Industrial-Organizational Psychologists build judgment and decision making, complex problem solving and systems evaluation skills that carry over to other work. Below are 25 careers ranked by how closely their skills match, with pay from BLS May 2025. The closest match is Human Resources Managers (77%).
Updated October 2026 · Data: O*NET 31.0 and BLS OEWS May 2025 · How we match careers
Sorted by skill match.
| # | Career | Skill match | Median pay | Pay change | Extra education |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Human Resources Managers | 77% | $149,280 | −23% | None |
| 2 | Chief Sustainability Officers | 73% | $213,990Pay for the broader BLS group “Chief Executives” | Not compared | None |
| 3 | Chief Executives | 72% | $213,990 | +10% | None |
| 4 | Training and Development Managers | 70% | $133,000 | −31% | None |
| 5 | Investment Fund Managers | 70% | $166,570Pay for the broader BLS group “Financial Managers” | Not compared | None |
| 6 | Computer and Information Systems Managers | 67% | $175,140 | −10% | None |
| 7 | Financial Managers | 66% | $166,570 | −14% | None |
| 8 | Marketing Managers | 66% | $166,790 | −14% | None |
| 9 | Management Analysts | 65% | $101,860 | −47% | None |
| 10 | Compensation and Benefits Managers | 65% | $149,230 | −23% | None |
Compared with Industrial-Organizational Psychologists, median $193,950. Skill match is our estimate (0–99) from O*NET 31.0 skills, knowledge, work activities and interests, adjusted for preparation and big pay drops. Pay: BLS OEWS May 2025, national median.
How important each skill is in work as industrial-organizational psychologists (O*NET importance, scale 1–5).
The gaps that show up most often across your top 10 matches.
Free and low-cost training: use the CareerOneStop training finder below.
A concrete first step, the skills to add, and the hard parts of each job, from O*NET 31.0 education, training and work context data.
77% skill match · $149,280 · −23% pay
Management of Financial Resources · Management of Personnel Resources · Negotiation
73% skill match · $213,990 (broader BLS group)
Operation and Control · Management of Financial Resources
No work-context factor stands out as unusually hard in O*NET data.
72% skill match · $213,990 · +10% pay
Management of Financial Resources · Management of Material Resources · Operation and Control
If you want to stay close to what you do now, these roles are the nearest.
The closest matches are Human Resources Managers (77% skill match, median $149,280), Chief Sustainability Officers (73% skill match, median $213,990) and Chief Executives (72% skill match, median $213,990), based on O*NET 31.0 data and BLS May 2025 pay.
Among the 25 matches, 1 pay more than industrial-organizational psychologists at the median. The biggest increases: Chief Executives (+10%, $213,990).
25 of the 25 matches usually need no more education than you have now, based on O*NET Job Zones.
We compare the importance of skills, knowledge, work activities and interests in O*NET 31.0 for your job and every other career, then adjust for extra preparation and big pay drops. The full method is on our Methodology page.