Blog post by Lauren Kistler
SOHP’s Scientific Affairs committee hosted a series of virtual Science Networking Events in Fall 2022 that brought together researchers to discuss a variety of occupational health psychology topics with networking opportunities. This blog summarizes highlights from the following event:
Research Careers Outside of Academia – Applying OHP Science in Organizations
Autumn Krauss
November 10th, 2022
Event Introduction
Despite common misconceptions, there are many applied career options where you can conduct OHP science outside of academic settings. Implementing evidence-based practices in organizations can be a rewarding career path, and there are strategies you can take to build important skills for these positions. This session discussed what applied OHP research looks like in organizations, and provided tips for internships and other training experiences that can help build your network and skillset.
Our guest speaker was Dr. Autumn Krauss, a Principal Scientist in SAP SuccessFactors’ Research Team.
The session was hosted by Lauren Kistler, Brittany Lynner, and Morgan Taylor on behalf of the Scientific Affairs committee. These SOHP student members represent the Graduate Student Issues committee for SOHP.
Dr. Krauss provided numerous insights to her career as an I-O psychologist. She shared details about her amazing opportunities conducting OHP research within her applied research roles. Dr. Krauss also shared tips and advice that is helpful for anyone entering the workforce.
Discussion Highlights
Preparing for the job market:
- Two important ways to better prepare yourself for the job market:
- Make sure your core skills are top-notch
- Acquire additional experiences that supplement your technical skills
- Top-notch core skills
- Become strong in traditional I-O competencies such as psychometrics, statistics, assessment, development, validation, and research methods will translate into success in OHP roles.
- Supplementary experiences
- Engage in research or applied practice to gain experience that will supplement your technical skills.
- Honorable mention: build your professional network!
Important Competencies for Graduate Students:
- Expertise in workforce psychology
- Strong writing skills
- Self-guided initiative and innovation
- Written and verbal communication
- Initiative and self-direction
- Adaptability
- Responsiveness & attention to detail
- Professional development
- Collaboration
- Applied research skills
Autumn’s catchphrase regarding important competencies for graduate students to possess: “stretch your tolerance for ambiguity muscles”.
What is ‘executive presence’?
- Another important skill to possess that will give you an advantage when applying for a job (and once you’re on the job) is executive presence.
- Autumn described executive presence as:
- “Being able to hold your own”
- “Being able to carry a conversation and have credibility, and balance that science with a bit of fun and charisma”
- “Being able to carry a level of current ability and clarity in what you are talking about so that people will “buy it””
Watch the Full Discussion
SOHP members can access the full session recording here. If you aren’t yet a member, please consider joining to access these recordings and other great SOHP membership benefits!
Lauren Kistler is a fourth year PhD candidate at Clemson University. She received her Masters in Applied Psychology from Clemson. Her research interests fall within Occupational Health Psychology, specifically worker health and well-being, work-life balance, and burnout. Additional interests in I-O include gig work, leadership, teams, and data analytics. Lauren currently serves as the head of the Graduate Student Issues committee for SOHP and as the President of Clemson’s Society of Industrial and Organizational Psychology (CSIOP). She has applied experience working for an international manufacturing company where she has utilized her I-O training to apply OHP principles to continuous improvement processes within the organization. Laurens efforts to reduce work stress in her personal life and maintain work-life balance include spending time outdoors hiking with her dog or playing pickleball with friends from her graduate program.
Email: ldkistl@g.clemson.edu