PSYCHOLOGY
WHO CAN I CONTACT FOR HELP?
For career and job-related information:
Kate Whetman
Career Services Counselor
kwhetman@sa.utah.edu
801-585-5032
350 Student Services Building
Make an appointment with me to talk about pursuing jobs, fine-tuning your resume, perfecting your interviewing skills, and negotiating the best possible salary.
Academic advisors are also available in the department of Psychology at 585-9095. They are located in room 507 Behavioral Science Building. They can best answer questions about the nuts and bolts of classes/schedules.
WHAT CAN I DO WITH PSYCHOLOGY?
- What Can I Do With This Major? (Information)
- What Can I Do With This Major? (Links)
- Who Hires Our Grads? - Click on this link and select the college of social and behavioral science. It is recommended that you look at placements for sociology and social work majors in addition to psychology, as they tend to take similar jobs.
Typical Career Paths:
- The most “typical” career paths are working for nonprofit associations, in government and/or in social service situations, or research/academia.
- Many students use this liberal arts degree to pursue jobs in business. There is some evidence that liberal arts grads climb the corporate ladder faster than business majors.
- Why? Because their liberal arts education has taught them to be flexible, willing to try things a new way and embrace change as a positive thing.
- In choosing the business road, people-related fields are of most interest, including management and human resources.
- Most students who want to focus their career on social service will plan to get more education down the road. This will not only increase their marketability, but will increase their earning power.
- Research and academic fields usually require a Ph.D.
FAQs:
- Do I need a Ph.D. to do one-on-one counseling?
Great news! A Master of Social Work degree qualifies you to take the test to become a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and after two years working full-time in a supervised setting, you can hang out your own shingle.
- What is a Social Service Worker license?
This is a licensure that you can achieve with a bachelor’s degree and one full-time year of working in a supervised setting. Pass the written test and you can expect an automatic pay increase for positions with the state of Utah and other organizations as well. Many job postings will specify this license, but most are willing to under-fill with new graduates.
- What is the difference between a resume and a curriculum vitae (CV)?
A resume is a one-page overview of your skills and accomplishments. Short, incomplete sentences are used to convey essential points without going into great detail. Because of the brevity of a resume, each word must pack a punch. Utilizing good design tools is essential here to keep your reader’s eye moving down the page. Resume readers generally give a resume 20 seconds (!) to draw them in.
A CV is easier to write because you are encouraged to include everything and in great detail. Particular emphasis is given to academic accomplishments, research, publications, presentations, and affiliations. A CV is typically required only when applying for graduate programs and/or job seeking in academia or research.
- What about graduate school?
You will certainly want to give graduate school some serious consideration if you plan a career in social service. A graduate degree will add considerably to your level of responsibility and your paycheck. Psychology is also an excellent undergraduate degree when pursuing other fields like an MBA. The Career Services library has one whole bookcase devoted to information on graduate programs. A good source to begin with is Graduate Study in Psychology, published by The American Psychological Association. And for an overview of every accredited graduate program in the nation, from art therapy to thanatology (the study of death and dying) check into the 6-volume Peterson’s Guide to Graduate Programs.
- Are there student or professional associations where I should be getting involved?
- APAGS: APA's Student Community, American Psychological Association
- Psi Chi: The National Honor Society for Psychology
- Also check into the University Of Utah Psychology department Student Advisory Committee
Volunteer experience and internships:
Volunteer opportunities abound in social service. These can be just as valuable as a paid internship. Both situations offer you a true hands-on, close-up view of what a job is like. Volunteering doesn’t have to be a major time commitment to be a great resume item. If you need upper division credit, read all about our Internship program to see if it’s right for you. Jobs may be paid or unpaid.
Note: Psychology is the one major that can use this internship credit for either (upper division) elective credit or allied hours.
RESUMES:
- There are two basic formats for resumes. The more traditional is the chronological which lists your education and work experience (with job duties outlined) in reverse chronology. With liberal arts majors (that’s you!) there tends to be such an eclectic mix of experience and interests that an employer reading such a resume says, “Wow! Great stuff…but where do I fit in?”
- For this reason, I often recommend the functional/targeted format. This allows you to focus on certain skills and accomplishments while de-emphasizing or ignoring items that do not relate to this particular job search. Check out these sample resumes provided and then come see me so we can really fine tune your resume to make sure it will show you to best advantage.
- Psychology, Sociology Sample Resume (pdf)
TIMELINE CONSIDERATIONS:
Freshman
- Sign up with UCareerLink at http://careers.utah.edu. This will give you access to both student and career job listings and put you in the loop for occasional emails.
- Attend Student Employment fairs to connect with employers hiring part time.
- Still struggling with your major? Visit the Career Library for excellent resources.
- Come see me! We can talk about future plans and academic emphasis.
Sophomore
- Consider taking the Career & Life Planning class (Ed Psych 2610).
- Start considering your first internship.
- Attend career fairs to get a broader picture of employers who hire our students.
- Join student groups and volunteer (great resume items!)
Junior
- Start in-depth career exploration and do information interviewing.
- Continue to attend fall and spring career fairs.
- Do your first internship for credit.
- Start working on your resume.
Senior
- Consider a second internship for credit.
- If you are interested in business positions, start interviewing here in our office with both local and national employers. They often hire up to a full year before graduation.
- Let me know the minute you secure your job! Our goal is to turn you into a statistic
CAREER OPPORTUNITIES:
See the following web sites for job listings for our most frequent hires:
- Human Services Directory is a listing of social service and nonprofit agencies along the Wasatch front. There is also a very user-friendly hard copy in the directory section of the Career Library located here in our office. Use this resource to identify what agencies are involved with the issues/populations that interest you.
- Department of Human Services hires our recent grads for positions with Juvenile Justice and Division of Child and Family Services (DCFS). These are jobs with the state of Utah, and as such, provide excellent benefits. Entry level salary is about $30K.
- Utah Nonprofits Association has over 300 member organizations. The job board on this web site will show you a huge variety of opportunities, from custodial positions to running the show!
- Valley Mental Health is the largest private mental health provider in the state. They have a long and diverse list of job postings.
- UCareerLink is our own database of job postings targeting both current students and new grads. If you haven’t registered for this access yet, click here.
OTHER WEB SITES FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION:
SEE ALSO:
Sociology and Social Work Job Info by Major pages, as well as the other terrific information found on our home page, including information Interviewing, cover letters, interviewing preparation and thank you letters.
“It is easier to study the “behavior” of rats than people, because rats are smaller and have fewer outside commitments. So modern psychology is mostly about rats.”
~Celia Green, The Decline and Fall of Science
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