The Self Appraisal to be Successful in the Professional Life - Assignment Example

? Self Appraisal Report Summary The report focuses on the developments in education system in terms of introducing work based learning approach by means of which students can gain knowledge and skills in order to deliver services successfully in their field of work. The report also involves the self appraisal of the researcher from the perspective of the internship programme that is currently undergoing by the researcher. The self assessment report highlights the skills that the researcher possesses as well as the skills that are required to be achieved in order to be successful in the professional life. The assessment has been made in accordance with theories provided by research scholars regarding the benefits of work based learning and the skills obtained from this process which will help an individual to secure a better job. The report also highlights the researcher’s future plans in terms of the developments that are yet to be made in order to enhance his/her skills. Following that suitable conclusions and recommendations have been made. Table of Contents Summary 2 Introduction 4 Self-Appraisal 4 Skills and Experience relevant to my career goals 6 Future Plans 7 Conclusions and Recommendations 7 Reference List 8 Introduction Over the past few decades, the field of education and occupational learning has witnessed a shift of regime. There has been a significant change in how students and policy makers perceive higher education and the role of universities. The idea of enrolling in a university to become intellectually enlightened has been replaced with the idea that the primary objective of higher education is to serve the industry (Huq and Gilbert, 2012). The fundamental of work based learning (WBL) is based upon the fact that individuals will thrive to understand the meaning of theory and thereafter attain wisdom through real life experience. This is also known as experiential learning. WBL is of utmost importance which helps an individual to be self directed, competent, self managing, constructive, reflective and autonomous who will be able to extract and articulate the meaning of learning from their everyday routine of work. As such this report will primarily involve a self assessment of the researcher on the basis of the internship that the researcher underwent and thereby highlighting the importance of internship and work based learning and the outcomes from them. In addition to that, the self assessment of the researcher will also describe personal skills and experience possessed by the researcher prior to the internship and how those implemented and what additional skills and experiences were earned. Based on the points explained, a suitable conclusion will be reached as to how important is work based learning/internship to the modern day education system and recommendations will also be made regarding the changes that are required, if any, in order to bring upon improvement in this system of education. Self-Appraisal As has been explained by Gault, Redington and Schlager (2010), work based education also referred to as experiential education, plays a crucial role in shaping lives of undergraduates thereby enhancing their preparation in order to achieve success in the entry level job market. It provides a means by which both students and faculties can bridge the gap between the career expectations developed during classroom tutorial and the reality of employment in the field of work. Similar conclusion has been presented by Gault, Leach and Duey (2010), who also highlighted the importance of experiential learning. They explained that, experiential education is of paramount importance at the initial stages of an individual’s career thereby uplifting the prospect of employment candidates in job market. Similar theories have been outlined by Bridgstock (2009). Having the same belief, as has been explained by the authors mentioned above; I also enrolled for an internship in order to undergo the experiential learning process while pursuing my degree education. My job title was that of a kitchen hand whose primary responsibility was to provide assistance to the Chef in the preparation of food that also included cooking and maintaining a clean kitchen. In order to fulfil the responsibilities, I had to have some prerequisite set of skills. Time management, teamwork, logical thinking, being responsive and knowledge of process flow were some of the skills which I possessed even before joining the internship. According to the feedback of my work supervisor who was also incidentally the senior chef, I exhibited critical skills that employers normally demand which were maturity, emotional intelligence, team-building, negotiation, communication and interpersonal skills (Huq and Gilbert, 2012). Cunningham (2011) explained that feedback is of utmost importance in work based learning process which ensures an all around development of an individual. As has been explained by Barr and Mcneilly (2013), recruiters believe that students do not learn certain specific set of skills, needed in the field of work, through their classroom tutorials. Thus the importance of internships comes into the forefront. However, having the set of skills as I have mentioned before, I did realize in my field of work that I lacked certain specific skills which are of essential importance concerned with the all round development of an individual. Some of them as highlighted by Barr and Mcneilly (2013) were team building skill, public speaking skill and leadership skill. Work based learning plays a very important role in developing leadership skills among individuals (Raelin, 2011). In order to earn these skills, I attended a lot of business events in my spare time which were organized by private institutions in order to foster such skills within individuals. In those events, I played the role of both a team leader and a team member which required me to do a lot of speaking as well as listening in front my team members. After attending about 15 such events I was confident enough to lead a team as and when required in my field of work. Skills and Experience relevant to my career goals Possessing job oriented skills is of utmost importance as far as achieving skills in the work field is concerned. Apart from the skills that I demonstrated during my internship, I also possessed other definite skills which were relevant to my career goals. They were: Reliability in terms of handling responsibilities. Consistency of performance Timeliness Demonstrating self-motivation Commitment to quality work Exhibiting professional and ethical behaviour Eagerness to learn new skills Accepting criticism According to C. Paisey and N. Paisey (2010), both students and their supervisors believe that, the real life experience that a student gains through work based learning or internships, is of huge benefit providing them with the necessary skills required to secure a work placement. Possessing the skills that I have highlighted above are of paramount importance as they are purely job oriented and will help an individual in securing even better jobs in terms of position and pay. I have earned those skills in due course of my education as well as the internship programme that I’m currently undergoing. However, there is no limit to knowledge and skills that one can earn. Thus attending more business events will be my first priority in order to fill in the skill gaps within myself. In addition to that focusing on the feedbacks given by my superiors will also be another measure that I need to follow to enhance the skills which I already possess. Future Plans According to Gault, Leach and Duey (2010), interns enjoy greater advantages in terms of obtaining full time job offers and higher pay scale. This is because employers believe that an intern is exposed to a real life working environment whereby he can implement the theories that he has learned during the course of his education and learn from the outcomes. This learning process is counted as experience which is of utmost importance for an individual as he has to provide services under various situations and circumstances in order to maintain his occupational well being (Cortini, Tanucci and Morin, 2010). Individuals with work based learning experience are perceived to be well prepared and better equipped (Reidy, 2006). In accordance with the views provided by the author, I have decided to enrol myself in as much internship programmes as possible before I finish my degree and start doing my job search. My choice for internship programmes will depend upon their relevance to my area of education and its prospects. I’ll also lay emphasis on the learning outcomes from those internship programmes so that the knowledge and skills that I’ll eventually earn will help me to prosper in my professional life. In addition to that, I’ll also attend business events as and when I can manage, in order to enhance my team working and time management skills. Conclusions and Recommendations The conclusion that can be derived from the report is that, work based learning/experiential learning/internship is a very important factor which ensures an all round development of individuals undergoing the process. Internships expose students to real life working environment thereby putting them in different circumstances and monitoring their approach towards delivering services. It provides them with the necessary skills required to achieve success in their professional life. With the development of the education system all over the world, internship system has been integrated in an extensive manner with education. However, improvements are yet to be made in terms of developing a quality internship programme whereby student can benefit in a wholesome manner and utilize his knowledge and experience in his life. Reference List Barr, T. F. and Mcneilly, K. M., 2013. The Value of Students' classroom experiences from the eyes of the recruiter: Information, implications, and recommendations for marketing educators. Journal of Marketing Education, 24, pp. 168-173. Bridgstock, R., 2009. The graduate attributes we’ve overlooked: enhancing graduate employability through career management skills. Higher Education Research & Development, 28(1), pp. 31-44. Cortini, M., Tanucci, G. and Morin, E., 2010. Boundaryless careers and occupational wellbeing. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. Cunningham, I., 2011. Work-based learning – It’s primary feedback that matters. Development and Learning in Organizations, 25(5), pp. 5-7. Gault, J., Leach, E. and Duey, M., 2010. Effects of business internships on job marketability: The employers’ perspective. Education + Training, 52(1), pp. 76-88. Gault, J., Redington, J. and Schlager, T., 2010. Undergraduate Business Internships and Career Success: Are They Related? Journal of Marketing Education, 22, pp. 45-53. Huq, A. and Gilbert, D. H., 2012. Enhancing graduate employability through work-based learning in social entrepreneurship. Education + Training, 55(6), pp. 550-572. Paisey, C. and Paisey, N. J., 2010. Developing skills via work placements in accounting: Student and employer views. Accounting Forum, 34, pp. 89-108. Raelin, J. A., 2011. Work-based learning: how it changes leadership. Development and Learning in Organizations, 25(5), pp. 17-20. Reidy, J. M., 2006. Learning to work: Students' experiences during work placements. Melbourne: Melbourne University Press. Read More