CP TIG Week: Job Seeking Advice in Community Psychology by Olya Glantsman and Judah Viola

Hi, we are Olya Glantsman, a visiting professor of Psychology at DePaul University and Judah Viola, a dean of the College of Professional Studies and Advancement at National Louis University in Chicago. Last month we celebrated the release of our book titled Diverse Careers in Community Psychology.

The idea for the Diverse Careers in Community Psychology was born as a response to the question often posed by our students: “What can I do with a degree in Community Psychology?” Each time we got this question, we became more and more convinced that a text like this is long overdue for students (undergraduate or graduate), professionals looking to expand, shift, or change their career, and anyone who is mentoring or advising community minded students or employees.

Below are some hot tips we culled from the results of an extensive career survey of over 400-plus participants and 23 chapters written by over 30 different community psychologists (CPs) with various backgrounds.

Hot Tips: When looking for a job

• Keep in mind, that those with community-oriented degrees do not have a problem finding a job
• Many professionals successfully market their job skills and competencies rather than their degree and really find a “niche” – using unique interests and talents that the organization or team needs
• A large number of survey participants have cited using Practice Competencies in helping them secure a job and using the same competencies throughout their work
  • All respondents reported using between five and fourteen competencies
• When searching for a practice job, start preparing while still in training, cast a broad net, and search multiple disciplines
• Obtaining mentorship and networking are two of the most important activities one can participate in.
  • More than half (59%) of survey respondents reported that they found out about their current job through networking

Rad Resources: Job Search

• Participants use multiple search techniques when looking for employment (e.g., job postings, networking, listservs, etc.)
  • Ex. Applications for almost all federal jobs can be found through USAJOBS website
  • Ex. Resources for a foundation job search can be found on these main sites:
    • The Chronicle of Philanthropy (https://www.philanthropy.com)
    • The Council on Foundations (http://www.cof.org)
    • The Foundation Center (http://foundationcenter.org)
    • The Council on Foundation’s Philanthropic Support Network (https://www.cof.org/content/philanthropic-support-network)
• Finding practice related job search:
  • AEA, APA, and American Public Health Association (APHA) website, Indeed.com, Idealist.org, npo.net, simplyhired.com, and careerbuilder.com

Rad Resources: Job Training

• Training opportunities for Community-oriented individual are abundant
  • Ex. Federal government:
    • AAAS funds some programs directly (http://fellowships.aaas.org)
    • American Psychological Association (http://www.apa.org/about/gr/fellow/index.aspx)
    • The Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD) (http://www.srcd.org/policy-media/policy-fellowships/about-fellowships)

Whether you are beginning your career or trying to expand or shift into a new arena, there are lots of options and opportunities. Whatever your journey, we hope you would find more helpful tips and hints in our book.

The American Evaluation Association is celebrating Community Psychology TIG Week with our colleagues in the CP AEA Topical Interest Group. The contributions all this week to aea365 come from our CP TIG members. Do you have questions, concerns, kudos, or content to extend this aea365 contribution? Please add them in the comments section for this post on the aea365 webpage so that we may enrich our community of practice. Would you like to submit an aea365 Tip? Please send a note of interest to aea365@eval.org. aea365 is sponsored by the American Evaluation Association and provides a Tip-a-Day by and for evaluators.