By Nikita Mikhailov
It can be tough submitting application after application and getting rejections and or not hearing anything at all, I have been there. Though here are some tips that might make it easier for you:
“I am passionate about psychology”
Is that your opening line? Well I have some news – about 95% of cover letters start with that. Here are some alternatives: “I am psychological about passion” (thank you Wendy Lord for that one) “I find ……. particularly interesting in Psychology”.
Sending an application without a message or a call first
I know that you have hundreds of applications to send, but take your time to have a call or even pop down for a coffee to the office to have a chat about the role. To find out more about the role and the company and to see if it really is for you.
The job title might not have the word psychologist in it: Maybe looking at job sites for “psychologist” is not the only way to go. Identify what you are particularly interested in about psychology and search for that, it can be “Psychometrics”, “personality assessment”, “culture change”, etc… and you might be surprised of what job title of a role that is a perfect for you Ok, what about going passed job boards all together.
LinkedIn and networking
Not only is LinkedIn a great source for job ads but it’s also a brilliant place to network, even with people you have not yet met. So after you have identified what you really find interesting, however specific it may be (e.g. “Personality assessments” “psychological well-being of firefighters”) go and search LinkedIn for people who do exactly that. After you find them message them with an invite saying how you find there are of work to be fascinating and you love to talk more about it. You already have a shared interest in common and maybe there is an internship opportunity, shadowing etc. When you have a chat ask them “is there anyone else they think that you should meet?” This might give you the opportunity to meet some fellow colleagues.
Have fun. Go to events, meet people one to one (public places and all that). Skype people who you think are ace in the what they do. The world is full of very interesting Psychologists doing some great stuff that they would be happy to talk about.
Psychology is a fascinating field where getting paid allows you to do what you love! Wishing you the very best in your career dear colleague! Anything you would like to add as far as finding the job in Occ/Business Psych? Drop us an message!
Job boards
There are many good job boards: indeed, totaljobs, monster and many more, search them as well. Here are psychology specific ones that we know of in the UK:
BPS British Psychological Society runs this great website, where you can find jobs not only in Occ Psych but also in other branches of psychology https://www.jobsinpsychology.co.uk/
Association for Business Psychology You can look for jobs: https://theabp.org.uk/job-dashboard/jobs/ And volunteering opportunities: https://theabp.org.uk/job-dashboard/volunteering-opportunities/
Other resources that might be useful: Uzma Waseem from ABP has written this brilliant article on how to look for a job during lockdown https://theabp.org.uk/steering-through-the-job-market-during-lockdown/
About the Author
Nikita Mikhailov is a Psychometrician, his mission is to share the goodness of psychology. He is Business Psychologist, and a member of the British Psychological Society. His clients include Fortune 500 companies, start ups, individuals and couples. He specialises in supporting companies in recruitment and development of talent through a combination of psychometrics and coaching. His particular interest lies in how personality assessments can be used to increase self awareness and to help people make practical steps towards being more effective leaders and living more meaningful and fulfilling lives.
Psychology at Work 