Transferable Skills When Searching for a Job
Be bold. Psychology majors with a liberal arts degree have a broad range of skills and experience and therefore can apply their knowledge in fields beyond the scope of human services when looking for employment. Understanding human behavior is a crucial skill underlying a wide range of jobs.
Remember that in most cases your skill set is more important than your specific degree – If you can articulate this skillset it will set you apart from other candidates. In your cover letter and the interview be prepared to tell the employer:
- what you have done (for example; classes- both course content and activities such as group projects, experiential learning, prior jobs, practicum/internships, and volunteer experiences)
- what you have learned from those experiences (skills acquired)
- how those skills apply to the specific position
If you are applying for a job as a Child and Family Services Coordinator:
Coursework
What You've Done:
Taken PSY 301 Child Development, PSY 304 Exceptional Child, SOC 205 Social Problems
What You've Learned From It:
- Stages of healthy development
- Influences of social context, biology, and environment
- Understand variations of development and different diagnostic categories
How It Applies to This Position:
- Could model and teach healthy modes of interaction with children to support development.
- Understand family dynamics
- Sensitive to the social issues that impact families
Internship
What You've Done:
Internship at the Children’s Enrichment Center at GVSU
What You've Learned From It:
- How children interact
- Learned to help children resolve difficulties and modulate feelings
How It Applies to This Position:
- Can recognize and promote healthy interactions between children and adults
Independent Study
What You've Done:
Independent research (PSY 499) in Grand Valley’s Infant Cognition Lab
What You've Learned From It:
- Applied developmental theory to real life
- Learned to work independently and accomplish goals in a timely fashion
How It Applies to This Position:
- Understand that behavior does not always match what theory predicts, but that theories provide a deeper general understanding
- Self-starter, can work consistently to meet goals without supervision
Nannied
What You've Done:
Nannied for special needs child
What You've Learned From It:
- Learned how to identify and focus on individual children’s needs
- Developed patience
How It Applies to This Position:
- Can respond appropriately to other’s needs to promote autonomy and growth
- Understand that everyone is different and has individual needs
Tutored
What You've Done:
Tutored in the Schools of Hope program with 3rd grade students
What You've Learned From It:
- Learned the importance of matching reinforcements to individual interests
- Motivating factors
- Developed my interpersonal skills
How It Applies to This Position:
- Can relate to people with different life experiences than my own
- Can help parents encourage their children
If you are applying for a job as a volunteer coordinator:
Coursework
What You've Done:
Taken COM 201 Speech, PA 360 Voluntarism and the Nonprofit Sector, PSY 445 I/O Psychology, PSY 420 Theories of Personality
What You've Learned From It:
- Learned to organize information and create an engaging presentation it to groups
- Became comfortable in speaking in public
- Learned trends and motivation for volunteering across different institutions
- Learned the principles of selecting candidates to an appropriate position, factors involved in satisfaction and how to evaluate performance
How It Applies to This Position:
- Strong presentation skills
- Understand factors involved in volunteering
- Able to select a varied group of individuals who can work well together
- Can maintain motivation to increase volunteer longevity
Group Projects
What You've Done:
Group Projects in several classes
What You've Learned From It:
- Understand how each group member can play a different role in shared tasks
- Cooperation
- How to give critical feedback to others
How It Applies to This Position:
- Value individual differences
- Provide effective feedback to improve performance
Student Orgs
What You've Done:
History Club – Organized the annual fundraiser event for Paws with a Cause
What You've Learned From It:
- To break down an overall goal into smaller concrete steps
- To delegate responsibility and follow-up to make sure goals are accomplished
How It Applies to This Position:
- Know how to develop a publicity campaign to involve a wide array of people
- Can develop effective goals and achieve them
Volunteered
What You've Done:
Alternative Spring Break participation – Volunteered to build shelters in Haiti
What You've Learned From It:
- To use resources wisely
- How to be a team member
- To see the world from a different cultural perspective and respect other’s experiences
How It Applies to This Position:
- Understand the financial uncertainty faced by human services agencies
- Respect individual differences
- Can convey the personal value of volunteering