PhD Clinical Psychology Field Experience:

Plan for Field Experience

Take steps to polish your image and shine through your professional brand. Watch this video to learn more:

For more information and career resources visit the Career Planning and Development's School of Psychology Hub.

Build an impactful resume to communicate your academic and professional skills to employers:

1. Review these Psychology samples for ideas on how to create or improve your resume (IMPORTANT: these templates are here to guide you; remember to use your own language when creating your documents):

• Psychology- Career Change Resume
• Psychology- Career Advancement Resume

2. Visit SkillsFirst to view additional resume samples.
   Tip: Refer to the SkillsFirst Resume and Cover Letter Guide for instructions on how to get started.
3. Explore the Resumes & More tab for additional resume-writing tips, outlines, and videos. 
4. Learn how to become a resume expert by completing the career workshop, Build a High-Impact Resume.

You should begin the process of identifying potential field sites and supervisors for practicum and internship early. Networking options include, but aren't limited to:

• Consider joining state and/or local psychological associations and contact fellow members of those associations.
• Network with alumni associations from any previous schools you have attended.
• Reach out to Walden alumni generally and/or specifically to those who have graduated from your program.
• Look at the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC) post-match sites that are still looking for interns (Walden students are not eligible for the regular match, but they can apply for the sites during the post-match process).
• California students can contact California Psychology Internship Council (CAPIC, https://capic.net/; although these placements are harder to secure).
• Try https://www.internships.com/psychology.
• Pretend you are looking for paid employment as a psychologist to find sites posted who use psychologists and are likely to have some on staff who could supervise.
  Pretend you are seeking psychological services, and do a search to find places that provide the services in which you want training (e.g., Psychology Today online).
• Link through the APA website, https://www.apa.org/education/grad/internship, or  https://www.internships.com/psychology.
• Try a general search on LinkedIn for someone who works at a site you are interested in.
• Search the web for possible sites in your local area.
• Reach out to your professional network: former & current colleagues and supervisors.
• Ask friends and family.
• Volunteer.
• Go to community events and network (e.g., health fairs) because they will have service providers onsite.
• Network with Walden University faculty members.
• Communicate with classmates who reside in the same area to see where they have found success.
• The Walden Career Services site offers resources for writing résumés and cover letters, searching for jobs and internships, etc.:
  • https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/careerservices/home
  • https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/careerservices/jobandinternshipsearch
  • https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/careerservices/socialandbehavioralscience/psychology

These tools can help you communicate with psychology professionals and potential field sites.

1. Practice your elevator pitch.
2. Learn how to share the benefits of being a Walden psychology student.
3. Prepare to communicate with potential field experience sites via phone, email, in-person, and online.

Marketing yourself to Potential Field Sites 

1. Register on the Walden Job and Internship Search Locator job board.
2. Access the GoinGlobal job search system using your Walden credentials.
3. Use interest-specific job boards for Social and Behavioral Sciences to expand your field experience site search.
4. Search for potential supervisors using the Meditrek database. 
5. Review the Career Planning Resources for Field Experience page.

Get ready to show potential field sites that you are the best candidate for the opportunity you are seeking.

1. Log into SkillsFirst and use its Interviews module to practice your interviewing skills. Refer to the step-by-step SkillsFirst Interview Questions Guide to access 12,000+ interview questions.
2. Learn more about effective interview strategies on the Interviews tab.
3. Read a blog story on preparing for a variety of interview formats including one-on-one, group, and panel interviews.
4. Watch the Interview Strategies video below to learn how to tackle tough interview questions.