Industrial-Organizational Psychologists

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I-O Psychologist (Industrial-Organizational Psychologist), Organizational Consultant, Organizational Psychologist, Research Scientist

What they do:
Apply principles of psychology to human resources, administration, management, sales, and marketing problems. Activities may include policy planning; employee testing and selection, training, and development; and organizational development and analysis. May work with management to organize the work setting to improve worker productivity.
On the job, you would:
  • Provide advice on best practices and implementation for selection.
  • Develop and implement employee selection or placement programs.
  • Analyze data, using statistical methods and applications, to evaluate the outcomes and effectiveness of workplace programs.

Knowledge

Business

  • human resources (HR)
  • management

Math and Science

  • psychology
  • arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics

Education and Training

  • teaching and course design

Arts and Humanities

  • English language

Skills

Basic Skills

  • listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions
  • reading work related information

People and Technology Systems

  • thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one
  • measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it

Problem Solving

  • noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it

Abilities

Verbal

  • communicate by speaking
  • read and understand what is written

Ideas and Logic

  • make general rules or come up with answers from lots of detailed information
  • use rules to solve problems

Math

  • choose the right type of math to solve a problem
  • add, subtract, multiply, or divide

Personality

People interested in this work like activities that include ideas, thinking, and figuring things out.

They do well at jobs that need:

  • Analytical Thinking
  • Integrity
  • Initiative
  • Dependability
  • Achievement/Effort
  • Attention to Detail

Technology

You might use software like this on the job:

Analytical or scientific software

  • IBM SPSS Statistics Hot Technology
  • SAS Hot Technology

Computer based training software

  • Learning management system LMS In Demand
  • Padlet

Spreadsheet software

  • Google Sheets Hot Technology
  • Microsoft Excel Hot Technology In Demand

Education

Education: (rated 5 of 5)
master's degree or
doctoral degree
usually needed

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Job Outlook

Bright
New job opportunities are very likely in the future.
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See more details at O*NET OnLine about industrial-organizational psychologists.