Career and Self Development - Essay Example

 Career and Self Development Lecturer: presented: Difference between Modern and Traditional Career Forms In the traditional career forms, a person’s career was usually inherited or taken up as one single activity that he/she had to pursue throughout the working life. There was no flexibility in career and the individual had little or no opportunity for unfolding career (Baruch, 2006). On the other hand, the modern career form is usually derived from a number of situations in which an individual is engaged to eventually become his/her occupation. Workers are usually involved in continuous improvement, continuously discovering new ways of working and developing new skills through training among other activities that constitute career development. It is therefore common for one individual to have more than one career. The multiple careers may be pursued either simultaneously or in succession. The traditional forms involved had few professions with few career choices while in the modern forms, there is a wide range professions, which presents a person with a variety of careers to choose from. This has led to the emergence of career guidance and counseling, which were not present in the traditional career forms. Currently, people are able to design their careers through the assistance of career counselors. Modern career forms tend to be distributed evenly across gender and age. Women are taking leadership positions in organizations that traditionally used to be predominantly for men. The divisions in career paths whereby women were destined for particular careers different from men are absent in the modern career forms. For example, women used to focus on careers such as secretaries, nurses, hostesses, and such activities that were viewed as feminine. In the modern career forms, women are pursuing similar careers with men such as in engineering, doctors, politicians and others that were traditionally regarded as masculine. On the other hand, the traditional careers involved working full time in the workplace while in the modern career; flexibility allows employees to work on one career in a particular period of time and then shift to another career (Reardon et al. 2006). The traditional career forms were based on a particular hierarchy within an organization. Bureaucracy guided careers whereby individuals had to adhere to the procedures that defined their career paths. However, in the modern career forms there is flexible working whereby the employee is free to pursue parallel career paths. Job security in the modern career forms on the other hand is not guaranteed in many organizations as it was in the traditional ones. Moreover, movement from one organization to another is common, which together with the frequent organizational restructuring facilitates the change of careers in the modern career forms. In regard to job selection, employers in the modern career forms are focused on recruiting the individuals who demonstrate high skills and ability in regard to the organizational goals and workplace tasks, contrary to the traditional job selection where the career path of an employee in the organization was based on relationship with the employer (Arnold, 1997). For example, a farmer in the traditional career forms would appoint the son to manage the farm while in the modern career forms, managers are selected on the basis of competence and merit. Impact on my Career The differences in the traditional and the modern career forms imply that it is important to adjust according to the consistent changes that are occurring in the modern career. I will have to explore many career openings and ensure that I have more than one career to fit in the modern career form especially due to the fact that career development opportunities are many in the modern career form. Moreover, it is important to adapt to the changes whereby gender is no longer a barrier to career development in the modern organizations. To qualify for employment, I have to ensure that I am competent in many aspects compared to the traditional career form whereby merit and competence were not regarded as the determinants for selection for a particular job. The services of a career advisor are available and it is important to seek career guidance to make the best choices for my career. Job security is not guaranteed and therefore I may be compelled o change from one organization to another or even change the career path completely depending on the new opportunities. In the modern career form, it is possible to prosper in my career through continuous upgrading of skills and exposure to challenging opportunities through organizational restructuring. State of the Current Graduate Labour Market The contemporary labour market is constantly changing especially due to globalization, which has facilitated the migration of skilled labor between countries. The labor market has become competitive as more people are graduating from educational institutions each year, which does no match the expansion in the available employment opportunities. People can acquire permits to work in foreign countries where new industries are coming up, a major factor leading to competition in the job market. It requires a person to be highly skilled to get employment (Bevitt, 2008). On the other hand, the global economic crisis has caused downsizing by most industries as they try to reduce labour expenditures. Employment opportunities have therefore reduced. Employment terms have changed as companies prefer engaging employees on contract basis, hence permanent employment is no longer available. Industries are also shifting their production to the less developed countries that offer cheap labour thereby leading to reduced employment opportunities in the developed countries where the cost of labour is high. In essence, as Isaacs (2004) observes, labour supply globally is greater than the demand. I have to ensure that I possess diverse skills and also be ready to take a part time job and contract based employment. Employability Employability is the prospective of getting employed and maintaining the capacity to accomplish the tasks assigned by the employer. The demand and supply of labor in the job market as well as the skills possessed by an individual are critical to his/her employability. A person can continue improving it through upgrading skills through lifelong learning. The employer can facilitate the employability of an individual through offering organizational learning opportunities in the workplace. An employable person has the capability of maintaining self sufficiency in the labour market. The knowledge acquired through learning is a significant determinant of employability (Moon, 1999). Skills gained through experience are also important as well as personal attitudes towards work. These are competences that the employer needs to know; hence the job seeker is required to have the capability of presenting them in an informative way. The employer analyzes them to evaluate if they match the available job opportunity. If an individual is unable to present them in the right way, he/she might be regarded as unemployable. Employability also varies depending on age and position in an organization since there are some positions that require mature employees who have broad experience in matters concerning a particular industry. A fresh graduate may not qualify for such a position as that of the CEO, but may be employable as a manager. My Employability and how it will be improved My employability is based on the skills that I have acquired through education, which are significant in the accomplishment of tasks that might be assigned to me. Information technology skills are significant in my employability. I am flexible and able to take part time, contract or full time employment, which leaves my potential employer with the choice of the nature of employment to offer. Moreover, I am adaptable to diverse environments, which allows me to perform in various workplace settings. I learn fast and also derive great enthusiasm in putting what I have learnt in to practice. My communication skills enable me to express my skills to others, which would make my employer to understand my potential. I have high emotional intelligence that is significant in maintaining harmonious relations with my colleagues, subordinates and superiors in the workplace. I am trustworthy and can work with minimum supervision to accomplish organizational goals. I have no physical or mental problem that can hinder my performance. I do not waste time when chances to improve my skills arise. Improvement in team building as well as creativity, which are important in the accomplishment of workplace tasks, will be my major areas of focus. Improvement in planning and organizational skills will also help me to meet the performance targets. Harvard System of Referencing and why I should use it The Harvard referencing system is a style that is used in acknowledging the work of other authors that have been used in developing an academic paper. In other words, when the words of other people are used either as direct quotations or as paraphrased sentences in the text, the author of the text makes the reader know that the words used are not original but borrowed. The reader can trace and authenticate the source of the ideas by going through the reference list that is written in Harvard style at the end of the text (Axelrod & Cooper, 2004). The system of referencing is used to ensure that the reader of the academic paper does not feel deceived by the author who claims ownership of the ideas and words of other authors. In other words, it makes the paper credible. Most importantly, it informs the reader that the author of the particular paper did extensive literature review from which he/she drew conclusions regarding the topic. As a student, failure to acknowledge the source of information in a text is regarded as plagiarism and can be penalized. The student should always use the Harvard referencing system to avoid penalties, which may include; discontinuation, suspension or failure in the plagiarized paper. References Arnold, J. 1997. Managing Careers into the 21st Century. London: Paul Chapman Publications Axelrod, R. B. & Cooper, C. R. 2004. The St. Martins Guide to Writing: Short, Bedford/St. Martins Baruch, Y. 2006. “Career development in organizations and beyond: Balancing traditional and contemporary viewpoints.” Human Resource Management Review, Vol. 16, 2 pp 125-138 Bevitt, S. 2008. Career and Self Development, Harlow: Pearson Custom Publishing Isaacs, R. 2004. The Globalization Gap: How the Rich Get Richer and the Poor Get Left Further Behind, Upper Saddle River: FT Press Moon, J. 1999. Reflection in Learning and Professional Development, London: Kogan Page Reardon, R. C., Lenz, J. G. Sampson, J. P. and Peterson, G. W. 2006. Career Development and Planning: A Comprehensive Approach, Scarborough: Thomson Corporation Read More