Personal Values, Skills and Priorities - Essay Example

Reflective Journal Learning goals To identify and understand my personal values, skills and priorities that are in line with my career goals. To acquire knowledge and practical insights on how to develop my career. To learn how to prepare and market myself for a career in the criminal justice system. To acquire a wide knowledge base on the organizational contexts of different careers in the criminal justice system, the duties and qualification requirements. To develop skills in criminal investigation that I can use to serve the community in my home country. Week 1 The lessons learnt in the course of this week were generally based on personal reflections. For me, this week enabled me to examine in-depth my values, priorities and goals with regards to my career and life in general. In the course of this week we focused on the five key steps of career management namely; self evaluation, career research, planning, preparation and self-promotion. I found this lesson to be very helpful since it helped me to evaluate myself based on whether my ideal career is in line with the skills that I have and what I enjoy doing. Moreover, during this week I learnt the importance of career research, planning and preparation. I learnt that, before embarking on any line of work or career, it is essential to conduct research so as to establish the employment opportunities in various organizations and the required skills. Furthermore, I learnt the importance of creating a realistic action plan that I can use to realize my career objectives. As a result of the knowledge imparted to me during this week, I discovered that my previous outlook on career management was wanting. A review of Raddon (2005) offered more insights on managing career in the current competitive job market. Based on the sentiments of Raddon (2005, p.63), I discovered that personal values and attributes play a great role in determining one’s career path therefore this resource challenged me to better my understanding on my values, priorities, skills and attributes. By reviewing the Rokeach Value Survey (Rokeach, 1973), I further gained great insight on my personal values and priorities some of which evidently influence my career choices. This is in line with the learning goals that I had set at the beginning of the semester. Evidently, lesson’s learnt during this week provided great insights on significant aspects of career management. After this week’s lessons, I feel like my outlook on career matters has changed for the better. During this week, we also examined invaluable aspect of journal writing. Given the fact that writing reflective journals is a crucial requirement in this course, I found that this lesson was an eye opener to some of the important aspects of journal writing. I learnt that a well written journal should be characterized by critically reflective skills that enable one to challenge themselves. For instance, I learnt that when writing a journal one should reflect on what they learnt, their reaction to what they learnt and the importance of the lesson learnt among many other factors. I was able to learn the role of journal in providing learning and professional insight through reflective writing. Week 2 Our focus during week 2 was mainly on understanding the pathways to different careers, we focused on careers within the criminal justice sector. In the course of this week, we examined how to develop concise plans for searching for employment in different agencies. Moreover, we explored in-depth the basic components of a professional resume and how to write a professional resume. In addition to what I learnt in class I found the resource by Mayer (2008) to be very useful in enhancing my skills in writing professional resumes. This book offers a simplified step-by-step guide to writing proper professional resumes. In addition, the book conveys crucial guidelines on searching for jobs and other important factors that should be considered when incorporating personal details in a professional resume. Furthermore, after reviewing the book “Career planning and job searching in the information age” by Elizabeth Lorenzen I understood the various dynamics of job hunting and how one can plan and prepare themselves adequately in order to get a prospective employment opportunity in different fields. One of the key lessons learnt during this week that superseded my expectations was on the use of the internet as a channel for searching for employment. According to Lorenzen (1996, p. 8), the internet is currently one of the most viable channels to seek for employment. Prior to this lesson, I believed that the internet was just a complementary means of job searching however I learnt that when seeking for a job the use of the internet is a necessity (Lorenzen, 1996). The lessons learnt during this week will definitely help me in future as I endeavor to find employment in my line of work. Preparing a professional resume is an important aspect of job searching, this week’s lesson have evidently helped me to enhance my skills. I therefore feel that I have adequately prepared to search for employment in the highly competitive job market. Week 3 Week 3 offered an in-depth knowledge on different organizational contexts and what it entails working in these organizations. During this week, we explored the characteristics of employment in the public and private sectors in Australia. I found these learning aspects to be very important since they illuminate some of the key employment options in both the private and public sector. I was able to learn about the pros and cons of working in the public and private sector. For example, employment in the public sector offers stability and a visible career path nevertheless working in the public sector is often restrictive and the advancement of one’s career can be slow. On the other hand, employment in the private sector offers greater autonomy and opportunities for personal development however employment stability is lacking. Learning about the nature of employment in both the private and public sector helped me to evaluate my employment options. In addition, this week’s lesson shed light on some of the factors that one should consider when looking for employment in different organizations. For instance, I learnt that when one is looking for employment they should consider the organization’s goals and mission, the sources of the organization’s finance and the nature of work in the organization. In addition to this, it is imperative to consider whether working in the alleged organization will promote one’s career advancement or personal growth. Moreover, in the course of this week a review of Hasenfeld (1983) and Hasenfeld (2009) widened my understanding on organizational contexts particularly with regards to human service organization. In future, I see this information influencing my career decisions particularly with regards to the kind of organization I choose to work in. Week 5 I consider this week as a self-awareness week since a lot of what we learnt helped me to develop a deeper understanding of myself with regards to my values, priorities and outlook and the role that these factors play in developing my professional culture. By applying Luft’s Johari window concept I was able to identify some of the misconceptions I have about myself. For instance, this concept basically taught me how to become receptive to feedbacks from others and to appreciate self-disclosure since it helps to reduce “blind spots” and “facades” (Luft, 1969). I learnt that how I perceive myself and what I believe largely contributes to what I want to achieve in my profession. The social construction that I will have of me will influence my professional identity, capability and efficacy. One of the vital lessons that I learnt in the course of this week is that it is important to have an accurate social construction of self since any falsies could result to a reprehensible professional culture. In the course of this week we further expanded on some of the key aspects of organizational culture. By reviewing Robbins, Millett & Waters-Marsh (2004), I was able to understand that organizational culture entails a system of shared meaning that differentiates one organization from the other. I learnt that organization culture is often formed from the philosophy of the founders of the organizations, the top management and the socialisation within the organization. This in turn affects the commitment and motivation of the employee’s to the organization. Additionally, I learnt that organizational culture is also affected by the values, personal beliefs, attitudes, behaviours and preferences of employees. Basically, this week’s lesson’s helped me to understand the importance of self awareness. I learnt that the kind of outlook I have of me will influence my professional identity, capability and efficacy this can in turn affect the organizational culture of the organization that I will work for in future. Week 8 During this week, we had a seminar presentation on the Australian Customs and Border Protection service. Prior to this presentation I had little knowledge on what Australian customs and border protection officers do. I was able to learn that the key function of this organization is to protect the commercial interests, security and safety of Australia through border protection and by supporting legitimate travel and trade of products. Furthermore, this organization deals with the collection of trade statistics and revenue. From this seminar presentation, I learnt that the normal duties of a customs officer include; assessing passenger cargo prior to their arrival, carrying out onshore patrols and employing technology to inspect targeted cargo among many other functions. This presentation also shed light on the qualifications needed to work in this organization and how one can enter into this service. I learnt that some of the qualifying factors include; a degree in a relevant filed such as Accounting, IT, Human Resource, Business and Economics. One is also required to have undergone at least a 1year intensive training on border protection. Through this presentation, I learnt that one can join the Customs and Border Protection service through above entry level recruitment, as a customs trainee, as indigenous cadets or marine trainee. By examining the customs website www. customs.gov.au and reading its annual report Annual report 2009-2010, I was able to understand in-depth how the organization work. For example, the organization’s 2009-2010 annual report highlights some of the company’s achievements revolving around border protection. Personally, I found this information to be valuable, since working in the Customs and Border Protection service is in line with my career objectives. Week 9 In the course of this week, we examined what it entails to work for the Child Safety services under the Department of Communities in Queensland. Owing to the fact that this is a new government department that was established in 2009, I was oblivious of what working in such a department entails. Nevertheless, the presentation made during this week was an eye opener, it evoked an interest in community service and social responsibility. Following this presentation, I learnt that the key goals of the Department of Communities, is to improve the wellbeing of the people in Queensland and help people who are disadvantaged and vulnerable. Moreover, this department seeks to encourage community participation in social, cultural and economic aspects of their communities. With regards to the child safety service, I learnt that its objectives lie in ensuring the safety and wellbeing of children in the community and those that are under the government child protection systems. Personally, I found that this line of work can bring personal fulfillment since it enables one to give back to the community by taking part in community development. This presentation also highlighted the duties and requirements of a child safety officer. I learnt that some of the duties of a child safety officer include; providing early intervention support and prevention to vulnerable children. In order to qualify for this position one must have a degree in relevant fields such as criminology, psychology, health business and law. Furthermore, applicants should have skills in communication, conflict resolution and problem solving. A review of the Department of Communities official website and its informational pamphlet offered more insights on what it entails to work in this department. Week 10 During week 10 we had a presentation on Queensland Corrective services. The presentation highlighted a brief history of the organization, its functions and what it entails working in the organization. The criminal justice systems is one of the career field that I find to be fascinating therefore I found this presentation to be very insightful with regards to matters revolving around rehabilitation, probation and parole. This presentation helped me to learn about the newly introduced parole and probation model in Queensland and the employment opportunities that are available in the probation and parole model. One of the key insights gained during this week was on the new parole and probation models in Queensland. I learnt that this model comprises of induction and assessment, offender management, offender intervention and compliance and surveillance. These models present employment opportunities such as assessment officers, reporting officers, compliance officers and case management officers. In addition to the information provided in this presentation, I found the insights by Garner (2008) and Harr & Hess (2009) to be useful in illuminating what it takes to work in the parole and probation services. Work 11 In week 11, we examined the Forensic Disabilities Service (FDS) as a career field. We examined the goals of the organization and the various career opportunities in this field. I learnt that the goals of this organization include improving the coping, social and independent living skills of its clients, reducing the risk of offending and maximizing on the quality of life of the clients. In the course of this week we learnt about the services that are offered by the FDS, for example some of the services that we examined include; social skill development, psychological therapies, vocational and education training, fitness, leisure and health activities. I also learnt about the roles of officers working in this organization. Some of the key roles performed by officers in this organization include contributing to the development, review and implementation of community programs and treatment plans. Moreover, the officer in this organization play the role of developing, evaluating and implementing programs that promotes the development of positive life skills. For me, this was the first time I learnt about the functions of the Forensic Disabilities Service (FDS). Although this is not my area of specialization, I found that the information presented in this presentation to be insightful on the various aspects to consider when seeking for employment in different organization. In addition to the information presented in the course of this presentation, I did further research on this field by reviewing Riding et al(2005) and the Forensic Disabilities Service website (FDS), these resources provided further insights on what employment opportunities in this field entail. Week 12 The focus of the class in week 12 was how to formulate and use a professional development plan. From my own perception, I understood that a professional development plan is a framework I could use to establish whether my conduct and ability is professional in nature. I learned that a professional is identified by certain characteristics. Most importantly, a person’s professionalism is measured or determined by their competency in achieving key tasks in the workplace. The highest standard of professionalism entails exceeding expectations in key areas such as communications, dependability, ability to take initiative and the quality of work produced. I also learned that reviewing performance is not just reliant on current information but also contingent on my past performance (Attwood, Curtis & Pitts, 2006). The class provided me with a fairly useful basis to formulate my professional development plan. First, one needs to be specific about what they perceive to be professionalism or particularly what it is they need to do to for their behaviour to be defined as professional. Personally, I would prioritize getting and retaining a well paying graduate job as the desired outcome. Secondly, I would have to identify what particular attributes or skill profile is required of me to achieve this goal and compare them with my current skills profile( Fook & Gardner, 2007). Once I have identified the gap between where I want to be and where I am, I can then come up with a plan which will outline how I intend to bridge the gap in my professional development. Being the last class of the semester, I was able to piece together what I have been learning and have realized that I need to focus on the details of my professional development as a lot still needs to be done. I intend to apply some of the generic formats as a form of experimentation in applying for jobs and take stock of the lessons learned. References Attwood, M. Curtis, A. & Pitts, J. (2006). Professional Development: A guide to primary care. New York: Willey-Blackwell. Australian Customs and Border Protection service. (2011). About Customs and Border Protection. Retrieved on June 8, 2011 from Australian Customs and Border Protection service. (2011). Annual report 2009-2010. Retrieved on June 8, 2011 from Fook, J. & Gardner, F. (2007).Practicing Critical Reflection: A Resource Handbook. Maidenhead: Open University Press. Garner, G. (2008). Careers in social and rehabilitation services. New York: McGraw-Hill Professional. Harr, J. & Hess, K. (2009). Careers in criminal justice and related fields: from internship to promotion. London: Cengage Learning. Hasenfeld, Y. (1983). Human service organizations. New York: Prentice-Hall. Hasenfeld, Y. (2009). Human services as complex organizations. California: Sage. Mayer, D. (2008). How to write and design a professional resume to get the job: insider secrets you need to know. Florida: Atlantic Publishing Company. Lorenzen, E. (1996). Career planning and job searching in the information age. New York: Routledge. Luft, J. (1969). Of human interaction. California: National Press. Queensland Department of Communities. (2004). Queensland Department of Communities information pamphlet. Queensland: Department of communities. Queensland Department of Communities. (2011). Our Organization. Retrieved on June 8, 2011 from Queensland Government (2011). About the Forensic Disability Service. Retrieved on June 8, 2011from Riding, T., Dale, C. & Swann, B. (2005). The handbook of forensic learning disabilities. Sydney: Radcliffe Publishing. Raddon, R. (2005). Your career, your life: career management for the information profession. England: Ashgate Publishing. Robbins, S., Millett, B. & Waters-Marsh, T. (2004). Organizational behaviour. NSW: Pearson education Rokeach, M. (1973). The nature of Human Values. New York: The Free Press. Read More