A career in industrial and organizational psychology is a fascinating one. These psychologists work in corporations, non-profits, government agencies, universities and other institutions and help boost the organization’s performance by improving the performance of the staffers within the organization. At a corporation, the I-O psychologist finds how workers’ attitudes can be improved through the right hiring, training and feedback processes. Hiring employees is an important investment every manager must make, and ideally I-O psychologists should assist managers in making wise decisions that will return positive results for the company.
I-O psychologists have several responsibilities while on the job. One responsibility is personnel selection, which involves both hiring outside candidates for a job or promoting individuals within the organization. I-O psychologists use selection tools such as interviews, work samples or personality tests, and determine which tool is the best predictor of job performance. Overall, they’ll help managers recruit employees that are not only talented at their job, but also the best fit for the organization.
Another function of an I-O psychologist is performance evaluation. I-O psychologists must have the ability to evaluate a job’s functions and create a rating scale to describe an employee’s performance. These psychologists should also work to evaluate job functions in terms of compensation levels.
For managers looking for an I-O psychologist, several schools offer top-notch advanced degree programs. Michigan State University, for one, offers a graduate program that aims to provide Ph.D.-level training to students by giving them a detailed background in research, quantitative methods and psychology.
Overall, I-O psychologists can help an organization succeed through helping to identify the right personnel and motivating them along the way.
