Taking into consideration that I am going to be graduating this year, I started looking for a suitable job; however due to me not having any paid work experience, I found that it was awfully hard to find an employer who was willing to take me on. With the recession being on the toll, employers are not willing to take risks with taking on inexperienced graduates. (See Appendix 6: SWOT analysis - weaknesses) Some businesses require 2-3 years experience, and because I have been studying for the last three years I did not think of finding a job as I thought it would mean less input in my modules. (See appendix 1: CV)
However the PACE module this year has encouraged me to give attention to my current skills as well as look in-depth into the skills I need for my future career. At the current moment due to not having any experience of working I have decided to further my options by applying for a two year placement on a Graduate scheme (See Appendix 2: NHS Graduate Scheme Advertisement) in order to learn and work at the same.
To be successful in the Graduate scheme selection I need to get at least a 2:2 degree in addition to the following skills:
- I need to have good numerical as well as IT skills, which I will be assessed on at the start of the Interview process. Therefore as I have not got maths at GCSE level I will need to work on my numerical skills as I have always been a little weak in this field. (See Appendix 5: Skills Audit). My IT skills however have improved over the last three years throughout many modules, including database and spreadsheets, which I am far more confident about. (See Appendix 5: Skills Audit)
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Good communication skills: “To be successful on this programme need to be able to work and engage with a diverse group of people as the NHS employs over 1.3 million staff” (NHS, 2010). (See Appendix 2: NHS Graduate Scheme Advertisement)
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Leadership skills: “The NHS is going through an enormous period of change and at a rapid pace and needs emerging leaders to support the transformation” (NHS, 2010). (See Appendix 2: NHS Graduate Scheme Advertisement)
3. Skills at the start of the module
During start of the module the main skills I had already, was my organising skills as well as time management and having a balance when working in teams besides working on an individual basis. (See Appendix 7 and Appendix 8)
However, I carried out a skill audit (See Appendix 5) to allow me the chance to see what my strengths and weaknesses are, I also had 5 other people carry out the Audit which enabled me the ability to see how others perceived me, as well as see which areas I lacked in and needed improvement in. The skill audit indicate results, which I found hard to measure as I have different relationship with different members that participated in carrying out the audit. Although I do agree that I need to work on my confidence with presentation skills (speaking in front of a wide audience) as well as my numeric skills. (See Appendix 5) I also found that I need to show my capabilities more often instead of staying quiet as sometimes I was misjudged to not have the skill which I believe I do have. Therefore I carried out a SWOT analysis (See Appendix 6) to outline my strengths and weaknesses as well as get a clearer direction on what opportunities and threats are in the nearer future for once I start looking for a suitable job.
I also carried out the Belbin role Identifier (See Appendix 4) to see how others perceive me as well as identify what kind of characteristics I have. My profile showed that I like to get things done. I am organised and reliable and focused on getting tasks done. I believe my characteristic were very accurate, as I do tend to have very good organisation skills and I do make valued contribution wherever there are clear goals ahead. However the Belbin role Identifier also showed that I lack leadership skills, which is very true, this has always been one of my main weaknesses at the start of the module, although my CP group did encourage me to speak up and take leadership time to time. Therefore I feel by forming that sort of alliance I have been quite successful and my confidence to some extent has improved, but yet still needs developing. (See Appendix 9: Appraisal forms)
Nonetheless, during this year of PACE I have learnt that it is vital to be acquainted with skills one has and also be attentive in relation to improvement or development. Therefore I reflected on the things I did and how I did them. I carried out my reflection through a Learning log to see how I felt about the module to start with, and how I improved overtime and what is yet pending to be improved. (See Appendix 3: Learning Log)
4.0 Improvement of skills.
4.1 Communications
At the start of the module I needed to improve on my communication skills (See appendix 9: Appraisal Forms). At previous stages of forming group for consultancy project I found it difficult to speak up and deliver idea and opinions, as I was fairly shy and felt the need to observe others instead. However, D. A. Kolb (1984) developed a model for understanding how students effectively learn from experience which consists of fours stages feeling, watching, thinking and doing (Pg.31). I feel this model was very useful and I have learnt a lot through experiencing team work for projects handed this year, as I was able to reflect on my behaviour before and after report writing and presentations. I feel I have enhanced the ability to speak up confidently and put arguments across more effectively, as I had the pressure of being prepared for each meeting. (See Appendix 9: Appraisal Forms) I was able to bring ideas and opinion across backed with evidence, which proved successful, and I feel I will be confident in doing so in future activities as I now have the ability to learn from past errors, and I am more willing to be prepared and organised.
Redman (1994) argues that “the aims of appraisals are to improve performance and to give the individual a chance to see how peers see them.” However Parker and Stone (2003) argue that “appraisals can help individuals develop.” During the appraisal period I feel that most members as they were not acquainted with one another were just extra friendly with marking and observing than needed, in which I was not able to measure whether my comments were biased or accurate. However I felt the need to be acknowledged for my participation and hard work which gave me the strength to build upon my skills, and through time as the appraisal period neared I saw my feedback increase and I was able to work on my skills a lot more effectively. (See appendix 9: Appraisal forms)
A Business psychologist Hardingham (1999) stated that “a decision may well be made by team members with the greatest stamina or loudest voice, but is unlikely to be bought into by everyone in the meeting; decisions are likely to be lobbied against, undermined and weakened from the meeting end.” Therefore throughout the project I found myself engaging myself in number of ways, as we have to work around our daily routines and personal lives, we were unable to meet as frequently as needed as we had other priorities, I decided to keep interaction up to date with all members through email. This worked out to be a lot more convenient for all as I feel I managed to get a lot of feedback across to other members as well as improve my communication skills. In which I had to manage my time effectively as well as having everything organised and prepared for all meetings. I also found that the motivation level for all members varied therefore I decided to place all relevant information via extreme so that whoever could not attend could access whatever was discussed in meetings as well what needs to be completed by our team in order to succeed. (Refer to Appendix 10: Forms of communication)
4.2 Stress and Time Management
Throughout the first and second year of studying Business and Human Resource Management, I was always able to manage stress and time effectively. During the First semester of Year three I also found that I was able to use my time effectively, My learning style is of such, which enables me to work better under pressure, However at the end of this final semester I have faced the problem of working nearer to deadline. I am able to complete tasks on time, but due to the deadlines being so nearby for all modules it has caused a bit of stress. Therefore I feel my strength is starting to turn into a weakness. Once I realised this was the case I started to map out all the tasks needed to be completed and how I would prioritise my time more effectively without causing any stress. I also carried out a stress management quiz and time management quiz (Refer to Appendix 7 and Appendix 8) which shows that I am at the border line of managing stress effectively. However knowing that stress can cause health issues, I have started to take into consideration that although I work better under pressure it would be far more convenient to start work earlier, so that I do not worry so much about it later on nearing to deadlines.
Another weakness I need to focus on is on time management, for some reason I am not able to work in the library facility at University. I have found that I get easily distracted in a social setting, undermining my work, as it tends to get quite noisy time to time which makes it difficult to concentrate. Therefore, I have started to continue with my assignments from home, which is a lot more relaxing and my concentration levels are far higher. Although I still need to continue mapping out all my work so that I am able to go about tackling problems more effectively in order to get tasks done a lot quicker.
Cameron, (2009, p.43) cited that “stress levels at work are typically highest during the early stages of a new job, whether in a new organisation or after promotion.” Therefore, it is essential for me to start recognising stress and dealing with it before entering a job. As I have no experience of working, it may be far more difficult for me to adapt to a certain working environments, so being equipped and using my time effectively will enable me to adjust and handle situations when comes to problem solving and getting tasks done.
4.3 Working Under pressure
One of my major strengths is working under pressure, I am able to get work done a lot quicker when I am stressed, however this year was quite difficult nonetheless, I have managed to meet all my deadlines on time so far. I have always enjoyed working under pressure, it is like a tonic which boosts me but now I feel I need to keep it under control so it does not take a toll on me.
In university this year, I took part in the consultancy project as well as other assignments which have specific deadlines for completion. Through completion of these projects I have learnt that it is essential to follow specific deadlines and work on schedule. Although I work better under pressure, I do sometimes wish that I had planned ahead, so that I could have avoided the procrastination, and avoid the pressure that can sometimes cause stress.
However throughout the final semester to avoid pressure, particularly on a deadline that has a tight deadline, I broke it into portions and completed it bit by bit. By doing this I was able to reduce the pressure that was put on me.
5. Conclusion
In conclusion I have to admit that I have not been able to improve all my skills effectively however, I have started to make an attempt. Knowing that I recognised the solutions to my weaknesses gradually throughout the two semesters, I have not managed to work on them as much as wanted to. Although through reflecting I have realised and understood far more and I am much more aware of which skills need improving or developing in regards to getting acceptance from a suitable job which I will enjoy.
The activities I carried out and the weaknesses I identified at the start of the module, I was not able to give it much importance until now, as I had other modules and the deadlines were very near together in which I found it difficult to prioritising everything. Through mapping out tasks I ended up doing tasks which had earlier deadlines leaving the latest submissions till last. Therefore I have learnt that I need to use my time more effectively than previously done before, as through time, things are bound to get more complicated and I need to be able to handle the pressure and situations effectively in order to be successful in the longer run.
Overall the PACE module has guided me to reflect on learning a lot more than I did previously as well as Identify my strengths and weaknesses, and how to go about improving and developing my learning style and specific skills through the use of several different exercises and sources. I will carry on working on improving on my skills so that I am able to meet the requirements of the graduate scheme I wish to take on after finishing my studies. Therefore I have carried out a three year Personal Development Plan (PDP) which is shown in the next pages.
Bibliography
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Cameron. S (2009) The Business Students Handbook: Skills for study and employment. 5th Edition. Essex. Pearson Education Limited.
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Hardingham, A and Ellis, C. (1999) Teams Need to Know How It’s Good to Talk [Internet]. Available from: <> [Accessed 22nd March 2010].
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NHS. (2010) Graduate Management Training Scheme 2010. NHS website. Available at: <> [Accessed: 13th January 2010]
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Parker, C. and Stone, B. (2003) Developing Management Skills for Leadership. Essex, Pearson Education Limited.
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Redman, W. (1994) Portfolios for Development. London, Kogan Page Limited.
