25+ hour academic year appointment is an alternative (the 25 hour minimum is a function of long time observation that those with us for 25+ hours a week can be given real responsibilities; at less than that, they can only be given isolated tasks).   Frankly, the value of this experience grows exponentially over time, and any intern would be shortchanged if they commit less time than this.  Once specific commitments are made in the application document, we expect them to be kept. 

What to Expect:


Our program consists of hands-on involvement in ongoing projects. The strength of the experience derives from the fact that all of the activities involve the real needs of real clients who want real, actionable, and believable results.  Over the course of a full summer, almost all previous interns have been exposed to all phases of the research process including study design, field operations, focus group research, a wide array of computer tabulation and data processing assignments, and--dependant on ability--writing analytical reports.  (While analytical writing is well beyond the capabilities of the vast majority of undergraduates, the vast majority of our previous interns have undertaken analytical writing responsibilities with aplomb, a tribute to the exceptional pool from  which we have drawn our past interns). The result was firsthand knowledge, practical experience and insight into the entire research process, as well as highly marketable research skills.  It is the desire to ensure exposure to the full range of research activities that makes us insistent on the full 13 week program. Anything less, and the likelihood of such broad exposure would be greatly reduced. Past interns have found the training acquired in this program to be an almost guaranteed entrée into research as a profession after graduation. Others have also found the experience sets them apart from their peers in seeking high-level employment in allied fields. Essays from former interns may be read here.  They provide perhaps the best insight into what to expect here.

Applications:


Applications for academic semester appointments will be accepted on a first-come first served basis and will be acted on promptly.  Summer applications will be handled in two phases: those received by March 31 will be processed in the first week of April.  Those received after that date will be processed individually and on a space-available basis.

Housing:


Housing in the Tempe area in the summer is plentiful and reasonably priced.  We are located less than two miles from a large student community (Arizona State University, student population 50,000+) with the concomitant massive summer vacancy.  We can provide assistance with the logistics of locating housing.

To Apply:


If you think you are interested, review our website carefully.  After this, if you are interested, e-mail a letter outlining the nature of your interests and motivations with some specificity to .  Attach a resume, and we will get back to you.

Michael J. O'Neil, Ph.D.
President