Exploring Careers: Working as an Organisational Psychologist
A report from the recent Exploring Careers Evening for Organizational Psychologists
How do you know which kind of organizational psychology company would suit you? Would you prefer to be an organisational psychologist at a smaller niche consultancy or a global market-leader? Would your skillset suit a role in leadership, coaching or assessment? These were the kinds of questions that students could find the answers to at the “Exploring Careers in Organizational Psychology” event on 14th October. The purpose of this event, organised by Birkbeck Talent, Birkbeck Careers and Employability and Birkbeck Organizational Psychology department, was to help current students plan their next career steps. Eleanor Martin, Recruitment Manager from Birkbeck Talent explained “We organize these Employer Insight events to make the intricacies of a particular industry sector more transparent, so that students can make informed decisions about the type of role and company that would suit them.”
The speakers, many of whom were Birkbeck alumni, work for a variety of companies and organisations in business psychology, coaching and related fields. Each was invited to present their role, and the merits of their respective company’s position, size and sector. The companies included YSC, Genius Within, The Chemistry Group and Deloitte, who have either previously recruited students to their organisations through Birkbeck Talent or have connections with Birkbeck Talent, Careers and Employability or the Department of Organizational Psychology; the event provided companies with an opportunity to share information about a ‘day in the life’ of an Organizational Psychologist at their company, and the chance to attract well-informed applicants to future recruitment campaigns.
Students valued this unique insight into the range of options available to them within the world of organizational psychology. The favoured part of the event, however, was the Q&A panel discussion which followed, where students could ask the professionals’ advice and suggestions on everything from getting noticed at application stage to fitting in to a new team. Alessandro Firetto, a part-time student in MSc Occupational Psychology, said “I felt the Q&A session was the best part. Everyone else in the room already seemed to be working in a profession relevant to their course with the hope of career development but I am currently looking at a career change. I got a chance to ask the speakers if they had any advice on starting a career in occupational psychology and the answers were great. The whole experience has really motivated me to get networking and rework my LinkedIn. Several people came up to me afterwards and said they were in a similar situation too – I was so glad to find out I was not the only one!”
One of the key successes of the Birkbeck Careers and Employability service has been the significant increase in employer engagement in the learning and skills development experiences of students. Since the service relaunched in 2014 there have been new employer events, more employers on campus and increased opportunities for students. Similar to students like Alessandro, Careers & Employability have worked to redefine what career change means to our students, specifically that making a career change can be an exciting journey to make, and whilst it’s new territory for some and doesn’t happen overnight, it’s something to embrace.
The 100 attendees fully embraced the opportunity to discuss what they had learned with one another and engage with the speakers afterwards at the drinks and networking reception. Students reflected primarily on the importance of contextualising their learning and understanding the culture of the organisation, as well as the role they might be applying for. “It’s great to hear from people who have been in our shoes, and to realise the variety of options our degree opens up to us”, agreed several of the MSc students. The only criticism of the evening was that it was cut short by the building’s closing time; in Alessandro’s words, “I guess it just shows how successful the event was and how much everyone wanted to continue discussion, networking and asking the speakers more questions!” Luckily, a similar event is planned for January 2017, with further details coming soon.
Further Links:
- BBK Talent
http://www.bbk.ac.uk/careers/birkbeck-talent
- Birkbeck Careers and Employability Service
http://www.bbk.ac.uk/careers/careers-service
- Department of Organizational Psychology
http://www.bbk.ac.uk/orgpsych/
- See what Irina Marenica, one of the speakers at the event, has to say about her role at “Genius Within”:
http://www.bbk.ac.uk/prospective/what-do-our-students-say?pid=irina-marenica
http://www.bbk.ac.uk/careers/birkbeck-talent/genius-within