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[Renmann687]

Hi,
I am a recent graduate with a social work and sociology degree. My interest in counseling led me to my recent job as a social worker. However, as I began to look into continuing my education, I stumbled across I/O Psychology. I know VERY little about I/O Psychology but everything that I know (which again, is limited) interests me. My love for sociology, research, counseling, and psychology mixed into one career seems intriguing. I would love to hear more about the field, specifically:

- Consulting - either external or internal
- Masters level positions - does this confine me to HR positions?
- What do YOU do as an I/O Psychologist?
- Resourceful readings
- Any advice for an interested graduate with limited knowledge of this field!

[Nupur]

Hi,
That's interesting that you want to combine these two areas. I would say that sociology would certainly be applicable to some subfields of I/O Psychology. The one that comes to mind is Groups & Teams and Cross-Cultural Training. Because this field deals with selecting, training and retaining talent, it can certainly make room for research that integrates sociology with itself.
I don't really have any experience consulting for big clients, but I would refer you to the following book: Hedge & Borman 2008 http://www.masspsy.com/book/0810_ne_book_jim_IO_consult.html
I do not think that a Master's degree would limit you to HR work, I/O is not HR, we deal with the application of psychological principles at the workplace, we do not deal with the resource aspect, we are more instrument developers. We use information from the organization (its people and environments within and across nations) to do so. You would be working with clients on different projects such as survey construction and administration; conducting training modules; making proposals etc.
I am still at school pursuing a PhD in this field. I have completed several projects on campus and a few off campus mostly in the areas I mentioned above. A beginners book I would recommend would be Levy, 2010 http://www.worthpublishers.com/newcatalog.aspx?disc=Psychology&isbn=1429223707
As far as advice, I would say that you need to be intuitive and creative to be in this field. Intuitive about human nature.
Good Luck and you can PM me or reply back with more questions or further clarifications!
Nupur