Transcript Options and Opportunities for Getting a Good Job with Your

What Employers Want From
Psychology Graduates
R. Eric Landrum
Department of Psychology
Boise State University
MPA Symposium “College-to-career transition issues: Strategies, skills, and shock”
Midwestern Psychological Association
Chicago, IL
April 29, 2004
Psychology Degrees Conferred in
the United States, 2000-2001

Doctoral: 4,659
– Men: 1,475
– Women: 3,184 (68.3%)

Master’s: 15,196
– Men: 3,615
– Women: 11,581 (76.2%)

Bachelor’s: 73,534
– Men: 16,572
– Women: 56,962 (77.4%)
Number of Psychology Bachelor's Level Graduates
80000
60000
40000
20000
0
49- 59- 67- 69- 70- 71- 72- 73- 74- 75- 76- 77- 78- 79- 80- 81- 82- 83- 84- 85- 86- 87- 88- 89- 90- 91- 92- 93- 94- 95- 96- 97- 98- 99- 0050 60 68 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01
Year
What Can You Get Paid with
Your Bachelor’s in Psychology?

There are a variety of estimates
available. These are STARTING
SALARIES:
– NACE Fall 2000: $28,811
– NACE Summer 2001: $30,388
– NACE Fall 2001: $29,952
Prior Work—Skills Desired

Eison (1988): enthusiasm, motivation,
grades, communication and
interpretation skills, students’ noncollege jobs, types of extracurricular
activities, and self-presentation
Prior Work—Skills Desired

Appleby (2000): social skills, personal
skills, communication skills ranked
highest by employers
Desired Bachelor’s Level
Abilities








Work effectively with others
Ability to acquire and use information
Use technology to solve problems
Communication skills
Computational skills/numeracy
Problem solving skills
Flexibility
Proficiency in field of study
Methodology


Asked employers of psychology
graduates (that employ 75+
employees total) to rate 88 potential
skills and abilities
Employers in Ohio, Illinois, and Idaho
were mailed a survey; 26.9% response
rate
Methodology

Each item was rated on a 4-point
importance scale from 0 = not at all
important to 3 = extremely important
What Employers Want: Top 20
Qualities, Skills, and Abilities









Listening skills
Ability to work with others as
part of a work team
Getting along with others
Desire and ability to learn
Willingness to learn new,
important skills
Focus on customers/clients
Interpersonal relationship skills
Adaptability to changing
situations
Ability to suggest solutions to
problem











Problem solving skills
Ethical decision making
Critical thinking
Ability to see the big picture
Flexibility/shifting gears
Being able to identify problems
Working smarter to improve
productivity
Timely decision making
Time management
Problem-definition skills
Personality
Conclusions

What emerges as most important?
– Interpersonal skills (listening, relationship
skills)
– Teamwork skills (work with others,
getting along with others)
– Work ethic (desire and ability to learn,
willingness to learn new skills)
Conclusions


Adaptability seems key (see also the
covert curriculum)
Important to remember: the goal of a
liberal arts education is more than job
training, but preparation for life-long
learning and good citizenship
Conclusions

Faculty members may choose to
design instructional experiences that
maximize the development of the skills
and abilities valued by employers