Fellow of the Higher Education Academy Principal Lecturer - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Dr Vicki Elsey Chartered Occupational Psychologist, Associate Fellow BPS Fellow of the Higher Education Academy Principal Lecturer Vicki.elsey@Northumbria.ac.uk

• BSc Hons

Psychology

• Factory work
• Office work
• Bar work

2000

• MSc

Occupational Psychology

• MSc Thesis

with management consultancy

2001

• Recruitment

Consultancy (Admin Role)

• Management

Consultancy

2001

4) Chartered Occupational Psychologist 1) Business Support Role 3) Occupational Psychology Consultant 2) Research Consultant Role Management Consultancy

Research design, advanced data gathering and analytical techniques Applying psychology to work and

• rganisations

Learning, training and development Leadership, engagement and motivation Wellbeing and work Work design,

• rganization

al changeand development Psychologica l assessment at work

Five core areas of OP (from BPS accreditation handbook)

• 1. How a business works
• 2. Back to basics – literature, theory, research
• 3. Applying occupational psychology to the real world
• 4. Becoming a professional occupational psychologist

(chartered)

• Working in a small organisation gave me more opportunities

than I would have had in a large organisation

• You have to be prepared to make mistakes…they build your

confidence (with support)

4) Chartered Occupational Psychologist 1) Business Support Role 3) Occupational Psychology Consultant 2) Research Consultant Role Management Consultancy

• BSc Hons

Psychology

• Factory work
• Office work
• Bar work

2000

• MSc

Occupational Psychology

• MSc Thesis

with management consultancy

2001

• Recruitment

Consultancy (Admin Role)

• Management

Consultancy

2001

• University

Lecturer

• MSc

Programme Leader

2006

Start Professional Doctorate in Occupational Psychology

2010

Awarded DOccPsych

2016

Got Married

2009

Had a child

2011

Had another child

2016

Back to work 3 days per week

2012

Back to work 4 days per week

2017

Things got messy!

• Practitioner becoming an academic!
• Chartered Occupational Psychologist – that is my identity
• Working with the next generation of Occupational Psychologists, while

also being one myself

• DOccPsych: The Career of an Occupational Psychology Graduate:

Employment, Identity, Employability (2012-2016) (classed as Early Career Researcher)

• Doing what I originally wanted to do 20 years ago – make a difference to

the working lives of individuals

• Variety, autonomy, development, challenge

• Research:
• Wellbeing in the Police Force
• The Motherhood Penalty
• Values based recruitment tool for a hospice
• Employee Silence
• Practice:
• Development of an approach to support leaders in the health service
• Assessment centres for Heads of Service
• Graduate coaching skills training and coaching
• Supervision of Trainee Occupational Psychologists
• Volunteering with the BPS

• Early career: the role – finding the right one, making the most
• f it, getting experience
• Mid career: now about managing competing priorities, how to

maintain a work identity while having a new identity as wife and mother

• I love my subject and my profession!
• Going back to my initial interests e.g. career, enjoying work
• Adapt, adapt, adapt!

• Through

education, reflection, experience

• Work, life,

sports, volunteering

• Formal and

informal

• At all levels
• What do you

want?

• What is

important to you?

Values and ambitions Education Learning Participation

“the evolving sequence of a person’s work experiences

• ver time”

(Arthur, Hall and Lawrence, 1989)

• Career Construction Theory
• “The process through which individuals construct themselves, impose direction in

their vocational behaviour and make meaning of their careers” (Savickas, 2013, p.147)

• Requires adaptability (4Cs) – CONCERN, CONTROL, CURIOSITY, CONFIDENCE
• https://www.caba.org.uk/how-we-help/career-development/career-adaptability-

tool-introduction

• Happenstance
• Indecision is a normal part of career, unplanned events foster learning

(Krubmoltz, 1999)

• Interactionist approach
• Many theories apply in employability – it is a multifaceted construct

The Career of an Occupational Psychology Graduate: Employment, Employability and Identity (2016)

• Job craft or career craft
• What employees do to redesign their own jobs in ways that can foster job

satisfaction, as well as engagement, resilience and thriving at work (Wrzesniewski & Dutton, 2001)

• Craft for your role or professional identity
• Self-efficacy
• Confidence, has an influence on employability and career success (se also Abele &

Spurk, 2009a)

• Comes with experience – positive and negative
• Profile raising
• Sell your profession, joint responsibility, be proud to be a psychologist!
• Destination data
• You may be asked to participate in surveys from your university and from the

professional body to understand what you have done post graduation – participation helps us to understand the employment market

Work Sleep Other

HOURS IN A DAY

10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 Being a child Work Retirement Having fun Waiting for the weekend “getting through it” Watching the clock Having fun

Values and ambitions Education Learning Participation

Past Present Future

• Make the most of opportunities – future success is about more than

understanding theories at university! Experience grows confidence (self- efficacy)

• Be prepared to adapt – what you want now might not match where you end

up – openness and adaptability matter to employability…job craft

• Develop an understanding of YOU – what do you enjoy, what makes you

happy, how can you measure success…YOUR measure

• Be interested – attend careers talks, network, learn about jobs and

careers

BE AUTHENTIC!

VICKI.ELSEY@NORTHUMBRIA.AC.UK

Any questions?