Planning Careers and Employability: Analysis and Development Report

This report analyzes the student's approach to career planning and employability, focusing on initial activities such as skills audits, interview preparation, and the use of social media platforms like LinkedIn. The analysis includes an evaluation of strengths and weaknesses, the importance of tailored documentation, and the benefits of networking. The student reflects on the skills audit questionnaire, employer interviews, and the development of a personal online presence. The report also discusses the significance of personal branding, the identification of skill gaps, and the preparation required to meet industry standards, aiming to enhance employability and compete effectively in the chosen graduate employment sector. The report also includes a bibliography of relevant sources.

Running head: PLANNING CAREERS AND EMPLOYABILITY
Planning Careers and Employability
Subject Code: BSS030-2
Assignment 1: Fail to Plan, and you Plan to Fail
Student Name
University Name
Author Note

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1. Introductory Written Summary
1.1 Analysis of the initial activities and how it has prepared for work
The initial activities that has been undertaken for the preparation of this work includes
the skills audit questionnaire, the interview taken for the preparation of checking company
suitability, application form preparation, CV and LinkedIn profiles. All these were necessary
for a person to showcase the fact that an individual is ready for utilizing their personal skills
to the business organizations. The current development in the recruitment arena does not
work like before, where preparing for a job could be easier after graduation. Rather, these
initial activities that have been upgraded for the preparation of being business ready after
graduation does not only help an individual to identify their own skills, but also helps them to
identify their strength and weaknesses. Identifying both these would help the individuals
prepare themselves more by working on the weaknesses to turn them into their strengths.
1.2 The use of social media in the form of a personal website
Social Networking sites are often seen to be used for the sharing of media and
personal information. Instead these can be looked beyond the social information sharing and
be used as a personal website. An individual can brand themselves on the social media
without sharing too much personal information. It can act just like a corporate brand and
represent themselves my manifesting the social media page at an individual level. Since,
social media websites help in establishing a personal identity, it is to be used for defining the
goals that the individual is looking forward to. Showcasing the skills strengths about these
acquired skills can be regarded as one of the most important aspects of transforming social
media to a personal website recognizing the skills and accomplishments. To make sure that
people would recognize one’s professional skills, or even to improve the chances of
discovering job opportunities in the chosen field of work, a person can use the social media to

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build a LinkedIn profile and turn it into a personal website containing the professional
information about acquired skills and accomplishments.
1.3 Benefit of ‘Linked In’ contacts to promote oneself and network
In the recent times, LinkedIn has become one of the most powerful resources online
to help any individual market themselves online. Arguably, one of the best ways that the
website can be used for the individuals is by making sure that a person shares the defined
goals, objectives and accomplishments in the business front. It also provides a huge platform
for the students as well. This is because, when a student creates a profile on LinkedIn,
providing the information about their skills gathered throughout graduation, the business
goals that they have set and the accomplishments that they have gathered so far; it creates a
huge network for them to connect them with the best employers suiting their skills and at the
same time it helps the employers to find their desirable candidate through the social media.
However, the promotion also needs to be completed totally and at the same time, the
individual needs to connect to every individual that he would find as a suggestion to his or
her circle.
1.4 How the skills audit questionnaire completion has enabled the evaluation of gaps in
knowledge and skills
Skills audit is extremely necessary as a process for any student so that they can assess
and analyse their skills and competencies. The skills audit questionnaires are formed of this
one to one question based on the identification of the potential skills of the student to
showcase their talent to the business arena. Similarly, it has helped me to identify my skills
that I believe are extremely important for me to have a strong standpoint in the industry while
I face an interview. At the same time, I have also figured out not just my skills, but also my
shortcomings through this. I have understood my knowledge gaps and the assessments that I
need to perform on my own skills for making a long-term plan for working in an

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organization. This would convince my own self that I am not only fit for working in an
organization at a long-term basis for my growth as an individual, but also for the growth of
the company at the same time.
1.5 Effect of the interview with the employer and additional research on the preparation
of the tailored documentation based on the current requirements
It is considered as one of the most important steps for selection of a graduate student
for working in an organization, but at the same time it helps a person to connect between the
job seekers and the employers. The interview with an employer has made me realise that I
have with an employee of an organization, who might represent how my job profile would
look after some years. Since the connection between a job seeker and the employer is set by
this process, the tailored documentation processing becomes easier to make me understand
what I have as my skills and what would I need more to fit into the industry standards. This
made room for additional researches that I required to upgrade my skills.
1.6 Evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses
After my interview, I would require to research more on the industry standards that I
have been exposed to. This is the way where I can note the information about what more I
need to do to excel myself as the best possible candidate. The strengths would be enhanced
this way and the weaknesses would also be transformed to my strengths.
1.7 How well do I currently meet person specification for the positions
I understand that so far I am able to meet the industry standards according to my
findings and I hope that the I am able to achieve the best positions at my desired
organizations after I gain my degree.

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Bibliography
Breslin, H., 2017. Wittier, cleverer and more ambitious: Moving beyond a standardised
approach to skills audit exercises. Spark: UAL Creative Teaching and Learning
Journal, 2(1), pp.15-27.
Brooks, B.A., 2019. LinkedIn and your professional identity. Nurse Leader, 17(3), pp.173-
175.
Carmack, H.J. and Heiss, S.N., 2018. Using the Theory of Planned Behavior to Predict
College Students’ Intent to Use LinkedIn for Job Searches and Professional
Networking. Communication Studies, 69(2), pp.145-160.
Chang, S.E., Liu, A.Y. and Shen, W.C., 2017. User trust in social networking services: A
comparison of Facebook and LinkedIn. Computers in Human Behavior, 69, pp.207-217.
Mardis, M.A., Ma, J., Jones, F.R. and McClure, C.R., 2017, May. Assessing the Alignment of
Curricula, Internships, Industry Certifications and Employer Perceptions to Job Standards.
In Global Conference on Education and Research (GLOCER 2017) (Vol. 82, p. 99).
Marston, R., 2017. What Your Future Employer Is Looking for?.
Murphy, T., 2016. Employer Branding: How Companies can Gain a Competitive Advantage
in Recruitment.
Shahani-Denning, C., Patel, V. and Zide, J., 2017. Recruiter and applicant use of Linkedin: A
spotlight on India. The Psychologist-Manager Journal, 20(2), p.90.