However, I have come to realize that outside of USAjobs.com (for VA and other federal positions) and simply cold-calling the few connections I do have, I really have no idea WHERE to look for psychologist positions. At the risk of sounding dumb, what do people do? Where do they look?
erg,
A lot depends on what area of psychology you want a job in, but here are some general suggestions:
-As with USA Jobs, most state agencies will post open positions somewhere on the web. Look at state agency websites (e.g. State Depts. of Mental Health; Chilren and Family Services, etc.) for open positions as a state employee.
-Get a list of all the private agencies that might hire psychologists in the areas (geographical and practice areas) in which you would like to work. For example, I work as a psychologist in the field of adult developmental disabilities/severe mental illness. Most of these agencies receive state funding, so I can find lists of these agencies on the State Websites. I would then look at the the websites of these individual agencies and see if they had any open positions. If you are looking to work in a hospital setting, you could probably find a list of hospitals/clinics in you particular area through an insurance company or accreditation website (e.g. CARF, JCAHO).
-I have used professional association website job search services to both look for jobs and fill jobs (I have used the service at the International Association for Behavior Analysis website, but APA or regional Psych Associations probably have similar services available, and as an intern, you're still eligible for a discounted student membership).
-Even if you don't go to the annual professional conference in your area of interest, you can usually look at the conference program online. Most of these will list the affiliation of the presenters, and you can then look at the websites for these affiliated agencies to see if they have open positions.
-If you are confident in the strength of your CV, it can't hurt to send it out to any agencies that do the work you want to do, even if they are not hiring. Send it to the attention of the senior clinical staff person (usually identified on the website or through a phone call), with a cover letter explaining where you are in your training/career, what type of position(s) you're looking for, and with a request that, if they don't have any available positions currently, that they keep you in mind if one comes up or pass on your information to anyone they know who may be looking for someone with your skills. I am occasionally asked by my counterparts at other agencies if I know anyone who is looking for job and might be able to fill a position they have open.
-Do a google search for "Psychologist Jobs Kentucky"- it will at least point you in the right direction.
-All that said, present at conferences, get to know people,network whenever you can, and don't piss people off/burn bridges. A lot of hiring in this field is done through direct recruiting, rather than through "want ads". Get to know people, and get them to know who you are. I have worked for 3 different agencies in the decade plus since completing grad school. The first one was run by a friend/colleague of my grad school advisor, and they (my advisor and her friend) "recruited" me for that position (a staff level position, that also provided post-doc supervision hours). The second agency was actually where I did my internship- they had a new position and called me about it, even though I had turned them down several years earlier directly after internship (remember, always leave gracefully and don't burn bridges). For my third (and current) agency, I was recruited directly by the clinical director of the agency, after I presented an invited talk to a group of agency clinical directors in his geographic area. I mentioned in passing at the presentation that my wife and I were thinking about moving to that area. One of the attendees knew that my current agency was looking for a psychologist, so she contacted the Clinical Director and told him that he should give me a call.
Now, I'm not sure if this is a common way of getting jobs, but it seems to me that it is given conversations that I have had with other psychologists in similar positions. This may be especially true if you are in a very specialized area of practice (I do a combination of clinical psych. and applied behavior analysis with adults with development and psychiatric disabilities).
Best of luck in your job search. You can never start too early. Remember, you want the potential employers to know you exist and to seek you out, rather than the other way around.
