Work Placement Expectations - Essay Example

Work Placement Expectations Name Institution Course Instructor Date Introduction I am planning for work placement in management in any leading ICT firm. I prefer working in the ICT industry due to its dynamic nature which involves use of most updated management assistance software and also due to the high level of innovation synonymous with the industry. Therefore, the field presents to any would-be manager the challenges of management as a career and enough industry experience that is applicable in other fields. Overall Work placement for students offers an opportunity to learn on the field and witness the theories learned in class at work. I expect to gain hands-on experience in the workplace environment and even learn from experience workers about the industry at large and current issues in the field of management. I have been looking forward to this idea of work placement for a long time. I have read and heard about the importance of work placement in the past. One of the main ideas of the placement that I have given a lot of attention to is making networks with professionals that would be important when I finally graduate and start searching for employment. Therefore, I have been thinking about my placement as an opportunity to gain hands-on experience and also as an induction process into the profession whereby I will make important networks with reputable people who can be of assistance when I start searching for a job and those can assist in my professional advancement. This has not been a problem at all. I have a thing for technology and therefore working in the technology and innovation industry has been the main determinant in my choice of organization. Another thing that I have considered in choosing the organization is the reputation of the organization in the labor market to avoid facing the challenges new employees face such as lack of diversity (Adams, 2012). I have looked into organizations that value employee development and professional growth. Such an organization should also support career development through on-the-job training and also one that has a youthful workforce. Briefly explain what role you think this subject will play in your degree? The placement will help gain workplace experience and develop attributes that would be of use in my career and ones that would increase my employability. To some employers, experiences gained during work placement for fresh graduates can be perceived as a form of generic experience (Crebert et al 2004). Therefore, in my case, the placement will top up my knowledge on top of the degree. Although the graduate qualification is the main currency of employability in most cases, several studies have revealed that a prolonged workplace experience is positively related to employability (Green, 2010). However, working part-time as a student has been shown to have negative impact on academic performance on both undergraduate and post graduate students (Hofman and Berg 2000). For this reason, work experience appears to be best attained through my pending work placement. The placement will back up my degree in that it will show that my skills acquired through academic learning are applicable in the workplace. Responsibilities to the host To adhere to set organization rules and codes of conduct applicable to all employees of students of work placement Taking care of all organization’s equipment and instruments made available to me Be present in the work place in the regulated time Observing safety regulations in the work place Cooperation and respect to the supervising authority Maintain professional standards and observe ethical requirements of such profession Full participation in the work program assigned and taking initiative in the learning process Host’s organizations obligations and responsibilities towards me Proper and adequate briefing on the needs and requirements if students on work placement Be notified and upraised about my ability to fulfill professional obligations regularly Provide and maintain a safe and proper working environment Assign an experienced member of staff in the relevant department to act as my placement supervisor Proper induction into the workplace such as through introductions relevant to staff members Provision of compensation insurance in cases of paid work placement Provision of access to necessary equipment and documentation necessary in work placement Provision of necessary feedback on performance during the placement The organization should respect my privacy but not sharing my personal information unauthorized. In case of work placement far away from home, I will consider seeking private accommodation means. The place of residence must be safe for me and also and shows respect to my profession and identity as a person. Attitudes I expect the supervisor to induct me to the organization in full is possible and inform me about the various work processes. I would also love to learn about the organizations history, performance in the industry and such. As for the instructions, I expect my supervisor to introduce me to specific tasks and help me accomplish them. The tasks should be increasing in complexity and all round and assist me where necessary. To enable me gain confidence, the supervisor should at times allow me to work independently. Co-workers behavior I expect to socialize on a personal level with co-workers. Having and marinating a closer relationship will be very helpful for my learning and also create an environment for tacit knowledge sharing. To learn about the organizations culture and even the unwritten rules, socializing during breaks or after works will come in handy. I will also actively explore these opportunities to create professional networks I expect my supervisor and my co-workers to be friendly and professional in their conduct. I would not expect sabotage or even malice especially where some co-workers view me as their competition or even future replacements. Furthermore, they should view me as work in progress by not expecting too much from me such as being aware of all organizational processes. Therefore, they should be to teach on various issues. I will stick to official and professional dress code. This will enable me to not only appear professional but also gel in with the workforce. Working alongside the supervisor, I will appraise different strategies employed by the organization. I also expect to be involved in the formulation of strategies used by the organization in keeping up with the changes in the industry. I do not expect to be making any major decisions in the organization as a novice and an outsider. However I expect to be made aware of the processes involved in making of big decision involving the organization’s strategies both in the long and short term. I have enquired about the roles and duties for work placement students and I am yet to a get a reply. However, I hope that they tally with my expectations. Communication The first person to communicate to will be the workplace liaisons officer in the target organization. For some organizations, there is no such a persona and thus the human resource or human development office handles such issues. They will need to inform about the available of work placement vacancies in the organization and their policy towards the same. Where applicable, potential work place applicants will have to attend interviews and be assessed about their suitability and the relevance of their qualification in regard to the available opportunities. In my target organization, they have such as officer whom I addressed my communication to. In the current digital world, I emails are prefer to mail. In applying for the work placement vacancy, I used an email provided in the organization’s website. I also expect all further communication to be carried out through email or in special cases via telephone. My role in the communication process is to clearly indicate my interest in the organization and working in the industry. I will communicate about the specific details of my graduate program and the specific skills that I have acquired so far. I will also contrast this to the skills I seek to gain by being in placement in the said organization. I should be able to do this clearly, show my enthusiasm and communicate promptly when need be. Networks I would like to network with accomplished professionals in the field of strategy management and especially the organization’s leadership which as is the case in most cases formulates strategies. I will seek to become part and parcel of the network by socializing in a respectable manner. I will use my supervisor to make the introductions to the leadership. However, I will be cautious not to overdo my interest in networking to a point of being annoying or invading people’s private space (Dunn, Schier & Fonseca, n.d.). By presenting myself as an eager and ready to learn individual, I think I will strike the right notes to form a network. The network will be important to me when the time comes to search for employment. The networks will also be important in pointing out any career direction in the future and even offer mentorship and career advice. Technology I expect to make use of decision support software from various providers such vanguard, IBM Other software that I will make use of include Microsoft office packages such as excel, MS word and power point. While I am conversant with a number of software such as SPSS and MS office suite, I expect to encounter more advanced software technologies in use at a technology firm. I expect to learn about software developed specific to the organization’s needs and processes. One of the common ones is TOPSIS (The Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution) Learning approach I will employ a wide range of approaches to learn. Specifically, I will seek to use observation to familiarize myself with the culture and the processes involved. By observation, I will assess my skills learned in class against the skills required of the job and making notes. From this point, I will therefore be more aware of what is expected of my conduct as part and parcel of the organization. I will also shadow my supervisor or manager. I will seek to learn from him/her various aspects of the organization and specifically his role. Potential issues. I believe I am a friendly person hence I can easily get along with a wide range of people. However, I do not expect that to be everybody’s favorite hence I have to open minded to the fact that I might have some people who might not be that friendly due to personality clashes. When that occurs, Neugebauer and Evans-Brain (2009) advise that one should keep away and try to be as neutral as possible. However, I will seek to be on right side always by reporting to work on time, completing tasks assigned and being respectful towards others. My greatest worry is finding a nice place to reside because the organization is far away from home. Because of the high costs of housing, I expect to have a housemate during that duration. I have checked online for potential roommate in the area and I have observed there are not many people seeking housemates. I am worried that I will not have much choice in settling for a housemate to share costs. I am worried that I might end up sharing a house with substance abuser or someone whom I might have a personality clash. I therefore plan to get to know my potential housemate before agreeing to share a house. I am hoping that I will convince one of my classmates to seek work placement in an organization near to where I will be placed or even in the same organization. This way, the question of a housemate will be addressed conveniently. I am expecting to learn about relating with colleagues. I am not accustomed to a workplace environment where job pressures can create a new dynamic environment. I have read and even watched in movies as employees engage in excessive competition against one another that ends up in malice or even sabotage (Neugebauer & Evans-Brain 2009). In this placement, I will learn how to navigate such tricky situations. Apart from that, I do not any other pressing concerns. The placement will also be very important in helping me choose my prost graduate course or any professional training scheme in future. Neugebauer and Evans-Brain (2009) say that work placement as serve as assessment on one’s choice of career. Some people feel they need to change careers after work placement. References Adams, E. (2012). Workplace Learning (WPL) Placements in Curricula: Strengths and Challenges. Retrieved online on 1st Dec 2013 from, http://csusap.csu.edu.au/~areport/documents/EFPI_OP2_WPL_Curricula.pdf Crebert, G., Bates, M., Patrick, C. & Cragnolini, V. (2011). Developing generic skills at university, during work placement and in employment: graduates’ perceptions. Retrieved online on 1st Dec 2013 from, http://www.polytechnic.edu.na/academics/schools/engine_infotech/civil/generic_skills_library/docus/developing_generic_skills_02.pdf Dunn, L., Schier, M. & Fonseca, L. (n.d.). An innovative multidisciplinary model for work placement assessment. Retrieved online on 1st Dec 2013 from, http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/assets/bmaf/documents/publications/IJME/Vol9no2/5IJME316.pdf Green, C., The impact of a work placement or internship year on student final year performance: An empirical study. International Journal of Management Education 9(2), DOI:10.3794/ijme.92.316 Hofman, A., & Berg, M. van den (2000). Determinants of study progress: The impact of student, curricular, and contextual factors on study progress in university education. Higher Education in Europe, 25, 93-110. doi:10.1080/03797720050002242 Neugebauer, J. Evans-Brain, J. (2009). Making the most of you placement. New York: Sage. Read More