Vocational Psychologist

What is a Vocational Psychologist?

The following job responsibilities are common for individuals in vocational psychologist roles:

• Conduct career aptitude tests, personality tests, and other forms of testing to narrow down potential careers for patients
• Provide career counseling by listening to a career-seekers wants, needs, and dissatisfactions, and providing relevant suggestions
• Explain the job and educational requirements for career-seekers interested in specific careers
• Work with businesses and human resource departments to develop processes and initiatives designed to increase employee productivity and happiness
• Assist job seekers with job acquisition tasks like resume building, job searching, and application

A Day in the Life of a Vocational Psychologist

Vocational psychologists are high-level career counselors who use their understanding of the brain and personalities to assist career-seekers in selecting and pursuing careers. Vocational psychologists help job seekers create resumes and cover letters, find open positions, and apply for roles, but their responsibilities go much further than simply helping people find work. Because they’re experts in thought, behavior, and personality, vocational psychologists can use their in-depth knowledge and research to point career-seekers towards positions that match their wants and needs perfectly.

Vocational psychologists use a variety of methods to evaluate career-seekers and make career recommendations. They may administer psychological tests like career aptitude and personality tests to determine what careers a person is suited for. They may also conduct in-depth counseling sessions with career seekers in order to learn about what each individual is looking for. After studying a career-seeker’s personality, the vocational psychologist provides more detail about potential careers.

Vocational psychologists work with many different types of individuals. They may work in schools where they provide career guidance to high school or college students. They may work in government where they assist unemployed or underemployed individuals with finding new careers. They may also work in business, helping companies form processes, initiatives, and workplaces that are productive, happy, and conducive to reducing workforce turnover and building a positive company culture.

Typical Work Schedule for Vocational Psychologists

Most vocational psychologists usually follow standard business hours of about 40-50 hours per week that starts at 9 am till 5 pm. However, many psychologists run their own clinics and accordingly have more flexibility in setting their own schedule. Some psychologists also need to work at evening or night shift in rare occasions for this specialty that does not usually represent an emergency. Additionally, vocational psychologists have to be flexible enough to consider different needs of the clients especially if they work as independent consultants. As a result, they work by making appointments in advance with their clients. That could sometimes mean working on evenings or weekends.

Projected Job Growth

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor statistics, the demand for psychologists is projected to grow 14% from 2019 to 2029 which is higher than the average expected growth for other jobs. The stressful conditions and the fast pace of some jobs increase the need for role of vocational psychologists. Career counseling is also expected to increase in schools and universities to guide the students on how to develop necessary skills and prepare them for the workplace. Their job would also require the training of employers about how to deal with a lay-off and how to deal with major transitions as moving from military to civilian workplace. The role of vocational psychologists was more emphasized with the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic and the changes it caused to the community.

Typical Employers

Vocational psychologists may work as part of a large organization or company to support the employees and guide them during different critical situations. This is more common in universities and schools. Recently, companies provided more care to the psychology of the employees and how this affects their productivity. The governmental agencies are also a decent employer for vocational psychologists as the Department of Workforce Services or the Department of Vocational Rehabilitation. Currently, the Department of Veterans Affairs is the largest employer of vocational psychologists with more than 1,200 psychologists hired. Many vocational psychologists may also choose to work as freelancers and build their own reputation and network of clients.