Faculty’s role in preparing undergraduate psychology majors for the world of work

For many students graduation is a few months away. Unfortunately, chances are many of them haven’t taken the necessary steps to prepare for life after college. Of course, some of them will be on their way to graduate school. But what about the roughly 72 percent of students (National Association of Colleges and Employers, 2018) who will be directly entering the workforce?

Although an education in psychology provides students with valuable skills employers seek, such as critical thinking and problem solving (Kuther, 2013), psychology alumni tend to rate themselves low in job preparedness (Strapp et. al 2017). So what exactly are institutions of higher education doing to properly prepare psychology majors for the world of work, outside of their academic preparation? Most, if not all, colleges and universities have career development centers which provide valuable and necessary resources for students. Unfortunately, not all students take advantage of campus career services. According to the 2018 Strada-Gallup Alumni Survey, one reason is that students consider their professors to be the most valuable sources of career advice. Let’s be honest, faculty may or may not be aware of certain job market trends and/or the job search process, especially if a student’s goal is not to pursue graduate studies. Additionally, psychology majors don’t have well-defined career paths. Consider the fact that individuals with a Bachelor’s degree in psychology were employed in 92 different occupation categories (American Psychological Association Center for Workforce Studies, 2017). Categories included labor relations, management, marketing, teaching, sales, and healthcare, to name a few.

As faculty why should we put forth time and effort in properly preparing students for the workforce? First, colleges and universities are now being pressured to ensure students are able to find career opportunities post-graduation. Secondly, the American Psychological Association (2013) has incorporated career readiness/professional development into their guidelines for the undergraduate psychology major. Thirdly, whether we believe the primary purpose of higher education is to assist students find employment or not, the vast majority of students do. Roughly 76 percent of students cite career opportunities as a critical factor for enrolling in college (Eagan et. al, 2016, p. 70). Therefore, it’s crucial to engage students in the career planning process as early as possible. In doing so we can assist students in making informed career decisions.

At Baruch College the Starr Career Development Center’s 2017 Post Graduate Outcomes Report clearly shows that students who take advantage of career services (resume reviews, interview prep, employer info sessions, workshops, etc.) are more likely to be employed within six months of graduation than students who didn’t utilize the career development center. Since students are more likely to take advantage of on-campus career services after being referred by a professor (Onondaga Community College, 2017, p. 9), it is of the utmost importance for faculty and academic departments to collaborate with their career development counterparts in preparing students for the job market.

Here’s what faculty and academic departments can do to ensure their students are prepared to make informed career decisions and are ready for the world of work:

• Encourage students to take advantage of the college’s career development center. Be sure to highlight WHY taking advantage of such resources is critical for their career/professional development as well as academic goals (e.g., exploring career options earlier increases one’s likelihood of being satisfied with one’s career later in life).
• Request in-class workshops/presentations from the career development center. Additionally, this is a great alternative to canceling a class.
• Actively promote your campus’ career development center services, resources, and events via department website, listservs and newsletters.
• Have a career resources section on your department website. Below are some extremely useful, no cost, resources which can assist students with their career exploration, career planning, and job search.
  • APA Center for Workforce Studies – Data Tools
  • APA’s new resource on “Preparing to Use Your Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology”
  • Career-exploration resources for psychology majors
  • EYE ON PSI CHI (students can search past issues by category – career preparation, fields of psychology, etc.).
  • O*NET OnLine
  • CareerOneStop
  • Local libraries (e.g., NY Public Library Career Services)
• Incorporate career development related assignments into your course(s). For example, place students into groups, assign each group a particular psychology field and have them interview someone in that field. Students then present their findings to the rest of the class.
• Offer special topic courses related to career development (e.g., Career Development for the College Student, Psychology of Career Development & Planning, Psychology as a Science and Profession, etc.).
• Organize alumni career panels where students can learn about varying career paths and what it takes to pursue each one.
• Collaborate with the career development center to provide major-specific career fairs and/or networking events.

Preparing students for the world of work is extremely important and is not something that should be left any one institutional member or department. As such, the best approach is a collaborative one!

References:

American Psychological Association (2013). APA guidelines for the undergraduate psychology major: Version 2.0.

American Psychological Association Center for Workforce Studies (2017). CWS data tool: Careers in psychology.

Baruch College Starr Career Development Center (2017). Annual Report: Undergraduate student outcomes.

Eagan, K. , Stolzenber, E.B., Ramierz, J.J., Aragon, M.C., Suchard, M.R., Rios-Aguilar, C. (2016). The American freshman: fifty-year trends, 1966-2015.  Los Angeles: Higher Education Research Institute, UCLA.

Kuther, T.L. (2013). What employers seek in job applicants: You’ve got the skills they want. Psychology Student Network.

National Association of Colleges and Employers (2018). First destinations for the class of 2017: Findings and analysis.

Onondaga Community College (2017). Student experience committee 2016-2017 report: Career services and transfer services at OCC.

Strada Education Network and Gallup (2018). The Strada-Gallup Alumni Survey: Mentoring college students to success.

Strapp, C.M., Drapela, D.J., Henderson, C.I., Nasciemento, E., & Roscos, L.J. (2017). Psychology students’ expectations regarding educational requirements and salary for desired careers. Teaching of Psychology, 45(1), 6-13.