Reflective Report on Employability and Study Skills

This reflective report discusses the learning process and the importance of employability and study skills. It reflects on the knowledge gained and the impact it has on personal and professional development.

Reflective Report on
Employability and
Study Skills

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
TASK...............................................................................................................................................3
Gibbs Reflection Cycle:..............................................................................................................3
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................6

INTRODUCTION
In this module we learned about various employability and study skills, namely;
communication skills, research skills, the use of ICTs, teamwork and networking, time and self
management skills, problem solving skills. In this module I enhance my ability and gained
knowledge and developed creativity and understanding about the above mentioned topics. In
this report I will reflect on what I have learned using Gibbs' Reflective Cycle.
Gibbs' Reflection Cycle was invented by Professor Graham Gibbs, he published this
cycle in one of his book “Learning by Doing” dated back in 1988. This cycle helps people to
learn form situations and experiences to understand the effectiveness of their action and how can
they improve this.
TASK
Gibbs Reflection Cycle:
1. Description: I started learning about employability and study skills from a module in my
university. When I started learning I also started developing a passion towards the
employability skills. I would like to pursue a career in Human Resource Management and
explore my capabilities. I learned about various skills which are: Communication Skills
(verbal and non-verbal), Research Skills, Problem Solving Skills, Teamwork and
Networking Skills, Time and Self Management Skills and the use of Information and
Communication Technologies.
Communication Skills refers to the ability of a person by which he or she is able to convey and
receive different kinds of information. By using effective communication skills the information
can be communicated effectively and without a lot of hindrances. There are two types of
communication skills; Verbal and Non-Verbal. Verbal communication is using words to convey
and receive information. Non-Verbal communication is the use of gestures, proximity, body
language and signs to convey information.
Research skills refers to the ability of a person to find the desired answer of a problem by doing
research. These skills consists of searching and obtaining information, analysing this information
and understand the information in a way that it gives us the answer to the solution. Problem
solving skills refers to the ability of a person to determine the roots of a problem and find out a
way to solve that problem.

Networking skills refers to the ability of a person to form a network of contacts who can help in
the future in some way or the other, it also involves maintaining the existing level of contacts and
networks. Teamwork skills refers to the quality and ability of a person to work well in groups.
Groups are formed to execute projects, meetings, other communications and collaborations.
2. Feelings: When I started learning and developing new skills I felt enlightened and at the
same time enthusiastic to gain more knowledge and skills. Before starting this module I
clearly underestimated the knowledge it contained. I gave it little significance and did not
take it seriously. While learning I realised how wrong I was and enjoyed the process very
much. I learned everything taught in the module and gave it my complete attention. I felt
that other people in the lecture were as amazed as I was. They enjoyed learning too. I felt
my knowledge bank expanding and my personality improving. This was all because I
found something that I actually love to do. I realised the importance of Communication
Skills, Research Skills, Problem Solving Skills, Teamwork and Networking Skills, Time
and Self Management Skills and the use of Information and Communication
Technologies.
The need to communicate effectively is a necessary skill for the workplace and in academics too.
Its important to communicate considering the barriers and hindrances in the process of
communication. Not only for the workplace and the academics but in every aspect of life
effective communication is needed. There are few techniques for effective communication like
active listening, asking questions, clarifying and summarising etc. Research skills are of great
significance too.
Its important to for a person to gain research skills in order to complete the task in the specified
time limit. In order to complete the task in the specified time limit one must have the ability to
find the desired answer of a problem by doing research. This skill further asks the person to be
efficient in analysing and understanding information so that he'll be able to search and obtain
information, analyse this information and understand the context in a way that it gives him the
answer to the solution. Networking skills are also of great significance to an individual as they
help him in establishing links and networks with people who can help him in his corporate life in
the future. This skill enhances the ability of an individual to maintain the existing networks and
keep interacting with them. Furthermore the teamwork skills help an individual to work
effectively in groups and maintain good relations with the entire team.

3. Evaluation: When I started learning I obviously did not know what I was getting myself
into. I was negative about the situation as I had to make a lot of efforts. Then when I
realised the skills and knowledge it was providing me, I felt positive and motivated to put
more efforts in learning and developing new skills.
The module provided me with a wider knowledge about employability skills along with study
skills. When I was studying this I evaluated my own abilities and worked hard to enhance them.
The module also provided me with confidence and I was able to speak in public and express my
thoughts without any hesitation. Overall, the module had a truly positive impact on me and my
capabilities along with everyone in the university studying this module. I don't think there was
anything negative about the module except my lack of concentration, that to I developed when I
started learning and focusing on the topic. The module gave us a smooth learning experience and
everyone learned and gained something or the other from the module. All the skills were
explained and understood clearly and in the end the tests assessed my ability and the knowledge I
gained. We further discussed the topics and skills we learned and gained in the module. There
was an efficient group discussion about the skills we developed and how will we use them in the
future.
I further evaluate effective communication skill as one of my strongest skill as I was able to
convey my thoughts effectively in the learning room and the discussions too. I also overcame my
fear of public speaking and talking to people who have more knowledge than me.
4. Conclusions: The module provided us with higher level of knowledge and skills which
will help me in the workplace and my corporate life. Overall experience was also positive
and provided a smooth learning and developing experience. Although the experience
could have been more positive if I would have been enthusiastic from the start and tried
to grab every knowledge I could.
When there comes a chance where I will learn another module and develop different skills then I
will surely be more attentive and focused. This is because I know how beneficial it is for me to
gain new skill and boost up my knowledge bank. I would also like to indulge more in public
speaking and group discussion so that I can increase my confidence furthermore.
For module and university learning I would like to develop analytical skills along with critical
thinking skills and reflective skills. With the help of analytical skills I will be able to analyse
what I have learned and identify the deeper meaning it has. Critical thinking can aid reflective

skills as I will be able to identify and think about the minor details about the topic and develop a
different approach which can suit me to apply this knowledge and use it at the workplace and in
the corporate sector. Reflective skills will help me reflect what I have learned and I will also be
able to retain that knowledge and information for a longer period of time. I'll further be able to
assess the resources and factors that I will need to grow and develop a better understanding.
5. Action: I gained a lot form the module and the knowledge that it provided me. I carefully
examined, evaluated and reflected this knowledge to form an action plan for the future so
that I will be able to achieve my dream career as to be in Human Resource Management.
In the future I will involve myself in more university courses so that I can learn new skill
which will be truly beneficial for me in the corporate sector and at the workplace. I will
start with Critical thinking skills and decision making skills first. I will try to gain these
skills in a time span of 30 days and then I will work on reflective and analytical skills
which I hope to complete in 25 days.
CONCLUSION
The above reflective report concludes the ability of everyone in the module to learn new
skills and gain more knowledge. It also depicted how useful Gibbs reflection cycle is in
reflecting the learning process and reflecting a situation or module learning.