Critical Reflection - Personal Statement Example

Critical Reflection Introduction: When I started writing critical reflection, the events that came into my mind were my high school education, my practical life experiences and experiences during my diplomas. My university studies have been completely different from my prior academic experience. However, I was able to relate these learning with my practical experiences and recognized that if I had these learning at the time of practical experiences I could make better contribution in my professional life. However, mistakes that I had made in my practical experiences helped me to understand the concepts. Learning always contributes in professional and personal life positively. This reflection is an outline of all my experience that I had before university and until the present course. Where Have I Been? This section is a reflection of my prior experiences that I had in my life I discussed four elements of my journey before coming to university that have been the most critical events in my life and contributed in what I am now as a person. That is my educational history and my career history that are being discussed in detail. Education: I had great experiences, before coming to Brisbane and starting my university, I finished my high school education. During my high school education, I achieved several achievements; I developed my social sense that contributed much in my understandings and skills building. High school education made me prepare for my further studies and allowed me to had small job opportunities. Through completing my high school certificate, I was able to have self-discipline. Career: When I was in Sydney, I decided to work at some place where I could gain some professional experience. Before moving to Gold Coast, I was working in a restaurant and the purpose was to have some professional experience before attempting towards academic life. At restaurant, I was good at my work I learnt to deal with customers and gained some experience of kitchen. At that restaurant, I worked with a team that was based on 10 people. I started working in that restaurant by taking orders from customers and later I was transferred to kitchen for the management of orders. At kitchen department, I was liable to communicate orders and time that is required to complete an order. Sometimes, I also dealt with customers complaints regarding delivery delays. I gained very significant experience at that place and shined at my position. I started thinking to make progress in this domain. At the time of working in restaurant, I had gone through multiple experiences. At a single place through rotation from one role to another, I gained immense experience and learnt a lot. This place allowed me to perform the duties of marketer; I worked as a cooking supervisor, learnt to handle customers, and performed customer representative duties as well. During my job period, I saved some money and decided to go at Gold Coast to face some new challenges. After working at local restaurant, I decided to work at large place in order to implement my past learning and to gain some further experience. Hotel experience at Gold Coast: After completing my high school education, and having great experience in a restaurant. I came to Gold Coast and joined a hotel. At that hotel, I worked at reception and was liable to manage the complete data of bookings, orders, and other things. This was full time job and during this job, I learnt multiple things. I had an experience of guiding people and helping them in making final decisions. This role improved my counseling skills and allowed me to build some marketing skills as well. In this way, I could understand that how different people can be handled and how their decisions could be influenced. During this period, I came to know that managing a restaurant is not an easy task and required many efforts. This job allowed me to improve my technological skills. I had several challenges at that place and most of them were the handling of people, technologies, events, and management of different event timings. At my hotel experience, I had learnt significant skills of event management. I gained several skills from that job as compared to my prior job. During my professional experiences, I came to know from the appropriate utilization of resources, and that I am able to increase my self-confidence, as well as have learnt some more customers handling skills through dealing with numerous people. Moreover, I came to know that how people can be influenced through counseling. I gained a lot from my experiences of life so far, but I recognized that there were multiple things that were essential to make significant contributions in professional life. I came to know that I had great interest in hotel management. Therefore I took decision to have certificate of commercial cookery and then to complete my diploma of hospitality. Certificate Ⅲ of Commercial Cookery Now I was still at Gold Coast and planned to continue my work on part-time basis with my studies, but I have decided to move on from that hotel I was working in before taking admission at TAFE. I joined my friend business which was a small local restaurant, and this decision was based on my interest. After completing my high school education and taking work experience at a local restaurant of Sydney and I started working in a hotel at Gold Coast. I realized that I need to take admission in courses that are related to my field. Therefore, I joined TAFE for (certificate Ⅲ of Commercial Cookery) and Diploma of Hospitality. I decided to take admission because I was planning to start my own business (a restaurant) in Brisbane, and I know that for this specific purpose these courses will serve me with immense knowledge that will allow me to have competitive advantage over other candidates for different jobs. I joined full time course that allowed me to have an experience of commercial cookery that is equal to off-the-job training. Through this course, I had an essential on-the-job experience in commercial kitchen. Throughout this course, I was employed and gained several things that are necessary for a restaurant and I was not encountered in my prior experience. For example, I was much aware of the practices that were necessary for food safety, I came to know the practices that were required to be safe and to keep kitchen and equipment clean, I did not know to innovate dished even when I was a cooking supervisor in a Sydney restaurant. I interacted with chefs but through this course, I learnt very little techniques to come up with different dishes, I came to know to use cookery skills effectively such as food preparation, quality maintaining, and preparation of food through meeting the dietary requirements. This course enabled me to work effectively with others and made me aware from the environmental friendly practices essential in cooking. During my whole experience, I was not able to produce cost and plan basic menus. Most importantly, this course offered me opportunities working with known restaurants (ACAE, n.d.). When I was working in Sydney restaurant, I faced different complaints and through this course, I found the solution of those problems. Here, I was taught by experts and able to plan, cook, prepare, and present a wide range of sweet and sour dishes. Diploma Of Hospitality: In order to have multiple skills and by knowing the fact that hospitality industry is in progress I also completed my diploma of hospitality from TAFE. One benefit of doing course at TAFE is that they provide their student opportunity to work with expertise and provide them the chance to experience on the job environment through internship program. As I mentioned that during my job at Gold Coast hotel, I had recognized my interest of making progress in hotel industry. Hospitality industry is the most progressive industry and leading exports market of Australia and covers wide range of business and I recognized that diploma in this field would allow me to have portable experience. This course helped me in development of my technical expertise as compare to managerial. I learn to manage people through this course as I have done this before but it allowed me to do this job under technical expertise. Through this course, I was able to divert my attention towards the listening expertise. I learnt to prepare files, sheets, and portfolios in ways that were more appropriate. I recognized the mistakes that I was used to do in my Sydney restaurant. Most of the time, I included orders to final list that were not delivered and cause to create confusion. The importance of industry related information was recognized by this course and I learnt that different sectors of hospitality contributes in the success of hotel such as good relation with distributors. I came to know that in order to run hospitality business successfully a manager must have an idea of interrelationship of different hospitality sectors. I learnt skills that contribute in restaurants such as employee relationships, food safety, and customer protection (this includes the conditions that should be met up through business of hospitality, cancellation fees, and terms and conditions). When I was working at a restaurant as an internee (part of my program), I saw the applications of these learning there and found them useful. We did some manipulations in our menu through conducting the research around the area. I realized the importance of market research as it is important to help and learn about the market (Xu, 2005). I observed that addition of some items that was not available in multiple restaurants served hotel with immense profit. We kept their price normal and adding these dishes in portfolio, increase in profit was encountered. After getting all these experiences and knowledge, I realized that I have to get some professional experience as a manager in hotel and restaurant industry that will help me in opening and managing my own business as well. I realized that in order to make progress, for better job opportunities and for better career in hotel industry; I have to overcome some limitations. I realized that without a degree I could not make further progress in hotel industry; I know some people who started from lower level and made significant progress in this domain through having higher education. I found that in this era for having great progress people must have multiple skills. By recognizing the facts, the next rational decision was to take admission at university. Therefore, I decided to do further studies in order to have multiple skills that will allow me to move in any section of hotel industry, and for this purpose I decided to move at Brisbane for further studies. So here, I was at my next goal, backpack filled with accomplishments and different life experiences and looking forward to have the next experience of life without having any idea that what will happen to me and how this experience will be. I was going through the multiple feelings but had to make this decision in order to have experiences that are more professional. I decided to choose marketing as my subject because this subject has strong connection with hotel and restaurant industry and marketing expertise was never been taught in my prior courses. Where Am I Now? Challenges at University: When I joined university, I had to face different challenges and tackled multiple challenges that have been described as follow: Presentations: The biggest challenged that I faced at university was to make presentations and presenting ideas in front of others. I always gone through from stage fear and this was the first time when I was presenting something in front of large amount of people. However, I ended up my presentation in very well manner. I was nervous and the scariest session was the question answer session. I had to answer all the questions that occurred in result of my presentation. However, in my further presentations I overcame this fear. Outcome: I made several presentations during my graduate program and with my every presentation, I just not gain the confidence only, but I started making good presentations. Even I started enjoying presentations and at each presentation, I tried to find ways through which presentation could be made more attractive and effective, I enjoyed entertaining questions. I realized that practice makes man perfect; the same happened to me. Marketing Expertise: The second thing that I improved at my university was research work as I had learnt in diploma of hospitality, but the during my market research courses I learnt different techniques of market research that involved data gathering and test application. In introduction to marketing course, I learnt different concepts that could contribute in my professional life. I learnt the marketing techniques and key marketing concepts that were never are the part of my prior studies. I learnt to analyze the marketing environment and how different factors influence the business (Zikmund, & Babin, 2012). I gained knowledge of several techniques through which customers can be influenced, before this course I thought that by good communication and manipulating the facts, customers could be influenced that I used to do at Gold Coast hotel (Palmer, 2012). Knowledge of Business Skills: The course entrepreneurship marketing allowed me to clear the concepts that an entrepreneur must possess. I had not the knowledge of marketing concepts before university, I attended different courses during my study, but these courses aware me with different concepts of marketing. Outcomes: I came to know that there are different techniques that are designed for the established venture and new business. In this course, I made marketing project for new business that provided me ideas for my future planes. I came to know the marketing milestones that were essential for entrepreneurs. This course allowed me to make differences between general and entrepreneurial marketing. Strategic marketing simulation: During this course, I came to know the modern techniques that can be utilized in marketing prospects. During this course I learnt that marketing is not the part of marketing department only, but all people involved in organization and their every activity have a direct effect on the market (Wilson, & Gilligan, 2012). I came to know the importance of competitive analysis (Zikmund, & Babin, 2012). This course contributed in prior understandings and I am able to conclude more reasonable ways of marketing. This course allowed me to learn different things that will contribute in my future goals. Normally pioneers think on short-term goals this course made me aware that how companies can simulate strategies to gain long-term goals. It allowed making complete marketing strategy. Where I am going and what does it all mean? I am going to finish my graduation soon and throughout my university, I have gained one of the best learning experiences from my projects. I made significant contributions in my all projects that in result served me with important practical knowledge. Now I believe that I am ready to enter in business world and have potential to take new challenges. I have an ability to work with big names and my multiple skills will help me in the achievement of my targets. I gained self-confidence, pressure handling, intellectual skills, team working, presentation skills, brand building, positioning, people management and so on so forth during my academic career. I could have taken decision to make further studies but that would not have allowed me to start my professional developments. Therefore, I decided to work on professional developments. I have understood the importance of my qualifications and will utilize my learning in my professional life. I have leant a lot from my practical experiences and these experiences have helped me in understanding the concepts in more detailed that I learnt in this course and across my program. Through the current course, I am able to find potential benefits from market situation that is good for starting my own business. I always take responsibility to finish my all assignments, attend classes and do research in order to enhance my learning. Sometimes when I was unable to attend classes, I took help from my classmates in order to get insights of my missed class. My Future Marketing Value: With the passage of time and with every course I have improved in terms of my knowledge and have become more confident and I have inspired interviewers with my knowledge and will enhance my chances to get the job. I believed that my practical experiences and my academic learning in multiple domains are the most effective tools for the attainment of professional success. After the completion of this course, I will do full time job in order to prepare myself for my own business. I will only take calculated risks therefore; I will polish my skills and will apply my learning at my work place before starting my business. In hospitality sector, there is a large scope for marketers and my diploma and certification add more spice to my skills and my profile and thus, it will make me a multitalented candidate. During my studies, I learnt different concepts that contributed in my knowledge and allowed me to make my understandings better that will contribute in my success and will enhance my market value. References ACAE. (n.d.). SIT30813 - Certificate III in Commercial Cookery. Retrieved October 28, 2014 from http://www.acae.edu.au/schools/asca/sit308013-certificate-iii-in-commercial-cookery Carne, G. F. (2009). Marketing for Entrepreneurs: Concepts and Applications for New Ventures. USA: SAGE. Palmer, A. (2012). Introduction to marketing: theory and practice. Oxford University Press.‏ Wilson, M. R., & Gilligan, C. (2012). Strategic Marketing Management. Italy: Routledge Xu, J. (2005). Market Research Handbook: Measurement, Approach and Practice. USA: iUniverse Zikmund, W. & Babin, B. (2012). Essentials of Marketing Research, 5th Ed. USA: Cengage Learning. Read More