The Psychology Department and the Center for Careers and Internships Present:

Careers for Psychology Majors

Robert Moeller, Ph.D.Mary Lothrop, M.S.

Goals

• Transferable skills• Importance of experiential learning• Making the most of the CCI resources• Sampling of jobs Midd Psych majors have pursued

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Transferable Skills: Analytic

• Thinking more broadly about what you are doing here at Midd• Ability to analyze and synthesize data/research• Understand science literature• Critical thinking• Conduct research

– Develop systematic ways of learning answers to complex problems

• Developing appropriate questions• Design frameworks to capture data• Utilize measures, instrumentation• Analyze, qualitative, quantitative data• Argue from evidence

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Transferable Skills: Quantitative

• Comfortable with numbers• Statistics

– Working with large sets of data– Determining appropriate methods of analysis– Data interpretation– Understanding of logic systems– Familiarity being unfamiliar, learning new computer software

• Other math/quant course work– Working with GIS data

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Transferable Skills: Communication

• Ability to write is central to many careers• Writing for multiple audiences

– Message framing• Presentation skills

– Developing presentations– Learning to tell a compelling story– Incorporating data into presentations

• Arguing from evidence

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Transferable Skills: Content Specific

• Understanding of human behavior• Ability to utilize theoretical perspectives to understand thought and

behavior• Theories of teaching and learning• Developmental perspectives• Understanding of interactions• Diversity exposure

– Racial/ethnic, SES, ability, sexual orientation, gender

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Transferable Skills: Liberal Arts

• Exposure to multiple fields• Foreign language• Team work• Leadership• Time management• Handle stress• Student/Athlete

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What have other Midd psych majors done?

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Job Category Employer

Education/Counseling The Ross SchoolTeach for AmericaEducation OutsideDC Public SchoolsKimball Union Academy

Healthcare/Medicine Massachusetts General HospitalTruven Health AnalyticsBrigham & Women’s HospitalChildren’s HospitalMobius Health Inc.

Mental Health Services Northeastern Family InstituteMount Hope Family CenterUniversity of Colorado-Denver

Science/Research Otago UniversityMassachusetts General HospitalEpic Systems

Communications/Media NBC TODAY ShowHearst Corporation

Graduate School MGH Institute of Health ProfessionsHarvard UniversityColumbia University, Teacher’s CollegeUniversity of Minnesota

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Internship Benefits

• Observe the professional work environment

• Develop professional skills

• Test out a career field

• Build mentoring relationships with professionals

• Get a head start on marketing yourself & networking

• Learn about the day to day obligations of the professional work

environment

Pre-Internship Research Questions

• What types of career fields are of interest to you?

• Of the career fields you are interested in, what skills do most of these

occupations require?

• Do you have contacts within these fields?

• When do you hope to pursue the internship?

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Internship Planning – Things To Do

• Create a resume & cover letter.

– Ask the question ‘Why do I want to intern in this field?’

– Be sure to answer this question in your cover letter.

• Research companies, professions, and career fields

• Obtain an informational interview or job shadowing experience in career

field of interest

• Develop MOJO & LinkedIn profiles

• Search MiddNet for alumni working in the field

• Attend alumni networking events

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CCI Support for Internships

• Type Focus– Personalized career & educational planning system– Assess interests, values, personality, & leisure activities as they relate to selecting

an internship or career path

• Finding an Internship– MOJO– Idealist.org– MyWorldAbroad

• Advising– Events & Workshops– Quick Questions – Individual Appointments– Practice Interviews– Resume/Cover Letter Review

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Optimizing Competitiveness Through Hands-On Experience

• Goal: application of psychology-specific content & skills, effective self-reflection, project-management skills, teamwork skills, & career preparation.

• Seek out professional development opportunities to successfully demonstrate attributes employers value, such as your ability to be:

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AdaptableCollaborationConfidenceConscientiousDependableDirectedEfficient

IndustriousIntuitivePreparedReflectiveResilient

ResourcefulResponsible

Next Steps

• Research companies and positions where you’d like to work

• Conduct informational interviews with Midd Alums or other acquaintances who work in the field

• Create a professional LinkedIn profile

• Have your resume and cover letter reviewed before submitting

• Complete a practice interview

• Find opportunities to connect with people (speakers that come to campus, previous employers, etc.)

• Use J-terms & summers to fill in any skills gaps

• If possible, attend conferences in your field

• Time permitting, read some books or articles written by professionals in your field

At any point along the way, you can stop by CCI for ‘Quick Questions’ M-F 1-3pm, or login to MOJO to schedule an appointment with me.

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Next Steps

Where are you in your process now?

What things have you done to determine your interests and skills?

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Next Steps

What do you still need to find out?

What are some strategies you could use to get that information?

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Next Steps

Tangible things you will do:

* this month

* this semester

* this year

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Questions, please!

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