At Beaufort we strongly believe in getting the basics right, and that includes who takes part in our focus groups and one-to-one depth interviews. Rigorous qualitative recruitment controlled and managed by us delivers better quality data and more representative views than simply issuing open invitations to take part in research. The bias of self-selection means that you’re more likely to hear from those with stronger views at either end of the spectrum if all you do is ask interested groups/ individuals to participate – and you miss out on the all-important silent majority.
We believe that good quality, independent qualitative recruitment is worth investing in and we remain committed to supporting our recruiters with their Recruiter Accreditation Scheme (RAS) accreditation. The scheme, developed by the Market Research Society (MRS) and the Association for Qualitative Research (AQR), improves recruitment through a training and accreditation scheme that recognises the knowledge, skills and competence of professional recruiters. To get their accreditation, our RAS recruiters must pass a third-party assessment which tests their knowledge, skills and competence in the field of qualitative recruitment and are required to keep their skills and knowledge up to date through ongoing assessment to remain RAS accredited.
We’re really pleased to have had our RAS accreditation renewed for another year. It does often mean challenging assignments for our recruiters, but rigorous recruitment is a key benefit to our clients. They can continue to have confidence that we will find the right participants for their qualitative projects and be reassured that our focus group/ depth interview samples are not composed of people with the strongest views on the subject or the usual suspects who will always volunteer to take part.