Westat Employee Reviews for Field Interviewer

"Current field Interviewer, can be a lot of fun, with the right supervisor. Pay is not that great and there isn't much opportunity for advancement."

"First class training. Challenging, independent work with low pay."

What do you like about working at Westat?

"Responsive, helpful supervisor, independent work, mileage paid at the federal rate. You work out of your home and make your own time schedule. The expectation is that you achieve results (interviews) within reasonable time/expense parameters. As long as you do that, your supervisor is happy. It can be a challenging game to locate a respondent and then another game to try to get that person to go ahead with the interview without any gift or compensation. I appreciate that there is little micromanagement while the supervisor is available if you need help."

Do you have any tips for others interviewing with this company?

"Sales experience is helpful, must be a confident, self starter. significant component of this job. They pay only mileage, no compensation for accidents or tickets."

What don't you like about working at Westat?

"Low pay, short term assignments, no benefits, some constraining work rules and computer systems. There is a lot of driving required with potential for an accident or traffic ticket. While you are paid the Federal mileage rate, they do not pay for the cost of accidents or tickets. One accident could wipe out all the pay for the entire study. If you really need the pay, this may not be the job for you."

What suggestions do you have for management?

"Pay more for better people so you do not have to dismiss so many people mid study."

What do you like about working at Westat?

"1) Working from a home-based office = scheduling flexibility and very good work/life balance. 2) Field staff treated with respect by management - as an example, 1-week group training sessions held at a very good hotel, with round-trip travel and accommodations (including per diem for meals) paid. No skimping! 3) All miles to, from, and in work assignment areas paid at the US gov't. rate (many other employers pay only a fraction of this rate per mile) - and it's non-taxable. 4) My supervisor was great to work forl."

Do you have any tips for others interviewing with this company?

"Field interviewing requires excellent people skills, poise, charm and the ability to persuade and negotiate - sometimes in a hostile or confrontational encounter with a prospective survey participant. Do your best to demonstrate these skills when being interviewed, and be ready to provide specific examples of how you have excelled in these situations."

What don't you like about working at Westat?

"1) Field work= temporary assignments, so if you need a 40-hr/week job year-round, this isn't the best fit. If you're retired and/or looking for temporary part-time work, it's a good job for you. 2) Pay rate ($13.25) is lower than industry average - should be around $15-16/hour. 3) Software used in our survey was very buggy, but this was a field trial, so maybe will improve for actual survey. 4) I was never affected, but general impression is that middle management (at corp. HQ, especially) is very political."

What suggestions do you have for management?

"1) Either increase base pay slightly to keep in step with your competition, or add clearly-defined performance incentives to the existing base. 2) Offer more information to field workers about career opportunities, and offer more opportunities to move to other survey operations when an assignment is completed."

"Definately on the fence about working there"

What do you like about working at Westat?

"Not exactly what was promised at hire."

What don't you like about working at Westat?

"The hours were very low for field interviewers."