Career Appraisal - My Best and Worst Jobs - Admission/Application Essay Example

Career Appraisal Research Paper A career goal is a clear and concise thought that leads to an informed desire to accomplish specific career objectives at a certain point in time. A great career evaluation begins with the person himself who begins by stating what he wants in life and shall start working hard towards fulfilling those dreams. 1A Age (5-10) As I grew up, my immediate family members were the most important people in my life given that they offered me support by caring for me and treated me with gifts. My family life was the best, and I never could imagine leaving them even a week to go and visit relatives. I loved school from the beginning given that it was colorfully decorated, and the teachers were very caring. In addition, I loved seeing many kids just as I could see them at theme parks. I developed an interest in various games, but I loved swimming and cycling more. My parents were particularly helpful in that them bought me better bicycles and could always take me to swimming pools where I enjoyed myself a lot, and I nurtured my two main passionate activities. Age 11-15 I was old enough to move around without the company of my parents. I continued engaging my friends in cycling and swimming competitions in the neighborhood where they referred to me as the champion given that I won in most episodes. At school, my great passion got rewarded by numerous trips to swimming competitions where I did excellently. I developed these extracurricular activities well until I left high school, a period when I decided to concentrate more on the demanding work schedules. 1B List your best and worst courses here 1C My best job My best job ever is the one I am doing now. I like the job given that my supervisor allows be to make decisions regarding the best way to handle my tasks as long as I deliver to the expectations. On a number of times, he challenges me to think as if I own the company and do that task just as I could do for my company. I end up coming up with unique ways of handling the tasks comfortably. By that, I have been able to finish all my tasks well in advance, and my performance has been better than in all the other places I have worked. The supervisor handles my colleagues in the same way and what is unique with all the employees is the spirit to inspire one another with each person aiming to assist the other where they can. The working environment is well set and it provides a satisfactory place to work in and the fact that my employer rewards good performance and creativity, we all aim for the rewards hence we are always motivated to do our best. One aspect I have not liked at the job is the element of the repetitive nature of tasks that makes me feel as if I am repeating the same thing repeatedly. I have always preferred challenging and unique tasks, where I deal with new tasks every time that challenge me to pace around trying to look for the best available method to handle the task. Another thing I dislike is the aspect that time has never been enough. The tasks are many, repetitive, but the supervisor will want them handled within a given period irrespective of the bulkiness involved. Late delivery means that one shall score fewer marks in being prepared to complete tasks and that counts in appraisals. The occasions, when I accomplished significant progress at work, is when I fully concentrated on the activities at hand with an aim of doing a great job just as I could want someone do for me. I developed that attitude since I came to realize that I gained a lot by being hardworking while balancing my working life with family life. On the other hand, when I owned all the tasks assigned to be, my performance kept increasing, and my supervisor has always recognized every extra effort I put into my job. What I do not like in my current job Some of my tasks are repetitive in nature hence they kill the morale to finish the work much faster. The reason I did not perform well is that when the work is too repetitive, I always have an urge to relax while telling myself that I have all the time to finish the work. As I continue motivating myself to finish the work, I end up handing it in a bit late or the work does not end up as I expected. I attribute this to the monotonous nature of the tasks that kills the motivation to work given that there is no creative thinking involved. My worst job My worst job was the very first job I did after finishing college studies where my supervisor directed me on how to handle virtually all the tasks allocate to me. I disliked the job because the supervisor did not like any employee to deviate from the traditional method of carrying out tasks hence I felt as if I was wasting my time working there. Every time any staff tried to find better ways of working, the supervisor could shout around, say that we are new, and think that we know a lot, and so he warned people to work as he had instructed us. There was nothing that I particularly liked about this job except the fact that it assisted to pay my bills. An ideal job An ideal job for me is a job that appears interesting and new every single day. To be ideal, the supervisor has to devise better ways of motivating the staff and the best way is to let them submit on a monthly basis, the best way each staff wants to handle tasks in a motivating manner. The supervisor should allow for change of plans if a staff finds out that the method he expected to work out has failed to deliver the best results. For the job to be rewarding, I will recommend all staff be continuously trained on the best ways of handling their responsibilities since this way each employee will be supportive to the rest in accomplishing their duties. In addition, management should devise better ways of rewarding staff members to increase creativity and the boost motivation to work. I would suggest promotion at the job to be one of the best ways to reward the staff and that the promotion be based on both academic qualifications and skills gained while working. In addition, for the job to be ideal, the organization should try to match qualifications with the roles it shall assign each person such that each employee will specialize in a given area where they performed well at college. Lastly, the ideal job should allow flexibility for one to consult and do a great job as opposed to working on fixed timelines that forces a person to finish tasks for the sake of it without learning anything new. Ranking of Factors 1-Permits me to work on a wide variety of tasks 1-gives me the opportunity to help others. 1-provides me with a great deal of independence in deciding how the work gets done. 2-enables me to make a great deal of money. 1-Offers me a secure future. 1-gives me an opportunity to develop friendships at work 1-Has pleasant working conditions. 1-Enables me to work with a supervisor who is competent and supportive. 2-provides me with power and influence over other people. 1-gives me a feeling of accomplishment. -Should allow me an opportunity to participate in decision-making in the crucial running operations in my department. -The job should allow me a chance to review my progress at work on a quarterly basis with my supervisor and work on weak arrears with his full support. -Should give me an opportunity to help other departments when time allows so that I can develop skills of running such an entity effectively. 1D: Life roles 1-My Career 2-My religious and spiritual life 1-My family life 3-My participation in community service activities 2-My leisure and recreational pursuits Explanation My career is important given that it is one activity I would like to associate with until I attain my retirement age of 60 years. I spend on average 8 hours every day trying to make my career an experience to me and a story to tell for my managers. I emphasize on a clear career growth given that I want to specialize in a professionally in utmost two years from now. I am a religious person who loves attending church service every single Sunday. I find religion to be particularly satisfying given that I communicate with the higher authority and feel fulfilled. I have been able to accomplish much with the believe that the higher authority appreciates my efforts, and He rewards me with satisfaction in all my activities. My family life is very stable with a loving spouse and parents. Being with them motivates me to work harder to make them happy, and that makes me satisfied. On a number of occasions, I do consult them and the advice they have given me turned out to be the best. The time I spend with my spouse gives me an opportunity to reflect on life thereby helping me to create more affirmations on where I am headed. To me, community service is all about creating a beautiful and safe environment for all people. My participation in these exercises makes me feel part of the community and my contribution highly valued when I see clean environments free of hazards. Leisure and recreation help to relax my body, release any accumulated stress from work and as such give me more room for thinking and working harder. On the other hand, through leisure and recreation, I have managed to bond well with my family and friends given that we arrange bonding activities. Themes 1. My life and work I have always wanted a balanced life and working situation where I can comfortably handle both without stress while appreciating the benefits of each to my life. Evidence: I have worked hard to bring up a loving family where we all interact freely, and all members contribute without fear. At job, I always work hard to fulfill my duties to the maximum while finding better ways of handling my duties to accomplish tasks much faster. 2. My motivation I always get motivated when I excel in all my tasks. Evidence: I am doing extra courses to equip myself with more knowledge to enable me handle my duties satisfactorily. 3. My interests I have always appreciated working hard and smart as a way of earning the much-anticipated growth. Evidence: I like consulting with my colleagues and supervisors to find the best way of handling daily activities at the company in a way that makes work easier for all staff members. 4. My personality I have aspired to be approachable by all persons on top of being a self-starter person who achieves set targets and goals. Evidence: I have been a pacesetter as I dispense my roles especially at my current working station. This is because my supervisor allows me the autonomy to make informed decisions on how to handle various activities. 5. Skills I have aspired to have the most relevant and competitive skills in my area of work. Evidence: I have gone back to school a number of occasions as I further my knowledge in the business and human resource fields. I expect to offer the best services to my employer in return for better terms of employment. Components of PWE The place should be well-ventilated, clean working stations and management should provide all stationery to reduce frequency of movements. The PWE should have open communication channels where I can easily talk to any person within the company without restrictions. With an open policy, the company shall encourage creativity and innovation since employees will be sharing information freely. At the same time, management should conduct periodic evaluations where they will devise better ways of working while recommending other employees for training. The job should offer an opportunity for employees to find better ways of handling various roles in a satisfying manner. Tasks and activities Receiving new employees and conducting an orientation for them to familiarize with the working environment. Participating in budget-making activities. Participating in creating job descriptions (JD) for each employee group and section. Reviewing performance with respect to the JD and rewarding good performance. Analyzing training needs and recommending employees to go for further training. Talents Ability to make key and influential decisions Having the ability to associate qualifications with skills and roles. Making a working budget that takes care of all the needs of all stakeholders. Autonomy and independence shall enable me to work without fear and, as a result, I will manage to increase my output. With autonomy, I know that I am a boss of my own. Therefore, my performance must be at its best with no errors. I shall work hard to mentor the new employees as a way of enabling them to take up my responsibilities as I move up. I intend to offer my very best to my job duties. It is my hope that my performance shall stand out hence giving me the much-needed satisfaction and fulfillment. I will want to relate well with all my colleagues such that all persons shall consult each other freely. I will want my supervisor to be open to me and inform me about my progress at work. With an up to date report on performance, I shall know my weak areas and also what I need to do to improve my performance. The working environment should be well ventilated, with clear pathways for people to move around freely. Each workstation should have enough light and be free of noise among other pollutants. I will appreciate having a neat working room with all communication gadgets in store. Money is an important rewarding item that all people strive to have more. I will look towards increasing my performance to increase my monthly wages and a way of satisfying social needs. Besides being important, I must confess that money shall always come secondary to a comfortable and satisfying working environment that I shall always be proud of. Exercise 4B Senior Accountant Components of the PWE Relevant Information About Job Information Source Tasks and activities Preparing assets, liabilities, and capital account entries. Documenting financial information like account receivables and payables. Maintaining financial security by maintaining internal controls when making payments. Reconciling financial discrepancies by collecting relevant accounting information and checking against actual cash payments Analyze company budget, expenses, and revenue. Prepare profit and loss statements. Chief Accountant Abilities required The person has to pass CPA certificate exams and have a relevant degree course. Working experience of more than one year is an added advantage. I have all the required academic requirements. As for working experience, there is a provision for training a new person. Chief Accountant Freedom and Autonomy The job has laid down policies and procedures that the international accounting body sets and regulates. As long as one adheres to them, working is smooth with expected results. Chief Accountant, International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) Working relationships Accountants rely on one another very much as they complete their daily activities. The reason is that work done by one accountant is what another shall use to complete his duties. Chief Accountant, IASB Physical work setting The company allocates each accountant with the necessary working inputs that include a computer and an individual working station. The chief accountant assigns duties and responsibilities with deadlines. Most duties are repetitive, and the information accountants handle is very sensitive. Teamwork is the order of the day as people join efforts to complete tasks assigned to them. Chief Accountant Financial Benefits Starting salaries are from $63,786 per year, but the amount increases to a possible $100,000 per year in the long term. Human resource department. Job security The position of an accountant is permanent and pensionable at my organization. As long as one does not involve himself in fraud, one will enjoy job security and will rise through the ranks based on ones performance. Human resource department Effect of pursuit of job Pursuing this job has led me back to college where I am taking CPA classes. Handling job tasks and schoolwork has eaten into my family life and leisure. This is because I attend classes after job and over the weekend. Self Specialization Working as an accountant will enable me to specialize professionally such that in the long term, I can easily become a consultant and increase my income generating sources. IASB Exercise 5. Elements of the Long-Term Conceptual Goal To equip myself with relevant academic qualifications To secure a professional job To find a mentor To create working and reliable career networks Open up a consultancy firm Significant Element of Long-term conceptual goal Long-term Operational goals A B Relevant academic requirements To finish CPA studies. Finish my Master of Arts Degree in HRM. Secure a professional job To volunteer at my organization’s finance department to gain relevant experience. Look for a relevant accounting job in another organization. Mentorship Once I finish studies, I will join relevant professional bodies where I can find a mentor in the same field of work. I will look for relevant material about mentorship that includes audio and video records that will guide me on my career path. Career networks I intend to become an alumnus at my current schools from where I shall find reliable networks that discuss work and social life. Consultancy Firm I intend to work as a professional accountant for six years then open my consultancy firm having acquired the relevant working experience. To join with one of my networks who could love to run a consultancy firm. Together we shall not feel the burden of starting capital. Advantages and disadvantages of Operational Goal A Advantages. 1. Once I finish my academic studies, I shall have higher chances of getting my preferred professional job. Employers will see my potential in discharging duties professionally. 2. I will have bargaining power when looking for my preferred job and with the relevant skills, I shall accept proposals for jobs that have greater job security and offer freedom in decision-making. 3. Once I get services of a mentor, I shall make relevant career choices that shall enable me to offer the best services at my working place. 4. Through networking, I will discuss career growth matters with my career friends, and together we shall be able to offer relevant solutions to the profession. 5. As a consultant, I will assist people in matters relating with filing tax returns, conduct auditing for their companies and offer employment opportunities. Disadvantages 1. In some cases, finishing academic studies is not a guarantee that one gets that dream job. I will continue struggling until I land at the job. 2. Finding relevant people to network with can be a problem given the busy working schedules for most people. I will not get tired though until I land at the right group. Advantages and disadvantages of Operational Goal B Advantages 1. Looking for a job outside my current organization shall expose me to another working environment where I will interact with the employees there. As a result, I will increase my working experience under diverse environments with different kinds of staff. 2. Reading mentorship materials and watching videos will save me the problems of pegging my busy schedule against my mentors. Currently, I hardly have enough time for my family and personal growth. 3. If I join my friend so that together we can start a consultancy firm can save me financially and also in aspects of decision-making. Two or more people have the leverage of discussing and weighing options before arriving at a common solution. Disadvantages 1. Looking for a job outside has its side effects that include relocation from my current neighborhood and consequently starting all over again to look for new friends. 2. Reading mentorship materials has the disadvantage of not opening networking links that I need. I could love the mix of having a real mentor and reading relevant material as the best way of learning. Elements of the Short-Term Conceptual Goal 1. Relevant academic requirements 2. To get more job responsibilities in my current organization Significant Element of Short-term conceptual goal Short-term Operational goals A B Relevant academic requirements I intend to finish my Master certification in Human Resources and get finish studies in budgeting/ financial certificate. More job responsibilities I will talk to my head of department to allocate my more responsibilities given that I will have added more qualifications on my list of academic achievements. I have an option of approaching the finance department to work as a volunteer employee during my free time. Advantages and disadvantages of short term Operational Goal A Advantages 1. Once I finish my studies by the end of the year, I will inform my career manager at HRM department to consider me for a possible reassignment of more job duties and responsibilities. So far, I have acquired more knowledge about how to handle employees and what is remaining is putting the knowledge into use. 2. With the additional knowledge, I shall be able to dispense my current roles with a lot of expertise and could earn a promotion based on merit. 3. With the relevant qualifications, I will talk to the career manager for a possible merging of roles with qualifications so that she could transfer me to the finance department given that I have knowledge of auditing, taxation, budgeting, accounting, and finance. Disadvantages 1. The organization may see my additional qualifications and call for more roles and responsibilities as a way of calling for a salary increment. These misunderstandings may cost me the current job. I will talk to the head of department in advance about my aspirations so that the organization will know my position of gaining more experience and that I anticipate to stay longer once I am in the right department. Advantages and disadvantages of short term Operational Goal B Advantages 1. If I could move over to the finance department, I will gain the much-needed professional skills that shall enable me to open a consultancy firm later on in life. 2. Moving to finance department shall allow me to work in a different environment and with employees who have different perspectives and views from what those in my current department have. I will gain more knowledge from these associations that shall help me on my career growth. Disadvantages 1. Moving to another department shall call for learning new ways of working and most likely a change in my learning and social life schedules. Exercise 6. My long-term goal of getting a professional job Activity Purpose Time Frame Learning To equip the self with relevant academic qualifications 3 years Networking With the help of friends, I could easily land a relevant opportunity. 2 years Mentorship The mentor shall guide me about various choices I need to take on my career path. 2 years Volunteering at the relevant department To equip myself with the relevant on the job skills as a way of passing job interviews. 14 months Sending job applications To secure a relevant professional job with other companies Until I get the job. Exercise 6. My short-term goal of finishing my academic and professional certifications Activity Purpose Time Frame Attending lectures To acquire the relevant qualifications on how to handle specific duties at the job Less than one year. Discussion groups To know how other students go about handling duties in other companies This is my network. Continuous. Goal setting plan I have my stable career goals that demonstrate what I want in my career life. I endeavor to attain them under the current working environment and with the prevailing environmental factors. Moving to a different job with different job demands but better terms of employment are one of the aspects that may push me from achieving my goals, but I shall try to adjust accordingly. One of my primary goals is in relation to equipping myself with relevant academic qualifications with a target to obtain my master certification degree in human resources by December 2015. With this qualification, I shall be able to clearly appreciate how to handle human capital and its entire process of hiring, developing, retaining, and firing employees in the organization. Part of my career goals is to have a clear understanding of how organizations conduct budgeting when determining number of employees to recruit as well as the salary to give them. In that respect, I would love to obtain CPA license and finish my financial/budget certification that is for government organizations. With these qualifications and my current working skills, I shall be in a better position to negotiate for better terms of employment while considering job security. Armed with the relevant academic qualification, my second goal is to secure a position where I shall employ all my qualifications from school and skills from my previous employers. I am qualified in accounting, auditing, taxes, finance, budgeting, human resources, and information security management with supervisory skills. My target is to secure that job that shall require me to employ a part of these skills maximally and in return, I shall be able to develop my career in that field. My current academic knowledge and diversity in the area of knowledge above is an excellent resource for any company but my big challenge is that I have not specialized in one particular field for a long time hence limiting my chances of growth in any one company. I aspire to secure a middle-level job and specialize in one field such that I will have more chances of growing and in case I move from one company to another, I will land in an even higher job position. Through employing the five-step process, my career exploration led me to create self-awareness that the direction I am taking by first attaining the relevant qualifications and improve my working skills, I shall land at my clear career path. I aspire to secure the relevant job that shall motivate me to perform to the best of my ability since I consider moving from one job to another as slowing down chances of progression in ones career. My greatest challenge is finding out those specific tasks I will love to all the time without much straining. Analyzing my short term goals shall enable me to find my passionate tasks where I shall evaluate my output both in terms of quality and quantity. I plan to re-evaluate my achievements against goals continuously to find out how I fair on. One of the things I shall continue undertaking is a career exploration to know if I am any closer to achieving my career objective and if not, I shall find out what could be the problem. As an example, my objective is to specialize in one area of working where I shall maintain long-term relationships with industry players both in the company and outside. If I do not secure that job that shall lead to my specialization in one area, I will go back and conduct another career appraisal to find out where or what I am doing wrong Exercise 7 Component of PWE Is PWE Accurate? Is PWE Complete? Where I can get additional information Tasks I find interesting Yes Yes Employees at the Department Talents I want to use Yes Yes Departmental head Freedom and independence Yes Yes Departmental head Relationships with others Yes Yes Departmental head Physical work setting Yes Yes Physical examination of the environment Money Yes Yes Head of HRD Security Yes Yes Head of HRD Balance with social life No No Analysis of how I spend time Exercise 8 Activity Purpose Timeframe Attending classes Equip myself with relevant qualifications 3 years Volunteering at the finance department Gain the much needed on the job skills 14 months Sending job applications I could land a suitable job that utilizes my academic qualifications and job skills. Continuous Continuous self-appraisal To find out if I am on the right track in getting the chosen occupation Continuous References American Psychological Association. (2010). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association. (6th ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association Greenhaus, J.H., Callahan, G. A., & Godshalk. (2010). Career management. (4th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. Rothwell, R. D., Jackson, S. C., Knight, J., & Lindholm, P. (2005). Career Planning and Succession Management: Developing Your Organization’s Talent – for Today and Tomorrow [Hardcover] Read More