Preparing for Graduate
Study or Entering the
Workforce
Resumes


Your resume “sells” you and your skills.
Keep your resume up to date
 If
you change jobs, update
 Receive a certification, update
 Keep a record of jobs, dates, supervisors, and contact
information to help you fill out applications


Bring copies to conferences or other events
where networking can take place
Keep several versions (themes)
 Different
schools/jobs look for different skills and
abilities being highlighted
UB Career Center

Located in the Student Center, 3rd Floor
 Career Advisors
 Interview
Training/tips
 Mock Interviews
 Career Fairs
 Job Search
 Resume/Cover Letter Tips and Reviews
 Workshops/Skill Building
Finding a Job

Be aware of what a job/career requires.
 Experience
 Degrees/Certifications
 General knowledge

Look for jobs of interest and see what employers
are looking for in candidates.
 Is
there anything you can be doing now to prepare?
(i.e. specific coursework)

Know how long the hiring process takes.
 Government
jobs that require clearances can take up
to a year to complete the hiring process.
 Can you apply with a company/orgnanization before
graduation so you are not scrambling later?
Networking

Professional Psychology
Conventions/Conferences:
 APA = August
12-15, 2010; San Deigo, CA
 EPA = March 4-7, 2010; New York, NY
 SIOP = April 8-10, 2010; Atlanta, GA
 APS = August 4-7, 2010; Westminster, CO



Go to Psi Chi sponsored events
Go to UB sponsored events
Go to open events at other local universities
(Speakers, career fairs, etc.)
Conferences
Presentations of research and current
issues
 Workshop/Training opportunities
 Speakers (typically experts in the field/key
researchers)
 Panel Discussions
 Networking
 Vendors/Publishers
 Student Research/Presentations

Internships
Test the water before you dive in.
 Many internships are unpaid; however:

 You
gain experience
 You make connections in the working world
 Sometimes there exists the opportunity for
employment upon graduation
Utilize the Career Center, MonsterJobs,
Career Builder, etc., to find internships.
 Check with your advisor or Dr. Eyssell for
credit possibilities.

Research

Participate in departmental research as a
research subject.

If you really want to do research, find a professor
whose work you may be interested in.
 There
may be possibilities to assist on research
projects.

PSYC 490 Senior Project in Psychology
 Don’t
wait until your senior semester to start thinking
about your project.
Professional Memberships

There are advantages to joining professional
groups as a student.
 Discounts
on journals and free trade magazines
 Discounts on conference registration

Some Professional Psychology Orgs to look at:
 American
Psychological Association
 Society for Industrial Organizational Psychology
 Eastern Psychological Association
 Association for Psychological Sciences
Psi Chi – International Honor
Society of Psychology

Contacts/Officers:
 Cindy
Mason, President
 Krissa Jackson, Vice President
 Christian Gruhler, Secretary
 Alex Mattern-Roggelin, Treasurer
 Janet Yun, Ph.D., Advisor

Get involved!
 If
not in Psi Chi, join other student organizations or
student government
GREs

General vs. Subject Exam
 Some
schools only require the General exam, others
require both exams.

General
 Sections:
Verbal Reasoning (800), Quantitative
Reasoning(800), Analytical Writing (5x 2 essays)

Subject: Psychology
 Sections:

Experimental, Social, “Other”
Get a study guide (with a CD if possible)
 Princeton,

Kaplan, Barrons
Go to www.gre.org for more information
 Testing
sites, dates and times, online practice exams,
prep classes, and more.
Applying to Grad School

Review the admission requirements
thoroughly.
 Letters

of recommendations
Provide with writers plenty of time and pertinent
information to write their letters.
 GREs
 Transcripts
 Essays

No two essays are the same, you may have to
write several different essays for each school.
 Resumes
Applying to Grad School

Know who is doing research, at which
university.
 If
you have a particular career/research
interest look for schools with professors that
have similar interests.
 Familiarize yourself with their work, you may
be asked how your research goals fit into their
current research.

Figure out if the program fits you and your
goals.
Stay Informed

Stay current with subjects of interest
 Use APA student
membership to subscribe to journals
in your area of interest
 Conduct periodic literature searches

Follow the news
 Distinguish
between research hype and truth
 Be aware of what the general public is being told
about our discipline
 Be aware of the issues relating to our government
and mental health care

Keep-up with APA Manual changes