Alumni

Melissa Murray

I went on to postgraduate study straight after undergraduate and continued to volunteer to build up my CV.

What are you doing now?

I am a Trainee HR Consultant at a company called JC Solutions, about to start the Stage 2 qualification in Occupational Psychology to become a fully chartered Occupational Psychologist.

What was it about Northumbria that made you decide to study here?

I am originally from Newcastle and I knew that Northumbria was a great university for Psychology from friends who studied there. I liked the course outline that I read online, went to an open day and loved it! This course was also cheaper than other courses I had looked at and in my opinion was better value, especially with the addition of Test User training.

What was it like studying at Northumbria?

The lectures covered a range of material and were really interesting. Due to the fact it was a small course, each lecture was more like a seminar so you could get a lot of value out of those discussions that you didn't get at undergraduate level. Assignments were not always just essays, they adapted some of them to be more practical which helped to contextualise how we would apply our knowledge in the field.

What impressed you most about our academic staff?

How genuinely dedicated they were not just to our education, but to our future prospects as well. They always communicated volunteering opportunities to us and relevant jobs. This helped build up my CV and I found out about my current job through their emails.

How connected was your course with industry?

Although a work placement was not essential, our lecturers encouraged us to find opportunities, particularly if we did not currently have a role relevant to the field. I managed to secure an internship alongside my studies which was incredibly helpful to practically apply what I was learning on the course. The lecturers also had some opportunities to get involved with their projects as well, which was great to build up your skills. In partnership with the North East Branch of the BPS they held networking events at the university which was a great opportunity to build up your network and listen to guest speakers talk about their jobs in the field.

How did studying at Northumbria help you achieve your career goals/give your career an edge?

All of the opportunities they offered and the support during the course was invaluable. My supervisor also encouraged me to submit to the DOP conference where I presented in January 2014. This was a great experience at the beginning of my career to expand my network and I am now pursuing publishing my paper with his support.

What was the best thing about your course?

The lecturing team, they were so supportive and helpful, and made the course really enjoyable.

Which skills/knowledge did you learn on your course that you use most now throughout your career?

The Test User: Occupational Ability and Personality (Level A and B)and recruitment module has been the most useful to my current role. A main part of my role is using psychometrics for both recruitment and development purposes. Both the counselling modules and training modules have also been really valuable to teach me vital consultancy and feedback skills.