Self-Efficacy Personal Development Plan - Assignment Example

PORTFOLIO ITEM 2: Self-Efficacy Personal Development Plan Action Plan - Summary Detailed Action When Completed Planning for making improvements in academics Managing courses, concentrating on learning and giving serious attention to studies. Participating in presentations, debates, and seminars for improving learning beyond course books. Studying daily and staying punctual in classes. Improving reading and writing skills. Observing semester grades. 2. Developing strategies for building self-confidence Improving social skills. Involving in group projects to enhance leadership skills and team work. Keeping positive thoughts. Utilizing criticism as a learning experience. Take opinion of others regarding own self-confidence after a specified period of time. 3. Adopting employability skills Concentrating on improving communication. Working in teams. Improving problem solving ability by accepting challenges and facing difficulties. Adopting self-management skills by meeting deadlines, delegating tasks etc. Staying efficient in utilizing technology. Making checklist or filling out quizzes and questionnaires in order to keep track of improvements in employability skills. Discussion Self-efficacy has always remained an important notion to study when it comes to vocational behavior. Extensive research has been conducted to emphasize the significance of self-efficacy. Self-efficacy is defined as beliefs that an individual holds in his abilities to perform a certain task or portray certain behavior. In other words, individuals’ beliefs pertaining to his abilities that allow him to accomplish a given task is called as self-efficacy. Several contributing factors influence the cognitive development that eventually alters self-efficacy. Some of them include past experiences, criticism, fear and guilt etc. A large number of studies have shown that there is strong relationship between academic performance and self-efficacy beliefs of an individual. Self-efficacy reflects in every action of a student including their activities, extent of hard work, performance, behavior and determination during tough times. Thus, this paper aims to enhance and investigate the extent of self-efficacy and for this purpose, a few exercises have been provided including action plan for improving self-efficacy as well as psychometric tests. Having high self-efficacy allows a student to make reasonable success in academics whereas low self-efficacy causes a student to avoid tasks. It has been argued that individuals having high self-efficacy work harder, accept challenges, and stay determined during complex situations. Prior mentioned personal development plan has been created in order to improve self-efficacy in the areas of self-confidence, academic performance, and employability skills. It must be borne in mind that these three elements play a vital role in enhancing and expanding self-efficacy. Therefore, a few activities have been provided for each of the element in order to enhance overall self-efficacy of an individual. First, for making some improvements in academics, one has to plan how to handle varying courses so as to take good grades in each one of them. If there is an option to select courses on our own, then course selection must be balanced. For instance, a couple of complex courses can be taken with two or three easy courses. Apart from courses, a student needs to participate in seminars, debates, and presentation in order to get the snapshot of real world scenarios and to stay in touch with current events. Students also need to improve their reading and writing skills as well as keep a daily schedule of everyday studies. Building self-confidence is another important field. Self-confidence can be enhanced by improving social dealings because speaking in groups boost self-confidence. Self-confidence can also be attained by working in teams not only as a team member but as a leader also. One also needs to cultivate positive thoughts and take criticism as a learning experience. Instead of taking criticism in a negative manner, it is required to learn from that if adequate. Employability skills are required when an individual attempts to enter job market. These skills must be espoused as every employer looks for these abilities in potential candidates. The first and foremost capability that an employer looks for is communication skills. If verbal communication of an individual is not potent enough then employer will never consider hiring that candidate. Employers also test problem solving and decision making skills in interviews, therefore these skills should be adopted by practicing in appropriate situations. Self-discipline and self-management can be improved through meeting deadlines, delegating tasks, coordinating and cooperating with team members. In addition, staying familiar with the uses and applications of latest technology is another important attribute. PORTFOLIO ITEM 3: Personal CV Student Name Address Tel Mobile Email Objective To attain a full time position in a reputable organization that offers a professional work environment in order to perform challenging tasks and enables me to learn and grow while meeting goals of the organization. Academic Education Coventry University- BBA – Bachelors in Business Administration In Progress ABC High School- A Levels (Business Studies, Business English, Statistics). 2009-2010 ABC High School- GCSE (English, Buisness Studies, Accounting) 2006-2008 Work Experience R.A.D. Private Limited October 2007- November 2008 Research Trainee Assisting in research based activities Preparing research reports Assisting in the procedure of publishing research papers XYZ College January 2009- September 2009 Teaching Assistance Arranging quiz exams and handling other assessments such as team projects and presentations. Conducting lectures in absence of lecturer. Participating in students evaluation and organizing records of students’ performance Reports and Projects Prepared a research report on Impact of Strategic Human Resource Management on Corporate Social Responsibility of Nestle. Preparing a Feasibility Report and Business Proposal on “Taste Buds” (Imaginary Restaurant) in the course Financial Management. Prepared a Research Report in Marketing Management on the topic “Impact of Logo Design on perceived value/brand image of the company.” Major Courses Financial Accounting Business English Business Studies Business and Company Law Marketing Management Human Resource Management Financial Management Supply Chain Management Research Methods Statistics Business Mathematics Interests and Skills Proficient in QM for Managers, MS Office, E-views, SPSS Team player with potent communication, coordination, and leadership skills. Watching documentaries and readings books Playing Badminton, Cricket, Pool. References Available upon request Discussion The format of the CV reflects the skills and abilities of the candidate. The above mentioned format of CV incorporates integral points about the overall career of the applicant. As it can be seen that the major headings of CV include academic education, work experience, major courses, skills and interests etc. These parts highlight the basic information about the applicant. All the relevant information has been provided so that the employer can decide in a fleeting glance about whether to hire the specific candidate or not. A short personal profile has been presented right in the beginning including all the contact information followed by education and work experience. List of major courses has also been provided, which informs about the scope of knowledge of the applicant. This CV comprises of several strong points yet there are some loopholes that will be evaded by future period of time for instance, since the qualification is in progress therefore the year of graduating cannot be mentioned as yet. Along with that, more work experience and training is required in order to elongate the section of work experience. Some other qualifications such as diploma or certifications can also enhance the presentation of CV. These spots can be advanced only with the time. My personal experience has remained remarkable while working as research trainee in R.A.D Private Limited. The company is engaged in selecting research papers from nationwide and publishes them in scholarly journals. Through this experience, I was able to gather immense knowledge relating to the field of research. Some of the research skills that I learnt through this job included running research software such as SPSS, QM for Managers, Eviews, preparing review literature and including citations in correct form, studying and understanding research papers etc. PORTFOLIO ITEM 4: Preparation for Interview Discussion In the recruitment process, interview is considered as the deciding factor regarding whether the applicant is hired or not. Yet, without a good CV the step of interview cannot take place. When an applicant receives a call for an interview, it means that the CV has remained successful in gathering the attention of an employer. An interview is a means of exchanging information between an employer and an interviewee. Interview can be regarded as extremely professional conversation. Such an important event certainly demands good preparation. Therefore, the subsequent part of the paper highlights the points that an interviewee must take care of. Interviewee must prepare for most probable questions such as ‘talk to me through your CV’ or ‘tell me about yourself’. Prior to interview, research should be done regarding the job applied for as well as for the organization. Job specification must be studied carefully and own experience, skills, knowledge, and abilities must be matched with the job requirements in order to win the interviewer. Having a mock interview, writing down the answers, reading aloud, or even recording own voice can contribute in better preparation. Good dressing boosts self-confidence. The interview outfit must be prepared beforehand. Grooming things must be planned like trimming beard or getting a haircut. When the interview begins, a short one or two minute response can be given comfortably. The response can start with a potent statement such as ‘I have been serving as assistant HR manager for the past 2 years in the pharmaceutical sector ’. The response should then be followed by summarized story revealing how the current career position is achieved. Career path usually have come loopholes but if there are any gaps in CV or if an interviewee fall short on some other skills, then have a way in sharing the story without being defensive. During an interview, one must not be afraid to take a pause and think. It is not mandatory to fire back an answer within the first few nanoseconds. After the interview, judge own performance and rate the answers. If an interviewee does not hear by the time allotted, then follow up. Whether or not an interviewee remained successful, it must be taken as an opportunity to engage with people, growing the network and improving own self for the next time round. Sending a thank you note to each of the interviewer is better. It must be remembered that the job is about what YOU can contribute to the company, what change will YOU to the position and why the employer should appoint YOU. PORTFOLIO ITEM 5: Psychometric Testing Discussion The psychometric test that I took was based upon 8 questions. Eight minutes were given to answer all the eight questions. For all of the questions, the answers were to be given from the passage which means that this is verbal reasoning test. In verbal reasoning test, the ability of an individual to read, understand, and interpret written information is tested. 2 questions were given for each of the passage. It was taking a lot of time in reading the passage and answering the question therefore, the performance was not so good on the test. Out of 8 questions, 7 questions were attempted and 1 was missed. Out of 7 questions, the answers for only 5 questions were correct which means that verbal reasoning skills are extremely poor. It was mentioned that these results are perhaps because of hastiness in answering the questions. This psychometric explain that verbal reasoning skills must be improved otherwise it may cause serious difficulties in giving exams as well as in practical job situation. The activity of improving reading and writing skills that had been mentioned in the action plan of academic performance will help in enhancing verbal reasoning skills. After improving own self in the areas mentioned in the action plan, it is intended to give more psychometric tests in a more serious manner in order to check and test improvements. It must be kept in mind that the primary purpose of giving psychometric test is to improve self-efficacy. Failing in psychometric test again and again may result in adverse self-efficacy. Works Cited Bandura, A. 1977. Self-efficacy: Toward a unifying theory of behavioral change. Psychological Review, 84(2), pp.191-215. Bandura, A. and Adams, N. 1977. Analysis of self-efficacy theory of behavioral change. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 1(4), pp.287-310. Carter, P. 2011. IQ and psychometric tests. London: Kogan Page. Corfield, R. 2009. Successful interview skills. London: Kogan Page. Ebert, E. and Simmons, K. 1943. Psychometric tests. Washington: Society for Research in Child Development. Fry, R. 2001. Your first resume. Franklin Lakes, NJ: Career Press. Healy, L. 2008. Psychometric tests for dummies. Hoboken, N.J.: Wiley. Holmes, D. 2011. The smart guide to the perfect job interview. Norman, OK: Smart Guide Publications. Joo, Y., Bong, M. and Choi, H. 2000. Self-efficacy for self-regulated learning, academic self-efficacy, and internet self-efficacy in web-based instruction. ETR&D, 48(2), pp.5-17. Margolis, H. and McCabe, P. 2004. 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