Career profile for Industrial Organizational Psychologist

What does an Industrial Organizational Psychologist do?

Industrial Organizational Psychologists apply principles of psychology to human resources, administration, management, sales, and marketing problems.

In addition, Industrial Organizational Psychologists

activities may include policy planning; employee testing and selection, training, and development; and organizational development and analysis,
may work with management to organize the work setting to improve worker productivity.

What kind of tasks does an Industrial Organizational Psychologist perform regularly?

Industrial Organizational Psychologists are often responsible for overseeing or executing some or all of the following tasks:

Formulate and implement training programs, applying principles of learning and individual differences.
Conduct research studies of physical work environments, organizational structures, communication systems, group interactions, morale, or motivation to assess organizational functioning.
Conduct presentations on research findings for clients or at research meetings.
Provide expert testimony in employment lawsuits.
Study consumers' reactions to new products and package designs, and to advertising efforts, using surveys and tests.
Review research literature to remain current on psychological science issues.
Develop interview techniques, rating scales, and psychological tests used to assess skills, abilities, and interests for the purpose of employee selection, placement, or promotion.
Conduct individual assessments, including interpreting measures and providing feedback for selection, placement, or promotion.
Write articles, white papers, or reports to share research findings and educate others.
Develop new business by contacting potential clients, making sales presentations, and writing proposals.
Train clients to administer human resources functions including testing, selection, and performance management.
Develop and implement employee selection or placement programs.
Identify training and development needs.
Facilitate organizational development and change.
Analyze job requirements and content to establish criteria for classification, selection, training, and other related personnel functions.
Observe and interview workers to obtain information about the physical, mental, and educational requirements of jobs as well as information about aspects such as job satisfaction.
Assess employee performance.
Coach senior executives and managers on leadership and performance.
Study organizational effectiveness, productivity, and efficiency, including the nature of workplace supervision and leadership.
Write reports on research findings and implications to contribute to general knowledge or to suggest potential changes in organizational functioning.

The above responsibilities are specific to Industrial Organizational Psychologists. More generally, Industrial Organizational Psychologists are involved in several broader types of activities:

Activities	Importance	Details
Getting Information		Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships		Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
Making Decisions and Solving Problems		Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
Analyzing Data or Information		Identifying the underlying principles, reasons, or facts of information by breaking down information or data into separate parts.
Communicating with People Outside the Organization		Communicating with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. This information can be exchanged in person, in writing, or by telephone or e-mail.

Getting Information

Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.

Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships

Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.

Making Decisions and Solving Problems

Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.

Analyzing Data or Information

Identifying the underlying principles, reasons, or facts of information by breaking down information or data into separate parts.

Communicating with People Outside the Organization

Communicating with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. This information can be exchanged in person, in writing, or by telephone or e-mail.

What is an Industrial Organizational Psychologist salary?

The median salary for an Industrial Organizational Psychologist is $96,270, and the average salary is $112,690. Both the median and average roughly describe the middle of the Industrial Organizational Psychologist salary range, but the average is more easily affected by extremely high or low salaries.

Many Industrial Organizational Psychologists earn significantly more or less than the average, due to several factors. About 10% of Industrial Organizational Psychologists earn less than $57,440 per year, 25% earn less than $69,780, 75% earn less than $137,930, and 90% earn less than $192,800.

Between the years of 2020 and 2030, the number of Industrial Organizational Psychologists is expected to change by 2.0%, and there should be roughly 300 open positions for Industrial Organizational Psychologists every year.

Median annual salary: $96,270
Typical salary range: $57,440 - $192,800
Projected growth (2020 - 2030): 2.0%

What personality traits are common among Industrial Organizational Psychologists?

Interests

Career interests describe a person's preferences for different types of working environments and activities. When a person's interest match the demands of an occupation, people are usually more engaged and satisfied in that role.

Compared to most occupations, those who work as an Industrial Organizational Psychologist are usually higher in their Investigative, Enterprising, and Artistic interests.

Industrial Organizational Psychologists typically have very strong Investigative interests. Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.

Also, Industrial Organizational Psychologists typically have strong Enterprising interests. Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.

Lastly, Industrial Organizational Psychologists typically have moderate Artistic interests. Artistic occupations frequently involve working with forms, designs and patterns. They often require self-expression and the work can be done without following a clear set of rules.

Industrial Organizational Psychologists typically have moderate Social interests. Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.

Values

People differ in their values, or what is most important to them for building job satisfaction and fulfillment.

Compared to most people, those working as an Industrial Organizational Psychologist tend to value Working Conditions, Relationships, and Achievement.

Most importantly, Industrial Organizational Psychologists very strongly value Working Conditions. Occupations that satisfy this work value offer job security and good working conditions.

Second, Industrial Organizational Psychologists very strongly value Relationships. Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment.

Lastly, Industrial Organizational Psychologists strongly value Achievement. Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment.

Psychological Demands

Each occupation brings its own set of psychological demands, which describe the characteristics necessary to perform the job well.

In order to perform their job successfully, people who work as Industrial Organizational Psychologists must consistently demonstrate qualities such as initiative, integrity, and analytical thinking.

Below, you'll find a list of qualities typically required of Industrial Organizational Psychologists, ranked by importance:

Demands	Importance	Details
Initiative		Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.
Integrity		Job requires being honest and ethical.
Analytical Thinking		Job requires analyzing information and using logic to address work-related issues and problems.
Dependability		Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
Achievement/Effort		Job requires establishing and maintaining personally challenging achievement goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks.

Initiative

Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.

Integrity

Job requires being honest and ethical.

Analytical Thinking

Job requires analyzing information and using logic to address work-related issues and problems.

Dependability

Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.

Achievement/Effort

Job requires establishing and maintaining personally challenging achievement goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks.

What education and training do Industrial Organizational Psychologists need?

Many Industrial Organizational Psychologists have earned a graduate degree. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a doctoral degree, such as a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D..

Industrial Organizational Psychologists may need some on-the-job training, but most candidates will already have the required skills, knowledge, work-related experience, and/or training.

Educational degrees among Industrial Organizational Psychologists

8.5% earned a Bachelor's degree
39.7% earned a Master's degree
51.9% earned a doctorate or professional degree

Knowledge and expertise required by Industrial Organizational Psychologists

Industrial Organizational Psychologists may benefit from understanding of specialized subject areas, such as psychology, personnel and human resources, or administration and management knowledge.

The list below shows several areas in which most Industrial Organizational Psychologists might want to build proficiency, ranked by importance.

Knowledge areas	Importance	Details
Psychology		Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
Personnel and Human Resources		Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
Administration and Management		Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
Education and Training		Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
Mathematics		Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

Psychology

Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.

Personnel and Human Resources

Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.

Administration and Management

Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

Education and Training

Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

Mathematics

Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

Important Abilities needed by Industrial Organizational Psychologists

Industrial Organizational Psychologists must develop a particular set of abilities to perform their job well. Abilities are individual capacities that influence a person's information processing, sensory perception, motor coordination, and physical strength or endurance. Individuals may naturally have certain abilities without explicit training, but most abilities can be sharpened somewhat through practice.

For example, Industrial Organizational Psychologists need abilities such as oral comprehension, written comprehension, and oral expression in order to perform their job at a high level. The list below shows several important abilities for Industrial Organizational Psychologists, ranked by their relative importance.

Abilities	Importance	Details
Oral Comprehension		The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
Written Comprehension		The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
Oral Expression		The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
Written Expression		The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
Problem Sensitivity		The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.

Oral Comprehension

The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.

Written Comprehension

The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.

Oral Expression

The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.

Written Expression

The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.

Problem Sensitivity

The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.

Critical Skills needed by Industrial Organizational Psychologists

Skills are developed capacities that enable people to function effectively in real-world settings. Unlike abilities, skills are typically easier to build through practice and experience. Skills influence effectiveness in areas such as learning, working with others, design, troubleshooting, and more.

Industrial Organizational Psychologists frequently use skills like reading comprehension, active listening, and speaking to perform their job effectively. The list below shows several critical skills for Industrial Organizational Psychologists, ranked by their relative importance.

Skills	Importance	Details
Reading Comprehension		Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
Active Listening		Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Speaking		Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Complex Problem Solving		Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Judgment and Decision Making		Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

Reading Comprehension

Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.

Active Listening

Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Speaking

Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Complex Problem Solving

Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.

Judgment and Decision Making

Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

What is the source of this information?

The information provided on this page is adapted from data and descriptions published by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration under the CC BY 4.0 license. TraitLab has modified some information for ease of use and reading, and the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment, and Training Administration has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.

If you have any questions or suggestions about this information, please send a message.

Career profile Industrial Organizational Psychologist

Industrial Organizational Psychologist

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