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Setting your mind on a career in psychology? Good news – there’s never been a better time for psychology graduates looking for employment. In 2024, the Australian Government announced that they’d be making it easier to secure postgraduate places and psychology internships, acknowledging that all Australians deserve better access to mental health support. Combine that with the world-class study options already available, and the future is looking rosy for the next generation of psychology graduates.
Studying, though, is just the first step towards graduate employment for psychology students. Out in the world, there are nearly endless directions a psychology degree can take you. To help us break it all down, we talked to Deakin University’s career consultants team leader, Katrina Gleeson, and career coach Matt Cornell.
If the idea of a job in psychology tickles your brain, but you’re not exactly sure where you’d like to end up, that’s completely fine. According to Gleeson, just being a psychology graduate can open up employment options in a wide range of areas.
‘As a psychology graduate, you have a wide-ranging set of career options, and your degree can lead you down pathways across many different fields,’ Gleeson says. ‘While some pathways are competitive and quite linear (requiring specific further studies), others are flexible and allow you to shape a path that fits your interests and goals.’
Gleeson and Cornell explain that there are four main employment streams for psychology graduates, each with plenty of roles to choose from. Let’s take a closer look:
Psychologist
Gleeson calls this the ‘linear’ or ‘traditional’ path. If you’re looking at these psychology career pathways, you’ll need to become a registered psychologist and have studied beyond a bachelor’s degree. For example, an Honours or Graduate Diploma of Psychology (Advanced), and Masters, PhD, or Doctorate.From there, psychology graduates can specialise in one of nine areas of practice:
Employment for psychology graduates can go beyond typical psychology roles. Many mental health careers don’t require the same level of study as the registered psychology careers above – and that can be a good thing for some of us.
‘Not everyone meets the entry requirements for Honours or advanced psychology programs, and that’s okay – what matters most is finding a path that aligns with your passion for helping others,’ Cornell says.
Careers in this category might include youth work, behaviour therapy, organisational psychology support roles (such as employee wellbeing, change support or learning and development roles within people and culture teams), wellbeing officers and telephone counsellors. It all depends on your passions and areas of expertise. While these roles don’t require postgraduate psychology degrees, they might still need further study, like a Master of Social Work.
Broader roles
Just because you’re a psychology graduate, it doesn’t mean employment in psychology or mental health roles are the only options. There’s plenty of demand across industries for those vital skills.
‘Psychology graduates are also valued in roles that focus on understanding and supporting people,’ Gleeson says. ‘While for some of these your degree alone will allow you to step into them now, others may require a bit of additional training.’
These roles include:
Open or general roles
‘Many roles outside of mental health have flexible qualification requirements like “a relevant degree,” and if the work aligns with your other interest areas (and you meet their other criteria) your psychology degree alone is often enough,’ Cornell says.
This kind of psychology-adjacent job includes work in sectors like the government, education, professional services, and banking.
Graduate employability experts tell us that work experience is a big tick for prospective employers. This doesn’t mean that you have to be a psychologist already to impress your future boss, though – there are some jobs you can get while still studying psychology.
‘Many roles allow psychology students to gain experience while completing their degree,’ Cornell says. ‘These jobs help build transferable skills, provide exposure to client work, and strengthen employability after graduation.’
Jobs for psychology students include peer support work, mental health support work, youth worker assistant, reception or admin assistant in a psychology clinic, and telephone counsellor.
High distinctions and academic success will be essential to becoming a registered psychologist but, as Gleeson explains, employers will always be looking for more than just good marks. ‘Employers value psychology graduates for their strong people-focused skills and ability to apply evidence-based thinking,’ she says.
If you want to get a leg-up when it comes to job hunting, Gleeson says that employers love to see these certain skills in psychology graduates:
Okay, so you’ve studied hard, worked your way through a degree (or two) and built up a great collection of job-ready skills. What’s the next step in getting a graduate psychology job? According to Cornell, it’s all about showing employers you’re ready to take the leap.
‘Landing your first job after a psychology degree is about showing employers how your academic skills translate into real-world value,’ he says.
This is where picking up a job while you study is so worthwhile. ‘Gaining experience before you graduate – even outside psychology – is crucial, as it provides evidence of your ability to work with people, solve problems, and apply learning practically.’
Gleeson also recommends tailoring your job applications to highlight psychology skills and experience, and networking with university and industry contacts.
Most of all, though, it’s worth understanding that finding employment as a psychology graduate is an ongoing process. Your first job is just a step on the way – it doesn’t have to be the end goal.
‘Be open-minded about your first role,’ says Gleeson. ‘Many graduates start in related fields like human resources, community services, or research support, using that experience as a stepping stone while showing initiative and a clear sense of career direction.’
From clinical psychology to humanitarian work, a psychology career could take you just about anywhere. Wherever you set your sights, Cornell has a few parting words for us on how to make yourself a more employable psychology graduate.
‘Psychology graduates are valued by employers because they bring evidence-based insight into human behaviour, strong critical thinking, and ethical decision-making,’ he says. ‘By combining people-centred understanding with practical reasoning, psychology graduates adapt quickly to new environments and contribute meaningfully to organisational culture – the qualities employers are looking for in versatile, high-performing candidates across industries.’
Dreaming of a career in psychology? Explore Deakin University’s psychology and mental health courses today.
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