Nelson Recruiting Focus Group Reviews

nelson recruiting Review

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Nelson Recruiting Focus Group Rating

 3.5/5

Overall a decent Market Research company that conducts focus groups and paid studies in LA area. Most of the participants are paid on time but there are some complaints with customer service and how the payments for participation are handled.

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Interested in joining a focus group session yourself? If so, you’ve probably seen several Nelson Recruiting Focus Group reviews online.

To help get to know this market research company, we’ll look at what you can expect from joining their group. 

I will also investigate whether they are one of the best places to earn a bit of extra cash by doing a paid focus group or two (spoiler alert – it depends). 

I’ll also answer some of the most frequently asked questions by my readers in hopes of offering you full and complete information.

What Is a Focus Group?

You can probably consider me a focus group expert because of my years of experience in participating in these sessions. I have practically paid for my first car with earnings from paid focus groups. Okay, it was a cheap and old Dodge, but it’s true. 

Today, more and more people continue to be fascinated with focus groups, and I’m not surprised.

In focus groups, one interacts with other participants and contributes to meaningful research.

Not to mention, there comes a sense of pride in knowing you can influence the product and service research and development of your favorite brands.

Let’s not forget that the pay is excellent, especially for those requiring physical meet-ups instead of virtual ones.

A focus group is one of those research methods that help pool together several individuals to provide answers in a moderated setting.

These participants are chosen based on criteria of demographic traits, with the questions written to help spark interest.

The collective dynamic is observed in doing focus groups, including body language.

Their opinions are crucial in making future decisions on services and products and even shed light on controversial issues.

Compared to surveys, focus groups also better capture responses because interviewers cull more in-depth answers about people’s feelings and opinions.

Even better is that participants are compensated, the results are immediately gathered, and it is not too time-consuming like surveys.

Results can also be organized more easily.

Nelson Recruiting Focus Group Reviews

Founded in 1980, the company is family-owned and based in Los Angeles.

The way they operate market research recruitment services has been lauded for its quality, with their show rates averaging 90% or better.

Their competitive pricing has also established their success, with a database that spans the entire United States.

Nelson Recruiting’s roster of leaders is impressive, as I have checked their profiles on their website.

They take pride in strictly adhering to the Insights Association Code of Standards and Ethics whenever dealing with information security.

Here is a breakdown of the primary services being offered by this group:

  • Market research

Being a focus group company, this is their primary service. They usually conduct in-depth discussions with six to 12 participants, asking them to weigh in on various topics.

  • Recruiting for various kinds of studies

They help in other types of studies, including mock juries, phone interviews, in-home interviews, new app testing, and in-home interviews.

Is Nelson Recruiting Focus Group Legitimate?

Looking at several Nelson Recruiting Focus Group reviews, you will find that it is indeed a legitimate company. In fact it also made the list as one of the top 5 firms for Focus Groups in Los Angeles. But not quite.

But I digress. Yes Nelson is up there in terms of quality. For one, they have an official LinkedIn page, where you’ll also find their website link, phone number, company size, and how many of their employees are on LinkedIn.

Those who also experienced their focus groups took to a Reddit thread to talk of their experiences, with one earning $600 for participating in a mock jury type of focus group.

The same person also won $50 from one of Nelson’s door prizes and raffle programs.

Another user described Nelson as similar to a typical call center environment, citing a couple he knows to be the company’s workers.

A quick search in Glassdoor will show a good rating about the group, though there is only one rating of 5 out of 5.

On top of that, they have an Instagram page with more than 400 followers and a linktr.ee page with links to several paid online focus groups, indicating how much one can make and which residents are being called.

For example, if you live in Sacramento County, you can participate in their $225 Paid Online Focus Group.

Is Nelson Recruiting Focus Group a Good Hustle?

More often than not, the clients of Nelson Recruiting are pleased with their experiences. Now I am talking about the respondents who are trying to make a few extra hundred dollars by doing paid focus groups. 

I saw some client testimonials featured on their webpage, which you can check out, too.

The reviews say that Nelson Recruiting gives timely payouts and reasonable compensation.

One mentioned that the company gave the payment for the focus group participants through a virtual Visa card in a matter of days.

That said, those seeking jobs from Nelson Recruiting would most likely expect seamless experiences, too.

On their website, a three-step user-friendly process (Sign Up, Participate, and Get Paid) is all it takes to join a focus group.

I checked out the sign-up process and saw some required fields like personal data (mobile phone number, email address, location).

They also screen based on occupation, ethnicity, educational attainment, and marital status.

Based on the form and non-required fields, such as devices used, number of children, and consumption of alcohol and tobacco, one is less likely to be rejected unless there are unique criteria involved in a group.

How Does Nelson Recruiting Focus Group Work?

I appreciate the transparency Nelson Recruiting gives in terms of expectations.

They cited specific examples, including focus groups among preschoolers’ parents, where they gave their opinions on childcare programs and ways to improve them.

As I have previously mentioned, the focus groups of Nelson Recruiting include an average of six to 12 people.

If you participate, you’ll receive compensation for your time and opinions on a wide range of topics.

Nelson Recruiting gets in touch with its participants via email and phone.

There are, however, individuals rejected based on the criteria needed for a study, such as knowledge about particular services or products.

Note that there might be some age restrictions in their focus groups.

Nelson Recruiting claims no control over this, with the policy determined by research-sponsoring companies.

How Much Does Nelson Recruiting Focus Group Pay?

Listed ongoing projects reveal that Nelson Recruiting offers compensation that ranges from $75 to $350.

One listing shows an in-depth phone survey that will give a $75 compensation, while another features a focus group discussion on life insurance that comes with a $125 pay.

Feel free to explore other offers on their website to find those that best interest you.

How Does Nelson Recruiting Pay You?

After completing the research study Nelson Recruiting pays you via a virtual reward like a Gift card, or they also do Cash and check. 

Nelson Recruiting Focus Group Overview: Pros and Cons

As with all market research companies, even Nelson Recruiting has its own fair share of pros and cons.

Let’s start with their positive points:

  • They are very organized. They have a very streamlined process. Any information you’ll ever need is easily accessible, including registration forms and project details.
  • They are legit. Nelson Recruiting has multiple proofs of legitimacy. They have a lot, especially when compared to their competitors. I really appreciate that since it can put the minds of participants like us at ease.
  • They have a wide variety of different opportunities to choose from. Being accepted to any of them will simply depend on your eligibility.

On the other hand, here’s the only negative point for me:

  • They don’t pay as high as other market research companies. I have participated in many focus group discussions that paid well over $350.
  • The variety of groups is limited geographically and topically. If you want greater diversity, look elsewhere

Are Focus Groups Safe?

In my experience, yes, I can say that they are generally safer to participate in, especially compared to other market research opportunities.

The physical aspect of the experience can mostly ensure one’s compensation.

That said, see to it that your chosen market research company has data privacy protection measures in place to avoid informational risk.

This is a potential injury to confidentiality or your overall reputation.

Another crucial risk in focus group discussions is the emotions you might experience.

This risk might happen if the focus group discussion tackles sensitive topics, resulting in unexpected and unwanted emotional triggers.

Sensitive topics might include sexuality, sexually transmitted diseases, alcoholism, and abuse.

The good thing is that focus groups handle these conversations well through proper training and research.

Market research companies also provide such details beforehand so that only interested and willing applicants can join.

Why Do People Go To Focus Groups?

Talking to my circle of focus group friends has revealed to me that there are three primary reasons why people join focus groups.

They do it to learn new things, have their opinions heard, and, more importantly, make extra cash.

Many people love giving their feedback and gathering with other people, so that’s an advantage of joining focus groups.

Others love learning new things, thinking it is an excellent way to spend their time.

If you fall under these two and you happen to need extra money, focus groups are perfect for you.

An added bonus is that these focus group companies give new developments or products for their participants, particularly in the medical and business fields.

Is Nelson Recruiting the best option to earning money with Focus Groups? TLDR Summary.

It is a very good and solid option for making extra cash if you leave in physical proximity to Los Angeles. There are a few better options for focus groups in LA. Now while they have many groups that take place virtually, the reviews have been very mixed as to experience. So if you are outside of LA, I would urge you to look at the our list of Best Online Focus Groups.  I have carefully chosen the best options for focus groups you can do without leaving your home. 

Other Focus Group Sources To Consider

Are you interested in joining a focus group discussion? If so, you’ll be pleased to learn that Nelson Recruiting isn’t the only option available.

Here are my other top recommended sources to find focus group opportunities:

 

Branded Surveys Website

 

Branded Surveys

Want to work with a variety of popular brands? You’ll probably find them in Branded Surveys.

Don’t let their name fool you. Just like Survey Junkie, Branded Surveys does not offer online questionnaires alone.

They also have other opportunities for their respondents, including video interviews and focus group sessions.

Any resident of the United States aged 16 and above is qualified to join.

 

button join branded surveys

 

Survey Junkie Website

 

Survey Junkie

I’m not going to be surprised if you’ve already heard of this California-based company. After all, Survey Junkie has an established following online.

What I love most about them is that they offer interview and discussion opportunities through their mobile application.

Any resident of the United States aged 16 and above can sign up as a member of their ever-growing community.

 

button join survey junkie

 

Stan’s Gigs

Lastly, you can always sign-up for my newsletter to get more information about focus group opportunities.

In addition, I also feature other market research offers like product testing, clinical trials, and more.

Just a quick disclaimer, though. The qualifications of my shared opportunities may vary according to each project.

Final Thoughts

Now that you know more about Nelson Recruiting Focus Group, it might be good to check out their page by yourself to learn more about what they offer.

By the way, the ones I’ve featured here are not the only focus group discussion opportunities available out there.

I merely shared my favorite go-to’s when I’m looking for some fun and interesting ways to earn some extra cash.

If you’re interested in other posts like this, please don’t forget to subscribe to my newsletter.

See you in the next post!

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Chris

WASTE OF TIME
I was contacted by these people to do a group. I confirmed THREE times. They asked me at 11am the day before to be sure my schedule was clear. I showed up 20 minutes before the start time. After sitting waiting for 30 minutes, I was told by Tech Support (not even the recruiter) that they overbooked. I literally was confirmed at 11am the day before. So they just wasted my time and I lost another opportunity that was offered at that same time.

Last edited 2 years ago by Chris
Pam Brown

I’ve been a part of in person groups over the yrs Very kind and respectful every time

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