Occupational psychologist job profile

Occupational psychologists focus on how people behave at work in order to increase their productivity, job satisfaction and the overall effectiveness of an organisation or business

As an occupational psychologist you'll apply psychological knowledge, theory and practice to organisational issues in the workplace, such as culture and change, as well as issues at an individual or team level.

Focusing on employee performance, behaviour, health and wellbeing and how individuals, groups and organisations function, your aim is to improve the effectiveness of the organisation and employee job satisfaction.

Your work overlaps with a range of areas including ergonomics, personnel management and time management. Collaboration is common with management, human resources officers and training and development officers, careers advisers and management consultants, business coaches, ergonomists and psychologists, trade union representatives and staff, both in teams and individually.

You can work in a consultancy role or in-house as an employee of an organisation.

Responsibilities

The work can be broad in scope and covers areas such as:

counselling and personal development
design of work environments
employee relations and motivation
human-machine interaction
job design
occupational wellbeing
organisational development and change
performance appraisal, coaching and career development
psychometric assessment
recruitment and selection
training, learning and development.

Depending on your area of work, you may need to:

develop, implement or evaluate employee selection procedures, including psychometric tests, situational judgement questionnaires, assessment centre exercises and structured interviews
develop talent management processes and systems so organisations can identify and develop their high-potential employees
provide coaching, guidance and advice to employees or students in order to help them plan and manage their careers
design performance appraisal systems that enable an organisation to measure, manage and reward the performance of its employees
work one-to-one with individuals to support them in becoming more successful and effective in delivering their organisational objectives, while also enhancing their personal wellbeing
analyse the training needs of employees, identify skills gaps and determine how to address that gap in a cost-effective manner
design, develop and deliver training and development programmes
mediate in situations where there is conflict between employees and management or an employment dispute
help to improve industrial relations by working with both management and trade union representatives
design, develop and implement initiatives aimed at helping employees to cope successfully with changes taking place in their workplace, such as restructuring, downsizing or new business processes
assess the usability and functionality of a system, such as a computer or workstation, and make recommendations for improvements to ensure ease of use for the operator
investigate problems that arise and accidents that occur as a result of poorly designed human-machine interfaces
review the ergonomic design of a workplace by assessing the suitability of elements such as lighting, noise levels and furniture and provide recommendations for changes or improvements
work with engineers and designers to provide input into the design of equipment, like vehicles and workspaces.

Salary

Starting salaries can be around £20,000 to £29,000 per annum, depending on your experience.
Salaries for more experienced occupational psychologists can range from around £35,000 to £50,000. At senior level, salaries may rise to in excess of £80,000.
Salaries can vary significantly depending on the setting you work in and whether you work publicly or privately.

Jobs in public sector organisations such as the NHS and Civil Service will typically follow a structured grading system. Private sector organisations, particularly management consultancies, tend to pay more than the public or third sectors and academia. Take a look at job adverts to get a feel for current salaries.

Additional benefits will depend on the sector you work in and type of employer, but may include private medical insurance, life insurance and a car allowance.

Income figures are intended as a guide only.

Working hours

Working hours are generally 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday, although you may occasionally have to work longer hours.

What to expect

You may work on-site with a client, at a training or management development centre or at your company's offices.
You may work with employees and managers at all levels, as well as a range of other professionals such as trade union representatives, trainers, counsellors and HR staff.
Jobs are available throughout the UK. Self-employment and freelance work is common for psychologists with substantial experience in a specialist area. You'll need to build up a good client base before becoming freelance.
Consultants must respond to client needs. This often means working to tight deadlines. Business clients usually expect you to dress professionally.
If you're self-employed, you'll need to travel to visit clients. There may be opportunities in larger consultancies to work overseas with multinational client companies.

Qualifications

You must be registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) to work as an occupational psychologist. This involves completing The British Psychological Society (BPS) Qualification in Occupational Psychology (QOP) Stage 2 approved by the HCPC.

First, you'll need Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC), which is achieved by completing a BPS-accredited psychology degree or conversion course.

You must then complete a BPS-accredited Masters in occupational psychology, which usually takes one year full time or two years part time. To get a place on a Masters course, you'll usually need a 2:1 or above. Relevant work experience is also useful. Entry requirements may vary so check with individual course providers for details. Search for a BPS-accredited course.

This is followed by the BPS QOP (Stage 2), which is a doctoral-level award consisting of a minimum of two years full-time (or part-time equivalent) supervised practice that builds on the knowledge gained during your Masters degree.

You'll need to be employed as a trainee occupational psychologist in a role (either paid or voluntary) related to occupational psychology for the duration of the training. You'll receive support and supervision from a coordinating supervisor who will act as your mentor as you develop your skills in all five content areas of occupational psychology and the consultancy cycle.

You'll need to complete three competency submissions and a viva examination, as well as an annual progress report, to show that you've reached the standard of skills and knowledge to practise in your chosen areas of work and across the consultancy cycle.

On successful completion of the QOP (Stage 2), you're eligible to apply for registration as an occupational psychologist with the HCPC and accreditation as a chartered psychologist with the BPS.

Skills

You'll need to have:

excellent communication and interpersonal skills in order to convince clients of your abilities, inspire their trust and gain information
report and proposal writing skills
adaptability and flexibility
problem-solving ability
self-confidence, with the ability to deal with a variety of people
the ability to influence other professions, managers and staff, who may be sceptical or resistant about what you're offering
the ability to work collaboratively and also to lead a team
resilience and a positive attitude
the ability to work under pressure - you'll need to achieve results within fixed deadlines while working on a number of projects
pragmatism
commercial awareness
the ability to show that your work has practical and worthwhile benefits over a relatively short timescale
IT skills as you will use online assessment platforms to manage projects
a proactive and creative approach to work in order to come up with and create imaginative training packages and solutions to work-based issues, for example.

You'll also need competence in psychometrics or statistical analysis for some posts.

Work experience

To get a place on a BPS-accredited Masters course, you'll often need relevant work experience. Try and get some administration experience with an occupational psychology consultancy or a human resources (HR) department and volunteer, if possible, to take on more people-focused activities.

You can also contact a local occupational psychologist to see if you can work shadow them. For a list of psychologists, see the BPS Directory of Chartered Psychologists.

Other relevant activities include:

getting involved with selection processes, for example on a student committee, school governing body or fundraising group
mentoring A-level or university students
helping supervise a community project
working for a psychometric test publisher
getting involved in coaching psychology and attending local coaching network meetings.

Any experience that gives you an insight into how businesses and organisations work is useful. Check with course providers what kind of experience they're looking for and how much.

Find out more about the different kinds of work experience and internships that are available.

Employers

Opportunities are available with organisations and businesses of all sizes in the public, private and not-for-profit sectors, although most occupational psychologists are employed in the private sector.

Many occupational psychologists are employed in private consultancies, some of which specialise in occupational psychology-related services. They can work as either in-house (for example in a bank) or as external consultants working independently.

Many of these consultancies are small, employing no more than a handful of psychologists, although some occupational psychologists work within the human capital service lines of larger, full-service consultancy firms.

Typical employers in the public sector include government and public services. The Civil Service is one of the largest employers of occupational psychologists and competition for posts is keen. Find out more about Government Occupational Psychology.

Employers in the public sector include:

Civil Service Commission
Civil Service Human Resources
Department for Work and Pensions
HM Prison Service
Home Office
Ministry of Defence
NHS.

Occupational psychologists also work in universities in teaching or research. It's possible to have a portfolio career combining several aspects of teaching, research and consultancy. There may also be opportunities with organisations that specialise in research into work place issues and policy advice in this area.

Psychometric test publishers also employ occupational psychologists.

Look for job vacancies at:

Professional development

Once qualified you must keep your skills up to date and follow the ongoing developments in research. Continuing professional development (CPD) is an essential part of continuing registration with the HCPC and chartered membership of the BPS and should include a mixture of directed and self-directed activities.

Directed activities can include:

taking core skills workshops and e-learning courses
attending conferences and events
taking post-qualification training courses
writing for journals
undertaking and presenting research and papers at conferences.

Training and development opportunities are available through the BPS Professional Development Centre. Workshops can be in areas such as supervision skills, working in private practice, acting as an expert witness, aviation psychology and working with the media.

You could also do an MBA or undertake further research at PhD level.

Career prospects

In general, occupational psychology doesn't have a clear-cut career path and it's often down to you to determine how your career progresses. With the right combination of skills, knowledge and experience, there are opportunities to progress to senior posts, leading teams or projects. If you're working for a small unit, you may need to change job to progress your career.

If you're working for the Civil Service as part of the Government Occupational Psychology Profession you'll have access to a range of learning, qualifications and opportunities to help develop your skills and career. You'll be able to progress through the grades as you gain experience and knowledge.

It's also possible to pursue an academic career either after a period as a practitioner or by doing research for a Doctoral degree after a Masters and gaining a post as a university lecturer or researcher.

While occupational psychology provides a breadth of experience in several areas, many related professions, such as occupational health and safety, ergonomics and human resources (HR), have their own qualification structures and training programmes. Taking further related qualifications, such as professional diplomas and short courses, may open more doors to you.

As an experienced occupational psychologist, you may choose to move into self-employment and set up your own consultancy business.

Occupational psychologist