Table 1Transition record

psychologisttobehavioural scientist

A psychologist already meets 61% of what the behavioural scientist role asks for. The move turns on 12 required skills not yet in the profile.

From psychologist

61%

Overlap1

To behavioural scientist

36 Skills carried over

12 Required, not held

53.5 Difficulty2

Career overlap Strong match

61%

Learning distance Real move, short list to learn

53.5/ 100

Easy adjacentmoderatesubstantialcareer change Hard

1 Share of the behavioural scientist role’s weighted skill requirement already met by the psychologist profile. Required skills count in full, supplementary skills at 0.35. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs. 2 Combines what is missing with how specialised it is, so a gap of general skills scores easier than the same number of narrow ones.

Why

Why this move works

A behavioural scientist role treats 33 of its required skills as things a psychologist already does. These are the ones it depends on most.

apply for research funding
apply research ethics and scientific integrity principles in research activities
communicate with a non-scientific audience
conduct research across disciplines
demonstrate disciplinary expertise
develop professional network with researchers and scientists

What stands in the way is 12 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.

Table 2

Table 2 · What you already bring

Of the 36 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A behavioural scientist role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a psychologist background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area

already held experimental psychology social sciences, journalism and information
already held psychological counselling methods social sciences, journalism and information
already held research design generic programmes and qualifications
already held scientific literature generic programmes and qualifications
already held psychology social sciences, journalism and information
already held manage findable accessible interoperable and reusable data information skills

All 36 carried skills, including the 33 the behavioural scientist role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you would need to learn

The 40 missing skills fall into 12 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered below in the order worth working in: the areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the supplementary ones.

Skill to acquire Tier

01 information skills 4 required, 6 supplementary

required, not held apply scientific methods required
required, not held apply statistical analysis techniques required
required, not held report analysis results required
required, not held research human behaviour required

optional, not held develop scientific theories optional
optional, not held conduct public surveys optional
optional, not held conduct qualitative research optional
optional, not held conduct quantitative research optional
optional, not held create criminal profiles optional
optional, not held observe human behaviour optional

02 communication, collaboration and creativity 2 required, 7 supplementary

required, not held apply knowledge of human behaviour required
required, not held write work-related reports required

optional, not held develop solutions for harmful behaviour optional
optional, not held apply systemic design thinking optional
optional, not held apply teaching strategies optional
optional, not held assist police investigations optional
optional, not held inform policy makers on health-related challenges optional
optional, not held provide technical expertise optional
optional, not held write research proposals optional

03 natural sciences, mathematics and statistics 2 required, 1 supplementary

required, not held biology required
required, not held statistics required

optional, not held applied zoology optional

04 social sciences, journalism and information 1 required, 5 supplementary

required, not held sociology required

optional, not held anthropology optional
optional, not held criminology optional
optional, not held demography optional
optional, not held psychological treatment measures optional
optional, not held quantitative analysis optional

05 assisting and caring 1 required, 2 supplementary

required, not held provide clinical psychological counselling required

optional, not held apply clinical psychological treatment optional
optional, not held create individual treatment programmes optional

06 education 1 required, 1 supplementary

required, not held pedagogy required

optional, not held scientific research methodology optional

6 further areas in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a behavioural scientist role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.

Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.

Appendix

Appendix · The rest of the record

All 36 skills that carry over

Skill Type

already held apply for research funding skill
already held apply research ethics and scientific integrity principles in research activities skill
already held communicate with a non-scientific audience skill
already held conduct research across disciplines skill
already held demonstrate disciplinary expertise skill
already held develop professional network with researchers and scientists skill
already held disseminate results to the scientific community skill
already held draft scientific or academic papers and technical documentation skill
already held evaluate research activities skill
already held increase the impact of science on policy and society skill
already held integrate gender dimension in research skill
already held interact professionally in research and professional environments skill
already held manage findable accessible interoperable and reusable data skill
already held manage intellectual property rights skill
already held manage open publications skill
already held manage personal professional development skill
already held manage research data skill
already held mentor individuals skill
already held operate open source software skill
already held perform project management skill
already held perform scientific research skill
already held promote open innovation in research skill
already held promote the participation of citizens in scientific and research activities skill
already held promote the transfer of knowledge skill
already held psychological counselling methods knowledge
already held psychology knowledge
already held publish academic research skill
already held research design knowledge
already held scientific literature knowledge
already held speak different languages skill
already held synthesise information skill
already held think abstractly skill
already held write scientific publications skill
already held apply blended learning skill
already held experimental psychology knowledge
already held teach in academic or vocational contexts skill

The 6 learning areas not shown above

Skill to acquire Tier

07 generic programmes and qualifications 1 required, 1 supplementary

required, not held empirical analysis required

optional, not held multidisciplinary research optional

08 agriculture, forestry, fisheries and veterinary 1 supplementary

optional, not held animal behaviour optional

09 arts and humanities 1 supplementary

optional, not held phenomenology optional

10 handling and moving 1 supplementary

optional, not held assess animal behaviour optional

11 health and welfare 1 supplementary

optional, not held disability care optional

12 management skills 1 supplementary

optional, not held oversee animal management optional

28 supplementary skills, helpful but not required

Skill to acquire Tier

optional, not held develop solutions for harmful behaviour optional
optional, not held phenomenology optional
optional, not held animal behaviour optional
optional, not held anthropology optional
optional, not held applied zoology optional
optional, not held apply clinical psychological treatment optional
optional, not held assess animal behaviour optional
optional, not held create individual treatment programmes optional
optional, not held develop scientific theories optional
optional, not held disability care optional
optional, not held oversee animal management optional
optional, not held apply systemic design thinking optional
optional, not held apply teaching strategies optional
optional, not held assist police investigations optional
optional, not held conduct public surveys optional
optional, not held conduct qualitative research optional
optional, not held conduct quantitative research optional
optional, not held create criminal profiles optional
optional, not held criminology optional
optional, not held demography optional
optional, not held inform policy makers on health-related challenges optional
optional, not held multidisciplinary research optional
optional, not held observe human behaviour optional
optional, not held provide technical expertise optional
optional, not held psychological treatment measures optional
optional, not held quantitative analysis optional
optional, not held scientific research methodology optional
optional, not held write research proposals optional

56 held skills the behavioural scientist role does not ask for

Skill Type

not needed by the target role apply caseload management skill
not needed by the target role apply systemic therapy skill
not needed by the target role assess healthcare users' risk for harm skill
not needed by the target role behavioural disorders knowledge
not needed by the target role body language knowledge
not needed by the target role build trust skill
not needed by the target role carry out psychiatric assessment of child skill
not needed by the target role client-centred counselling knowledge
not needed by the target role clinical psychological treatment knowledge
not needed by the target role clinical reports knowledge
not needed by the target role clinical social work knowledge
not needed by the target role comply with legislation related to health care skill
not needed by the target role conduct forensic evaluations skill
not needed by the target role conduct psychological assessement skill
not needed by the target role consultation knowledge
not needed by the target role counsel clients skill
not needed by the target role counselling methods knowledge
not needed by the target role crisis intervention knowledge
not needed by the target role diagnose mental disorders skill
not needed by the target role diagnose psychiatric symptoms skill
not needed by the target role empathise with the healthcare user skill
not needed by the target role ensure safety of healthcare users skill
not needed by the target role first aid knowledge
not needed by the target role follow clinical guidelines skill
not needed by the target role forensic psychiatry knowledge
not needed by the target role health care occupation-specific ethics knowledge
not needed by the target role identify mental health issues skill
not needed by the target role interact with healthcare users skill
not needed by the target role interpret psychological tests skill
not needed by the target role listen actively skill
not needed by the target role monitor therapeutic progress skill
not needed by the target role neurology knowledge
not needed by the target role personal reflection techniques based on feedback knowledge
not needed by the target role prescribe medication skill
not needed by the target role prescribe psychotherapeutic treatment skill
not needed by the target role promote mental health skill
not needed by the target role provide health education skill
not needed by the target role psychiatric diagnostics knowledge
not needed by the target role psychiatric disorders knowledge
not needed by the target role psychiatry knowledge

16 further entries not listed here

16 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice

Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.

Skill to acquire Tier

required, not held biology required
required, not held empirical analysis required
required, not held pedagogy required
required, not held sociology required
required, not held statistics required
optional, not held phenomenology optional
optional, not held animal behaviour optional
optional, not held anthropology optional
optional, not held applied zoology optional
optional, not held disability care optional
optional, not held criminology optional
optional, not held demography optional
optional, not held multidisciplinary research optional
optional, not held psychological treatment measures optional
optional, not held quantitative analysis optional
optional, not held scientific research methodology optional

Index

Other moves recorded from psychologist

Full index of moves from psychologist

Note

How this record was compiled

Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.