Recently, I had the opportunity to attend my first ever SIOP Annual Conference. Not only did I meet a host of wonderful professionals in IO psychology, I had an experience that helped me narrow down my interests in IO psychology. GREAT!

For example, it was quite obvious that the "I" side of Industrial Organizational Psychology is very focused on business, profit, and things of that nature. Most of these sessions were very focused and showcased some high-level leaders within some of our world's top companies of today like Google, for example.  Of course, industrial psychology is excellent and much needed. 

However, I found the "O" side of the field to be much more appealing for the contributions I hope to make as a prospective graduate student of the field.  I found myself attending a lot of sessions on overqualification, employee well-being and work-family conflict.  It was very interesting to see that many of the researchers in this field agree that these constructs are still being defined in a sense. 

I had a wonderful time, indeed. In fact, I had an opportunity to speak one-on-one with a prominent researcher in the realm of overqualification - Dr. Douglas Maynard.  The time with him was very helpful as he shared how he became interested in this area and the need for more exploration on overqualification.  I also met Dr. Donald Truxillo, who has also made great contributions in this area.  And, who knows, I may end up co-authoring a paper with these guys later!

I'll share some pictures of beautiful San Diego later!

MC

If you know anything about industrial organizational psychology, you must also know that the annual SIOP Conference is one of the most informative events you can attend in this field of study.  This year, the conference will be in San Diego from April 26-28.  Preconference workshops start on April 25.  Learn more at http://siop.org/conferences/default.aspx.

So, what's really exciting this year for those who really love I/O psychology is the keynote speaker, Dr. Albert Bandura!  Can you believe that?  Yes, it's true.  Dr. Bandura, probably the most reknown psychologist alive, will enlighten attendees for this year's conference.  No one should miss this. I mean, it's totally epic!

It's not too late to register. Just visit http://siop.org/conferences/default.aspx. (P.S. I'm not getting paid to promote this but I strongly feel this event will help you get inside the world of IO psychology!)

Hope to see you there!

On a scale of 1-5, with 1 being "Not all All" and 5 "Extremely", how overqualified do you feel at work?  Think in terms of the knowledge, skills and abilities you possess and how they fit with your job's requirements.  Feel free to look at your role description as you do this.

Just as many employers take time to evaluate their workforce.  Employees should also take time to evaluate their current employment to make sure it's the best present opportunity.

In a 2009 article on the economy's impact on employment, Fortune Magazine reported an estimated 8 million employees working jobs in which they are overqualified, or in which they had more skills and education than needed for the job.  Do you feel that you're in that position today?  

Here are a few (funny/quirky) signs you may be overqualified for your job:

1.  Your Facebook profile is always up while you're working, giving you easy access to respond to the latest poke, comment, etc.

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Happy New Year!  Isn't it great to start the year on Sunday - a sacred day of rest for many worldwide!

Perhaps, this year can be the year that we make rest a priority and see much more results from our work.  After all, resting is an important part of being successful.  After getting the proper rest, research shows we are able to focus better and be more productive.  

Below are a few ways to make rest a priority this year.  Don't feel alone in this journey; I'm applying them to my life as well.  If you have any tips or techniques to add to the list, please leave them in the comments below.

1.  Prioritize daily.  Yes, there is a little bit of work required to prioritize but it pays off in major ways.  For one, it's easier to relax at the end of the day when you know you've taken care of the important things.  Plus, it only takes about 10-15 mins to determine your top three-five to-do items.

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Industrial Organizational (I/O) Psychology is the study of behavior within organizations.  It is sometimes considered work psychology.  The practice is a science concerned with both organizational effectiveness and human well-being.  

Anyone that works might find this an interesting field as it gives insight into why many behaviors exist within the workplace. Ever wonder why your boss is always micromanaging you? Perhaps, you're working under a manager who subscribes to Theory X leadership style.  What's that, you might wonder?  Well, for now, let's just summarize this and say that managers who lean toward Theory X think their employees are naturally lazy and need to be micromanaged.  

Oh, but there are many, many, many more topics to discuss in I/O.  From compensation practices to discrimination to employee selection and work-family conflict, we can talk for days.  In fact, that is the plan.  And, to make matters more interesting, we'll interview some experts in industrial organizational psychology to learn more about their research and work.

So, whether you're interested in a career as an industrial organizational psychologists (as I am) or just interested in this topic, go ahead and subscribe now so you never miss any of the great articles coming up.  Plus, from time to time, I have partners who like to give away freebies to readers. So, go ahead and make sure you're on the list to win!  And, thanks so much for joining me.  Be sure to leave comments and let me know how I'm doing. Wondering who I am?  Click here to learn about me.