What Do I/O Psychologists Do (including Their Typical Day At Work)

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Job Description, Daily Responsibilities, and Work Life

I/O Psychologists

I/O Psychologists 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.

Salary
$112690
Becoming One
Very Hard
Education
Doctoral degree
Job Satisfaction
Job Growth

Personality
Interest Match



Job Description

Job Description

I/O Psychologists 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. They also formulate and implement training programs, applying principles of learning and individual differences.

Other tasks include:

  • Participate in mediation and dispute resolution.
  • Conduct research studies of physical work environments, organizational structures, communication systems, group interactions, morale, or motivation to assess organizational functioning.
  • Conduct presentations on research findings for clients or at research meetings.
  • Provide expert testimony in employment lawsuits.
  • Study consumers’ reactions to new products and package designs, and to advertising efforts, using surveys and tests.
  • Review research literature to remain current on psychological science issues.

We asked I/O Psychologists how satisfied they are with their job. Here is what they said.

Job satisfaction

69%

How meaningful is this job

65%


69% of them said they were satisfied with their job and 65% said they find that their job makes the world a better place or helps to make someone else’s life better.



Typical Day At Work

On a daily basis, I/O Psychologists formulate and implement training programs, applying principles of learning and individual differences. They develop interview techniques, rating scales, and psychological tests used to assess skills, abilities, and interests for the purpose of employee selection, placement, or promotion.

  • Conduct presentations on research findings for clients or at research meetings.
  • Conduct research studies of physical work environments, organizational structures, communication systems, group interactions, morale, or motivation to assess organizational functioning.
  • Participate in mediation and dispute resolution.
  • Write articles, white papers, or reports to share research findings and educate others.
  • Review research literature to remain current on psychological science issues.

We asked some I/O Psychologists a few questions to find out what else does their work day look like. Here is what we found.

Do you have telephone conversations everyday in this job? 83% said yes
How important is it to work in a team in this job? 61% said very important
Do you have group discussions everyday in this job? 68% said yes
Do you talk or work with customers everyday in this job? 40% said yes
Do you have to deal with angry customers everyday in this job? 4% said yes
Do you have to make decisions everyday in this job? 47% said yes

Other responsibilities

Besides their typical day, I/O Psychologists also counsel workers about job and career-related issues. They may also develop new business by contacting potential clients, making sales presentations, and writing proposals.

On a weekly to monthly basis, I/O Psychologists Conduct individual assessments, including interpreting measures and providing feedback for selection, placement, or promotion. They might also Study organizational effectiveness, productivity, and efficiency, including the nature of workplace supervision and leadership.

In addition, they Provide expert testimony in employment lawsuits.

Although specific duties may vary, many of them Conduct research studies of physical work environments, organizational structures, communication systems, group interactions, morale, or motivation to assess organizational functioning.

To some I/O Psychologists, it is also their responsibility to Develop and implement employee selection or placement programs.


Working life

Working hours

More than 40 hours per week

Working schedule

Regular schedule like a 9 to 5

In a typical work week as an Industrial-Organizational Psychologist, you can expect to work more than 40 hours per week.

Do I/O Psychologists work in an office-style work environment?

Every day
86%


Never
9%


Do I/O Psychologists work outdoors?

Never
70%


Once a year
26%



Is this right for me

Best personality for this career

The Thinkers and The Entrepreneurs

People who are suitable for this job tends to like working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. They like searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally..

They also like starting up and carrying out projects. They like leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.

You can read more about these career personality types here.



Learn more about I/O Psychologists

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Related to Industrial-Organizational Psychologists Job Description

Industrial-Organizational Psychologists job description, what do Industrial-Organizational Psychologists do, typical day for Industrial-Organizational Psychologists, what is it like to work as an Industrial-Organizational Psychologist, how many hours do Industrial-Organizational Psychologists work, day to day work of an Industrial-Organizational Psychologist

Additional resources

http://www.bls.gov/OOH/life-physical-and-social-science/psychologists.htm
http://www.siop.org/
http://www.asppb.net/
http://www.apsanet.org/


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