Industrial-Organizational Psychologists

Also called: I-O Psychologist (Industrial-Organizational Psychologist), Organizational Consultant, Organizational Psychologist

Career Cluster: Human Services
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

Math and Science
  • psychology
  • arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics
Education and Training
  • teaching and course design
Arts and Humanities
  • English language
Business
  • human resources (HR)
  • management
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

Math
  • choose the right type of math to solve a problem
  • add, subtract, multiply, or divide
Ideas and Logic
  • make general rules or come up with answers from lots of detailed information
  • use rules to solve problems
Verbal
  • communicate by speaking
  • read and understand what is written
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:

Spreadsheet software
  • Google Sheets
  • Microsoft Excel
Analytical or scientific software
  • IBM SPSS Statistics
  • SAS
Computer based training software
  • Learning management system LMS
  • Padlet
EDUCATION


master's degree or doctoral degree
usually needed
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JOB OUTLOOK


Bright
New job opportunities are very likely in the future.


Salary:
High: $219,810.00
Median: $147,420.00
Low: $45,860.00
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