What it does: Offers services in marketing, media, advertising, social and public opinion research.
Best known for: The only market research company controlled and operated by market researchers.
Staff stats: 18,000 employees in 260 offices in 89 countries.
The good bits: Opportunity to develop analytical, research and communication skills. Plenty of room for career advancement.
The not-so-good bits: Extended work hours and salary is below industry level.
Ipsos Group S.A. is a global market research company established in 1975. With headquarters in Paris, the firm operates in Europe, Latin America, the Asia-Pacific, the Middle East and the US. The France-based multinational has 260 offices in 89 countries and employs 18,000 people.
Incorporated in 2005, Ipsos Thailand Ltd. is one of the branches in the Asia-Pacific region. Located in Bangkok, the company provides research specialisations in the fields of advertising, customer loyalty, marketing, survey management, media and public affairs. Its research experience covers the country’s various businesses and industries including state enterprise, travel and tourism, financial and environmental sectors. With a staff of around 500, it is the second-largest market-research company in Thailand.
Ipsos South Africa is the marketing research company based in Johannesburg. Since 1975, the firm has been one of the main providers of market research to renowned companies in 13 African countries. It has between 500-1,000 employees as of 2018.
In 2012, the company established the Ipsos Science Centre in Cape Town, where it implements product research for the parent company’s various business lines. The Centre is one of the Group’s three hubs located in different countries providing innovation, research and development.
Ipsos Thailand hires fresh graduates with a degree major or minor in English, or any field if most of the candidates’ classes are taught in English. They must have a score of at least 850 in TOEIC or The Test of English for International Communication. It also looks for those who are detail-oriented, well-organised, tech-proficient and strong interpersonal skills.
The company’s Global Service Center (GSC) offers hub services on ‘mystery shopping’ operational tasks to all projects in Southeast Asia including Thailand. Candidates can join the organisation as interns, assuming the role of mystery shoppers where they assess and report the service quality of various local businesses such as retail stores, restaurants, cafes, banks, grocery stores and pharmacies.
For quick processing, candidates should send their resume and other pertinent documents through email. A member of the human resource (HR) staff will call them within a week and invite them to take the preliminary test at the Bangkok office. The test, which takes about two hours to complete, consists of English proficiency, data analysis, numerical and logical skills.
Successful candidates go through two interviews with the hiring managers. During the interview, they will be asked about their skill sets and qualifications, and previous work experience. Some sample questions may include:
Some positions require a case presentation. Within the week after the interview, the organisation will contact the candidates again to do the next process. They go back to the office and receive the case study which they have to finish in seven days and present it to the senior management.
Ipsos South Africa looks for candidates who have talents in communication, organisation, presentation, and time management. Traits such as initiative, self-discipline, cooperation and composure are also required for candidates to be a good fit for the company.
Online applications are the fastest way for candidates to send their resume, cover letter, academic transcripts and other relevant documents. They can also submit their application through employee referral, campus recruitment, staffing agencies or walk-ins.
A human resources (HR) member calls them within a week for pre-screening. Candidates are then advised to go to the Johannesburg office and take the written test which covers English and math, logical skills and numerical and data analysis. Those who pass the exam go through two interviews.
An HR staff member or officer conducts the first interview after the test. Basic questions related to their personality and behaviour will be asked. Some questions may include:
The second interview takes place a week after the first one. The hiring manager handles the conversation which deals with the candidates’ core competencies. Technical questions may include:
The following are the positions available for graduates and their reported monthly salaries (in baht): intern 12,000-16,000; accounting clerk 20,000-26,000; researcher 31,000-42,000; HR assistant 19,000-25,000; project assistant 20,000-26,000; research assistant 18,000-23,000; business analyst and statistical analyst 30,000-42,000; survey researcher 12,000-15,000; project coordinator 22,000-29,000.
The following are the positions available for graduates and their reported monthly salaries (in rand): project coordinator 14,000-18,000; intern 8,000-10,000; HR assistant 12,000-16,000; research analyst 23,000-30,000; accounting clerk 11,000-15,000; survey researcher 11,000-14,000; project assistant 13,000-16,000; researcher 18,000-24,000; research assistant 11,000-15,000; public relations specialist 22,000-30,000.
Upon joining the firm, employees can avail of the organisation’s training and development programs. Among them is to become a member of the Ipsos Panel where they are given the chance to express their opinions, recommendations and feedback through surveys and product-testing. As Ipsos Panelists, they can exert influence on how consumer products and services should or should not be made, priced, packaged and distributed.
Employees can also be part of the organisation’s panel of market interviewers where work includes conducting surveys for the company’s wide-range of clients. As interviewers, they carry out face-to-face interviews with the target group of people either in the streets or in their homes.
Another career path is to join the mystery shopper panel where they help businesses enhance service quality and customer satisfaction through data gathering, purchasing and evaluation of specific products and services. While working as mystery shoppers, they get to check thoroughly a business establishment, talk with the service providers and employees, ask questions about the business and may have to buy the products.
New employees can benefit from the organisation’s Ipsos Training Centre (ITC) which offers training programs to assist them throughout their career and personal development. Various courses are provided for them, such as country and regional face-to-face training, joint training and development programs, and e-learning through the Ipsos dedicated platform.
As of 2018, the ITC provides 520 online training courses including 271 online courses, 185 webinars and 64 guides and recommendations. The average time of training per employee who finishes one training activity is around seven hours.
In addition, employees can apply to be moved to another department to consider other professions or relocate abroad to gain experience in other countries. There are also annual performance reviews at which they can have an open conversation with their managers on training, professional mobility needs and skills development.
Among their values, Ipsos Thailand places emphasis on collaboration and integrity. Team members continuously work together and with transparency as reliable information and data must be provided to their clients.
Candidates can expect constant communication with each other. The operations at Ipsos mainly depend on information systems. Any disruption may have adverse impacts such as loss of the results of the survey, inability to access databases, work schedule interruptions and project delays.
Ipsos South Africa considers employees as their biggest and most important asset. The wide range of training, personality and career development programs they can receive demonstrate the company’s high priority to retain their loyalty. For this reason, management support is given to them at all levels to ensure their best possible performance and maintain a high-quality work standard for the clientele.
The work environment is challenging since employees have to put in extra hours of work due to the number of deadlines they need to meet. To reduce workloads and pressure, employees work in teams and collaborate with managers to achieve tasks and goals in time.
In 2014, the firm launched the Ipsos Foundation to implement educational programmes for underprivileged children and youth in the world. It supports 10 non-profit groups dedicated to rebuilding schools, supporting children and families in need, and challenging health.
Like most market research companies, Ipsos Thailand is full of intelligent, curious, and intuitive individuals. The healthy exchange of ideas and opinions among the employees and managers may lead to improved teamwork and higher morale. Employees who look forward to communicating with their colleagues are more energised going to work.
Employees may feel the rush and excitement of working in an organisation that presents challenging but doable tasks and responsibilities. They may also be motivated to perform better as the employee-centric management allows them to work individually and to take responsibility.
However, constant work pressure resulting from a challenging workplace may have serious effects for employees in the long run. This may lead to high absenteeism rates and burnout, affecting the company’s overall productivity.