Reflection on the Skills - Essay Example

Reflection on the skills SWOT ANALYSIS A swot analysis on oneself means understanding oneself both internally and externally to understand the weaknesses, strengths, threats and opportunities. Strengths and weaknesses are part the internal environment while threats and opportunities are the external environment (Ziv et al 2011). Strengths I am a cool, calm and collected person, happy in my own company. I am an introvert and when I have conversations with people, it is about ideas and concepts. I am very creative always impressing people with my new ideas. I am self disciplined and possess the ability to work under pressure, optimistic and always having high energy levels. I interact regularly with professional organizations to gain networking opportunities for when I start looking for a job. I have strong communication as well as leadership skills which enable me to write concisely, express my thoughts with coherence and pay attention when others talk attentively. I have got charisma and empathy which complement my leadership skills. I am flexible, as such I can adapt to changing situations with ease. I am also self focused; this allows me to direct my energy into self improvement and assists me to live a life of contentment. I am a lover of books since this is where I acquire my knowledge and wisdom from. Weaknesses I am at times judgemental and cynical about other people and their work. This leads t wastage of time focusing on others. I also tend to be conceited or too confident, sometimes egoistic since I believe I am the best in everything I do. I have a time management problem. I do not always keep time which leads to wasted opportunities. I procrastinate a lot, pushing projects that need to be carried out to a later date. Being an introvert also comes with a disadvantage since I do not engage people in too many conversations, I miss some networking opportunities. Opportunities I have a lot of free time to pursue my personal interests as well as improve on my professional life. I read many books and journals that allow me to have an insight of what my career entails and what I will be signing up for. I also get time to interact with my lecturers when I am not having lectures. I still do not have many responsibilities apart from my personal life and school since I do not have my own family (spouse and children). Technology has made way for globalization. This therefore means that I can work anywhere in the world even from my living room. Threats There are many college graduates with the same or better qualifications than I posses, others with better job hunting skills than I have. My prospective career as a bank manager is cut throat and competitive. Everyone wants to be part of the management. There is also the threat of downsizing due to fluctuation of the economy. This poses as a major threat to ones advancement in life. But however negative the external environment may be, every situation comes with its lessons and gifts. Academic Skills I have acquired quite a number of academic skills in my previous semesters. These include technical knowledge in my area of study, computer skills which enable me to be tech savvy. I can programme, work with both computer hardware and software. Technology is part and parcel of our lives today. Therefore I have taken a keen interest in learning about new computer software that will be useful in my career field. I also engage in social media since it is an excellent way of networking and passing of information. I have acquired excellent writing skills since I am constantly writing essays as part of my course work. I can present my work in any writing style for example Harvard or APA with proper referencing and in-text citations to avoid plagiarism. This is crucial as a prospective manager because there will be a lot of communication both vertical and horizontal; to the upper management, to those in the same level and other employees at lower levels. Proper quotation and referencing ensures that you do not present somebody else’s ideas as your own. I have learnt to engage in productive debates with my colleagues as well as learning how to settle disputes amicably. This has tremendously improved my communication skills as well as my personality. It has allowed me to develop a positive attitude towards life and interact well with people considering that I am an introvert. Newly Acquired skills I have learnt organizational skills that will come in handy when I am doing my school work as well as in the future when I venture in to the job market. I have also learnt time management skills that are necessary since I am poor at managing time. I waste a lot of time carrying out one activity but learning time management skills has allowed me to allocate time for each activity and ability to multi task. I have acquired public speaking skills which are essential since my career will involve speaking to a large number of people. I have learnt to have good management skills which involve thinking out-of-the box and paying attention to what other people are saying. I have learnt to be a team player. This will be useful in future discussions both in school and in my career field. Cooperation makes work easier and enjoyable. Skills required for my future career I intend to become a bank manager after my graduation. This will require certain characteristics to enable me achieve success in the organization. A bank manager should have excellent communication skills (Drucker 2008). I have continually improved on my communication skills though engaging in debates geared towards development and reading. I intend to keep this up even when I graduate and venture into my preferred career field. A good manager should also have intellect. One should grasp and learn concepts fast (Macdonald & Koch 2010). I will achieve this by in other peoples objectives, not just my own. Developing interest in what others do and learning from those already successful in the field will be crucial. A good manager also needs resilience. Working under a lot of pressure and balancing the demands of employees and clients can be stressful (Macdonald & Koch 2010). This will require I handle situations with speed and make proper decisions quickly. It is also important for a manager to understand the kind of domain he is managing. Familiarizing myself with the work I intend to venture into is of paramount importance. Bibliography Drucker, P., 2008. Managing oneself Boston, Mass: Harvard Business Press Ziv, K et al. 2011.Self-evaluation: affective and social grounds of intentionality. Dordrecht : Springer. Koch, T., & MacDonald, S. 2010.Bank management. Mason, Ohio: South-Western Cengage Learning. Read More