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Roelle Ann Santa Maria

May 20th, 2021

Top tips and skills to become a successful behavioural scientist

0 comments | 3 shares

Estimated reading time: 10 minutes

Roelle Ann Santa Maria

May 20th, 2021

Top tips and skills to become a successful behavioural scientist

0 comments | 3 shares

Estimated reading time: 10 minutes

It is a historic time for psychology and the behavioural sciences. We are seeing the rise and application of behavioural sciences across many areas such as consultancy, public policy, and administration on a scale we have not seen before. Monumental developments are bound to continue in this area, so here are some top tips and skills to have a successful career in behavioural sciences.

Communicating effectively

One of the greatest strengths within the behavioural science sector, and for any sector in that matter, is how you can communicate effectively. The ability to summarize complex ideas and rich insights into a digestible and straightforward piece to a layman audience. There will be a lot of client-facing projects and this experience will be essential at all levels within an organisation.

Quantitative and or analytical skills

Learning data science or quantitative skills is a big one. Data science is a new frontier — not only in tech industries but in any industries with large volumes of human interaction. Don’t be deterred by the words ‘data science’, it generally means that there is a demand for people with polished analytical skills. Being able to scale and quantify behaviour to effectively inform business development, campaigns and address problems is very useful in the behavioural science industry.

Quick and creative thinking

Building from your analytical skills, your methodological skills are important. It is the way you think and process any patterns and connections to come up with potentially new solutions. In that regard, the industry also values creative thinkers, those who think outside the box when coming up with theories and solutions. Being able to use your own experience and knowledge to provide divergent responses, is what keeps, not only the science, but its broad applications in different fields constantly evolving.

Transferable skills

Look at your current skill set and reflect where and how you can utilise it. For instance, if you are writing a dissertation, what are some of your marketable skills? Another example is design thinking (user experience and user interaction design) has numerous applications and crossovers with behavioural sciences where it meets product and service design. Experimental design, data analytics, and product design can elevate your behavioural science background in the workplace.

If there are a set of skills that you think is necessary to thrive in the workplace, learn them! At LSE, for example, there arefree PowerPoint training courses offered by the LSE. There are language and other certificate courses available for you to take.

Networking

We cannot emphasise the importance of networking enough! Networking and attending conferences open opportunities and unconventional routes in your career journey. In behavioural sciences, it has a relatively small field of practitioners. Don’t be afraid to network! If you reach out to someone on LinkedIn, you’re likely to get an answer from them.

Differentiate yourself; brand yourself

Keep in mind that there is always change in any sector. It is nearly impossible to keep up with the increasing demands and set of skills that become relevant in your sector. Instead, as mentioned earlier, it is about the way you think and approach problems as well as the current knowledge you bring to the table that lets you succeed.

Read more on our blog about storytelling and utilising LinkedIn to understand how to leverage your experiences into creating a career narrative for yourself.

Another way to stand out is to utilise social media to start a content platform. Having a portfolio of works in public is a great way to create your own space and find a niche. Creating a blog or podcast is one way of putting yourself out there and brand yourself even before the interview phase.

Be flexible and stay positive

When it comes to a career, try asking yourself, do you need to be a behavioural scientist? Is it necessary? We often go into a program with singular career end goal in mind e.g., an economics student becomes and economist, a public policy student becomes a policymaker. However, there are many other roles in organisations that utilise our knowledge or degree. Your knowledge of behavioural science is an essential tool to have in many different careers. Being a behavioural scientist is not the only career available for you, you can be in consulting, environmental management, public policy, etc., while using your behavioural science knowledge.

The job market can seem intimidating, and it is indeed tough to break into certain industries. Be willing to be agile and flexible. Learn from your setbacks and face barriers with an open mind.

Your career journey isn’t linear, you always learn something valuable along the way and any turns you take may become a planned happenstance. There are no wrong choices, it’s going to be okay!

 

With thanks to Tamara Ansons, Max Beilby, Philipp Friemann, Benno Gunther, and Kimberly Richter for sharing their insights at our Careers in behavioural science event.

If there’s any part of your career journey that you may need support with, it is worthwhile to speak with our career consultants here at LSE Careers to formulate your next steps. Book in to speak to one of us on CareerHub.

 

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Roelle Ann Santa Maria

Posted In: Careers Advice | Insider tips | Sector

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