What does an industrial psychologist do?
Industrial psychologist responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real industrial psychologist resumes:
- Develop cognitive behaviorally-base educational module for post-surgery patients.
- Develop cognitive behaviorally-base educational module for post-surgery patients.
Industrial psychologist skills and personality traits
We break down the percentage of Industrial Psychologists that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Human Resources, 54%
Reviewed and evaluated corporate policies and procedures for impact on human resources.
- SAS, 46%
Developed computer programs using SAS and various PC programs to support research, analysis and administration of ongoing activities.
Analytical skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for an industrial psychologist to have is analytical skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "psychologists must examine the information they collect and draw logical conclusions." Industrial psychologists often use analytical skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "conduct interviews for the purpose of retrieving data to be used in background checks. "
Communication skills. Many industrial psychologist duties rely on communication skills. "psychologists must have strong communication skills because they spend much of their time listening to and speaking with patients or describing their research.," so an industrial psychologist will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways industrial psychologist responsibilities rely on communication skills: "facilitated intake assessments, telecommunication crisis and interventions with faculty, parents, and staff consultations. "
Integrity. industrial psychologists are also known for integrity, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to industrial psychologist responsibilities, because "psychologists must keep patients’ problems in confidence, and patients must be able to trust psychologists’ expertise in treating sensitive problems." An industrial psychologist resume example shows how integrity is used in the workplace: "presented continuing educational seminars on ethical rehabilitation practice. "
Interpersonal skills. For certain industrial psychologist responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "interpersonal skills." The day-to-day duties of an industrial psychologist rely on this skill, as "psychologists study and help individuals, so they must be able to work well with clients, patients, and other professionals." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what industrial psychologists do: "provided a cbt group for anxiety and depression incorporating dbt skills, and interpersonal skills training. "
Problem-solving skills. Another crucial skill for an industrial psychologist to carry out their responsibilities is "problem-solving skills." A big part of what industrial psychologists relies on this skill, since "psychologists need problem-solving skills to collect information, design research, evaluate programs, and find treatments or solutions to mental and behavioral problems." How this skill relates to industrial psychologist duties can be seen in an example from an industrial psychologist resume snippet: "worked along with different departments in order to educate staff members on the importance of teamwork, conflict resolution and leadership. "
Compare different industrial psychologists
Industrial psychologist vs. Manager, personnel selection
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between industrial psychologists and manager, personnel selection. For instance, industrial psychologist responsibilities require skills such as "factor analysis," "human resources," "sas," and "support performance management." Whereas a manager, personnel selection is skilled in "hr," "wms," "selection process," and "disciplinary actions." This is part of what separates the two careers.
On average, managers, personnel selection reach lower levels of education than industrial psychologists. Managers, personnel selection are 7.4% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 14.8% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Industrial psychologist vs. Testing projects administrator
Each career also uses different skills, according to real industrial psychologist resumes. While industrial psychologist responsibilities can utilize skills like "factor analysis," "human resources," "sas," and "support performance management," testing projects administrators use skills like "regression," "windows," "software defects," and "test cases."
In general, testing projects administrators achieve lower levels of education than industrial psychologists. They're 7.2% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 14.8% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Industrial psychologist vs. Senior behavioral scientist
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, industrial psychologists are more likely to have skills like "factor analysis," "human resources," "sas," and "support performance management." But a senior behavioral scientist is more likely to have skills like "r," "patient care," "treatment planning," and "discharge planning."
When it comes to education, senior behavioral scientists tend to earn similar degree levels compared to industrial psychologists. In fact, they're 2.8% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 12.0% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Industrial psychologist vs. Organizational research consultant
Types of industrial psychologist
Updated January 8, 2025
