Career Development - Essay Example

Firstname Lastname Instructor’s Name Course Number 28 July 2009 Career Development British Sugar is the leading supplier of sugars to the United Kingdom providing for more than half of the country’s sugar requirements. The company is highly customer focused, innovative and solutions driven. The products of British Sugar are represented in the leading brands of international food and drink manufacturers. They maintain the market lead by anticipating customer needs and adapting their service standards to meet those customer needs. Their operations include production of a host of goods and services ranging from production of sugar, bioethanol, electricity to horticulture, landscaping and soil improvement. While sugar production remains at the core of their operations, process steps have been supplemented to capture raw material outputs and convert them into wide range of sustainable products. British Sugar is a key player in an array of market sectors. They supply a variety of products and services to meet the diverse needs of the food and pharmaceutical industry, namely, cereals, confectionary, drinks, ice-cream and other dairy products, pharmaceutical and nutraceutical products, plant and high street bakeries, preservatives, condiments, sauces and canned goods. Additionally the processing of seven and a half million tones of sugar beat also results in a series of products for other markets namely, agriculture, landscaping and amenities, soil improvement and tomatoes (British Sugar). With a fast expanding global market in sustainable agricultural products, British Sugar offers diverse and exciting business opportunities, especially to young graduates who are looking to start their careers. The real key to their success according to them is their people. They rely heavily on a wide range of professionals from engineers to agriculturalists. The workforce and teams in British Sugar have been built upon values such as respect, being safe, pride, customer service, focus and a passion to excel. In concurrence with this, British Sugar looks for employees who display enthusiastic, flexible and highly motivated work ethics. British Sugar offers a wide variety of graduate schemes ranging from operation, science and agriculture to business, finance and IT. While only the last three, that is business, finance and IT will apply to my skill set, there is one common streak running across all of the graduate schemes in British Sugar. All of the above mentioned six graduate programs are highly challenging as the industry is changing at a rapid pace with new products, new processes and new markets and needs continuous innovation. While getting placed in a factory environment is intense, getting placed outside it in the corporate office is considered just as stimulating. The main criteria or qualification that the graduate programs of British Sugar looks for in students getting employment is the ability to lead the business sooner than later and the ability to put in effort and application into the work from day one (British Sugar Grads). As stated previously three graduate schemes, namely Business, Finance and IT will apply and relate to my skill set. My basic skills include crisis management, risk analysis, business continuity, marketing, civil protection strategy and business strategy. These are some of the skills that these graduate programs look for in an individual applying for work in British Sugar. Apart from these each of the three programs look for certain attributes in potential employees and gives an insight into what each employee will be doing under that program and what benefits he or she will be gaining from participating and succeeding in that program. These programs also give an insight into the kind of training and development essential for each program. The first graduate scheme is Business. The primary attributes that are required for this graduate program is analytical and enquiring mind with quick paced delivery, positive approach with good interpersonal skills and a special talent for influencing those around. The program requires people who are logical thinkers capable of thinking up of new ways of solving problems in a clear, sequential manner. This kind of challenging environment also requires energy, tenacity and drive to meet challenges and to stand out from the crowd. The scheme also requires people who are keen to learn, who can work well in a team and have the ability to listen, observe and learn. Talent, drive, innovation, hunger to learn etc are only the basic attributes required. Apart from these the basic educational qualifications required include, “at least 2:1 and a proven track record of taking on significant responsibility and clear evidence that one can handle a considerable amount of hard work.” (British Sugar Grads). The above skill set is expected of graduates who want to enroll in this Business scheme as they will be placed in the head office which houses a host of functions ranging from sales and marketing, purchasing, product and supply chain etc., as these functions provide critical support to the business. The graduate will build unique portfolio as he will be moving from team to team in an attempt to gain understanding of the business, customers and operations involved. Graduates enrolling in this program will be handling live projects, handling issues and taking on high levels of responsibility. One successful completion of this scheme they will be placed in a junior management role based on the skill sets developed, with competitive salary, bonus, opportunities for cross-functional moves and other benefits. The skill set that will relate to this graduate scheme includes business continuity, marketing and business strategy. These skills will help me function in different teams during the training period alongside mentors, providing valuable insight and buddies providing support. The second graduate scheme is Finance. This scheme requires people to have the ability to and desire to progress rapidly coupled with hard work and dedication. These attributes are essential as they are the foundation stones for future financial leaders. Besides these basic skills, graduates also require strong interpersonal skills and ability to communicate effectively, high levels of confidence, ability to solve problems in a systematic and effective manner, considerably high energy levels due to the challenging nature of the job and a desire to face challenges and stand out in a crowd. They also need to be highly numerate and have tenacity and drive to excel. They must also possess a considerable amount of technical skills to be able to survive in this highly demanding job. Like the Business graduate scheme, mere personal attributes and skills alone will not be enough although they will help one go a long way. Graduates will need “a 2:1 and a proven track record of taking on responsibility and clear cut evidence of being able to handle a challenging job that requires hard work. In addition to this for finance alone graduates are expected to be committed in attaining a professional accounting qualification.” (British Sugar Grads). The above skill set is of utmost importance for graduates taking up the finance scheme as they will be exposed to a number of overseas operations and their different approaches. They also need the skill to understand the business beyond numbers and contribute effectively. The training given to students under this program focuses on three crucial areas, namely business understanding which aims to convey how and why the business works, CIMA which provides the qualification to become chartered and personal development which hones skills needed to become the future financial leader. Successful completion of this program will ensure that the graduate is appointed as a Management Accountant with all the perks such as salary, bonus and other benefits. My skill set that relates to this program includes crisis management, risk analysis and civil protection strategy. The last graduate program pertaining to my skill set is IT. One of the most important skills required for this program is a ‘can-do’ attitude coupled with a passion for making a difference as IT is all about transformation. In addition to this a graduate requires tenacity, a curious, enquiring mind and the skill to deliver innovative as well as practical solutions. One also requires good interpersonal skills and communication skills with the ability to influence the people around. Innovative problem solving, tenacity and drive and a desire to challenge along with a significant amount of logical reasoning and thinking are also desired. The ability to listen, absorb and learn is also essential. Additionally, a person must have the ability to work in a team consistently to succeed in this program. Although the program does not require a graduate to have specific IT related degree, “appreciation of technology with 2:1 or higher is of essence. Demonstration of industrial work experience can add considerable value.” (British Sugar Grads). Training and development will start with the graduate taking on a development and support role in the Applications and Support team. Real business problems will need to be addressed through experience with a host of applications and related issues. Interaction with people from different disciplines will ensure exposure to multiple processes. This first hand experience will aid in analyzing data and processes for application development. A coach and a mentor will guide graduates through the program to ensure progress and speed. The above mentioned skill set will be the key to succeeding in the training and development sessions for IT. On successful completion one will be working alongside both technical and non-technical co-workers, to deliver innovative solutions. This job also carries benefits such as salary, bonus and other flexible attractions. My skill set that relates to this graduate scheme includes crisis management, risk analysis and management, business continuity and business strategy. These skills are important to survive in IT as it touches every aspect of the business and is considered to be the very heart of the business. Hence this particular graduate program is not standard and is unlike any other and emphasis on individual development through delivering business benefits. In conclusion it can be said that by joining as an employee in British Sugar I can enhance the skills I already have in addition to developing new ones. My interpersonal and communication skills can be honed further along with the ability to think analytically and logically. Enhancing these skills will automatically result in an increase in confidence, enthusiasm and the will and rive to face challenges and outperform. It will also enhance my ability to work successfully in a team. In addition to this I will be exposed to different business approaches to handling issues and problem solving and many innovative solutions. Crisis management and risk analysis and management are two crucial skills I will develop further by working in British Sugar. Crisis management is a process by which an organization deals with an unforeseen or unpredictable event that threatens the organizations and its stakeholders or the general public (Seeger, Sellnow & Ulmer, 1998). Risk management and analysis is the identification of potential foreseeable events that threaten the organization followed by a process to minimize, monitor and control the effects of that event (Alberts, Dorofee and Marino, 2008). Differentiating between the two and learning to act accordingly is one of the most crucial elements I will learn if I am employed in British Sugar as due to the scale of its operations it faces a multitude of crisis and risks. I will also learn business continuity management more effectively, thanks to the first hand experience on real-life issues and problems that I will be dealing with during my training. Business Continuity Management can be defined as, “A holistic management process that identifies potential impacts that threaten an organization and provides a framework for building resilience with the capability for an effective response that safeguards the interests of its key stakeholders, reputation, brand and value-creating activities.” (Business Continuity Institute, 2001). Hence, better communication skills, well developed interpersonal skills, managing all aspects of the business and overall personality development is what I will be gaining through employment with British Sugar. References Alberts, C & Dorofee, A and Marino, L (2008). Mission Diagnostic Protocol, Version 1.0: A Risk-Based Approach for Assessing the Potential for Success. Software Engineering Institute. British Sugar. About British Sugar. British Sugar Website. Retrieved July 28, 2009. http://www.britishsugar.co.uk/RVE1f2342dd8bda4e4ebafd9dd0bdee141f,,.aspx British Sugar Grads. Our Schemes. BSGrads Website. Retrieved July 28, 2009. http://www.bsgrads.co.uk/ourSchemes.htm Business Continuity Institute (2001). Expecting The Unexpected: Business Continuity in an Uncertain World. Business Continuity Institute Website. Retrieved July 28, 2009. www.thebci.org/London%20Firsts.pdf Seeger, M. W & Sellnow, T. L., & Ulmer, R. R. (1998). "Communication, organization and crisis". Communication Yearbook 21: 231-275. Read More