Students are increasingly seeking advice during advising sessions about the value of their psychology major after graduation. Ginger hosted a panel to explore these topics with industry leaders and alumni, from which she reports:

On Wednesday, November 1st, 2017 from 12-1 PM, the Social and Behavioral Sciences Department (Regionals), Psychology Department (Oxford), and Career and Professional Services Office (Regionals) invited a panel of local experts to address these topics and answer students’ questions about breaking into the for-profit world, including human resources, industrial/organizational psychology, and business leadership.

Joining us for the panel were Mr. Tim Beatty (President, Bullen Ultrasonics), Mr. Brian George (Personnel Technician, Academic Personnel Services department – Miami University and Miami Regionals alumnus), and Mr. Justin Gregg (Manager, Predictive Analytics – CareSource, Inc. and adjunct professor at Miami). The panel members were wonderfully lively and candid, sharing their personal successes, struggles, and journeys as to how they arrived at their current professions. Among their key take-away messages:

• Psychology is applicable in a wide array of job opportunities – you do not just have to be a psychologist to benefit from psychology classes or a psychology major. Businesses run better when leaders are thoughtful, considerate, and attentive to their employees’ and colleagues needs and goals, which are the things psychology emphasizes.
• It is OK to switch careers and not necessarily have a “perfect life” or professional plan fully mapped out. All of these gentlemen have worn many different and varied hats at different stages of their lives and careers. The important thing is to be a life-long learner and never stop growing.
• Experience and strong performance in statistics and research methods classes matter. Bosses will want to see that you are a critical thinker and problem solver, and these are tools to demonstrate those skills, whether or not you want to do research after you graduate. You still need to be able to understand the benefits of rigorous, detailed testing of ideas.
• In both interviews and professional documents (e.g., cover letters and resumes), employers are looking for responsible, hard-working individuals who show initiative/leadership, strong interpersonal and conflict management skills, and self-motivation. Seek out and describe opportunities you have had both in and outside the classroom to provide evidence of claims you make about yourself. For example, if you say, “I’m a good leader,” your in-class, work, and volunteer experiences should clearly back-up your position. Build your skill set and have examples ready.

If you missed this event and but would like to see the panel for yourself, please contact Ginger for a weblink to watch the full video of this very helpful session.

Many thanks to our panelists, sponsors, and partners for helping us host this wonderful event. Special thanks to Ms. Christina Fitzpatrick, Dr. Beth Dietz, and Mr. Jacob Robinson for assisting with the WebEx and video-recording logistics for the session.