2021 SIOP Consortia: Thank You to Our Presenters and Attendees!

Debbie DiazGranados, Consortia Chair

SIOP was able to provide virtual opportunities for networking and professional development at varying career levels for our membership base during this year’s SIOP conference. We are happy to provide a summary of what was offered and some initial reactions of attendees.

Master’s Consortium

The SIOP Virtual Master’s Consortium officially kicked off #SIOPSeason on Friday March 19, 2021. Over 2 weeks, Christopher Rosetti, Jacob Hollander, and Matisha Montgomery hosted four sessions for 109 registered students from 44 different programs. The students and speakers generated a great deal of energy, enthusiasm, and new connections.

This year’s program included a diverse group of presenters and topic areas. Attendees had the opportunity to hear from master’s-level presenters in a variety of practices, engage on topics that aren’t commonly covered in formal education curriculum, and better prepare for the job market. All presentations were recorded and made available to registrants.

The excellence of our five fantastic keynote speakers, Dalyn C. Allen, Tyra L. Gray, Destiny Mercado, Rachel Reichman, Cody Warren and invited guest Amber Burkhart made for an agenda that was chock full of everything you need to know when preparing to transition from student to professional. With this year’s addition of new content types and technology approaches, like augmented breaks and virtual speed networking, participants were able to gain perspective on topics ranging from common I-O career paths to nailing your interview, negotiating your first salary to getting involved with SIOP, and even communicating effectively with non-I-O audiences.

The postevent survey was completed by 29.3% of attendees (n = 32), with most participants who provided feedback being in their first (n =14) or second year (n = 10) of a master’s program and a small group of respondents being part-time students (n = 6). Overall, students rated the event as being very effective as a virtual event: 88% of respondents (n = 28) said they agreed or strongly agreed that a virtual environment worked well for this event, and only half (n = 16) indicated they would have preferred the event to be live. Further, items asking participants if the content was presented in an interesting manner and if the environment was interactive scored very well (4.28/5.00 and 4.38/5.00 respectively). 84% of respondents (n = 27) agreed or strongly agreed that they will be able to apply what they learned.

Lee Hakel Doctoral Consortium

The Lee Hakel Doctoral Consortium celebrated another successful gathering this year as doctoral students from over 30 programs participated in development and networking events. Taking place over a series of virtual sessions, students interacted with panelists experienced in the field and their peers to discuss best strategies for building a successful career in I-O psychology.

The fun kicked off with a social hour where attendees discussed their inspiration for getting into I-O psychology and what life has been like in grad school this past year. Plus, we daydreamed about our future vacations (Lots of beaches and mountain hiking are hopefully in our future!). Then it was time to get down to business as panelists from across the field came together to share their experiences and advice. Rick Jacobs led a workshop about what makes an impactful elevator pitch and guided students in creating and practicing their own pitches. Allison Gabriel and Daisy Chang shared excellent advice on generating new research ideas, and editors from five(!!!) different journals shared strategies for getting research published. There was a refreshing conversation with Abby Corrington, Trevor Watkins, and Martin Yu about finishing the dissertation while maintaining your own health and well-being. Of course, a doctoral consortium isn’t complete without discussing the next step: the job market! Richard Landers and James LeBreton shared tips for preparing to enter the academic market, and Kristin Saboe, Jimmy Davis, and Marty Alber offered unique perspectives about applying for applied jobs in government, consulting, and private companies.

Next year’s Doctoral Consortium has some big shoes to fill, but we’re ready for the challenge! If you’re interested in participating, keep an eye out for an announcement near the end of 2021 with details for how to be nominated by your program chair.

Thanks to all the attendees and panelists for making this year’s Doctoral Consortium an engaging and insightful experience!

Early Career Faculty Consortia

We are pleased to share that the 2021 Early Career Faculty Consortium was a success!  We had a great cohort of 14 SIOP members attend the ECFC consortia who represented psychology, business and applied programs. Panelists shared valuable insights in response to participants’ thoughtful questions related to data collection strategies (led by Jason Dahling and Amanda Thayer), obtaining tenure (led by Derek Avery and Sam Hunter), and teaching and mentoring best practices (led by Alicia Grandey and Tyree Mitchell). It was also great to join forces with the Doctoral Consortia to learn about generating new research ideas (led by Daisy Chang and Allison Gabriel) and best practices in publishing from the editors of top journals in our field.

To the panelists and participants, thank you for generously sharing your valuable time and insights with us. Among our favorite pieces of advice was from Derek Avery, who spoke of the importance of declining an institution’s requests to take on senior faculty responsibilities before you are granted tenure. Dr. Avery noted, “Just like Beyoncé says, if you like it then you should put a ring on it.” In other words, as junior faculty it is important to know our worth and not settle for long-term responsibilities before a long-term commitment is guaranteed. 

SIOP’s Early Career Practitioner Consortium

Early Career Practitioner Consortia 2021 included a full program of I-O experts from multiple career tracks and backgrounds, sharing insights for navigating those unique realities we face early in our career journeys. Although this year’s event was fully virtual, participants and presenters engaged in discussion, formed connections, and had fun!

Maya Garza (BetterUp) set the day’s tone with her opening presentation on planning one’s career from a place of self-compassion. She proffered self-compassion as a secret weapon, describing the benefits of cultivating one’s inner coach. Her insights helped frame a positive perspective as the program moved to tackling common challenges early career I-Os may face.

Alli Besl (Amazon), Gary Travinin (PDRI, an SHL company), and James De Leon (Worcester Polytechnic Institute) next shared their personal early career experiences. They offered lessons learned for navigating large organizations, gaining buy-in, and forming connections across business functions. This included advice for selling one’s work and building credibility with a non-I-O audience, as well as selling oneself and advocating for growth opportunities.

Emilee Tison (DCI Consulting), Jake Forsman (Slalom), John Fernandez (Johnson & Johnson), Madhura Chakrabati (Syngenta), and Ryan O’Leary (PDRI, an SHL company) served as mentors for the day. These senior-level leaders walked through the career paths leading to their current roles. They described the decisions made and trade-offs balanced at each major career step, from finding a first job through climbing the ranks. Although no one expert’s path was the same, they shared perspectives for approaching new opportunities in relation to one’s own personal and career goals.

Attendees spent much of the time joining breakout groups with the mentors and presenters. They had the chance to ask their top-of-mind questions, linking the day’s content to their own paths. This time also allowed connections to form with both the mentors and each other. They completed the Hogan Personality Inventory and met with Jessie McClure (Hogan Assessment Systems) in separate debrief sessions to interpret their results, apply them to their career journeys, and see how their group benchmarked with other I-Os.

Best of all, ECPC 2021 didn’t stop with the formal event. Through connections made during the time together, attendees continued the conversation in separate 1:1 calls with presenters that they met. ECPC 2021 was a success, and we hope to see you next year at ECPC 2022!

As they say, that’s a wrap! A sincere thank you to all the cochairs of the consortia (Matisha Montgomery, Chris Rosetti, and Jacob Hollander—Master’s; Emily Hunter and Elliott Larson—Doctoral; Megan Nolan and Andrea Hetrick—Early Career Faculty; and Robert Stewart and Stephanie Murphy—Early Career Practitioner), the AO, the presenters, and all the attendees!

See you at next year’s consortia!! If you have any questions regarding the consortia and how it fits into your professional development plans, please feel free to reach out to me: diazgranados@vcu.edu.