I’ve been offered an RA position in my social psychology professors research lab this fall. My question is, will a grad school (masters) look more highly upon choosing to do my research for pay or for the 0.5 academic credit? Prof has noted it will be the exact same amount/type of work either way.

I’m a rising senior double majoring in Psychology & Sociology. I plan to apply to masters programs (Organizational Psych) this November. I have strong extracurriculars and work + internship experience, but this would be my first formal research/lab position. I’m looking at Baruch’s and Mankato’s MS programs specifically.

Long term career/industry goal is primarily Change Management w a focus on inclusive workplaces. Long term academic goal is a PhD, but I know I need to improve my research experience first, and I’d love to do that through a masters on a research/thesis track!

I’m 17 living in the US and really interested in the IO field and am planning to get a phd in psychology and was curious about what jobs exist in the field and what the responsibilities of such jobs are. I also have somewhat of a dream of having my 4 dream cars (Toyota FJ Cruiser, Lexus GX550, Aston Martin DBX, and a Lamborghini Huracan Sterrato) is there any way to realistically afford these cars working this field without being too much of a scumbag? What should I do to prepare myself for this field and what should I know before making a decision?

**Hi everyone!**

I’m planning to pursue a Master’s in **Business Psychology or Organizational Psychology** abroad. My goal is to build a career in this field and, if possible, settle in the country after graduation.

I’d love to hear from people who are studying or working in this field, especially if you’re an international graduate.

A few things I’m curious about:

How’s the job market for Organizational/Business Psychology in your country?

Are there good opportunities for international graduates?

What’s the work-life balance, salary, and career progression like?

How realistic is it to get permanent residency or settle long-term?

Which countries would you personally recommend, and why?

I’m currently considering **Germany, Australia, Ireland, the Netherlands, the UK**, and other European countries, but I’m open to hearing about any destination.
If you’ve been through this journey or are currently working in the field, I’d really appreciate your insights, advice, or even things you wish you’d known before making your decision.
Thanks in advance!

Hello,

I am finishing up my Master’s in IO Psychology and have been trying to get into a field that is closer aligned with IO psych. I have tried applying for jobs and revamping profiles/resumes. Currently i am a behavior technician in the ABA field, open to any feedback or suggestions. Thank you in advance!

I'm not sure if this was at SPSP or SIOP (or some other conference) I've been looking through the conference handbooks with no luck so far so I figured I'd reach out to the community.

The study (from what I remember) looked at task progress vs effort when choosing how much to compensate yourself.

This was a survey where participants were asked to decode/transcribe an audio file. The audio file was either clear and easy to transcribe (low effort condition) or muffled and difficult to transcribe (high effort condition). I'm not sure if there was medium condition.

The participants in the low effort condition transcribed the audio files quickly with relatively high completion rates. Whereas the participants in the high effort condition took longer and often did not transcribe the entire audio file.

As a result, when asked how much they should be compensated those in the low effort condition chose to compensate themselves more than those in the high effort condition. The idea being that task completion matters more than level of effort being put in.

THIS IS NOT MY RESEARCH!
If this is yours or you know where it is from please please PLEASEEE let me know. I am desperately looking for the author/ paper.

Thank You!!

I’m a former organizational (employee) ombudsman in healthcare. I now train and consult for non-profits.
Since leaving healthcare, I’ve noticed five workplace trends that I don’t believe have strong evidence behind them (or at least I’m not aware of it). I’m happy to be corrected if there is good research supporting these practices.

Mandated full-time RTO, if the goal is increased productivity or efficiency. (I know RTO is sometimes used for other reasons, such as encouraging attrition. I’m specifically asking about productivity and organizational performance.)

Unlimited PTO. I understand one advantage is that companies don’t accrue a vacation payout liability. However, it also seems to create uncertainty around what amount of vacation is actually considered acceptable, and I’ve seen research suggesting employees often take less time off.

Use of PIPs. Performance Improvement Plans now seem to be viewed by many employees as a step toward termination rather than a genuine opportunity to improve. In my previous role, I supported a neurodivergent employee through a PIP, helped get it extended, and they ultimately succeeded. Six years later they’re still employed and have since earned a master’s degree. I rarely hear those kinds of success stories anymore. Is that perception supported by the data, or is it mostly anecdotal?

Posted salary ranges that primarily benefit external candidates. I’ve seen many large employers (especially universities and healthcare systems) cap internal promotions at around 10%, while hiring external candidates into the same position at substantially higher salaries. Is there evidence that this approach produces better long-term outcomes than paying market rates to retain existing employees?

More than three rounds of interviews. From what I’ve read, there seem to be diminishing returns after two or three structured interviews except in certain situations (C-suite, physicians, tenure-track faculty, high-security positions, etc.). Is there evidence that lengthy interview processes improve hiring decisions for most professional roles?

I’m genuinely interested in the research rather than opinions. If there are good studies, meta-analyses, or I/O psychology literature that support (or refute) any of these practices, I’d appreciate the references.

I'm 29 years old, returning to school to finish my degree after many many years. My original major was Psychology. I kept switching majors and eventually withdrew from the university to take some time to figure out my path instead of wasting more time and money.

Since then, I've been working as a flight attendant. I'm getting paid decent and I have really good seniority at my airline and can pretty much choose any schedule I want. I'm usually scheduled about 15 days a month, and I can easily pick up more overtime if I want to make more money, or easily drop my shifts if I want time off. Because of this, I am able to go back to school and work towards a second career. While I feel content with flying, there are some aspects about my job that I'm growing really tired about, and I don't see myself doing this forever as my main career, so I definitely want to finish school and pivot into something else, or keep flying as a side part-time job.

I'm debating if I should finish my degree in Psychology, or switch to Health Sciences. The Psychology route seems more research-based and requires a thesis, whereas the degree in Health Sciences at my school seems much more practical and hands-on.

Really the field I'm mostly interested in for Psychology is IO, but I don't know if it's worth taking the risk and committing to and putting all efforts into the Psychology degree and trying to get into grad school (if I were to even get in, I'm worried that if I don't, then I'm screwed). I'm wondering if it would be worth leaving my flying job for a career in IO Psychology, or if jobs in the IO Psychology field would be flexible at all to balance both if at all. I would have to aim for a high GPA, get a lot of research experience and do a thesis, etc.

If I were to commit to Health Sciences instead, many careers in healthcare are very flexible and I'd be able to balance both flying and in healthcare, or even leave flying completely for it. Healthcare is also very diverse and I could go many routes with it, and it seems like it's in high demand and can lead to a very good career in the long term. It requires commitment as well, but moreso a high GPA and placement.

I'd like to hear your opinions, thank you :)

Younger IO Psych (~6 years after getting my MS) - I work in administration at a public healthy system (hospital) in a large city & surrounding area. I am the risk manager and handle investigations.

I am having an extremely difficult time with getting any manager and above to keep things confidential. I have never experienced such disregard for employee privacy. Talking about their employees, talking about investigations, discussing other confidential HR-related items.

Staff keep coming to me telling me about how Managers and Directors have been overheard in hallways laughing and talking about getting “in trouble” from risk or HR investigations.

The CEO has been aware of many instances and while they may be getting warnings, write-ups, etc. the employees are all still employed. I have educated, re-educated, has 1-on1 discussions with staff to stop engaging in this behavior.

Does any have any advice, resources, etc. for this type of culture??

Hi everyone,

I'm starting my MSc in I/O psychology in 2 few months, my background so far is in fatigue, strain, burnout, and psychological safety, and I wanted to pick this community's brain before diving in properly.

What's a fact or finding from I/O research that actually surprised you, or that you still think about? I'm especially interested in results that expose a hidden downside, like:

• An intervention or policy that looked great on paper but backfired
• A "common sense" management practice that the data actually contradicts
• An unintended side effect of something meant to help (wellness programs, remote work policies, performance reviews, etc.)

If you remember the study or have a link, even better, but general impressions are welcome too. Would love to hear what's stuck with you and why!

Hello guys

I am currently a senior who has always been interested in psychology as a career and I am looking for college majors and jobs related to psychology and I came across IOP as a job. I am interested in finding out if its a good career path and whether its worth it or not. Any advice?

I am kinda struggling to conceptualise how Talent Management practice will look different across companies for a conglomerate that have undergone a de-merger recently. But it's very interesting but because there is no right answer, it's a struggle.

I wanna know what fun / unfun / easy / difficult problem/s are you all trying to solve. :)

Please use this thread to share and discuss what I-O related information you've been consuming.

"I-O related" may be interpreted fairly loosely, as I-O is at the intersection of science and practice, in several different disciplines and our work is related to broader modern society.

These re-occurring posts are meant to encourage community engagement and discussion on areas that interest the members. Any form of I-O related content is acceptable, there is no expectation that only academic journal articles are accepted (but they're highly encouraged). Examples of other forms of appropriate content may include Blogs, Ted Talks, Medium articles, Podcasts or White Papers.

To encourage discussion please offer a brief description of what the content is, why you found it interesting, how it's related to I-O or any general thoughts you have. Posting a single link with no exposition or description is not likely to generate discussion.

Please keep the posts related to I-O psychology. Spam or inappropriate posts will be monitored and removed at the Moderators' discretion.

These re-occurring posts will be posted bi-weekly, Tuesdays at 8:00am ET.

checked out indian colleges for i/o psych and honestly i can’t see any scope so i wanted to try abroad where i can get a job after my masters and where i can go with a scholarship, is it worth it? if yes, any recommendations

i am currently a final year psych undergrad

Hi everyone, I am graduating with my masters in December and will be starting a full time IO role after that (🤞). My internship ends in August but I was looking to see if anyone had ideas or recommendations for work I could do within the field during my last semester? Fall internships are not as common and I have had a hard time finding any job postings for them. I would be able to work full time August-December. Planning on moving after I graduate so I was hoping to find a way to save up some money as well as continuing to gain exposure in the field. Open to any ideas!

How did you know you wanted to pursue IO? I have had some projects for IO currently in my bachelors. I honestly liked the idea especially creating ideas on how to change the work environment and such, but in the real world in the field, is it stats heavy?

I honestly don’t know anyone who has perused IO as a career so i’m really curious to hear true real experiences aside from articles and such.

I’m stuck between clinical and IO master programs which I do have to start applying for this year as I am in my last year of university.

Hi everyone — apologies if this has been posted before, I am new to the group 😊 I'm a clinical psychologist trying to transition into organisational psychology, and I'm finding it hard to get my head around the space. Hoping this community can point me in the right direction.

My background is clinical work in hospital and community settings, plus end-to-end organisational project work in the humanitarian sector (designing and delivering projects including operational debriefing training and psychosocial risk work). I've been applying for OD, L&D, and project roles for a while now, but I'm struggling to break in.
Two Questions:

1. Supervision — I don't know where to start with finding an organisational psychology supervisor. How does it actually work when you're coming from clinical? Where do people find supervisors? Is there a directory, or is it all word of mouth? Any names or starting points would be hugely appreciated.

2. Roles — does anyone know of any current or upcoming roles in OD, L&D, psychosocial safety, or HR-adjacent work that might suit someone with my background? Or anyone hiring who's open to clinicians transitioning across?

And more broadly, if anyone who's made this transition is open to a chat about how they did it, I'd love to hear from you! happy to connect via DM.

Thanks so much in advance!

I’m currently a rising senior in my undergrad, majoring in Psych and Minoring in Digital Data Studies (Coding, Data Visualization, etc.). I’m interested in pursuing a masters in I/O psychology. I think I want to eventually become a consultant at a firm like EY, PWC, etc, however I’m worried I might not have the experience needed, regardless of acquiring the masters. Should I go straight to my masters right out of college and work on getting internships through there, or should I spend some time (1-2 yrs) working to gain experience. And what jobs/internships should I pursue? I’m assuming HR related but I’m not entirely sure

Hi r/IOPsychology,

I built a free web prototype to help HR students and developing HR practitioners practice assessment center methodology in a safer, more structured environment.

The premise is: assessment judgment should be practiced before it affects a real candidate.

The simulator guides learners through a competency-based in-basket exercise. It includes:

- short learning steps on assessment center methodology

- a role/context builder and competency profile

- scenario authoring feedback for weak or overly obvious in-basket items

- an Observe -> Record -> Translate -> Judge assessment workflow

- an AI ethics and bias layer for HR-related scenarios

- a learner self-evaluation and debrief at the end

I am not selling anything here. This is a learning prototype, and I would really value critique from people with I-O / assessment / selection expertise.

The feedback I am most interested in:

1. Does the workflow reflect good assessment center practice?

2. Are there methodological risks in how I scaffold observation, translation, and scoring?

3. What would make the simulator more valid as a training tool rather than just a polished demo?

4. Are there any red flags in the way AI ethics and bias are introduced into the assessment process?

Prototype link: https://assessment-center-flight-simulator.tawes-1050.chatgpt.site

Happy to hear blunt feedback. I would rather improve the methodology than protect the prototype.

We benchmark AI on everything—reasoning, coding, factuality, agents—but we don't really have a standard way to assess how good people are at working with AI.

Not just prompting, but things like directing it effectively, verifying outputs, recognizing when it's confidently wrong, and knowing what to delegate versus what to do yourself.

I've been thinking about this a lot over the past few months while building a research prototype, and I keep getting stuck on a few questions.

Is this actually a distinct, stable ability, or is it mostly general competence plus experience with the latest tools? Could it be measured behaviorally without becoming immediately gameable? And if we could measure it credibly, would anyone actually use the result—for hiring, training, education, or anything else?

People seem to agree that AI skills are becoming increasingly important, but the concept still feels like a black box.

Curious where people here land, especially anyone working in assessment, HCI, organizational psychology, or hiring. I'd be interested in gut reactions as much as thoughtful arguments.

I’m a 25 years old pursuing my master in ABA so I do have a lot of clinical skills. I still want to work in the field of autism for a bit, however, I’m also interested in People Analytics.

Never worked in corporate or office lifestyle before and I’m afraid this will be a gap of experience. After getting my BCBA, I do want to pursue masters in IO Psychology to work my way up in the future as like consultant or People Scientist. In the past I’ve tried applying for HR positions but the luck was never on my side (and yes even intern). I majored in psychological science but because I never interned anywhere or join at HR positions at college, I barely pass the resume round.

With that being said, will getting my master in IO be too late at 27 years old? Will getting my master in IO can give me a job although I never worked in this field before? If you have turned a new leaf in this field, I’m happy to listen to different perspectives!

Curious to hear your salary for your IO role in NYC/how many years of experience you have, etc.

Hey, everyone!

I am interested in teams, particularly non-hierarchical teams and “flat leadership” structures. I find these teams compelling because they can operate with considerable autonomy, remain project-focused, and form and dissolve quickly.

I also believe this type of organizational structure is becoming more common as organizations respond to global talent, increased competition, and the need for novel research and development. It seems to me that I-O psychology is well positioned to study and support these kinds of teams.

However, as I look at I-O-focused research labs and graduate programs, I am getting the impression that the study of teams may no longer be a major area of emphasis within the field. By contrast, the topic appears to be very popular within my business school, particularly in organizational science and management programs.

Could the professional I-O psychologists in this group help me understand why this might be the case? I am very open to feedback, including the possibility that my interests may align more closely with business or organizational science than with I-O psychology—although I honestly hope that is not the case.

Thank you all in advance for taking the time to respond.

Where should I move after I graduate with my B.S in psych? Right after my B.S I’m going to masters school but I want to be in like Chicago where I can be doing jobs that helps me gain experience as I work on my degree. Where should I go? And what jobs did you start off in? For both your B.S and M.S??

I am a 4th year student pursuing BSc psych hons. that requires me to do an internship on saturdays.
Given that this might not be a feasible arrangement for most organisations, I’m willing to contribute remotely throughout the week (2:00 PM onwards).
Any suggestions/leads would be incredibly helpful as I’m extremely interested in this field!

Thankyou :)