2007 OSU Psi Chi Presentation

The Study and Practice of I/O Psychology:

Graduate Training and Career Opportunities

Jennifer L. Kisamore

Department of Psychology University of Oklahoma-Tulsa 1

Topics

• Overview of I/O • My applied I/O-related experience • I/O degrees and related fields • I/O resources • Applying to graduate school • Advice for prospective graduate students 2

What is an I/O Psychologist?

According to SIOP (2007)

I-O psychologists work with organizations in a variety of areas such as selection and placement, training and development, organizational development and change, performance measurement and evaluation, quality of worklife, consumer psychology, and engineering psychology.

From http://www.siop.org/gtp/GTPDescription.aspx

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How do I Know if I/O is for me?

• Career interest inventories and resources – Strong Interest Inventory – What Color is My Parachute?

• Job shadowing – May do shadowing with several types of I/O psychologists • Internship or job experience • Research Experience • I/O-relevant conferences and organizations – Society of Industrial-Organizational Psychology (SIOP) – Academy of Management (AoM) – Midwest Academy of Management (MAM) – Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) 4

Types of I/O Positions

• Academician – Faculty member – Instructor • Internal Consultant – Work for one company; broad range of issues • External Consultant – Work for a consulting company – Sent to various organizations – May be specialized • Government 5

My Applied I/O-related experience

• Intern, Productivity Development Systems – Conducted a validation study for a team-based selection instrument • Data Collector, Personnel Decisions Research Institutes – Collected performance evaluation data – Collected computer-based selection test data • Training Coordinator, University of South Florida – Conducted training seminars for new graduate teaching assistants and instructors – Conducted performance feedback observations • Instructional Designer and Program Evaluator, C – Involved in a comprehensive program evaluation for interactive video-based training – Involved in a workforce planning project for government agency • Junior Systems Developer, Publix Supermarkets – Developed performance appraisal forms – Prepared cost-benefit analysis comparing multiple methods of training.

– Analyzed survey responses.

– Administered selection tests for job applicants • Measurement Advisor, Leggett and Platt 2 Multimedia • Psychometrician, Institute for Instructional Research and Practice – Facilitated focus groups in the development of teacher certification exams – Provide guidance in the development of a new selection system 6

Types of I/O Degrees

Undergraduate degree in Psychology Terminal Masters degree in I/O Psychology

Options: Thesis Project Comp. Exam

Non-terminal Masters degree in

Psychology

or no degree Ph.D.

in I/O Psychology 7

Fields Related to I/O

• Social Psychology • Business – Human Resources, Organizational Behavior, Strategy, etc.

• Ergonomics/Human Factors • Industrial Safety/Hygiene • Psychometrics • Vocational Counseling 8

I/O Study and Career Resources

• SIOP Website – – – http://www.siop.org

• Paul Spector’s Website http://luna.cas.usf.edu/~spector • Human Factors and Ergonomics Society – – – http://www.hfes.org

• American Psychological Association http://www.apa.org

• Academy of Management http://www.aom.pace.edu

• International Association of Applied Psychology Organizational Psychology Division http://allserv.rug.ac.be/~pcoets/div/home.htm

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SIOP Website

• Searchable database of I/O and I/O-related programs • How to apply to graduate programs • Jobs in I/O 10

http://www.siop.org/gtp/Default.aspx

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Paul Spector’s Website

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Application Process

• You send application by deadline – Make sure it is complete and on time!

– Deadlines range greatly from late Fall to mid-Spring semester. Most around Jan 1 or Jan 15.

• School sends postcard/email notice of material receipt • You will receive a letter/phone call of acceptance, rejection, or note that you are on the waiting list • If you are accepted, need to decide by deadline. Visit school and area!

• If you are on the wait list, contact school, have faculty contact school 13

General Application Advice

• Do what you love • Apply to multiple schools, different levels – “Ideal”, “Good shot”, and “Sure thing” schools • Avoid limiting yourself geographically • Apply to both Masters and Ph.D. programs • Tailor personal statement to program • Make application stand out – Research experience, thesis – Well-prepared, professional looking • Budget for applications-time and money • Do campus and departmental visits • Consider funding opportunities 14

Funding Opportunities

• Most Ph.D. programs offer students funding, benefits: – Fellowships & Scholarships – Assistantships with stipends (GA, RA, TA) – Tuition Waivers – Health insurance?

• Other opportunities – Fellowships & Scholarships – Grants – Internships 15

Application Materials $100/per school

• Application (plus fee around $40) • Official GRE transcripts – general/subject-$15 per school • Official university transcripts ($5-$10) • Letter of intent/personal statement • Letters of recommendation (2 or 3) – Must be sealed; may need to send separately • Other materials – Resume/vita; Writing sample; Interview; self-assessment; MAT transcripts; residency documents; international student forms Realize you are applying to the program AND the university’s graduate school!

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GRE Basics

General Test – $140 – Computer-adaptive – Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning, Analytical Writing

PREPARE! PREPARE! PREPARE

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GRE Basics

Subject Test – – – – $130 Total Score • history of psychology, applied psychology, measurement, research designs, and statistics. (17%) • Experimental and social psychology questions Experimental Psychology Score (40%) • learning, language, memory, thinking, sensation and perception, physiological psychology, ethology, and comparative psychology.

Social Psychology Score (43%) • clinical and abnormal, developmental, personality, and social psychology.

Do NOT take both the general and subject tests on the same day!

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General Advice for Grad Students

• Get involved in research; publish while in graduate school • Get involved in professional organizations; go to conferences • Know whether you are academic or applied but get experience in both • Avoid working outside of the university/program if you can avoid it

Graduate student Tago Mharapara presenting at the 2007 APA conference in San Francisco.

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General Advice for Grad Students

• Find a major professor early • Find a mentor several years ahead of you in the program • Learn to manage your time • Use your major professor’s time wisely • Be nice to secretaries!

• Have fun!

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Resources of Interest

• • • • Writing a Successful Thesis or Dissertation: Tips and Strategies for Students in the Social and Behavioral Sciences – Lunenburg & Irby Writing and Publishing Your Thesis, Dissertation, and Research: A Guide for Students in the Helping Professions – Heppner & Heppner Guide to the Successful Thesis and Dissertation: A Handbook for Students and Faculty: Fifth Edition – Mauch & Park How to Write a Lot: A Practical Guide to Productive Academic Writing – Silvia 21

Questions & Comments

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