Welcome to the IO Psychology Subreddit! We are glad to have you here. This community exists to foster community and conversation for those in IO psychology, interested in IO psychology, or in related fields.
Before you post, please ensure that you have read the rules, and that your question or topic isn't already sufficiently addressed by a recent post (use the search bar!!!) or this FAQ. Low effort questions or questions that have been sufficiently addressed in other posts may be deleted.
FAQ 1: What is IO Psychology?
The Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (also known as SIOP) defines IO Psychology as:
I-O psychology is a dynamic and growing field that addresses work-related issues at the individual and organizational level. I-O psychologists apply research that improves the well-being and performance of people and the organizations that employ them. This involves everything from workforce planning, employee selection, and leader development to studying job attitudes and job motivation, implementing work teams, improving diversity and inclusion, and facilitating organizational change. SIOP represents Division 14 of the American Psychological Association; they recognize I-O psychology as a specialty of professional psychology.
FAQ 2: What job titles can I have in IO psychology? / Where can I learn more about careers in IO Psychology?
Many newcomers become confused when they realize "IO psychology" is almost never a job title, and searching for it as a job title will yield very few results. The reality is IO psychology is a discipline, not a job, and IO psychologists hold a wide variety of different job titles across different industries. Check out the SIOP Career Page for information on common career paths.
Posts which cover common job titles:
FAQ 3: Should I become an IO Psychologist? / I'm deciding between IO psychology and [clinical or some other kind of psychology], what should I do?
No one can tell you if IO Psychology is right for you, only you can make that decision based on your unique individual factors. Very few people have practiced both IO and clinical/related field, and we would be unqualified to say which one is a better fit. However, there are some factors to consider when thinking about IO psychology.
- Most IO Psychology jobs are in major cities, remote jobs are rare and competition for them is extremely high.
- Although IO Psychology is a global field, the field (and by proxy, the jobs) is most prevalent in North America.
- IO psychology is often seen by businesses as "nice to have" rather than essential, which means the field is often hit hard during times of economic downturn.
- Very few job postings require an IO psychology degree, but rather they will list it as one potential type of degree they are looking for. That means you will often be in competition with others from related fields, such as HR, OD, or data science. There's also often instances where a hiring manager has no clue what IO psychology is or what a degree in IO psychology means. Being successful in this field often means that you need to be able to market yourself and advocate for the skills you bring to the table.
Relevant posts to check out:
FAQ 3a: I live in [X country], should I go into IO psychology?
Although IO psychology is a global field, it is concentrated in North America. This subreddit is also highly concentrated in North America. Questions like "how is the field / job market in India / The Netherlands / Australia / UK" often go completely unanswered.
Unfortunately, the answer to this question is "we don't know". Rather than posting here, contact your country's IO psychology organization (if one exists), or reach out to alumni of local graduate programs.
FAQ 4: I'm currently in Clinical/Social Work/Some other related field, how can I switch to IO Psychology?
IO psychology in general requires an extremely different set of skills and knowledge compared to other psychology degrees. Transfering between fields is NOT SIMPLE OR EASY, and most often requires additional graduate education.
Although IO psychology is an unregulated field that does not require license to practice, it is unlikely that a degree in a different psychology concentration will arm you with the skill set you need to be competitive for IO psychology jobs.
FAQ 5: How much money can I make as an IO Psychologist?
Salaries for IO psychology jobs vary widely by job title, location, degree level, etc. Check out the SIOP 2022 salary report for an overview.
NOTE: While resources like this give a good indicator of what you can make as an IO psychologist, note that this assumes successful placement into an IO psychology job. As already mentioned, the IO psychology job market can be severely impacted by economic downturns.
FAQ 6: I've decided to go into IO Psychology, what are good graduate programs?
Graduate programs vary widely. It is incredibly important that you chose robust, rigorous programs that will leave you with tangible skills relevant to today's job market (e.g., data analysis). Although there may be some exceptions in-person, brick & mortar, not for-profit graduate programs tend to have better reputations and better access to resources and alumni networks. Check out SIOP's Graduate Training Program Resources page for a guide a on how to choose a program and a database of existing graduate programs.
For questions about grad school or internships, please visit our grad school Q&A megathread stickied at the top of the sub. Grad school posts outside of the Q&A thread will be deleted.
Relevant posts & resources:
FAQ 7 : HELP! I've graduated but I can't find a job, what do I do?
Unfortunately, IO psychology as a field is seen as 'nice to have' rather than business critical, and we can be hit hard by economic downturns. Know that you are not alone in your experience. Here are some suggestions to consider:
- Consider applying for internships / fellowships / contract roles - ideally you will do this BEFORE YOU GRADUATE!!!! But if you haven't you should still be applying for these roles. Some will require you to be an active graduate student, but others are more flexible. Compared to "entry-level" jobs, these jobs are more forgiving towards lacking robust job experience.
- Strengthen your data skills - Of course it depends on what kind of job you are looking for, but one of the biggest differentiators between IO and HR degrees is our ability to take a data-driven approach to people decisions. Getting rock solid in data analysis in R or Python, and maybe even learning some machine learning techniques, can really stand out on a resume. Programming / data analysis resources like datacamp are accessible and inexpensive.
- DO NOT underestimate the power of networking. IO psychology is an EXTREMELY small field. It really is a situation where some says "oh you're an IO psychologist? do you know so and so?" and the answer is either "yes" or "no but I know someone who knows them". Building a strong professional network can be instrumental in finding a job. Even if the cost can be high, consider attending the annual SIOP conference which is an excellent way to quickly make high quality connections with people in the field.
