The Techniques and Methodologies Employed That Have Resulted in the Personal Improvement - Admission/Application Essay Example

Action Plan Identification of Goals at the Start of the Year Goals are aims and objectives that an individual or a group of people tend to attain over a specified time period. Goals are targets that help people attain their long term ideology and take them closer to what they have always inspired to be at or to become. For the attainment of goals the most important task an individual has to come across is the identification of goals. Once the goals are clearly identified and defined only then can the person can go all out to attain them with utmost effort, determination and motivation (Dolpies, 2009). Goals can be broadly distinguished into Short Term and Long Term. Short Term Goals are stepping stones that lead individuals to the attainment of long term goals and objectives (Tracy, 2010). As I enter into a very important year of my life that will eventually lead me into the professional arena I would put in my utmost conscience in developing an action plan that shall lead me to where I want to be by the end of this year. Introduction I am XYZ, a student of Finance Major in XYZ University. Working towards My Goals Short term Goal: To enhance and improve in the areas I lack as after completing my bachelors, I would like to gain an entry level position utilizing the background in finance and strong organizational and interpersonal skills. Particular interest in Banking or Financial management Long Term Goal: To achieve comprehensive growth on a professional level; once the short term goals are attained I expect myself to reach a platform that will give me a clear idea of my progress and development in the professional life while executing assigned tasks, gaining experience and acquiring the skills required to survive in the corporate level Achievement towards Goals and its determinants My Strengths: Technical skills including the knowledge of accounting, budgeting, financial reporting, research and analysis of data. Strongly familiar with programs such as MS Excel, Access, PowerPoint to handle spread sheets, large amount of data and prepare high quality presentations. Strong analytical skills, be accurate, detect and correct errors, keep deadlines and be able to work both independently or as part of a team. Able to set priorities and working on them Achievement/Progress towards Goal As I set myself the above stated goals, I lay out a clear action plan that I would be following strictly in order to be on the right track that leads me to the successful accomplishment of my objectives (Capone, 2011). As part of the goal setting theory I would be motivated to implement the desired plan of action as its implementation determines the attainment of my desired objectives. With the consistent urge to attain what I plan to, the following factors will be taken care of during the year, Paying attention to the lectures and thoroughly going through course books Case Studies Reading more books to enhance my skills Subscription to online corporate finance magazines and papers e.g. Financial Times Certification in CIT (both basic and advanced) and applying these skills everywhere possible Working efficiently on deadline given assignments (both individual and in group) Creating tasks for myself and achieving my objective before deadlines. My Weaknesses: Below average communication due to lack of confidence Lack of leadership skills Fear of taking risks What do peers and feed backs say? Peer feedback will prove to be a catalyst in the implementation of the above plan of action. The peers will be in a better position to identify the changes that I have made to my routine life in order to implement the action plan and the areas of improvement as well (Groll and Lawrence, 1995). As of the previously conducted peer review, following weaknesses were identified Lack of assertiveness Lack initiative Lack public speaking skills As part of the action plan I also commit myself in overcoming the identified weaknesses to become a successful professional by the year end. What is the conclusion? The conclusions that can be drawn from the above activity are as follows, Need to work on my self confidence Open up myself for new challenges and think out of the box Plan for Placement Year or 3rd Year of course What do I hope to achieve? I hope to overcome the weaknesses identified by my peers in their evaluation. This will not only help me attain my goals that I have set for this year, but will also make me an eligible candidate for the year’s placement program. There are following objectives that I plan to achieve for the 3rd year of course, Objective 1: To be able to speak my heart out whenever I feel right regardless of what the situation or who am I talking to. To voice my ideas and opinions in a way they can influence the decisions wherever necessary. Keeping in mind that, oral communication is always considered a top skill and always demanded by the employer. Objective 2: To be able to look for new horizons rather than walking the common pathways and to take initiatives and going an extra mile to achieve better things; to be able to risk a firm “NO” whenever necessary without having any pointless confrontation. Objective 3: To improve my public speaking skills and to be able to deliver presentations/speeches regardless of the audience while maintaining my assertiveness. Why do I need it? Evaluation 1: Confident to voice my opinions, I would get more opportunities to take part in the thinking process. Without being haughty or very commanding, it would make me able to persuade others---change things for better--be involved, to proactively take the lead in as many situations as possible. It would also help me to be successful in achieving my future gaols. Evaluation 2: Despite having the uneasy feeling of getting out of my comfort zone, taking initiatives would have its advantages as well, I will gain extra skills and market knowledge and in turn it would make me a valuable employee. My versatility and multitasking would make me trust worthy and independent and would give me a chance to grow. Evaluation 3: Improving my public speaking skills would make me learn to be more sensitive and skilled communicator and encourages myself to look inside myself and explore what matters to you. It would make learn to speak concisely, clearly and confidently. It would also make me to be spontaneous and direct in my speech. Acquired Skills With the successful implementation of the plan of action laid out I have improved upon a lot of weaker areas and I can experience the evolution taking place inside of me on a consistent basis. Though there remains a lot of room for improvement but the process has already started and these are good signs as they show my inclination to adapt and to change. I have become a batter candidate for the selection criteria for the desired positions in financial institutions. I find myself to have improved and developed upon the following areas considerably (Harrison, Horngren and Thomas, 2009), Effective Communication/ Public Speaking: Proper knowledge of communication Group Speeches/Conversations Presentations Taking part in town’s local activities where I can get a chance to communicate directly with people The above skills are reflected in my day to day interaction with various people as follows, Proper body language. Emphasize on audience and do not shy away whether one person or a crowd. Maintain eye contact and a relaxed, but not slouching posture. Do not get nervous at any point. Be clear and concise. Do not waste time and be directive. Practise active listening and be patient. Be open and consistent in communicating. Get feed back Taking Initiative: Face my fear of challenges. Think out of the box. Think of what-if? Scenarios. The above skills are reflected in my day to day interaction with various people as follows, Think and Implement new and creative ideas. Going beyond my comfort zone to take risk. Be Proactive. Put myself in others’ shoes e.g. customer and think from their point of view. Get feedback How have I developed the above skills? Organizing work and defining goals to be attained helped me develop the skills that I have acquired and improved upon. I used a time line that helped me get closer to my goals and focus upon the areas that I really needed to. The below table is a reflection of the time table that I used as a guideline for the attainment of the predefined goals. The timeline helped me improve upon my weaker areas of skill and made me a better candidate for the placement that I was eyeing as one of the primary goals to be attained (Bungay, 2011). Timeline and Self Assessment Sheet (Frey, 2011) Area of Focus Possible Resources Schedule Effective Communication A certificate course on “Effective Corporate Communication using NLP” Read books related to the topic Group discussions with friends and teachers Take part in town’s local activities so as to get more exposure to people During first semester break-June 2012 Throughout this academic year Throughout this academic year Taking Initiative Persuading the Chairman of Finance department to organize seminars/ symposium and volunteer my self Volunteer for some non-profit organization Early days of semesters Jan-March and July-October 2012 Next half the year, June 2012-Onwards Public Speaking Attend crash courses for “Effective Public Speaking” Opting a project where I can get a chance to enhance my public speaking skills Stay up to date on online tips for the improvement of public speaking skills, also listen to and observe keenly the speeches made by successful public speakers (videos) Second semester break December-2012 Second semester, July-November 2012 Throughout this academic year Further Skills to be developed With the self analysis carried out along with peer evaluation I was able to identify my weaknesses in the areas of finance and accounting. I need to develop a stronger and deeper understanding of concept of finance and accounting. Apart from understanding the concepts and getting a deeper grasp of the subject I need to apply the theoretical learning into the practical world (Orman, 2010). The practical implications shall enable me to be an active participant in case analysis and identifying solutions to the problems faced by management under various scenarios. This skill can only be developed through attentive lectures, active participation in the class and consistent practice of the exercises done in class and suggested by the instructor (Drucker and Stern, 1998). How to develop those skills The techniques and methodologies that have been employed in the past and that have resulted in the improvement of weaker areas will be once again relied upon. However along with self assessment and peer evaluation, instructor reviews and suggestions shall also be taken onboard. Teachers and instructors will be regularly approached for their reviews and advises. Consultancy shall also be attained from head of departments in order to correctly identify the weaker areas and their opinion that may help me do a batter self analysis (Ellis, 1998). References Brian Tracy, 2010. Goals!: How to Get Everything You Want -- Faster Than You Ever Thought Possible. 2nd ed. Berrett-Koehler Publishers. Gary W. Capone, 2011. Resume Objective Statements and Professional Summaries. CreateSpace. Keith Ellis, 1998. The Magic Lamp: Goal Setting for People Who Hate Setting Goals. Updated ed. Three Rivers Press. Michael J. Dolpies, 2009. Motion Before Motivation: The Success Secret That Never Fails. Ocean View Publishing, LLC. Nancy Frey, 2011. The Formative Assessment Action Plan: Practical Steps to More Successful Teaching and Learning. Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development. Peter F. Drucker and Gary J. Stern, 1998. The Drucker Foundation Self-Assessment Tool. 2nd ed. Jossey-Bass. Richard Groll and Martin Lawrence, 1995. Quality Improvement by Peer Review. Ocford University Press, USA.   Suze Orman, 2010. Suze Ormans’ Action Plan: New Rules for New Times. Rev Upd ed. Spiegel & Grau Stephen Bungay, 2011. The Art of Action: Leadership that Closes the Gaps between Plans, Actions and Results. Nicholas Brealey Publishing. Walter T. Harrison, Charles T. Horngren and  Bill Thomas,  2009. Financial Accounting and MyAccountingLab Student Access Code Card Package. 8th ed. Prentice Hall.   Read More