Industrial-Organizational Psychologist

Apply principles of psychology to human resources, administration, management, sales, and marketing problems. 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.

O*NET reports this occupation under titles such as: Consulting Psychologist; I-O Practitioner (Industrial-Organizational Practitioner); I-O Psychologist (Industrial-Organizational Psychologist); Industrial Psychologist; Management Consultant; Organizational Consultant; Organizational Development Specialist (OD Specialist); Organizational Psychologist; Personnel Research Psychologist; Research Scientist

Tasks

• Provide advice on best practices and implementation for selection.
• Develop and implement employee selection or placement programs.
• Analyze data, using statistical methods and applications, to evaluate the outcomes and effectiveness of workplace programs.
• Develop interview techniques, rating scales, and psychological tests used to assess skills, abilities, and interests for the purpose of employee selection, placement, or promotion.
• 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.
• Facilitate organizational development and change.
• Analyze job requirements and content to establish criteria for classification, selection, training, and other related personnel functions.
• Advise management concerning personnel, managerial, and marketing policies and practices and their potential effects on organizational effectiveness and efficiency.
• Conduct presentations on research findings for clients or at research meetings.
• Coach senior executives and managers on leadership and performance.
• Conduct individual assessments, including interpreting measures and providing feedback for selection, placement, or promotion.
• Train clients to administer human resources functions, including testing, selection, and performance management.
• Assess employee performance.
• Identify training and development needs.
• Formulate and implement training programs, applying principles of learning and individual differences.

Knowledge

• Personnel and Human Resources
• Psychology
• Education and Training
• Administration and Management
• Mathematics
• English Language
• Customer and Personal Service
• Sociology and Anthropology
• Law and Government
• Computers and Electronics

Skills

• Reading Comprehension
• Active Listening
• Writing
• Speaking
• Critical Thinking
• Active Learning
• Monitoring
• Science
• Learning Strategies
• Mathematics

Abilities

• Written Comprehension
• Oral Expression
• Oral Comprehension
• Written Expression
• Deductive Reasoning
• Inductive Reasoning
• Problem Sensitivity
• Information Ordering
• Speech Recognition
• Speech Clarity
• Fluency of Ideas
• Originality
• Mathematical Reasoning
• Category Flexibility
• Near Vision
• Number Facility
• Selective Attention
• Far Vision