This is a presentation for undergraduate Psychology students to aid career planning and management.

1. Career Planning – Options for
Psychologists
Andy Kay
Tahira Majothi
Careers Consultants
www.careers.salford.ac.uk

4. BORN
LEARN
WORK
PLAY
DIE
4

5. Aims and Objectives
• By the end of this workshop you will:
– Understand the value of your degree beyond the
subject knowledge you acquire
– Know the typical career paths followed by
psychology graduates
– Consider some career planning approaches and
apply them to your thinking about the future
– Know some credible sources of career information
that relate to your subject area

6. ?
What is the value of your Degree?

7. It‟s all about employability
“A set of achievements – skills, understandings
and personal attributes – that makes
graduates more likely to gain employment and
be successful in their chosen occupations,
which benefits themselves, the workforce, the
community and the economy.”
Mantze Yorke, Higher Education Academy, 2003

9. But how do you choose a
career?
• If you don‟t know where you are going…how
do you know when you‟ve got there?
• If you don‟t know where you are going…you
might end up somewhere more interesting.

10. Career Theories
Matching
Development
Environment
Cognitive process

11. Some questions
• What approach feels right to you?
• Which theory corresponds to your view of
career?
• Can you plan a career?
• Did you plan to be where you are now?
– How did you approach this?

12. http://www.careerplayer.com/tips-and-advice/general-advice/start-your-career-hunt

13. The DOTS model
• Self-awareness
- Know yourself
• Opportunity awareness
- Explore opportunities and jobs that suit you
• Decision making
- Decide where you want to go
• Transition skills
- Take steps to get there

14. The Career Planning Process
Know yourself
Gain knowledge and
understanding about your
interests, skills, aptitudes,
preferences and goals.
Explore opportunities
Identify sources of
information and
opportunities in training,
education and work.
Take steps to get there
Implement your career
decisions and put your
plans into effect. Access
development
opportunities, write a
CV, apply for jobs
Decide where you want to
go
Evaluate opportunities, make
decisions, action plan and
set goals.

15. Planned Happenstance or the
“Chaos” approach
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7OqhUrXhaAM

16. What‟s the point?
• Evidence from research shows that self
awareness is at the heart of success in
graduate jobs
– Habits of self-awareness, reflection and pro-active
learning central to career development
(Strategis Research, 2004)
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17. Career Planning – the
essentials
Focuses on some big things…
– Who you are and what makes you tick
– What you want & where you want to be
– Where you are now in relation to a goal
that you have defined
– What kind of life(style) you want
– How you can get there
17

18. Opportunity Awareness
• If you don‟t know what‟s „out there‟ how will
you know it‟s for you
• What do jobs really involve? Will I enjoy it?
• What are the entry requirements
• Do I need a postgraduate course?
• Who employs people doing this?
• Where are jobs advertised?
• How competitive is the job market?

19. Psychology Career options

20. What can help you decide?
• Getting some work experience in fields that
you feel might interest you
• Getting some experience through volunteering
• Understanding what you most enjoy or find
interesting about your course
• Researching career options and understanding
what jobs really involve
• Arranging informational interviews to find out
what it‟s like to do a job

23. What do
Psychology Graduates do (2011 survey)?

25. Set up a Psychology
Student Society!
• Great way to connect with peers on the course
• Support provided by the Students‟ Union
• Funding may be available for activities, guest
speakers etc.
• Further develop key employability skills in
communication, teamwork, problemsolving, negotiation, budgeting, persuasion
and organisational.
http://www.salfordstudents.com/top-navigation/student-activities/start-a-group

26. https://hub.salford.ac.uk/salfordpsych/

27. Action Plan your career
Goal: Explore forensic psychologist roles in more
detail in order to make a decision whether this is the
right career for me
Complete by
Explore web resources such as Prospects job profiles –
look at case studies/graduate profiles
March 15th
Visit Careers & Employability to explore their resources
March 31st
Find 2 people working as forensic psychologists in local
government
April 20th
Develop questions to ask them about their careers
April 30th
Contact to arrange to meet or speak on the phone
May 15th
Reflect on what I have learned and make a follow-up
careers appointment
June 15th

28. Careers and
Employability
• Based in Allerton Building &
University House
• Allerton Learning Space / Library
(10am – 4pm)
• futures@salford.ac.uk
• www.careers.salford.ac.uk
• SLC_CHSC@salford.ac.uk

29. Useful Links
• www.prospects.ac.uk – look at „Options with your subject‟ & „Job
Sectors‟
• www.careers.salford.ac.uk & http://myadvantage.salford.ac.uk
• Psychology Careers Guide
http://www.careers.salford.ac.uk/page/occupationsindex
• http://www.careers.salford.ac.uk/careers-events - careers
workshops, employer events and presentations, study skills etc.
• www.bps.org.uk – British Psychological Society
• http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/assets/documents/subjects/psycholo
gy/employability_guide.pdf (A great resource for psychology
students)
• http://www.nhscareers.nhs.uk/
• www.basw.co.uk/social-work-careers/
• www.lgjobs.com (local government jobs)
• www.civilservice.gov.uk/recruitment/entry/undegraduates
• www.do-it.org.uk – Volunteering database