The Skillful Psychology Major: The British Perspective

Many psychology graduates fail to do justice to themselves on application forms and in interviews because they freeze up when they come to the dreaded question of "What do you have to offer us?" They tend to have difficulty verbalizing the skills they have acquired, and also fail to recognize that graduates from other disciplines may not have acquired these skills. Psychology does not merely equip students for the psychological professions; it also provides a very sound background for many other careers. Listed below are some of the skills which typical psychology majors will have acquired during their undergraduate education. None of these skills is unique to psychology, but not many disciplines can offer such a comprehensive list. How often, for instance, do you find college graduates who are simultaneously literate, numerate, computer-literate, and good problem solvers?

Literacy

The ability to write both succinct reports and more lengthy analyses. Psychology graduates are accustomed to writing essays and papers, which allow them to explore issues in detail, but they also become familiar with the techniques of concise writing within a pre-set format, as they write up their practical reports. The ability to produce a concise report is often cited by managers as a skill they would like their management trainees to have.

Numeracy

The ability to handle and interpret statistical information. Few jobs require mathematical whiz-kids, but psychology graduates are good at drawing the implications out of data summaries and probability statements.

Computer Literacy

The ability to use a computer package, whether word processing or statistics, and the ability to learn to use new ones. The ability to program is rarely required and most organizations accept that their own systems are likely to be new. But most psychology graduates are familiar with the basic use of computer packages by the time they graduate.

Interpersonal Awareness

Knowledge of the mechanisms of social communication and the potential sources of interpersonal conflict. This is not the same as being socially skilled oneself (although it contributes), but does make a difference in understanding and dealing with interpersonal problems when they arise in the workplace. And most psychology graduates are familiar with this type of knowledge.

Environmental Awareness

Knowing how environments, organizations, etc., can directly influence people's understanding and behavior. Very few psychology graduates are unaware of the importance of environment, and yet many non-psychologists do not notice environmental factors.

Problem Solving Skills

The ability to identify different strategies and approaches to solving problems. This may be on a macro-level, in applying totally different perspectives or levels of analysis to the problem, or at a more basic level in terms of choosing appropriate methods to deal with it. It is a valuable skill in the organizational world, and one which psychology graduates are strikingly good at. They are trained from the very first lab class.

Information Finding Skills

Knowing how to go about looking for information on a particular topic or general area. Not a skill needed for every job, but useful in many of them nonetheless.

Critical Evaluation

The ability to appraise information and situations realistically, and to anticipate problems or difficulties. This is an essential skill for a manager or management trainee, and is one in which psychology graduates are directly trained.

Research Skills

Knowing how to go about gathering systematic information about human experience or behavior. We train students in a number of different methods - at the least, observational, experimental and case study techniques. Such awareness of methodology is useful to any number of different professions, some obvious ones being marketing and health education.

Measurement Skills

Knowing how to go about designing questionnaires and developing other measurement tools. Psychology graduates acquire these skills again, normally as part of their methodology course. But they are not easy skills to acquire, and not many graduates understand the underlying principles of them as thoroughly as does a typical psychology graduate.

Perspectives

The ability to look at issues from several different points of view. Although this is a skill in which psychology graduates are directly trained, they often do not realize that they have acquired it. But it is a valuable one for an employer.

High Order Analysis

The ability to extract general principles from immediate or concrete situations. Psychology graduates tend to be better than most people at spotting recurrent patterns or similarities between situations, and at looking at issues in terms of their underlying principles rather than becoming bogged down with the details of the immediate situation.

Pragmatism

The ability to make the best of a non-ideal situation, and to get on with working within pre-set constraints. It does not take much exposure to psychological methodology for psychology students to realize that the perfect experiment is going to be elusive and they will simply have to get on with doing it as well as possible anyway! As graduates, this gives them a strongly practical element which is valuable in many forms of work.