Developing a Business Career: Portfolio, SWOT, and Action Plan

This report delves into career planning within a business context, emphasizing the importance of self-awareness, skills development, and strategic action. It includes a personal portfolio showcasing skills and experiences, a curriculum vitae summarizing qualifications, and a personal statement outlining career interests and objectives, particularly concerning a role at Marks and Spencer. A SWOT analysis identifies personal strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, informing a detailed action plan for achieving career goals. The report highlights the significance of continuous improvement and proactive management in navigating a successful business career. Desklib offers students access to past papers and solved assignments to aid in their studies.

Your Career in Business

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY.......................................................................................................................................3
Section A..........................................................................................................................................3
Company overview .........................................................................................................................5
Section B..........................................................................................................................................5
Personal statement...........................................................................................................................5
Curriculum Vitae.............................................................................................................................6
Section C..........................................................................................................................................8
Personal SWOT ..............................................................................................................................8
Action plan.......................................................................................................................................9
CONCLUSION...................................................................................................................................11
REFERENCES...................................................................................................................................12

INTRODUCTION
The term career planning is referred as the proper knowledge regarding the kills, values, talents and
interests that are related to one's interest o that they can develop a better version of themselves by
making their strengths strong and improving their weaknesses. Matching the skills and matching the
career objectives are referred as an important part of the individual's life by which they can take
proper methods to achieve their personal as well as professional objectives(Altan 2022). The career
planning is very crucial part of the individuals which creates a framework to perform different
tasks. Career planning is he combination of structured planning and the active management choice
of one's own career so that they can implement the proper goals by making an effective and efficient
plan. This planning is an ongoing process which is helpful in setting the career goals and it also
identifies the various means to achieve them. This report will highlight the various aspect related to
the better and effective career planning along with the portfolio and curriculum vitae, Personal
statement and various other relevant items such as self assessment reflective gaps and action plan to
develop the skills and personality effectively and efficiently as well (Çelikyay 2021).
MAIN BODY
Section A
The term personal portfolio is referred as the important document which provides a lot of
information such as qualitative and quantitative. This portfolio is different from the resume as its
motive is not to provide the summarise view, it is more focused on providing the detailed view of
various aspects such as, accomplishments, skills and experiences of an individual which can be
shared to the people and places for initiating the first step towards the career (Duca 2021). The
personal portfolio can be in print or in electronic format. Portfolio is considered as an important part
for the individuals which can help them to make people and various other job places about their
skills, background and other necessary details. The process of developing portfolio consists of
various step which are as follows
 Gathering the information on the individual.
 Supporting the instructions for promoting the effective communication
 defining the administrative purposes to provide a base for the tool evaluation
The process oriented portfolios also focuses on showing growth including various components such
as, goal setting, Self reflection, reflections on obstacles to learning and working from throughout
the process.

The term curriculum vitae is a bit different from portfolio, The CV is referred as a document which
is used by the individual so as to provide a summarise point of view of themselves to the
interviewer or to a place where they are applying for a job on a vacant position. The CV plays a
major role in creating an impact on the next person by seeing the skills, experiences and other
educational details(Galán-Mañas 2019). It is the short summary which should be effective and
efficient to attract the viewer to hire you for the job role. A good CV should include various
components which are as follows
 Contact info.
The name, address of the person's home, mobile phone number and Email should be provided
 Profile
This is referred as the term which is related with the main attributes and characteristics of the
individual which makes him\her different and unique from others.
 Education
This is the component in which all the necessary details regarding the current and past educational
qualifications should be mentioned
 Work Experience
This term is related with the providing of necessary information whether the person have worked
before, at which position and in which company.
 Skills and Achievements
this is the most important head in the CV as it contain all the highlights of the strengths and
achievements of the individual which are important to put a strong impact on other.
 Interest
This term is related with the core areas of hobbies and interest of an individual to state the
effectiveness and efficiency in a particular field.
The term CV and personal statement plays an important role in providing proper information
regarding the skills and accomplishments so that the individuals can present themselves in such a
manner that they can be selected in the crowd and they can act as a stand out among the group of
people. For building an effective CV people should work on maintaining their effectiveness an
efficiency towards achieving the targets(Hedin DeSpain 2018). The individual should be focused on
developing their skills and achievements so that they can be confident enough in applying for a job
role. The development of skills is considered as an important part which can help the individual to
stay effective and consistent enough in achieving their personal and professional goals. The skills
development can also help the individual in performing with the best of their potential.

Company overview
Marks and Spencer is a well known reputed company which deals in retailing. The company is
headquartered In Paddington, UK. London specialises in selling clothes, beauty products and other
home decors which are attracting to the customers. Marks and spencer was established in 1884 by
Michael marks and Thomas spencer. The company is operated globally having around 959 stores all
over(Ke 2022 ). The company is focused in making different types of clothes and fashion styles
which are attractive for the customers making it a trustworthy company for the customers. The
company has also its stores providing the online facility of buying clothes and other fashion items
so as to provide the best of their Quality to the customers to satisfy their needs and wants.
Section B
Personal statement
Everyone individual have different qualities and point of views which are required to look after
various aspects and things which can create an impact on others by the way you present the things.
According to me, Talking about the professional interests I do have my priority list in which marks
and spencer came on first as it is a well known reputed company of UK which is a tall structured
organisation having various functions which are managed on a daily basis(Kipkosgei 2022). For
me, working in a well known big organisation is always a dream as it an honour to work in a big
organisation such as mark spencer which can enhance my career aspects and can provide me a lot of
opportunities to present myself and it can also be helpful for me to achieve the targeted goals of
mine. The more the company is well established and successful is, The more it provides the
opportunities and advantages which can be helpful n building an exciting career. As I grew older, I
have analysed a lot of ,my characteristics and fields of interests in which I want to pursue my career
in. The major priority and my core interest is towards the sales department as it is a widely spread
department having large operations and functions which are managed on a daily basis. Sales
department have different roles which are needed to be performed by the various individuals which
are working in the organisation. My main career objective is to maintain a well known reputed
position in a good company such as Marks and spencer. I am a skilled person who have various
Qualities related to the sales department as I am good at communicating, Effective time
management, good negotiating and bargaining skills and efficient in managing the resources as
well. For achieving this position I have to face a lot of challenges as they are the basic things which
can occur in any field and in any department. I am a person who is self motivated and dedicated
towards my work and also I have the abilities to manage the team as I have performed leadership
roles before so I am quite aware of this job role on how to manage a team or a group along with the

proper guiding and Effective training.
I want to achieve a position of sales manager of the Marks and spencer company by which I can
open up new doors of opportunities and my career will also get a boost by achieving this post as I
will be able to present myself with such an effective job role. For being a manager I do have to
improve a lot of skills of mine which can be helpful for me to maintain an effective and efficient
way for achieving my desired job role(Park Lim and Lee 2021). My current skills requires a lot of
improvement as to accomplish my personal and professional goals there is a lot of requirement
towards the field of skills and Qualities. I do have an effective background as I have completed my
Masters in Economics from Harvard Business school and I also have completed various short term
duration courses related to marketing and sales which can be helpful in making a strong CV by
which I can apply for my desired job role in Marks and Spencer so that I can initiate in a better way
towards taking necessary steps in accomplishing my goals. Given below is the CV
Curriculum Vitae.
Name – ABC
Phone number – 23456000
E-mail- [e-mail]
Address - Bht252
Personal Statement
I am an extremely knowledgeable individual with a passion for working in the Sales department
and my past work history has involved good companies and managing the proper teams with good
public appeal and reputation. I am an expert in people governance and operations control and am a
person who exudate high work and quality standards so as to maintain an effective and efficient
position in the organisation. I do Acquire a lot of skills as I am Educated, enthusiastic and
technically sound with having clean and effective presentation skills and organising various tasks
and activities so that work burden and work delay can be reduced up to a great extent. I am good at
multi tasking and procrastination is avoided by me in a good manner.
Managing teams and groups are my cup of tea as I have maintained an effective position as a Team
leader in my last organisation. Good negotiation skills and organising the activities are also my
strengths.

Career objectives
After dedicating past few years to my family and my skills development, I am ready to go for new
challenges which can further be helpful for me in maintaining an effective and efficient position in
a well known reputed organisation to show my skills and Qualities to achieve my personal and
professional goals.
Core skills and competencies
 Effective communication and listening skills
 Ability to manage teams and organise the tasks and to establish positive and professional
relationships with colleagues and team members
 Strongly focused towards the tasks and activities related ton providing the Customer
experiences and maintaining a good interaction with them as well.
 Strong enumerate/analytical skills with proved ability to interpret data.
 Attending the details and organized approach to problem solving and data processing.
 Very good typing skills and telephone manner to manage the data.
 Promptness, initiative and quality to work under pressure.
 Good understanding of Business management, sales and Business practises.
 Sound Technical and IT skills, Proficient in using Microsoft Excel and Emails.
 Good at Negotiating and Bargaining
 Positive and active Personality.
Educational and Additional Qualifications
 Professional English certificate from London college Business and Finance.
 Diploma of Completed Secondary Education from, Germany 2007
 Level 1 Certificate and Award in Digital marketing.
 Advanced Excel and 3 months certification in Microsoft World and outlook.
 Masters in Economics from Harvard Business school London.
Language
 Fluent level of Verbal and written English language- Native\ first language
 Level 5 certificate in French Language.
Work Experience
Housekeeping manager – LOXY London HEATHROW (2012-2015)
General Responsibilities
 Assigning duties to members of staff and other workers.
 Developing the minimum standards for prospective members of the department and

minimum standards for evaluating the work.
 Ensuring the efficient usage of departmental resources.
 Maintaining good relationships with managers of other units in the organization
Marketing Administrator – KBK London, ( 2016-2019)
General responsibilities
 Carry out the occupier meeting- create a plan anterior to the meeting.
 Adding new staff members to the team to carry out the various tasks and activities.
 Placing orders related to the neds and wants of the customers.
 Daily collection of products and providing the instructions to the supply chain department.
 Dealing with the Daily orders and managing them Accordingly.
Career break
The last 2 years I focused a lot on developing my skills and Building my Effective Qualities and
traits which have helped me to come back stronger by enhancing my present skills and Core
competencies. Along with that, some medical condition were also there which has created chaos
and difficulties for me to work fluently on the path of my career. I also focused on Improving my
Personal hobbies and interests including Cooking, Reading and Singing as well.
Section C
Personal SWOT
Strength
 Effective Communication
I am good at communicating with people
without any hesitation.
 Good presentation skills
I am good at presenting the topics and Aspects
related to different things. I also a creative at
making effective power point
presentations(Paskaramoorthy van and Gebbie
2022).
Weaknesses
 Lack of Maintaining consistency
Being consistent is one of my problem as I am
unable to stay constant towards my work.
 Inability to say no
This inability of mine further creates problems
for me as I can not say no to any tasks which can
lead to the work burden.
 Lack of critical thinking
This skill on mine is lacking as I am not good in

 Ability to handle Tough situations
I do have a capability to handle the tough
situations by adapting the necessary changes.
thinking at critical level.
Opportunities
 Finding New people
As I am good at approaching new jobs it is more
effective for me to connect with new people.
 High recognition of Degree
I have completed my graduation and masters
from a well known reputed university which can
help me to provide new and better
opportunities(Thakkar and Chaudhari 2021).
 Excellent Knowledge
I have a lot of opportunities to meet new people
and to gain excellent knowledge which can be
helpful for me to achieve my personal and
professional objectives.
Threats
 Increasing Competition
The increase in competition is acting as a threat
as it is creating an impact on the performances
of people.
 Difficulty in Finding the Appropriate
job role
As the competition is increasing it is becoming
more difficult to apply for the proper job role in
a field.
 Job security
it is difficult to get secured job as the
competition is increasing day by day. As the job
security is the basic requirement of the
individuals so that effective career planning and
implementation can be done without any issues.
Action plan
The term action plan is referred as the various activities and methods including the steps which can
be opted by the Individuals and the people so that they can develop their skills and personalities
towards the betterment of their Career (Waspodo Ratnawati and Halifi 2018). The Action plan is
considered as an important part which can help the individuals to accomplish their personal and
professional goals. In order to improve my weaknesses I have generated my Smart objectives which
are as given below
 Managing the Multitasking and other implementation of tasks in an effective and efficient
manner so that any kind of work burden can be avoided.
 Improving my ability to perform Critical,thinking tasks and working towards encouraging
my critical thinking.

 Managing time to stay consistent and continuous towards my work is also my objective so
that I can perform in the best potential(Wong Yuen and Chen2021).
Skills required to
improve
Reason for
improvement
Steps to
improvement
Ways to measure
success
Duration
Managing
multitasking
I want to improve
this skill of mine
so that any kind of
work burden can
be avoided.
Managing the
teams and
assigning the tasks
as per the field of
interest. By
Effective and
efficient
management of
teams the work
delay can be
reduced and the
projects can be
completed on
time.
Measuring the
daily performance
of the workers and
the team members
by keeping in
track about their
tasks and
activities.
2 Months
Proper Time
management
Time management
is considered as an
important part of
the personal
development
system which can
be helpful in
Complete the
tasks before the
deadlines and the
work load will
also be reduced.
To improve this
skill, I started to
work according to
the time table.
To measure my
performance, I
started to
complete my work
by watching he
time and
measuring in how
many minutes and
hours I took to
complete the task.
3 Months

CONCLUSION
The above report went into detail with various complex topics such as, Career planning, personal
development and other terms. Further more, the portfolio and its components were described along
with the difference between CV and portfolio. Along with that, the company overview and the
desired role was described along with the effective Curriculum vitae which can be used to apply for
the vacant job role. Including this, The personal SWOT and smart objectives were described along
with the Action plan which can be used to achieve the targeted goals and in the development of
skills as well.

REFERENCES
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(Altan 2022),(Çelikyay 2021) .(Duca 2021),(Galán-Mañas 2019) (Hedin DeSpain 2018) (Ke 2022 )
(Kipkosgei 2022) (Park Lim and Lee 2021).(Paskaramoorthy van and Gebbie 2022) (Thakkar and
Chaudhari 2021).(Waspodo Ratnawati and Halifi 2018) (Wong Yuen and Chen2021)