Self Development & Responsibility Assignment

Module name: Preparing for Success: Self Development and Responsibility
Assignment: Portfolio and Reflective Summary
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Contents
REFLECTIVE SUMMARY.............................................................................................................- 2 -
Appendices....................................................................................................................................- 4 -
1. TIME MANAGEMENT.......................................................................................................- 4 -
2. SWOT ANALYSIS..............................................................................................................- 6 -
3. GROUP FORMATION: BELBINS TEAM.......................................................................- 8 -
4. FACILITATING YOUR JOB SEARCH..........................................................................- 10 -
5. ACADEMIC WRITING EXAMPLE.................................................................................- 12 -
6. CV WRITING.....................................................................................................................- 14 -
7. COVER LETTER..............................................................................................................- 16 -
8. PREPARING FOR AN INTERVIEW..............................................................................- 17 -
9. EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS..............................................................................................- 19 -
10. REFERENCING SOURCES........................................................................................- 20 -
11. REFLECTIVE LOG.......................................................................................................- 22 -
12. LINKEDIN PROFILE....................................................................................................- 23 -
REFERENCES:............................................................................................................................- 24 -
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REFLECTIVE SUMMARY
I have reached a turning point in my life where I know that I need a different
direction to remain relevant and essential, trusting that something is going to happen
on the road to enlightenment. With a more profound sense of the passage of time, I
feel inspired to pursue a long-lasting professional dream finally.
Throughout this 2nd semester, I have enjoyed the PSSDR module. It has
been interesting to expand my skills and comprehension, so I was able to learn a lot
of different topics in the class, as well as allowing me to create links and reinforce my
memory on issues I have already experienced. The project made it possible for me
to dig deeper through different areas. I have learned that time management is my
greatest weaknesses (see Appendix 1). I am, and I have always been a
perfectionist, but maintaining a balance among my family, professional and
educational life is a challenge. I do not yet come to a complete answer to this issue,
but I have made several improvements about how I can handle my time more
effectively (see Appendix 2). I found it very useful for me to plan by setting SMART
goals as you can see in Appendix 2, making a list of responsibilities for every goal
and task, listing all the measurable steps that I need to take. Working with others
during the workshops and while doing the presentation has enabled me to develop
my communication skills further as well as assess my competences and become
aware of my strengths. Being a shaper and a complete finisher (see Appendix 3)
seems to suit my personality because I am a perfectionist and one of my greatest
strengths is self-confidence and the ability to accept accountability (see Appendix 2).
The completion of these projects has shown me that I can communicate well with
others, has helped me to understand the need to control my emotions, and I have
discovered that the way you deliver the knowledge is more relevant than the
information itself (see Appendix 11). I have always believed that education extends
our vision, increases awareness, and allows us to improve our skills witch
undoubtedly will bring positive changes in my life. Reading and writing at an
academic level (see Appendix 5) can help expand my subject-specific and general
vocabulary, also improve my abilities to bring out a persuasive argument and
articulately address issues. It is a powerful tool, even when drawing up a CV and a
cover letter or any written documents, most of which are supposed to be of a
graduate-level, whether technical specifications, reports, proposals, or business
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plans. As I pointed out in Appendix 10, we must recognise our debt to the origins of
evidence, analysis, and ideas from which we have drawn up our work by providing
proper references. For me, at this point employability is not about finding a job but
represent the understanding and the progress in developing the necessary skills
(see Appendix 9) within a desired career pathway. Networking on platforms like
LinkedIn (see Appendix 12) is another way to feature my expertise. Unavoidably I
will have to spend much time on researching the employers I would most like to
work. In Appendix 4, I am showing the highlights and shortcomings of both LinkedIn
vs Indeed.com and show the place both play in the Job Search Process. The CV is
the only picture the recruiter has of our talents, expertise, and achievements (see
Appendix 6). Each CV and Cover Letter must be exclusive to a specific job. The
cover letter (see Appendix 7) is the first interview which is just as critical as the
second interview where we must face the employer and eventually get employed
(see Appendix 8).
I deeply believe that I have the serenity to recognise that I am not ready for a
job, the willingness to learn, and the maturity to be patient. My vision is to be content
in the coming decades of life; the aim is to pursue my vision, the one that makes me
happier and that are in alignment with my values as part of my identity.
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Appendices
1. TIME MANAGEMENT
Through time management, we are controlling and planning how much time we
devote to different tasks. Effective time management helps us to lowers stress,
achieve more in a shorter period, and leads to professional achievement (Hellsten,
2012).
We cannot control the time, each daily cycle consists of a twenty-four-hour
period, but we sourly can always determine how to spend the time we have.
Planning is crucial in predicting the path we should head towards (Yilmaz et al.,
2006).
The roots of time-management expertise lies in what is known as the Eisenhower
process.
As per this process, we must organise our list of tasks into four groups, as is
shown in Figure 1 ‘Priority Matrix’ – below.
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Figure 1: Priority Matrix
A clear model aims to turn our thinking towards productivity and long-term
strategic planning.
Making notes and reviewing them afterwards have a positive impact on our
success and learning process. Studies suggest that students taking records recollect
more information and may improve on assessments (Kelley, Beverly & Stutts, 2013).
Figure 2: Personal notes from class
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