Connecting for Growth at SIOP 2024: A Look Inside This Year’s Consortia

Amber Burkhart

The Consortia Committee continues to make strides in enhancing the professional growth of SIOP’s student and early career members. This year, the committee emphasized the importance of integrating the consortia attendees into the broader SIOP conference and ecosystem and fostering connections that extend beyond the event itself. Through innovative and experimental approaches in programming and engagement and working with committees, members, and leaders across SIOP, the Consortia Committee aimed to provide quality and impactful programming for the attendees.

This year the four consortia drew an incredible 175 registrants! Across the various virtual and in-person consortia, there were more than 25 different sessions with more than 60 presenters, panelists, and mentors who helped make the event a success. Consortia attendees were appreciative of the work; those who completed the postconsortia survey rated the consortia as a good use of their time (93% favorable) and indicated they would recommend the consortia to fellow students or colleagues (93% favorable).

Thank you to the committee members, and our amazing student volunteer Nadine Maliakkal (Hogan Assessments), for developing programming that benefitted the professional development of members at various stages across SIOP’s membership. Please read below to hear more about the programming from each consortium. Plus, do not forget to look out for the amazing consortia programming next year with Kristina Bauer (Illinois Institute of Technology) moving into the Consortia Chair leadership role!

Master’s Consortium

2024 marked another successful Master’s Consortium! Building on feedback from the previous year, we expanded the virtual consortium to twelve sessions over 3 weeks. The Master’s Consortium drew 60 participants who registered for the speaker series. Postevent feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with attendees commonly describing the experience as informative, engaging, helpful, organized, insightful, inspiring, thoughtful, and fun! When asked if the SIOP Consortia was a good use of their time, participants strongly agreed, averaging a 4.5 out of 5. We kicked off the consortia with a networking session, and we heard feedback from students that they used the connections they built in the consortium to connect with fellow students at the conference. 

This year’s consortium featured 10 keynote speakers representing various top avenues that master’s I-O students pursue postgraduation: internal consulting, external consulting, assessments, and government. 

• Kirsten Mosier, consultant at Aon: External Consulting: Is This the Right Career for Me?
• Amanda Quijada-Crisostomo, lead consultant at Target: Internal Consulting: Practicing I-O to Support Your Employer, Their Employees, and Business Outcomes
• Samy Saad-Haukjaer and Kaila Graham, testing specialists at the City of Chicago: I-O Psychology and the City of Chicago
• Jocelyn Hays, director of Product Development at Hogan Assessment Systems: Getting to Know All About You: Talent Assessment Today
• Barbara Patchen, founder, head coach, and principal consultant at Moonlight Strategy: Storytelling Mastery for Influence: Techniques to Captivate and Persuade
• Megan Snodgrass, HR strategy and design project manager at Physical Rehabilitation Network: It’s Not You, It’s Me… A Modern-Day Layoff Story
• Abigail Kost, senior manager of Client Success Operations at Integra Connect: Translating I-O Into Business
• Lyndi Zavy, CEO and founder of Rivers and Roads Organizational Development: Cultivate Your Personal Brand (Without Losing Your Soul)
• Amber Burkhart, director of Talent and Data Analytics at Valmont Industries: Getting and Staying Involved at SIOP

Several additional presentations were developed and delivered by Chair Beth Adams (Ankura) and Cochair Cody Warren (Hogan Assessments). Beth presented “Best Practices and Considerations for the Job Hunt: Applying, Interviewing, and Negotiating Salaries.” Cody debriefed the students’ Hogan Assessment results. Both speakers and participants had wonderful experiences, many of which were shared via LinkedIn.

SIOP is delighted to contribute to the launch of new I-O careers, and the Masters’ Consortium serves as one of the excellent avenues through which SIOP can support soon-to-be graduates as they prepare to enter the workforce. On behalf of all the members of the Consortia Committee, thank you for your participation, and we wish you all the best in your future endeavors!

Lee Hakel Doctoral Consortium

This year, more than 60 I-O psychology and organizational behavior/human resource management doctoral students attended the Lee Hakel Doctoral Consortium at the SIOP conference! Students came from over 50 programs, representing over 25 U.S. states and 6 non-U.S. countries. Students with an interest in joining academia or industry upon graduation attended a series of 1-day, in-person professional development sessions. 

The first segment of the Doctoral Consortium focused on the dissertation process. Two presenters, Tianjun Sun (Kansas State U. & Rice U.) and Desmond Leung (SHL), shared their experiences, approaches, and tips for completing an award-winning dissertation. Tianjun and Desmond shared their varying perspectives on how to approach and complete a dissertation with the goal of entering careers in academia and industry, respectively.   

Moving onto the second session, students who plan to pursue a career in academia joined discussions with an academic-oriented panel, including Eden King (Rice U.), Liu Qin Yang (Portland State U.), John Lynch (U. of Illinois Chicago), Lindsey Greco (Oklahoma State U.), and Nancy Stone (Middle Tennessee State U.). Students who plan to pursue a career in industry joined discussions with a practice-oriented panel, including Randy Lim (McKinsey), Rachel Callan (Atlassian), Meredith Coats (Google), and Jon Willford (Dropbox). Each of these speakers has extensive experience with and insights into their respective job markets. Speakers shared practical advice on various stages of the job search, including search strategies and selection criteria, dos and don’ts for application materials, interviews, and job talks. 

In the afternoon, the third segment began with a panel of experts with extensive experience with industry–academia partnerships. Richard Landers (U. of Minnesota), Emily Campion (U. of Iowa), Georgi Yankov (DDI), and Chase Winterberg (Hogan) shared their thoughts on the benefits and challenges of these partnerships and the strategies they have used to navigate them. They also shared advice on how students can stay connected with collaborators from “the other side of the aisle” as they enter their respective careers in industry or academia. 

The Doctoral Consortium wrapped up with students choosing one of two sessions to gain additional preparations for the field. A group of students attended a peer review bootcamp led by Journal of Applied Psychology (JAP; joint session with Early Career Faculty Consortium). This peer review bootcamp was led by Lillian Eby (U. of Georgia) and her editorial team, including Kristen Shockley (Auburn U.), Talya Bauer (Portland State U.), Allison Gabriel (Purdue U.), Alicia Grandey (Penn State U.), Jasmine Hu (Ohio State U.), Fred Oswald (Rice U.), and Jenny Hoobler (Nova School of Business and Economic). Students who attended the bootcamp read and wrote a review for a paper in advance of the conference and discussed and received feedback during the session. Alternatively, students could join attendees of the Master’s Consortium in attending a series of presentations on applied topics. Steven Jarrett (Talogy), Ali O’Malley (Reflexion Group), Jaclyn Menendez (Colorado State U.), and Daniel Gandara (DDI) presented on topics such as creating a successful elevator pitch and project management.

According to the postconsortia survey, the Doctoral Consortium received positive feedback from the students. On average, students indicated that the Doctoral Consortium met their expectations (3.92/5.00), they learned a great deal throughout the consortium (4.19/5.00), and they would recommend the Doctoral Consortium to other students (4.42/5/00).

Once again, the Doctoral Consortium Cochairs I-Heng (Ray) Wu (U. of South Alabama) and Daniel Ravid (U. of New Mexico) would like to thank all the attendees, panelists/speakers, and everyone that made this year’s Doctoral Consortium a success! We wish all the very best in your doctoral studies, career, and beyond!

Early Career Faculty Consortium

We are pleased to share that the 2024 Early Career Faculty Consortium was a success! The ECFC hosted 13 early career academics from various universities and departments. Participants interacted with esteemed midcareer and senior scholars in academic positions across I-O psychology and organizational behavior.

The fully in-person consortium kicked off the day with a panel on Teaching Undergraduate and Graduate Courses, led by Marcus Fila (Hope College), Lisa Finkelstein (Northern Illinois U.), Marcus Dickson (Wayne State U.), and Loren Naidoo (California State U., Northridge).

Then, participants learned about Surviving and Thriving through the Promotion and Tenure Process and Managing Marketability from recently tenured faculty, including Russell Matthews (U. of Alabama), Enrica Ruggs (U. Houston), Amanda Thayer (Florida Institute of Technology), and Scott Tonidandel (U. of North Carolina, Charlotte).

In the final panel session, panelists spoke about Research and Pipeline Tips & Tricks. Panelists included Bob Sinclair (Clemson U.), Quinetta Roberson (Michigan State U.), Reeshad Dalal (George Mason U.), and Julie Wayne (Wake Forest U.).

To finish off the day, the Journal of Applied Psychology (JAP; editor: Dr. Lillian Eby) led a reviewer bootcamp. Participants were invited to prepare a practice review of a paper in advance of the session. During the session, participants were paired with JAP’s editors or action editors (Lillian Eby, Kristen Shockley, Talya Bauer, Allison Gabriel, Alicia Grandey, Jasmine Hu, Fred Oswald, and Jenny Hoobler). Discussion focused on high-level themes of the paper, how to structure reviews, and best practices for constructive and developmental peer reviews. 

Feedback from the consortium was overwhelmingly positive, with the majority of participants being extremely satisfied with the panels and reviewer bootcamp. Participants suggested that the most valuable part of the consortium was hearing “pointers that could be applied easily,” “the honest and candid responses,” and “the ability to talk with the panelists after their sessions and networking opportunities with other attendees.” As one attendee noted, “The opportunity to hear from others that have walked the walk was very reinforcing, motivating, and inspiring.” The participants also provided excellent suggestions to improve the 2025 Early Career Faculty Consortium. 

From Chair and Cochair Alex Harris-Watson (U. of Oklahoma) and Rachel Williamson Smith (Georgia Southern U.): Thank you to the early career faculty for participating. We wish you all the best in the future! And to the wonderful panelists, thank you all so much for dedicating your time and helping make the consortium a success!

Early Career Practitioner Consortium

Organized by Jan Harbaugh (SHL) and Vanessa Gaskins (Corning Incorporated), the in-person 2024 Early Career Practitioner Consortium (ECPC) was attended by more than 30 practitioners. Designed for practitioners less than 5 years into their I-O careers, this year’s ECPC emphasized the importance of building professional agility to develop in an applied career and was centered around the following goals:

• Foster camaraderie amongst next generation I-O leaders,
• Equip I-O early career practitioners with knowledge, skills, and resources to accelerate their careers,
• Improve I-O early career practitioners’ professional agility, and
• Give exposure to different I-O career paths.

The consortium included a full program of I-O experts who shared their career histories, lessons learned, and advice on building agility and developing as an I-O practitioner.

In a preconference virtual event, attendees had the chance to meet their fellow ECPC participants, learn about the 2024 theme of professional agility, and hear how assessment can build self-awareness and enhance professional development. Participants also received guidance on preparing for the in-person event and completing prework, which included identifying for discussion a challenge they were facing in their current role and completing SHL’s Occupational Personality Questionnaire (OPQ). 

Participants were encouraged to use the “six degrees of Kevin Bacon” concept to think about networking at ECPC and throughout the SIOP conference. They were challenged to make new connections to expand their networks and reduce the degrees of separation between them and other members of SIOP.

During the in-person event, ECPC participants heard from distinguished I-O professionals Cathy Maraist, Lauren McEntire, Lauren Robertson, Chris Rotolo, and Nancy Tippins, who shared experiences from their illustrious and diverse careers and gave insights into critical experiences that shaped their professional agility. They also provided advice on professional development, discussed the value of curating and consulting a personal board of directors, and gave tips for strategically building a personal brand. 

ECPC Cochair Jan Harbaugh, managing consultant at SHL, talked with attendees about how assessments can be powerful tools not only in their work as practitioners but also in their own development as I-O professionals. She also provided guidance on how to interpret their OPQ results and build a personalized development plan.

Rose Fonseca, Andre Hennig, Anna Hulett, Laura Lomeli, Jackson Roatch, and Valerie Rogers served as mentors for the afternoon. In a panel discussion, these mentors shared their personal career experiences, including how they are personally working to grow professional agility and examples of when they have shown agility. They also shared practical advice for responding in the moment when you are not sure of the answer, reevaluating success metrics and goals as needed, and adapting your style to different situations and audiences.

Attendees spent the remainder of the afternoon joining small breakout groups with the mentors where they engaged in rich dialogue on a variety of topics, including their pre-identified challenges, development as practitioners, career aspirations, and insights from the prework assessment. This time also allowed attendees to strengthen connections with other I-O practitioners.

ECPC participants walked away with a better understanding of professional agility, what it looks like in action, and how to grow it in their own careers. The experience helped them to feel more connected to SIOP and eager to be more involved in the SIOP community. We are energized by the positive impact of the 2024 ECPC and are looking forward to ECPC 2025!