ABSTRACT

CIRS has thus far the most comprehensive

curriculum and a well rounded subject matter
that fulfils the industry requirements of
professional Internet researchers.

AIRS Education Program Team

Certified Internet Research Specialists

CIRS BENEFITS
Short Notes for Members Copyrights AIRS 2015-2016

Table of Contents
The CIRS Benefits ........................................................................................................................................ 2
Learning Advantages ................................................................................................................................. 2
Professional Credibility ............................................................................................................................. 2
Salary and Income Consideration ............................................................................................................. 2
Factors Influencing Income Levels ............................................................................................................ 3

Experience ..................................................................................................................................... 3

Industry Certification .................................................................................................................... 3

Subject Knowledge........................................................................................................................ 3

Career Outlook .......................................................................................................................................... 4

Career Advise ............................................................................................................................................ 4
Who can use a CIRS Certification? ............................................................................................................ 5

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The CIRS Benefits

The certification offered by AIRS is a way to gain a level of expertise in finding, compiling and organizing
information using the Internet for the research projects. One of the most significant challenges of
performing Internet research today is that, there are numerous sources of information available online,
and it can be difficult to find accurate information through the use of common Internet research tools and
keywords alone.
A CIRS certification objective is to educate and train online researchers that now form a significantly large
group of people involved in online research work. Ironically, while the Internet Research work has been
going on for many years, an Internet Research Specialist is considered a fairly new occupation that has
yet to make its way into formal libraries of new job descriptions of this era. As a consequence of its
newness, there is no structured curriculum on its education and training. AIRS is the first and only
certification that meets this challenge by offering CIRS certification program CIRS has thus far the most
comprehensive curriculum and a well rounded subject matter that fulfils the industry requirements.

Learning Advantages
If you become a CIRS you will be expected to intimately understand the search tools and learn various
methods of building effective search queries when using, the Internet. You will develop a sense of how
the Internet Laws are applied for the safe use of web content in your business. A CIRS professional will
learn the expected industry specific ethical practices in gathering and using online content.

Professional Credibility
An undertaking by the CIRS qualified research specialists ties you to abide by the AIRS Professional Code
of Conduct delivering a level of confidence to your employers and the clients alike. It shows that you
want to uphold a professional excellence and take pride in delivering quality of work within the ethical
norms expected by the industry.

Salary and Income Consideration

Average incomes for freelance Internet researchers jobs in North Americas is $62,000. It can however
vary greatly due to company, location, industry, experience and benefits. This salary was calculated using
the average salary for all jobs with the term "internet research specialists" anywhere in the job listing
according to SimplyHired.com. This salary is without factoring in the professional credentials offered by
AIRS.
http://www.simplyhired.com/salaries-k-internet-research-specialists-l-usa-jobs.html

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Factors Influencing Income Levels

Experience

As in many other professions, a hands-on experience is a major factor that can increases a freelance
Internet researcher's income. A more experienced researcher understands the market, the bidding
process, knows the right pricing to quote they have more client references and possess relevant
knowledge to deliver projects on time when compared to career starter. While there is no substitute for
experience in the field, a solid education credentials and certification such as CIRS in the field may
overcome such barrier.

Industry Certification

In recent years, there has been a growing demand of Internet research specialists. This is due to the digital
information overload, where more information is getting digitized every single minute than can be
accessed or indexed as web pages. No matter which profession you are in to most informed decision you
make involves some sort of research and a quick one. But, to think that one can get the right information
by throwing some keywords to search engine is not the solution. Performing Internet research is a science
and also an art; especially, when it come to keywords selection, using short codes, notations, symbols and
methodologies of searching the web. Having a formal certification like CIRS will ensure that you have
sufficient knowledge and a credibility to gain confidence from employers and the clients.

Subject Knowledge

Having a sound subject knowledge in your area of research is the key to finding more research work and
to gain respect as a professional. Being a research specialist entails that you have the education
background and the experience in the chosen field of research. This however, is not enough when you are
expected to perform the actual research work. Finding the digitized information on the Internet requires
specialized skills. A researcher should also have the ability to organize, interpret and present a meaningful
report. Certain areas of concern that are ignored by do-it-yourself research exposes clients and the
employers to the risks of legal implications, obligations and liabilities associated with using web content
are only some of the issues which a CIRS learns in their course work.

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Career Outlook
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, or BLS, doesn't report job trend data for freelance Internet researchers,
but they do for market research analysts, a closely-related career. The BLS reports that jobs for market
research analysts will increase 41 percent over the next decade, which is nearly three times the growth
rate of the average occupation. Businesses often rely on Internet researchers to make savvy business
decisions and execute marketing strategies.

Career Advise
With the exception of librarians there is no other focused group of researchers that can claim to have
formal knowledge of the subject. An Internet researcher is typically expected to demonstrate that he can
find accurate information, on time and in a useful format using internet.
While there is no specific licensure required to do this type of work, many people take classes in finding
reference sources, database research, data mining, web analytics and research marketing intelligence etc.
These may be of use in developing professional competencies and marketing themselves to potential
employers and clients. You may also find that taking courses provided by vendors of proprietary databases
and research tools to be very helpful.
Several colleges and universities offer degrees and certificate programs in library science or competitive
intelligence that may provide you with training in using Internet-based resources.
Holding an educational credential in such a program may also make it easier for you to become an Internet
researcher, given that employers or prospective clients may perceive you to have greater expertise than
self-taught researchers.
If going back to school is not an option for you, you may still want to look into short-term training
programs. For example, you may want to take a continuing education course in Internet research skills
such as AIRS CIRS.
To further develop your career, you may wish to consider specializing in doing research in a specific subject
area or areas. You may wish to begin with a subject with which you already have a great deal of familiarity.
For example, you may wish to offer your services in researching topics that you studied in school or that
you have dealt with on a regular basis in your employment or as part of a hobby or long-term interest.
The stronger your vocabulary in a subject area, the better your research will be.
Many companies and individuals rely on research to effectively do business or make important decisions.
In some cases, companies and individuals may hire an Internet researcher to do their research for them.
One of the most significant challenges of performing this kind of research is that there are numerous
sources of information available online, and it can be difficult to target accurate information through the
use of common Internet research tools. If you become a CIRS you will be expected to evaluate these
tools and learn how to use them to efficiently seek out the information that your clients or employer
needs.
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Who can use a CIRS Certification?

Generally, researchers are categorized based on the type of research they do and the services offered by
them. Examples:

CORPORATE AND BUSINESSES

Senior Business Executives
Financial Advisors
Business Consultants
Retailers and Wholesalers
Bankers
Insurance Companies
Public Companies
Investors, Shareholders
Private Companies SMB to Large Size Corporations

PROFESSIONAL ADVISORS
Lawyers
Accountants
Financial Analysts
Mortgage Brokers
Insurance House's
Business Development Advisors
Private Investigators
The Government
Semi-Government Institutions
Law Enforcement Agencies and
Military Personnel's

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PROFESSIONAL RESEARCHERS
Marketing, Advertisement and Sales
Marketing Researchers
Librarians
Clinical Researchers
Legal Researchers
Patent, Copyrights and Intellectual Property
Company Trends and Business Intelligence
Market Researchers
Financial Market and Stock Researchers

INDEPENDENT RESEARCH CONTRACTORS

Individuals between Jobs
Independent Web Researchers
Research Hobbyists
Stay at Home Mothers
Retirees
People with Limited Mobility

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Contact Information

Mailing Address
5800 Ambler Drive Suite 210
Mississauga, Toronto,
ON, Canada.

Email
support@airsassociation.org
memberships@airsassociation.org
suggestions@airsassociation.org
bod@airsassociation.org

Call and Fax

Phone: +1 (905)-228-2348
Phone: +1 (905)-488-0753
Fax:

+1 (905)-228-6187

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