A squiggly career path to success: Dr Eloise Warrilow CPsychol, AFBPsS, Chartered Occupational Psychologist and Researcher

Hello everyone

Welcome to another edition of the Pathways to Psychology blog. Today we have the pleasure of hearing from Dr Eloise Warrilow CPsychol, an Occupational - and Organisational Psychologist, and Researhcer. Many of us experience a career path in Psychology having uncertain moments, but Eloise adds her own squiggly experience with lots of shifts and turns to a successful career. We hope you will find Eloise's experiences useful in making your own career decisions.

                    

Dr Eloise Warrilow

Chartered Occupational Psychologist and Researcher

https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-eloise-warrilow-cpsychol-afbpss-90367034

I have definitely had a squiggly career. I remember a family member asking me why I couldn’t stick at anything for long. I love an adventure, and for me, that means exploring lots of career opportunities. My journey to becoming Dr Eloise Warrilow CPsychol AFBPsS has been anything but straight. It’s been full of twists and turns, each one bringing me closer to a career that challenges, engages, and supports my work-life integration.

According to the British Psychological Society, "Occupational Psychology is concerned with the performance of people at work and with how individuals, small groups and organisations behave and function." The quickest route to becoming an Occupational Psychologist is by completing a BPS-accredited degree, followed by an MSc in Occupational Psychology (also BPS accredited), and then, if you wish to continue, a Professional Doctorate in Occupational Psychology (DOccPsy). I did mine at Birkbeck, University of London (which I would totally recommend), although other training providers and routes are available. The journey is different for everyone. Here’s my story…

My Squiggly Career Path

Before becoming a Chartered Occupational Psychologist, I worked for an Educational Psychology Service, was a Specialist Teacher for Autism and Co-morbid disorders, a Middle School Teacher… and before that a Flight Attendant based in Bahrain in the Middle East, and before that a Teacher of English as a Foreign Language in Gdańsk, Poland. I may have left out a few roles, but you get the gist – mostly in the education sector. In 2009, I wanted a change. An Occupational Psychologist, Dr Ioan Rees of Sycol, had worked with my Local Education Authority during a transformation project. I was interested in how he approached moving a whole group of people towards change. Occupational Psychology was now on my radar. I looked for ways to transition into Occupational Psychology.

The MSc Journey

I completed my MSc in one year, back in 2010, which meant driving the three-hour round trip to University two or three times a week after long days at work in a highly challenging role. It was a slog, but I was determined. Things have changed so much now… there are options to study not only via campus-based courses but also online and through blended learning. This feels more student-centric, inclusive, and accessible. When exploring your options, one of the questions to ask is: does successful completion of this programme fulfil stage one of the requirements towards Chartered Membership of the Society and full membership of the Division of Occupational Psychology? If not, this may come back to bite you if you want to continue in your career. The British Psychological Society has a list of accredited courses for MSc Occupational (and Organisational) Psychology.

Navigating the Job Market

Once I graduated with an MSc in Occupational Psychology with distinction, I began to look for a job in the field of Occupational Psychology. I was not well-equipped for this! I was unsure about how or where to look beyond the small number of roles on the BPS website job board. Limiting my search must have slowed me down. I expected everything to fall into my lap. (LinkedIn #Psychtalent by Nikita Mikhailov is a weekly newsletter for jobs in Occupational / IO / Business Psychology in the UK and beyond. I wish this had been about in my day!)

Eventually, I found a three-week internship with a luxury automotive brand to support the running of assessment centres during a time of rapid growth. It was over 100 miles away and paid close to minimum wage (I had come from a leadership role within the education sector and had a very healthy salary). I needed to think realistically: can I afford to do this? How is this experience likely to benefit me? Is it relevant to where I want to go? I remember at a DOP conference, some Occupational Psychologists being really vocal about the risk of new grads being exploited and even being offered unpaid internships. For me, opportunities have to be a win-win for both the organisation and the individual. I loved my internship experience! Coming from the education sector, I had little real understanding of industry, and here I was being given exposure to different sectors within an organisation: manufacturing, engineering, corporate, creative, technology. Yes, I was earning minimum wage, but this was offset by the richness of the experience I was gaining. I had savings to support my career transition, enabling me to cope with the drop in salary for a few months. So, the three weeks turned into a year and then three years, with my pay increasing during this time.

Building a Career

As much as I loved the role, I knew I wanted to be a Chartered Psychologist. This meant gaining breadth of experience in the following areas: 1) Psychological Assessment at Work, 2) Leadership, Engagement and Motivation, 3) Learning, Training and Development, 4) Wellbeing and Work and 5) Work Design, Organisational Change and Development. In 2014, I moved to join a psychometric publisher in a consultancy role. I consider myself fortunate to have been mentored by Wendy Lord, a world-renowned expert on the NEO-PI-3 five-factor model of personality (Costa & McCrae, 1992). With her guidance, I gained a deeper insight into the theoretical underpinnings of psychometric assessments. This role also gave me exposure to working with clients from diverse sectors. I still work with the consultancy today, albeit as an external consultant.

Establishing an Independent Practice and Developing My Competence

I opened my boutique Psychology practice ‘Psychologically Ltd’ in 2017. Most of my work involves Psychological Assessment at Work and Leadership, Engagement, and Motivation projects. I don’t stand still, though. I am a lifelong learner!

Professor Joanna Yarker and Dr Rachel Lewis have been huge inspirations to me. They showed it is possible to make a measurable impact both in academia and practice. When I learned they were starting a Professional Doctorate in Occupational Psychology at Birkbeck College, University of London, I jumped at the chance and was so pleased to get a place. I loved, loved, loved my time at Birkbeck, where I also gained my MRes (Master of Research). I finished my doctoral thesis at the end of 2023 and had my viva in March 2024, passing without corrections, which floored me! Perhaps the outcome had something to do with the fact my research was a passion project: Dog-friendly Workplaces: What Works, What Does Not, and What Lessons Have Been Learned. I am currently working with my supervisor, Dr Libby Drury, to get my research published. I credit the Doctorate with developing my abilities to design, conduct, evaluate and present research, and in my becoming an evidence-based practitioner. I learned a lot from my time at Birkbeck and also about the power of having brilliant role models, both supervisors and peers, in your life.

Continuous Learning and Future Plans

I am still curious about everything… that will never stop. I came to the end of my Doctorate with elation, but also the feeling that something was missing. So, I have taken a new interest in wellbeing in the workplace and applied it to a different context. I now volunteer for half a day a week, leading art classes (Fused Glass) as part of a wellbeing intervention in a local hospital in the Mental Health Services for Older People.

It has taken a village to raise me as an Occupational Psychologist. Everything comes full circle. For the future, I am starting an Executive Coaching qualification at Henley Business School. I think it would be nice for me to deliver more work focused on helping others develop and grow.

Thank you so much Eloise for sharing your career path! Lots of turns but also determination and guts to complete your qualifications. We wish you continued success in your career!

Maybe reading about Eloise has sparked your interest in the Occupational Psychology field? Or maybe you have your own story to tell. Get in touch with your comments and queries.

The Pathways team.