Transitioning From I-O Internships to I-O Careers: A Multi-Industry Perspective

I-O psychologists are trained with the key knowledge and skills to provide workforce solutions to business-critical questions related to talent management, people strategy, and organizational performance. This expertise is initially developed during graduate training programs, where trainees gain experience through coursework and research. However, a key concern for I-O graduate students is how to translate this expertise when working with organizations, as learning how to effectively communicate and apply I-O psychology is often not formally integrated into graduate training and can be a challenge without having first-hand applied experience.

A key method of gaining practical experience is through internships. Such experiences provide a realistic job preview, sharpen technical skills, and can help with the acquisition of interpersonal skills, openness, adaptability, and self-confidence. Learning how to demonstrate these qualities prepares I-O psychologists to leverage their expertise across many different types of organizations and roles. Although internships provide unique insight into what I-O work can look like in organizations, it is critical to highlight that full-time roles often demand higher levels of proficiency, independence, and decision-making than internships.

To identify and explore the discrepancy between the skills necessary to succeed as an intern and those necessary to succeed in a full-time role, we asked early-career applied I-O psychologists (who were formally interns) what key skills and suggestions they would give to I-O graduate students who want to maximize their chances of successfully transitioning into more extensive industry roles. This discussion, which took place during our SIOP 2025 panel, collected insights from panelists representing multiple industries (i.e., manufacturing, healthcare, tech) and a variety of roles (i.e., consulting, talent assessment, people science). As you consider how you can leverage your training and experiences to make that transition, consider the top themes the panel converged on.

1. Build your foundational I-O and scientific expertise. I-O psychology covers many domains, and in many organizations I-Os may be asked to provide expert opinions or contribute to projects across these domains. Having this broad knowledge can enhance your ability to be an individual contributor, especially if you are always ready to continue building on this knowledge. Beyond I-O topics, the ability to think through problems from a scientific perspective (e.g., experimental methodology, statistics, causality) is a key component in framing the value of your perspective beyond I-O domains (e.g., data science, user experience, industry research scientist work).
2. Learn about the industry. Fundamentally, I-O is the science of work. An important element for effectively transitioning into a full-time role is being prepared to absorb the nuances of how I-O can be impactful for a given industry. As an example, the realities of core topics like selection and training can look very different between manufacturing and technology sectors, and come with distinct norms around something as fundamental as best practices around surveying and employee listening techniques. Learning from other I-Os and workers in the industry can help shape your understanding and application of your expertise. Further, looking for more opportunities to directly talk to and observe workers (e.g., job analysis, interviews, focus groups) is a powerful method for learning about an industry.
3. Manage scope and autonomy. A major shift from graduate training and internships to full-time roles is the emphasis on how to effectively manage multiple projects simultaneously. Whereas an internship or coursework may just focus on one key deliverable at the end of a few months, full-time I-Os are often expected to be experts who lead and execute multiple projects, and think about the long-term implications of their work beyond the project’s completion. For example, thinking about how to improve the response rate of an assessment or employee listening initiative, or developing a productionized methodology for qualitative research that can be re-used by team members on future projects. Moving from projects to a more autonomous, broadly scoped perspective will prepare I-O trainees to be more proactive contributors in full-time roles.
4. Be an effective team member. In almost any I-O position, you will be required to collaborate with other people. This may include other I-Os, stakeholders, leaders, and employees. As an I-O, you may shift from being the lead on one project to being an SME advisor on another project. Gaining the ability to fluidly shift between these roles makes you a more effective team player and more prepared to deal with increased scope and multiple projects by learning how to work cross functionally. A key element here is being able to both absorb industry knowledge while also sharing and advocating for the I-O perspective in your organization. Engaging in this shared learning process with people outside of I-O can help improve your ability to get aligned on critical knowledge and key decisions. Investing in this shared learning and growing your cross-functional network within the organization is a potent strategy for having long-term impact and broadening your perspective about how to apply I-O to a specific industry. Therefore, seeking opportunities to gain this cross-functional exposure during an internship can help demonstrate your preparedness for quickly becoming an embedded and effective full-time contributor.

EDITOR’S NOTE: SIOP Students Joshua Pearman and Rachel Pyram were invited to submit this article to share valuable tips for moving from an internship to a career that members may have missed at the 2025 SIOP Annual Conference. They were joined by SIOP Member Connor Eichenauer.

If you are interested in helping to tell the I-O psychology story, please view our current opportunities for subject matter experts. If you have an idea for a timely topic not listed here, please email SIOP Senior Brand and Content Strategist Amber Stark at astark@siop.org.