Experts Weigh In On Current Job Market Trends
January 12, 2021
Given the change of course that has happened in the world, we wanted to provide expert opinions on what aspiring graduates can do to start off their careers in an uncertain economic climate. We wanted to know what skills will be more important, where the economy is doing relatively well, and if there will be any lasting effects on the job market.
Companies are looking for candidates that can handle the new responsibilities of the job market. Recent graduates actually have an advantage because they are comfortable using newer technologies and have been communicating virtually their whole lives. They can take what they've learned and apply it immediately.
We spoke to professors and experts from several universities and companies to get their opinions on where the job market for recent graduates is heading, as well as how young graduates entering the industry can be adequately prepared. Here are their thoughts.
Our Panel of Experts
Kennesaw State University
Montana State University Billings
University of Massachusetts Amherst
Misericordia University
Brandeis University
University of New England
Hagerstown Community College
The University of Arizona
East Tennessee State University
Eastern Washington University
Davidson College
Dr. Roxanne Donovan Ph.D.
Professor of PsychologyKennesaw State University
Departments of Psychological Science and Interdisciplinary Studies
In your opinion, what are the biggest trends we'll see in the job market given the pandemic?
Dr. Roxanne Donovan Ph.D.: More opportunities to work remotely is likely going to be a big trend going forward. Now that we've seen the benefits-better for the environment; increased location flexibility, inclusivity, and potential work-life balance; less commuting stress-I doubt there's any turning back. The key is to make sure that interpersonal connections and teamwork are maintained in the virtual environment.
If a graduate needs to take a gap year, what skills would you recommend they try to enhance and how should they go about doing it?
Dr. Roxanne Donovan Ph.D.: Communication skills, both written and oral, are always helpful to enhance. They serve you whether you are planning to go straight into the workforce after graduation or into graduate school. Spending the year gaining research experience can strengthen a student's application to a PhD program in psychology, especially if the experience culminates in a coauthored conference presentation or, better yet, publication. Recommendations are also weighed heavily in the graduate admissions process, so making sure you spend the year building or strengthening relationships with potential letter writers is imperative.
What general advice would you give to a graduate beginning their career?
Dr. Roxanne Donovan Ph.D.: It's okay if you're feeling stressed about graduating. Transitions can be challenging under the best of circumstances, much less in these hard times. It's also okay if you're not sure what you want to do next. You don't need to have it all figured out. This is the very first chapter of your post-college work-life; there are many, many more to write. Keep an open mind and apply for positions that may be a stretch or aren't exactly what you'd hope to do upon graduation. You never know what you might learn or where you might end up when you move beyond your comfort zone.
Dr. Brent Finger Ph.D.
Associate professor of PsychologyMontana State University Billings
Department of Psychology
WebsiteWill there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on graduates?
Dr. Brent Finger Ph.D.: Probably not an enduring impact if the pandemic dies down later this year. The limited job market poses an obstacle for those who graduated last Spring and Fall but may be better for those graduating this Spring. Graduates who are seeking employment in essential services that require proximity to others risk exposure to the virus, and this may deter some graduates from seeking such jobs which may limit employment opportunities.
What type of skills will young graduates need when they enter the workforce in the coming years?
Dr. Brent Finger Ph.D.: The majority of our Psychology majors do not pursue careers as professional Psychologists, as this would require further schooling and often look for occupations that build on their educational background such as those that require working closely with other people, and I expect this will continue in the future. Those that pursue clinical work in Psychology will be likely to address lingering mental health problems that are directly or indirectly related to the pandemic such as social isolation, substance abuse, domestic violence, loss of loved ones, and loss of livelihoods.
What experience really stands out on resumes?
Dr. Brent Finger Ph.D.: For those who pursue graduate school, good grades, research experience, and mental health-related work experience are probably the most important resume credentials. For those who pursue other occupations, its very helpful to indicate past work, school, or other activities that are well-suited to prepare the graduate for the respective position.
Gabrielle Abelard
Clinical Assistant Professor, Psychiatric- Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) Program CoordinatorUniversity of Massachusetts Amherst
College of Nursing
WebsiteWill there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on graduates?
Gabrielle Abelard: Yes there will be an enduring impact of the Pandemic. Anxiety, worry, and fear has been a Salian theme for so many during the past year. Social distancing to minimize spread of infection has resulted in isolation and loneliness for so many. Job loss, business closures, and restrictions has exacerbated financial stress, uncertainty, and worries about the future. Our graduates have also lived through Pandemic and have also treated clients through their internship experiences that were life changing during the wake of a Pandemic. However as Psychiatric Mental Health Practitioners they are resilient, well trained, and ready to embrace the world as survivors and as healers.
What type of skills will young graduates need when they enter the workforce in the coming years?
Gabrielle Abelard: As Psychiatric Practitioner graduates, new APRNs need to remain optimistic, stay present, and nurture the self within by keeping self in healthcare in order to provide patient-centered care.
What experience really stands out on resumes?
Gabrielle Abelard: 1. Layouts that flow into a nice professional story
2. Objectives that are related to the job the graduate is applying to
3. Position descriptions that have personal examples of contributions in the role
4. Recognitions, certifications, and awards are also helpful to be celebrated as accomplishments on a resume.
Alicia Nordstrom Ph.D.
Professor of PsychologyMisericordia University
Psychology Department
In your opinion, what are the biggest trends we'll see in the job market given the pandemic?
Alicia Nordstrom Ph.D.: Mental health, behavioral health, and substance abuse counseling is always in demand, but now more than ever. These jobs are expected to grow by 25 percent between 2019 and 2029 (Bls).
COVID has had a direct impact on both increasing the need for mental health services as well as changing the landscape of availability through telehealth. (see Who). The increased demand for therapy is going to promote mental health counseling for individuals with masters and doctoral degrees.
What skills stand out on resumes?
Alicia Nordstrom Ph.D.: Mental health counselors need graduate training by obtaining a minimum of a master's degree in the counseling or social work field. Counselors need to have strong interpersonal communication skills in order to build rapport and trusting relationships with their clients. They also need knowledge of a variety of empirically supported therapy approaches as well as comprehensive assessment strategies and treatment planning.
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for graduates to find work opportunities in this field after they graduate?
Alicia Nordstrom Ph.D.: Mental health counselors work to put themselves out of a job, so the need for services is readily available in all parts of the USA (unfortunately). Graduates will often get front-line positions working as behavior technicians in psychiatric hospitals, group homes, substance use rehab programs, partial programs for adults as well as schools for children with developmental or behavioral conditions.
What general advice would you give to a graduate beginning their career?
Donald B. Katz Ph.D.: Follow your passion, rather than trends or some idea of what's "important" or "useful." Success is a direct function of how HAPPY you are about your next step.
What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent in the field in the next 3-5 years?
Donald B. Katz Ph.D.: I think that this is a misguided question. Tech comes and goes, and today's "important and prevalent" technique is tomorrow's "incremental science" (or worse). If you want to be an academic Neuroscientist, it is a mistake to make decisions based on technique first -- figure out what questions you're burning to answer, and pick the technique(s) that best answer those questions, even if they're "old-fashioned." If you're sure that you're industry-bound (i.e., happy to not choose your own research questions), then the important thing is to be tech-friendly -- to have the reputation of being able to learn and develop new techniques, rather than master a particular one.
How would you rate the starting salaries for graduates in this field, as well as the salary prospects down the line as they advance in their careers?
Donald B. Katz Ph.D.: How would I "rate" them? They are objectively good -- far over the national average -- if highly variable depending on specific career choice (obviously, a postdoc makes less than most, but that's a stepping stone to higher salaries.)
Jennifer Stiegler-Balfour Ph.D.
Associate Professor & Assistant Academic DirectorUniversity of New England
School of Social and Behavioral Sciences
WebsiteWhat type of skills will young graduates need when they enter the workforce in the coming years?
Jennifer Stiegler-Balfour Ph.D.: For young graduates, I think it is really important to understand that aptitude and knowledge in the field of psychology are a necessary foundation, but in order to succeed in today's workforce, they are also going to need strong soft skills. Soft skills refer to certain personality traits and behaviors that make it more likely that one is able to successfully work with others and get things done. For example, many employers are looking for graduates who have excellent communication and listening skills, are able to problem solve, manage their time well, are team players, and adapt easily to new situations.
I believe psychology graduates have an advantage given that so many of the APA-accredited bachelor programs place a heavy emphasis on learning those types of skills. At my university, for example, our statistics and research methods courses provide a terrific on-ramp for building essential critical thinking skills, written and oral presentation skills, as well as working collaboratively with others. Our places of work are also increasingly diverse and less centralized, and I believe this is where students with a background in psychology, including an understanding of the importance of diversity and being able to empathize with others, are well-positioned for success.
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for graduates to find work opportunities in this field after they graduate?
Jennifer Stiegler-Balfour Ph.D.: One of the great benefits associated with pursuing a career in psychology is the diversity of opportunities. Some of those careers require graduates to pursue further training in graduate school, whereas others can be pursued with a bachelor's degree. Psychology is not a profession I view as defined by geography. In that way, we typically think of technology, for example, with Silicon Valley or banking and finance with New York City. Today we are seeing students apply their psychology degree in a variety of areas ranging from mental health and education to business, research, and politics. The flexibility that psychology students have as they enter the workforce and chart their career path is really exciting.
One of the areas in which we see significant job growth is in clinical and counseling psychology, given the growing demand to support people with substance abuse problems or other mental health issues. I would also expect the demand for vocational and career counselors to increase in the future as more emphasis is put on mapping out career paths or navigating career changes, later in life, as people adapt to new employment opportunities in the 21st century.
How do you envision technology impacting this field in the next 5 years?
Jennifer Stiegler-Balfour Ph.D.: The COVID-19 pandemic has forced so many of us to work and collaborate remotely at a level that was hard to imagine a year ago. It has really increased the importance of possessing strong computer literacy in this day and age. I think it would be a mistake to assume that just because today's college students or young graduates have grown up with different technologies and devices that there is no need to teach, for example, skills for evaluating the credibility of online resources or how to use vast amounts of information to their advantage - and not their downfall. The pandemic has also shown us that working remotely may open up new doors for providing more people with much-needed services. Telehealth isn't a new concept, but its adoption has certainly accelerated in these past months, and there's a tremendous opportunity to use it as a vehicle for delivering mental health counseling, for instance, in parts of the country where access to those types of services has been limited in the past.
Dr. Christine Cramer
InstructorHagerstown Community College
Psychology Department
What are the best companies to work for?
Dr. Christine Cramer: I believe that the best companies to work for in education are Community Colleges. Not only do they care about your teaching, but they care about your development as a person. They allow you to explore different types of pedagogy without the "publish or perish" philosophy.
Will there be an increase or decrease in demand for graduates in this field in the next 5 years?
Dr. Christine Cramer: With the Coronavirus, there will be an increase in the demands for Psychology majors, especially those with Psychotherapy skills. Many ordinary people will reach out to therapists with problems of everyday living. Of course, we will need more Psychology professors to educate this new population of workers.
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for graduates to find work opportunities in this field after they graduate?
Dr. Christine Cramer: An incredibly right place to find work for Psychology majors is in Behavioral Health Hospitals and private practice. Telehealth will also be particularly critical in the next coming years. Generation Z's unique set of technological skills, coupled with their desire to alleviate suffering, will positively impact many people for years to come.
Alexander Danvers
Postdoctoral Research AssociateThe University of Arizona
Psychology Department
WebsiteIn your opinion, what are the biggest trends we'll see in the job market given the pandemic?
Alexander Danvers: Fewer openings for new professors. In 2008, budget shortfalls had a similar effect. There are "horror stories" in academia about professors getting job offers pulled because the department found it no longer had enough money in its budget. Because of the timing this year, I assume that we are more likely to see fewer offers put out, with less likelihood of suggestions getting pulled. This will make an already very competitive academic job market even more competitive.
What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent in the field in the next 3-5 years?
Alexander Danvers: Big Data and Data Science are two buzzwords that are easy to dismiss, but under those umbrellas, are three significant trends that I believe will substantially impact psychological research. First is the ability to capture data on daily life through smartphone apps and mobile sensors (like a Fitbit or Apple watch). This allows us to get data on real-life outside of the lab and expand our understanding of people's lives. Second is the increasing trend of using covert assessment to understand people.
By covert assessment, I don't necessarily mean assessment that people don't know about, but instead getting information about people while they're doing something else that's fun and engaging. So you might be able to learn about someone's personality or their stress response from the way they play a video game. Because you are learning about the person as they're just using technology, there is less concern about that person trying to get the "right" answer on an assessment or respond to what they think the experimenter wants.
Finally, the other two trends mean that psychologists and other behavioral scientists will have much larger datasets to work with. These more massive datasets will be amenable to more complex analyses, and so the use of machine learning to extract more information from them will be increasingly valuable.
Will there be an increase or decrease in demand for graduates in this field in the next 5 years?
Alexander Danvers: There will almost certainly be a decrease in demand for tenure-track professor positions at prominent academic institutions, particularly at small liberal arts colleges. This is what people receiving Ph.D.'s in research psychology are socialized to want and pursue, and so it will feel like we are not getting what we want.
On the other hand, I believe that many different business areas are increasingly learning the value of using data analysis and experimental methods to answer questions. Many friends and colleagues have already transitioned into roles like Data Scientists or User Experience Researchers at tech companies. I believe that people who develop a strong skill base (in either quantitative or qualitative methods) will find that new opportunities in businesses and non-profits offset many of the lost opportunities in academia.
That's not to say this isn't a very stressful and challenging time for people in my career position--recent Ph.D. graduates in social sciences. It is, and I expect there will be people who become "under-employed" in the next few years due to the economic shocks brought on by COVID.
What type of skills will young graduates need when they enter the workforce in the coming years?
Julia Dodd Ph.D.: Some of the most useful skills granted by a psychology major are strong scientific writing skills, research design and project management skills, a knowledge of human behavior and emotions that can translate to strong interpersonal skills, and the ability to be a critical consumer of information, such as in reading articles and extracting the meaningful elements while noticing any scientific weaknesses. There are very few careers where an increased understanding of people's thoughts, behaviors, and feelings would not be useful, so psychology graduates are generally well-poised to enter the workforce across a wide spectrum of fields. I believe all graduates entering the workforce could benefit from taking a few psychology classes, even if they aren't psychology majors.
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for graduates to find work opportunities in this field after they graduate?
Julia Dodd Ph.D.: It really just depends on what you value and the field in which you're working. For example, psychologists in California earn much higher than the national median for psychologists; but, the cost of living is also higher. Some people are willing to take a cut in salary to live in their preferred geographic area, or vice versa. Urban areas might have more jobs available, but there are many rural areas designated as Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAa), meaning that folks living in that area have a desperate need for additional health services, including mental health. So an individual who's wanting to do the best with their degree might choose to practice in one of those areas. That's one reason our doctoral program at ETSU specifically trains our graduates in integrated rural health, including training on how to create and sustain a job somewhere, where maybe there's never been a psychologist before.
How do you envision technology impacting this field in the next 5 years?
Julia Dodd Ph.D.: Even before the pandemic, telehealth was a growing trend in the area of psychology. Veteran's Affairs hospitals, in particular, had been rolling out multiple options for connecting with mental health services remotely. Once the pandemic hit, of course, everyone had to abruptly pivot to figuring out how to work remotely for a time. As a result, many more therapists and clients, who might not have been interested in telehealth previously, have had to figure out how to make it work. I think we'll see a lasting impact on the field, as a result of the pandemic, where telehealth options become more commonplace. There are also a few organizations that are producing really high-quality, self-help apps so people can practice mental health skills and techniques on their own. So I think telehealth and self-help apps are two areas we will see continue to grow.
Kevin Criswell Ph.D.
Visiting Assistant ProfessorEastern Washington University
Department of Psychology
WebsiteWill there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on graduates?
Kevin Criswell Ph.D.: While it is currently unclear how great an impact the pandemic has had, and will have, on graduates, I believe it is safe to assume that the pandemic's impact on graduates will be enduring, as we are only beginning to see the effects it has on their education and future professional work.
I would be happy to provide my perspectives on the opportunities that the emerging workforce with a counseling psychology degree may find (e.g., increased mental health need may mean more ease of finding a position and better job security at this time for those involved in mental health service delivery) as well as challenges faced by mental health professionals (e.g., mass movement to and learning and adoption of virtual mental health service delivery as well as increased severity of mental health issues that can be difficult to treat, such as loneliness/severe depressive symptoms, eating disorders, etc.).
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for graduates to find work opportunities in this field after they graduate?
Kevin Criswell Ph.D.: That is an interesting question, in light of the pandemic's effects on education and professional work, especially in mode of delivery. Of course, we have seen mass shifts to online service delivery in continuing education and mental health interventions. While I may not be as familiar with how regions of the country differ in terms of job prospects for mental healthcare, I do feel more confident in recommending workplace settings that I am more familiar with: institutions of higher education and hospitals/medical centers.
Indeed, in the wake of the pandemic, we have seen an influx of healthcare service use that has challenged the capacity of our healthcare professionals from the medical and allied health professions. Given that most primary care visits may be instigated by mental health issues (Hunter, Goodie, Oordt, & Dobmeyer, 2009, as cited in the American Psychological Association's Briefing Series on the Role of Psychology in Health Care: Primary Care, 2014), mental healthcare is increasingly seen as an integrated part of complete healthcare service delivery in medical centers-not only for effective patient care but also for the care of medical center employees (e.g., as a part of employee assistance programs, or "EAPs").
Recently, when my students ask where they could begin looking for internships in our area, I consistently point out that the settings that see the greatest need for services that you are looking to provide are good places to start looking, such as medical centers, right now. In addition, we are continuing to see relatively stable levels of student enrollment in higher education, despite the shift en masse to online education. National surveys, such as those issued by the American College Health Association (ACHA), demonstrate a host of increasing mental health issues reported by our university students, including higher incidence of loneliness and perceived stress since the beginning of the shift to online learning. Thus, we will likely see an increasing need for mental health professionals to address the emerging mental health issues reported by our students. Counseling psychologists who are entering the field may find opportunities in a wide range of sectors, particularly in education and medical service, as I noted above.
How do you envision technology impacting this field in the next 5 years?
Kevin Criswell Ph.D.: This represents one of the most interesting times to enter the field of psychology. We have seen the massive shift to online service delivery, which has been supported by the pre-existing literature, demonstrating that mental health services delivered through online methods tend to be just as effective as those delivered in a more "traditional" face-to-face modality. Given that the infrastructure for online options for mental health services needed to be established in the wake of the pandemic, we will likely see wider, long-term adoption of online service delivery across mental health service settings.
However, as noted in the cover story of the July/August 2020 issue of Monitor on Psychology ("How Well is Telepsychology Working?" by Zara Greenbaum), we have some important, emerging issues to address in research and, hopefully, solve as we see wider adoption of online mental health service delivery. These may include solving issues related to the training of new mental health service providers remotely, coordinating the use of a particular video conferencing service to use with clients, and, of course, how to best deal with Internet connectivity issues as they arise. While these issues may pose real challenges to our emerging counseling psychology workforce, these also present real opportunities, especially for those who are open to examining these from a research lens. Now, more than ever, we need enthusiastic, passionate, and creative professionals to help continue steering our field in the direction of effective mental healthcare, whether it is delivered face-to-face or online.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on graduates?
John Kello Ph.D.: Yes. The "next to normal" (a term I borrowed from several articles by McKinsey & Company, the global management consulting group) will not be a return to the previous normal, a.k.a. Business-as usual. Graduates from our department, psychology, go into lots of different careers. A good number continue their higher education by going straight into graduate or professional school, and in the current climate of remote instruction, that will certainly be different for the foreseeable future; even when live education returns, the technology we have been forced to learn and use over the last six months will not recede to pre-pandemic levels.
For the ones who go into the job market, first, there are fewer opportunities, as some industries have been decimated (think travel, leisure, hospitality, retail, clothing). Where there are jobs for our recent graduates, and there are companies that are thriving, their work will likely be remote for now, and for a while beyond the peak of the crisis. For new-hires, on-boarding, mentoring, early career-planning, etc., will be remote or mostly remote, providing a very different experience from the recent past.
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for graduates to find work opportunities in this field after they graduate?
John Kello Ph.D.: I don't think geography is the central issue, or at least, the pandemic has not fundamentally shifted the geography of employers. Companies in business are still headquartered where they were (though there is some movement away from high-tax states such as NY and CA). There will be opportunities in research facilities (medical, neuroscience, and other areas of psychology), which are in major universities and medical centers across the country.
There will be opportunities in consulting (many located in New York, Boston, Chicago, Atlanta, Los Angeles), in high tech (Silicon Valley, Seattle, Austin), and in mega-successful companies like Amazon (also HQ in Seattle). Our graduates who go straight into the world of work often start out as interns or management trainees (or interns first, then hired as management trainees). With their background in behavioral science, their higher level of understanding of human behavior, and their enhanced critical thinking skills, they are poised to become successful leaders in whatever industry they enter and in whatever role they take on.
As my specific professional focus is Industrial-Organizational psychology (psychology in the workplace), many of my students go into Human Resources or into one of the major consulting firms (Bain, Deloitte, KPMG, etc.); there are still many opportunities in those areas, as well as in "general management," in companies that are still doing well, as many are.
How do you envision technology impacting this field in the next 5 years?
John Kello Ph.D.: The sources I read, and try to keep up with, are forecasting that the pandemic has opened the floodgates for using technology to replace face-to-face, in-office work. As one example, I have read the pre-pandemic, private medical practices used telemedicine on average for around 2% of their "office visits." In the midst of the pandemic, those practices that were still operating saw the average shoot up to 70%.
It has dropped a bit since, but no one is predicting that in the next normal, that average will return to 2%. I know the CEO of a major US company, with operations all over the country. Since they stopped flying people in for meetings and started using Zoom instead, they have saved hundreds of thousands of dollars just over the last six months.
They have no planned travel through the end of 2020. Their savings will be in the high-6/ low-7 figures range. It is highly unlikely they will return to pre-pandemic levels of spending on airlines, rental cars, hotels, restaurants, etc. when Zoom "works pretty well."
