To be successful in a job serach with a BA in psychology, you need to reframe your view of yourself as "psychology major" to a more saleable view of "I am a person with this set of skills."  Imbedded in this approach is the need to 1) understand the skills that employers are looking for; and 2) understand how psychology as a liberal arts degree and a science is uniquely qualified as a skill building program.

To help you develope the skills you will need to succeed (and recognize the skills you already have), check out the material listsed below:

• Realities for BA-level Employment
• Skills for Careers in Psychology: A Case Study
• Basic Business Skills
• Successful Intelligence
• The Covert Curriculum

Here is a list of some other realities for psychology graduates:

• There is a lot of competition (65,000 graduates last year with 75% of them in the job market)
• They are highly employable (95%+)
• They are slightly less likely to "use" their degrees in their jobs (as compared to more applied degrees)
• They make less money than other majors (but similar to other liberal arts degrees--also highly variable)
• That early early planning is clearly beneficial for both the job market and graduate school
• That "professional" experiences are the best single best employment-related strategy during college.
• That their skills are valued in today's market--and that psychology majors have skills that tend to be a unique combination of facets.

Skills for Careers in Psychology: A Case Study

National Computer Systems (a company that develops and markets psychologicaly based materials, including test and motivational products and courses to business concerns) has employed approximately 100 BA-level psychology majors in the past 15 years.  As part of a review of their personnel policies they first noted where BA-level psychologists were employed:

• Reserach associates
• Client services consultants
• Business development consultants
• Psychology product sales and marketing associates
• Technical writers

• Interpersonal skills (s)
• Dependability (s/f)
• Drive and ambition (t)
• Energy level (t)
• Enthusiasm (s/t)
• Overachiever (s/t)
• Organizational skills (t)
• Technical Writing (t)
• Reserach methodology (t)
• Statistics (t)
• Computer experience (s/t)

Taken with permisison from Undergraduate Training and Skills for Career in Psychology, presentation made at the American Psychological Association meeting, August, 2000, by John W. Jones and Lia L. Meyer.

Basic Business Skills

In order to compete successfully with business majors in such areas as management, personnel, marketing, and sales, psychology majors must possess and be able to demonstrate to business firms that they have the personal attributes necessary to step into entry-level business positions.  In general, business firms consider the following four basic attributes to be vital for individuals to be successful in entry-level positions:

• An understanding of the nature of goal-directed behavior, including the concept that sometimes goals are established by external forces beyond an individual's control.
• An understanding of the nature and process of solving problems.  This includes how to recognize problems, situation analysis, the development of alternatives, and the ability to make decisions.
• The ability to communicate with others, including the ability to write clearly, speak clearly, and listen effectively.
• An understanding of human behavior, including the ability to become a leader and motivate others.

Technical skills are those necessary to perform the task at hand.  If a student wants to become an accountant or marketing analyst, obviously, the individual needs to possess certain skills related to fundamental accounting or basic marketing practices.  Such skills can be acquired in economics courses.  On the other hand, if the student wants to be a personnel manager, the technical skills needed would range from interviewing techniques to testing methodology.  These skills can be acquired in psychology courses (clinical, tests & measurement, etc.).

Conceptual skills have to do with an understanding of "the big picture."  The individual must have an understanding of where his or her function fits within and relates to other functions in the organization.  Without this understanding, the individual operates in a vacuum and can become easily disenchanted with hir or her career objective.  Such conceptual skills can be developed in a variety of advanced courses in psychology involving the integration of many different theoretical viewpoints.

Human skills involve an understanding of human behavior and communicaiton processes.  These skills can be acquired in many psychology courses as well as in speech and writing courses.

Taken with permission from Undergraduate Training and Skills for Careers Outside Psychology by Bernardo J. Carducci.  Paper presented at the American Psychological meeting, August, 2000.

Successful Intelligence

Definition:  "To be successfully intelligent is to think well in three different ways: analytically, creatively, and practically." (Sternberg, 1996. p. 127)*

Successfully intelligent people use analytical intelligence. They

• recognize problems early; define them correctly; solve them selectively
• formulate long-range strategies and avoid hasty solutions
• monitor and evaluate decisions and correct errors immediately
• think heuristically; incubate problems; use creative strategies solving them
• recognize limits of rationality; are aware of traps

• question assumptions and encourage others to do the same
• take sensible risks and permit themselves and others to make mistakes
• allow themselves time to think creatively ; seek tasks that allow creativity
• tolerate ambiguity; recognize the importance of person-environment fit
• actively seek out and later become role models

• use tacit knowledge (informally acquired heuristics) to deal with problems
• are aware that new situations may require different heuristics

• are initiators who motivate themselves 
• learn to control their impulses; delay gratification 
• know when to persevere; seek to surmount personal difficulties 
• know how to make the most of their abilities 
• translate thought into action; do not procrastinate 
• complete tasks and follow through 
• are not afraid to risk failure; accept fair blame; reject self-pity 
• are independent and focus on goals 
• balance analytical, creative and analytical thinking 
• possess self-confidence and self-efficacy

The Covert Curriculum

"...those numerous, routine skill-related activities, behaviors, and attitudes that are transacted inside and outside of classrooms.  Collectively, they reflect a student's overall work orientation and habits" (p. 52)*

Examples:

• taking organized and legible notes 
• listening attentively in class 
• increasing your reading speed and comprehension 
• maintaining an appointment book/diary

• periodically examining your goals and values 
• learning how to cope with stress 
• accepting responsibility for your behavior 
• working effectively in a group

• learning to learn: the foundation skill on which all others are based
• reading, writing, and computation: technical skills that employers consider basic for entry and advancement 
• oral communication and listening: skills that enable people to communicate in their jobs 
• problem solving and creative thinking: skills that enable employees to think and act flexibly
• self-esteem, motivation/goal setting, and employability/career development: developmental skills that help people maintain their job and advance
• interpersonal skills, teamwork, and negotiation: skills that enable people to work together in groups 
• organizational effectiveness and leadership: the "influencing" skills that help individuals navigate through the organization

* From Hettich, P. (1 998).  Learning Skills for College and Career (2 ed.).
Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole.
 

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