Data Collection Job Description
Decision making, whether short-term or long-term, is an integral component of organizational activity. Most decisions are based on information extracted from vital data. Organizations, therefore, are in constant need of up-to-date data, such as client records, sales details, billing accounts and collecting information---which enable them to make viable decisions for organizational activities. Data collectors, sometimes called data entry operators, typists and word processors, are individuals who are responsible for collecting data and organizing it in a useful manner. They are either trained members within the organization itself, or external employees who are hired on a project-basis.
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Description
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There are many types of data, including primary, secondary, quantitative and qualitative data. Primary data is typically collected through interviews, surveys, experimentation and observation. Secondary data is extracted from information that already exists, such as previously conducted surveys, interviews and the like. Data extracted in a meaningful form from these sources is considered as secondary data. Quantitative data is objective and expressed numerically while qualitative data is expressed descriptively. Data collection is involved in collecting primary, secondary, quantitative and qualitative data through emails, interviews, surveys, off voice-recorded data, statistical surveys and sampling. Data collectors are either sent random raw material from which they are expected to extract relevant and pertinent data, or are required to collect data from primary resources.
Responsibilities
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Data collection operators/agents, or data collectors, are responsible in collecting and maintaining company-specific data and operating data entry devices, such as photo composing software and keyboards.
Data collection is either done on-site or off-site. On-site data collection typically takes place within an organization or any of its field offices while off-site data collection is done at any other location, usually by telecommuters or freelance data collectors.
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Industries
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Data collection forms a vital component of various government, industrial and commercial organizations, such as banks, credit unions, health care organizations, medical billing and collection service agencies, insurance companies, military bases, libraries and audit agencies. Popular U.S.-based employers include the U.S. Postal Service (USPS), Labcorp of America, Houston Police Department, U.S. Internal Revenue Service and DST Systems Inc.
Qualifications and Experience
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Data collectors are18 years or older, have at least one year of college and adequate administrative and computer skills. Other general qualifications include attention to detail, good writing and listening skills and good English language comprehension.
According to Pay Scale, as of August 2010, 45 percent of data collection officers have between one and four years of experience, 22 percent have between five and nine years of experience, and the remainder have 10 and more years of collective experience.
Salary Information
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According to Salary Expert, as of August 2010, the annual salary for a data collection job ranges between $47,248 and $52,188 annually. It is not uncommon for a data collection agent with relevant experience to go on to become a data collection specialist, lead data collection operator, data collection manager/analyst or an administrative assistant.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit information and money image by Vladimir Melnik from Fotolia.com
