As in many other professions, a hands-on experience is a major factor that can increase 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 the relevant knowledge to deliver projects on time when compared to career starter. While there is no substitute for experience in the field, solid education credentials and certification such as CIRS in the field may overcome such barrier.

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 educational 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 expose 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 coursework.

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.

Our flagship certification called CIRS [Certified Internet Research Specialists] is by far the only professional credentials that meets this challenge. The CIRS Certification objective is to educate and train online researchers that now form a significantly large group within different market verticals. Thus far our courses and syllabus have proven to have the most comprehensive curriculum that fulfils the current industry requirements.

In recent years, there has been a growing demand for 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 into the 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 comes to keywords selection, using shortcodes, 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.