A doctoral degree in personality and social psychology can lead to a variety of opportunities, including working in government, non-profits, and industry. Thinking about one of these pathways? SPSP has a variety of resources to help members explore and navigate the non-academic job market.
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Non-academic Job Market Survey
- Recognizing the growing interest in non-academic jobs and the lack of information regarding the non-academic job market for social and personality psychology graduates, the 2020-2021 SPSP Student Committee gathered quantifiable information on graduates’ experiences on the non-academic job market including features of the applicant profile (e.g., number and types of internships, skills, publications), job search strategies, and employment outcomes.
Survey Results: Strategies and Insights about the Non-academic Job Market
Non-academic Job Resources
Internships
Completing an internship outside of academia can provide exposure and experience that will help in the decision about what career path to pursue.
To find a non-academic internship, check out:
- Websites for specific companies and organizations of interest
- Job/internship search engines: USAjobs, Indeed, LinkedIn, Glassdoor, Google, your university career center
- Your network
- Social media: Twitter, Facebook groups
Perceptions of Non-academic Internships
In 2016, a task force was charged with surveying SPSP members on their opinions on non-academic internships for personality and social psychology students and found interest and support from all segments of our membership.