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How does a psychology major help with getting into HR?

#human-resources #psychology #college-major

college-major psychology human-resources
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Nicole’s Answer

Hi Patrick--

This is a great question because I am sure that you have seen many people working in the HR field that majored in Psychology in college. Personally, I majored in Psychology and now am an HR professional as an Intern Experience Coordinator. Psychology has helped me in this profession because it teaches you how to work with different personalities and to think strategically. Sometimes in an HR profession, reading into personalities and different traits can allow you to choose the correct candidate in the recruiting space or even in a leadership position when there are org changes or new strategies needed. HR and psychology can go hand in hand and really provide you with the knowledge and experience needed for an HR profession. Best of luck!
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Amber’s Answer

Hello! I am an HR Business Partner and have a degree in Psychology. I actually didn't have an intentions on going into HR when I choose that field (I mostly picked that major due to the lack of math required :)) Although, it does help in certain ways of understanding why people sometimes do what they do, I wouldn't say it's the best option. I would suggest a business major as much of what I do is strategizing with our business leaders and help them make decisions that positively impact both our business and the employees.
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Dana’s Answer

I think it can help as the others have mentioned, but i also think you can work in HR without having a Psychology degree. I have the degree and except for a few situations where using certain psychological assessments was necessary and having the degree helped, i would say that your personality and your inclination to work with people might come more into play.
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Katie’s Answer

Hi Patrick - in addition to what others have shared, Psych majors (or majors in other "liberal arts" fields like sociology, anthropology, even history) can be helpful because strong communication skills (both verbal and written) are very important in an HR career. A lot of HR work involves communicating to diverse audiences and synthesizing complex information into something that employees can easily understand. Honing these skills in class papers, discussions, etc can be really helpful, even if the subject matter of those classes isn't directly related to HR work. So a combination of psychology and something business-related as Amber mentioned could be a great combination!
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RAVI’s Answer

There are some good answers above. Although I am not directly knowledgeable about Psychology, I have worked with HR folks related to some issues where Psychology application is required. My input will be brief, based on my own experience and not as a psych professional.

Psychology helps with some key aspects of company's HR department as follows:

1. HR managers with psych background assess candidates that have gone through the hiring manager's interviews before being offered a job. This helps them assess the suitability of the candidate for the company and corporate culture, if the candidate will be productive and easy to work with apart from the the technical qualifications they have. Many HR departments perform this analysis and attach to the hiring process report.

2. HR team with Psych and people management background assess and help resolve disputes with employees, between employees, and sometimes between employee and the manager. They also advise and help prepare guides on how to deal with individuals in various situations to help run the company smoothly.
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Kevin’s Answer

Presumably because in Psychology you will learn a great deal about how folks' minds work and how that translates into behaviors within a given surrounding. Applying that knowledge to a career in HR could be beneficial because you have to be adept at people management and having an appreciation for motivations and that behaviors may be indicative of other issues. Organizational psychology is the marriage of Psychology and company/institutional objectives where it is your responsibility to help create healthier and effective workplaces.
However, a psych major should not be viewed as a means to manipulate people in order to be a more successful HR practitioner.
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