What types of jobs are out there for psychology graduates? Where are those jobs located? What skills and qualifications are needed and how do those change across different job types? These questions are among many that psychology students will likely ask themselves and their teachers on the journey from college to the workforce. The APA Center for Workforce Studies made strides towards answering some of those questions in a recent collection of reports analyzing three years’ worth of psychology job advertisements posted on the PsycCareers platform. These reports delve into the details of each job advertisement to identify the key characteristics, trends and patterns. From an educational perspective, this has several valuable implications for preparing students to enter the workforce, recognize their value to employers, and identify ways to round out their professional skill sets. These reports offer students a new source of data to help them make informed decisions about what jobs to apply to, where they should look and when to apply.
The most obvious question for psychology graduates is “which job is right for me?” Finding the answer to that question requires reflection and introspection as well as knowledge about what jobs are out there to begin with. Psychology degree holders work in a broad range of potential job types, titles and categories, and understanding that is the first step to making decisions about the type of career to pursue (APA, 2018). Using the job ads analysis, students and teachers can explore the characteristics of advertisements across multiple job types, including health service psychologist, faculty, researcher, applied psychologist and even leadership positions. A recent Datapoint in the Monitor on Psychology® featured data from the project which summarized the differences in skills specified in advertisements across job types.
Did you know that “cultural awareness” was the most frequently specified skill for faculty job advertisements? And while almost all job types specified “leadership skills” frequently, it was the most specified skill for health service psychologist positions.
Another interesting trend that has been seen across the job market as well as in psychology job advertisements, is the growth in demand for soft skills over technical ( Burning Glass Technologies, 2015 [PDF, 3.43MB] ). Of the nine skills examined in this analysis, the top five most frequently specified consisted of four soft skills (Leadership, Cultural Awareness, Teamwork, Communication) and only one technical skill (Analytical Skills). This knowledge can help students and job seekers recognize skills that are important to employers.
In addition to the reports, this project is accompanied by two data tools that teachers and students can use to personally explore the findings. Students interested in going into academia can find information about when those jobs are posted.
Did you know that advertisements for faculty positions are the only ones that show seasonal posting trends, concurrent with the academic calendar? Advertisements for all other job types were posted evenly throughout the year.
Those interested in performing health service activities might be surprised to find that they are not constrained to traditional health service psychologist positions. In fact, a broad variety of job types include health service activities in the job description, including 76% of ads overall, 53% of faculty ads, 43% of researcher ads and 86% of applied psychologist ads.
How might a student directly and personally benefit from some of these tools, beyond gaining general knowledge of the job market? One way might be with respect to identifying skills they have, and the key words and phrases that they can use to stand out in their job search. The Qualifications Specified in Psychology Job Ads tool is designed for job seekers to explore different job titles, skills, traits, subfields and specialties. Students can use this tool not only to identify how the skills they have align with the skills requested in job advertisements, but also to find the jobs they are interested in and explore what additional skills they can cultivate to make themselves better candidates.
Did you know that some of the most frequently used key phrases in job advertisements were “communication skills” “diverse populations” “compassion” “interpersonal skills” and “integrity”? Using keywords like these can help applicants stand out when applying to jobs.
The APA’s job ads analysis is a collection of tools for students and teachers alike. It serves as an excellent and unique resource for individuals preparing to enter the psychology workforce. To take full advantage of what this report has to offer, use and share the tools and reports located online , or begin your exploration even sooner using the sample data tool embedded below.
For more information or questions about the methods used in these reports, see the technical documentation (PDF, 223KB) or contact APA’s Center for Workforce Studies via email.
Resources
American Psychological Association. (2018). Careers in Psychology. [Interactive tool]. Retrieved from https://www.apa.org/workforce/data-tools/careers-psychology.
Burning Glass Technologies. (2015). The Human Factor: The hard time employers have finding soft skills. Retrieved from https://www.burning-glass.com/wp-content/uploads/Human_Factor_Baseline_Skills_FINAL.pdf (PDF, 3.43MB).
About the author
Jessica Conroy is a research assistant for the Center for Workforce Studies at the American Psychological Association. She is very interested in the field of data science, is a self-taught python nerd and math-based tabletop enthusiast. She earned her BA in biological science with a concentration in neuroscience from Cornell University.