Business careers
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In the business world, you will utilize your understanding of goals and relationships to drive sales, keep customers happy, and help maximize employee performance.
From sales and marketing to human resources and management, psychology is useful in all aspects of business, because it helps you understand what people truly want.
Watch the video to learn more, or click on the profiles below to learn about psych majors who have succeeded in all aspects of business.
Learn about successful psychology graduates working in all aspects of business by clicking the links below.
Sandra Yang
Head of strategy for a cyber safety company and founder of Y4 Consulting
How Sandra launched a career in strategy
Jim Hutcheson
Entrepreneur and family business consultant, REGENERATION partners
How Jim got started in family business consulting
Robert Ewing
Marketing Communications Manager,
ASU Department of Psychology
How he became a Marketing Manager
Shobhna Kumar, MBA
Marketing Programs Manager, CenturyLink
How she became a Marketing Programs Manager
Melanie Katzman, PhD
Author, Connect First Founder,
Katzman Consulting
Interested in a career in business? Check out our resources below.
Sales
Sales representatives match customers with their desired products, negotiate prices and maintain customer relationships. Sales positions are critical to building and maintaining the consumer bases of businesses.
Sales positions exist within every business and include pharmaceutical sales representatives, real estate agents, sales engineers, and insurance agents.
Recommended classes:
- PSY 350 - Social Psychology
- PSY 482 - Social Influence and Consumer Behavior
- PSY 461 - Interpersonal Influence
Typical salary: $66,260 per year (ONET, 2024)
Recommended skills:
- Strong communication abilities
- Knowledge of Customer Relationship Management Software (e.g. HubSpot CRM or Salesforce CRM)
Marketing
Marketing specialists convey the benefits of a company’s products and services to potential customers.
Marketing positions exist within every business and include market analysts, promotions directors, public relations directors, and advertising managers.
Recommended classes:
- PSY 230 - Statistics
- PSY 420 - Analysis of Behavior
- PSY 482 - Social Influence and Consumer Behavior
- MKT 402 - Consumer Behavior
Typical salary: $76,950 per year (ONET, 2024)
Recommended skills:
- Design abilities
- Strong writing skills
- Ability to analyze data
- Knowledge of analytic systems like Google Analytics that will allow you to track advertising and networking sites
Finance/Accounting
Within a business, the finance department keeps track of spending and earnings to keep companies profitable.
Recommended classes:
- PSY 230 - Introduction to Statistics
- PSY 482 - Social Influence and Consumer Behavior
- ECN 211 - Macroeconomic Principles
- ECN 212 - Microeconomic Principles
- ECN 315 - Money & Banking
Typical salary: $81,680 per year (ONET, 2024)
Recommended skills:
- Understanding of bookkeeping software such as Excel and Quickbooks
- Knowledge of local tax laws and payroll policies
- Strong organizational skills
Human Resources (HR)
Human resource teams help employees work together effectively.
In HR your tasks could include recruitment, training, resolving workplace conflict, and helping workers with questions about employee benefits.
Recommended classes:
- PSY 320 - Learning and Motivation
- PSY 440 - Industrial/Organizational Psychology
- PSY 453 - Organizational Behavior
- PSY 350 - Social Psychology
- PSY 370 - Interpersonal Relationships
Typical salary: $72,910 per year (ONET, 2024)
Recommended skills:
- Strong communication skills
- Understanding of how to foster teamwork
Management
Managers help coordinate employees to ensure projects and departments run smoothly and efficiently. Management positions exist within most teams in a business, and managers often have in-depth experience with the work their team performs.
Recommended classes:
- PSY 453 - Organizational Behavior
- PSY 350 - Social Psychology
- PSY 304 - Effective Thinking
- PSY 315 - Personality Theory and Research
- PSY 370 - Interpersonal Relationships
Typical salary: $108,390 per year (ONET, 2024)
Recommended skills:
- Strong leadership skills
- Communication skills
- Time management
- Knowledge of management software such as Workforce, Teamwork, and Excel
Business Ownership
To be a successful business owner, you will need to have a strong understanding of sales, marketing, finance, human resources, management and the products and services your company provides.
Recommended classes:
- PSY 453 - Organizational Behavior
- PSY 350 - Social Psychology
- PSY 320 - Learning and Motivation
Typical salary: ~$206,420 per year (ONET, 2024)
Recommended skills:
- Strong leadership skills
- Communication skills
- Time management
- Understanding of customer needs
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