This document provides an overview of career planning resources and options for psychology graduates. It discusses the importance of self-reflection, researching career paths, gaining relevant experience, and understanding one's skills and interests. Statistics are given on employment rates and common career paths of psychology graduates, which include various professional psychology roles requiring further training, as well as careers in fields like education, social work, business, and research. University support services for career exploration and planning are also outlined.

1. Inspiring futures
Planning for your future
Janet Forsyth
Careers Consultant

2. Inspiring futures
This session….
A brief introduction to….
• Where after graduation?....broad options
• Planning for your future after graduation – sooner rather than later
• what’s important for you in your career?
• researching your career options
• Developing your ‘evidence’ for potential employers
• How the Careers Service can help support you

3. Inspiring futures
Quick quiz
• What percentage of psychology grads go into the psychology
professions?
• 90? 50? 20?
• You can go straight into any of the professional psychology courses
from your undergraduate course.
• T F
• It’s hard to get a job with psychology if you don’t go into the
professions.
• T F
• You can go into financial careers with a psychology degree
• T F
• Employers are more interested in your degree qualification than your
experience.
• T F It depends!

4. Inspiring futures
What are your options?
• Employment (70%)
• Further study (21%)
• Volunteering/work experience)
• Gap year / travel etc )6%
• (Unemployment) (3%)
(recent DHLE survey of psychology grads)

5. Inspiring futures
Professional Psychology Training (20% -
BPS)
• Clinical (and neuropsychology)
• Educational
• Counselling
• Forensic
• Occupational
• Health
• Sports and Exercise
need: a 1st or 2i psychology degree accredited by BPS leading to GBC
British Psychological Society www.bps.org.uk (careers and qualifications)
Psychology career pages – for ideas on gaining experience

6. Inspiring futures
Which area – if any?
Start considering……
• What am I interested in/passionate about?
• What client group do I want to work with?
• How good is my academic record?
• How motivated am I?
• Am I prepared to get the relevant experience?
• Can I cope with the competition?
• How much further study?
• How long do I want to take to get into a profession?
• Funding?
• Plan B?

7. Inspiring futures
Related Careers
Which area of your degree have you enjoyed most?
• Data/stats/technology-related eg UX, big data, statistical work
• Teaching, Careers Advice
• Social Work, Mental health nursing
• Probation, Police and Prison Service, Legal services
• Research - Social/market/academic
• HR Management, Recruitment Consultancy
• Marketing/digital marketing, Advertising
• Sales and Customer Service
• Health Service Management
• Health-related – speech and language therapy, art therapy, health
education….
• Vocational training needed for some areas - law, teaching,
speech therapy, occupational therapy…..
• Any discipline jobs - accountancy, insurance, banking, retail
management, public sector administration, IT….

8. Inspiring futures
• Assistant Psychologist, NHS
• Support workers, Penumbra and others
mental health charities
• Classroom assistant, Edinburgh City
Council
• Research assistant, Cambridge University
• Police constable, Police Scotland
• Statistical officer, Government Dept
• UX designer, BBH
• Marketing assistant, Sudzucker
• Teacher, Teach First
• Content executive, Headbox
• TEFL teaching – various schools
• Communications executive – online company
• Tutor, Explore Learning
• Management consultant, EY
• Development executive, Scottish Government
• Graduate Manager, Royal Mail,
• Accountant KPMG
Edinburgh psychology grads – 15/16

9. Inspiring futures
What sort of further study did psychology
graduates choose?
• PhD Neuroscience,
• MSc psychology Birmingham
• MSc Psychology of language
• MSc Organisational psychology,
• MSc Health psychology,
• MSc Criminal and forensic psychology
• MSc Speech and language therapy
• Counselling
• CIPD qualification (Human Resources)
• PGDE, PGCE (teaching)
Edinburgh psychology grads – Further Study 15/16
 Medicine – various institutions
 Law conversion
 Mental health nursing
 MSc Brain Science
 MSc Nutrition and behaviour
 MA Acting
 MSc Equine studies

10. Inspiring futures
Understand myself
Gain experience
Make applications &
generate opportunities
Think & planning
ahead
Review options &
make choices
Explore
opportunities
Shape your future…
‘planned happenstance’

11. Inspiring futures
What do I want?
What am I looking for from my career?
What factors will influence my
decision?
 Purpose of my job?
 What sort of role?
 What interests and motivates me?
 What skills do I want to use?
 What sort of organisation and working
environment?
 Values / lifestyle choices
 Personal qualities and temperament
 Location

12. Inspiring futures
What do I want?
Resources:
• Figuring out your career
• CareerEd
• Career Planner
• (at www.ed.ac.uk/careers/your-future/career-planning
• Psychology-specific careers information – including
case-studies and careers blog –
• Career Consultants

13. Inspiring futures
Corporate Communications Assistant–
Graduate Trainee
‘the candidate will have an enthusiasm for communication, and a
willingness to learn and develop new skills. The jobholder will be an enthusiastic
communicator with excellent written skills. An aptitude for writing for the web will
also be useful. As the department works in a fast moving environment, the
successful candidate will need to be able to work to deadlines and prioritise their
workload’
Identifying skills looked for by employers in different job-areas – check job adverts on MyCareerHub
MyCareerHub

14. Inspiring futures
HR Consultant
a very good academic degree in psychology or human resource management
independent and self-reliant way of working, strong logical and analytical
thinking, the ability to be flexible and work under pressure, strong customer
orientation, social and consulting skills
…….and more ……
MyCareerHub

15. Inspiring futures
What do I have to offer?
• Education / qualifications
• academic ability
• skills from degree
• class rep?
• Work – paid or voluntary
• relevant?
• varied?
• Outside interests
• societies
• Sports
• Actvities
The value of reflection…

16. Inspiring futures
Since I started my internship, every day I have
been writing down reflections on my experiences
in Nestle. First of all, it makes me keep track of
what I am doing, what I’ve already done and
what still needs to be done. Secondly, it makes
me pay attention to some more specific details
of things I learn in the job, analyse them and
appreciate them.
Reflection – why?
• The art and importance of personal reflection
• What students say…..
• Advice from the clinical psychology application pages
…and it’s vital when writing your CV and job applications!
Whatever work you do, course
centres are primarily interested
in what you have learnt from
your experiences, both
personally and professionally. ’

17. Inspiring futures
What’s out there?
www.ed.ac.uk/careers - Explore your options
• Occupations information
• www.ed.ac.uk/careers/occupations
• People
• Alumni, employer presentations, careers fairs, careers
information sessions, Psychology Careers Seminars Sem 2,
LinkedIn,
• Experience
• work experience (www.ed.ac.uk/careers > Looking for work)
• Psychology careers information and blog:
• Psychology-specific careers information

18. Inspiring futures
2022

19. Inspiring futures
2022?
How to Find Fulfilling Work
• What will the UK look like?
• Where will you be, what will you be doing?
• What can you do now to ensure that happens?

20. Inspiring futures
Careers support in PPLS
• Weekly PPLS-student only career appointments
• Programme of webinars and events specific to PPLS
• PPLS careers blog – targeted careers information and advice
specific to PPLS students –
• Annual Life Beyond your PPLS Degree….event – PPLS
grads tell their stories….
• Psychology careers pages –
Read the regular careers newsletter promoting all these sessions…..

21. Inspiring futures
Your University Careers Service:
Careers Service website www.ed.ac.uk/careers
MyCareerHub – vacancies, appointments, events
https://mycareerhub.ed.ac.uk
Careers Information Centre - 3rd Floor Library
Building, tel 0131 650 4670
…..and after graduation - service available for 2 years!