A psychology qualification opens the door to diverse and exciting career paths. While many graduates become registered psychologists, you may want to focus on improving workplace culture and developing effective marketing strategies by providing insights into human behaviour and decision-making.
Explore career opportunities in the human resources (HR) and marketing field, including roles, responsibilities, skills, experience, qualifications and potential employers.
Recruitment stands as one of the most dynamic and impactful areas within the human resources field, where you have the opportunity to shape the future of your organisation by attracting exceptional talent.
As a recruitment consultant you'll play a pivotal role in managing the entire recruitment journey – from defining clear and compelling job requirements to conducting engaging interviews and handpicking the most suitable candidates.
Recruitment consultants are essential in shaping client workforces through a range of impactful activities. They create compelling job advertisements, manage candidates by screening resumes and conducting interviews and handle reference checks to ensure the best matches. By briefing candidates on job responsibilities and negotiating salary, they facilitate meaningful connections that promote career growth.
To excel in this role, you will leverage a blend of excellent interpersonal and communication skills, strong customer service and sales expertise, and the ability to negotiate and provide innovative solutions.
Strong administrative and advanced writing skills, along with analytical capabilities, will enable you to lead projects successfully while working under tight deadlines and guiding your team towards achieving common goals.
Recruitment consultant roles may require undergraduate qualifications in HR, psychology or marketing. Experience in sales, customer service, or an office environment, particularly in temporary recruitment roles, will further equip you to make a meaningful impact in your field.
The recruitment consulting field is home to numerous employers in both the public and private sectors, with private recruitment agencies being among the largest. Many of these agencies specialise in niche fields such as construction, education, health or hospitality.
Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S) is a multifaceted field that encompasses various areas of work aimed at promoting safe and healthy workplace environments. OH&S officers play a crucial role in preventing workplace injuries, managing health risks and ensuring compliance with safety regulations.
OH&S officers are often responsible for injury management – where they develop and implement strategies to support employees recovering from work-related injuries, as well as navigating the complexities of workers' compensation to ensure that affected individuals receive the necessary support and resources. Additionally, OH&S officers conduct regular safety audits, provide training on safety practices, and foster a culture of health and safety through awareness programs, all of which contribute to minimising hazards and enhancing overall workplace well-being.
To thrive in this role, you’ll apply your knowledge of WorkCover legislation and compliance while fostering a proactive safety culture. Your skills in designing and facilitating safety and leadership coaching programs will ensure effective learning in the workplace. With strong interpersonal communication, you’ll contribute to occupational health and safety plans and engage with emergency management services.
Organisational development refers to the planned development, improvement and reinforcement of strategies, structures and processes that make an organisation effective.
Roles in this field largely revolve around change management and can often involve the training, mentoring, coaching and development of staff within an organisation.
Responsibilities in this field include assessing organisational development needs and designing procedural changes while evaluating the entire change process. Additionally, professionals create and implement communication plans and lead organisational design projects. They also provide expert change management services across businesses and facilitate training for teams and individuals.
Essential skills in organisational development roles include HR experience, particularly in recruitment or occupational health and safety; the ability to design learning programs and facilitate training; and strong leadership development capabilities.
Excellent communication skills are vital for building relationships with stakeholders. Candidates should also understand change principles, improve systems and procedures, and possess strong project management skills. Key traits include initiative, attention to detail, and effective planning and problem-solving abilities.
Qualifications for this role typically include an undergraduate degree in HR, psychology or a similar field. Additionally, a Master of Strategic Organisational Development or similar qualification may be required.
Many of the individuals who work in this field are considered to be organisational development specialists and they largely work as consultants. Some examples of consulting firms where specialists work include Deloitte and Morgan Consulting.
Market research and analysis revolves around the ability to understand consumer behaviour. Your solid grounding in psychology will help your employer understand why people think, feel and purchase the way they do. Some people in this field focus on sales and interpreting and presenting data, while others are responsible for research, training or consumer advocacy.
Market researchers generally work in the private sector conducting market research by collecting and analysing data, coordinating projects and preparing reports. Using techniques like focus groups and interviews, they identify key insights and provide strategic recommendations to foster organisational growth.
The skills and experience that will help you get started in this role include experience in qualitative and quantitative research, strong project management skills and a solid understanding of brands and advertising. You should be organised, able to meet deadlines and work effectively with diverse clients. Excellent written and verbal communication, interpersonal skills and analytical abilities are also essential.
Advertising agencies can be located within or independent of an organisation with a marketing department. They can be in the form of two or three people in a small creative agency, to hundreds of employees at a global agency or company.
People who work in this area are generally known as brand, product or marketing managers. They’re involved in researching target audiences for products and services and developing advertising and promotional materials based on this research.
Advertising roles focus on managing and implementing marketing strategies, particularly in digital marketing, while coordinating campaign communications with relevant stakeholders. Additionally, they collaborate with external suppliers and agencies to ensure the successful execution of campaigns, helping develop media strategies and closely working with agency partners. Lastly, they conduct market research to provide insightful reporting and analysis.
To excel in this role, you will need a creative mindset that enables you to think outside the box. Excellent interpersonal and communication skills to foster collaboration within a team is also essential.
Strong project management and organisational abilities, paired with a keen attention to detail, will help you succeed in managing tasks effectively. Moreover, highly developed analytical skills and a proactive approach to problem-solving are crucial – particularly when working with complex data analysis and relevant modelling tools.
Psychology professionals in human resource and marketing fields improve workplace culture and develop effective marketing strategies by providing insights into human behaviour and decision-making.
Find out more about studying human resource management (psychology) at Deakin.
Find out more about studying marketing (psychology) at Deakin.
