EMSK5012 Employability Skills: Career Development & Reflection

This report presents a critical reflection on employability skills and career development, focusing on self-awareness, sector knowledge, and self-promotion. It includes evidence of attending networking events, a tailored CV, a LinkedIn profile, and a professional development plan aligned with the themes of knowing oneself, understanding the industry, and effectively presenting oneself to potential employers. The reflection highlights the development of communication, multitasking, and customer service skills, alongside recognizing the need for improvement in leadership and team-building abilities. The report emphasizes the importance of networking, adapting to industry trends, and leveraging social media platforms like LinkedIn for career advancement. The interview process experiences are also discussed, highlighting the acquired employability skills and their impact.

Running head: TOPIC
Topic
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author’s note

1TOPIC
Contents
KNOW YOURSELF: Week 1-3.....................................................................................................3
KNOW YOUR SECTOR: Week 4..................................................................................................4
LET THEM KNOW YOU: Week 5-10...........................................................................................5
Reference list:..................................................................................................................................8
Appendices:.....................................................................................................................................9
Appendix 1: Confirmation of attendance....................................................................................9
Appendix 2: CV.........................................................................................................................10
Appendix 3: Linkendln Profile..................................................................................................12
Appendix 4- Aspiring Job role..................................................................................................13
Appendix 5- Current Professional Development Plan...............................................................15

2TOPIC
KNOW YOURSELF: Week 1-3
I am aware of some of the skills that I have gathered over the years in various profession
that I have been. The companies or the job roles that I have been working for or have been
performing have helped me develop one of the most important skills which are communication. I
have learnt from my experience as well as form the course that effective communication is the
key to success. It is the way one can organize plan and manage the course of action. I think that I
am fairly good in communication as I think logically; I understand the ways in which a problem
can be addressed with the help of communication (Oetzel 2017). I aspire to remain in the service
industry as I am running my own Salon business, and with the help of my effective
communication skills I have developed a good valuable relationship with the customers.
I have always been the “Jack of all trades”, I am a fast learner which has helped my
explore various job roles in the past as well as continue to experiment and rise in my career. I am
focused on learning new things, and one of the attributes that drive me is the urge to learn new
things. I can also multitask and ensure that the work that has been delivered is without any fault.
From the course I have developed ways to organize my work, so that I deliver the work on time
without compromising with the quality. The pressure of assignment submission as well as keep
up with regular class work has helped me to stay focused during pressure situations. In today’s
competitive world the company has been imperative to be multitasking. In order to be aligned
with my aspiring job role as a manager I have to be able to multitask.

3TOPIC
I have the skill of dealing with the customers tactfully owing to my previous job roles in
this course I have developed an understanding regarding the clientele and dealing with every
client differently gives an edge over the competitors. This is one of the skills that have been one
of the major requirements of the job role that I am aspiring for. Another aspect of mine that I
have realized that I have to work upon is being a team player. It is very important to work as a
team when the position is of a manager; I have to work on my leadership qualities and my team
bonding skills in order to fit in to the job role that I have been aspiring for. I have learnt in the
course that it is always a good leader and not a good manager who achieves success in the
business.
KNOW YOUR SECTOR: Week 4
I have been self employed in the beauty industry as I owned a salon and have been the
sole manager of the venture. During this period, I have been exposed to a number of people
clients, suppliers as well as people of the industry who have helped me in networking. Previously
I have not realized the importance of networking in the industry, but with the help of the
knowledge that I have gathered during the course I have learnt the importance of networking and
have tried to develop my contacts accordingly (Lent and Brown 2013). With the help of
networking I will be able to manage my skills better. Speaking with some of the people who are
experienced in the field with give me greater perspective of the industry, as the industry I am
interested in is heavily dependent on the trends that are prevalent. Thus with the help of
networking I can learn about the trends and incorporate the same in the organisation. Also with

4TOPIC
the help of networking I can get better job opportunities in the future as well as provide reference
form relevant people for the industry. There are two networking events that I have attended
during the course (refer to the appendix), the skill that I have used in these events are the
interpersonal skills as I had to communicate and interact in order to establish contacts in the
industry. I think my interpersonal skills are better than average as I have experience with people
in my previous job roles and in the business that I own. I have been aspiring to be the manager of
one of the renowned salons in North London (the job description is attached in the appendix).
Trends in the beauty industry are significant to support the growth of the business therefore, with
the help of the contacts that has been created I will be able to understand the changes in the
industry as well as serve the customers better. I have understood that in order to manage a salon I
will have to comprehend with the changing requirements of the customers. This is where
networking will help me.
LET THEM KNOW YOU: Week 5-10
I have a number of experience over the years and this has helped me develop a number of
employability skills like: effective communication, multitasking, giving specific attention to
details which may not be evident but creates a huge impact on the customers as well as other
working with me, I have experience in managing the inventories and keeping track of the
supplies, in the due course I have learnt to do it professionally. Previously I have worked as a
chef and this is where I have learnt how to manage inventory carefully.

5TOPIC
I have owned a business in the beauty industry for a long time and one of the greatest
skills that I think I have acquired is maintaining quality customer service. As I have mentioned
before that I have effective communication skills I can both communicate to a customer face to
face or via telephone. I can also deal with conflict or complaints both from the customers as well
as form the people associated with the business internally. The course has helped me to
understand the dynamics that help a small enterprise to achieve success with the help of various
skills.
The job that I am aspiring towards is a manager of a well-known salon and in order to
comply with the requirement of the company I will have to work upon my leadership skills. I
have understood the importance and application of motivation during the course which will help
me in building team bonding which is important for the success of the organisation. I have learnt
that with the help of inspiration and motivation the employees tend to perform better and the role
of a manager is to align the interest of the organisation with the interest of the employee in order
to come up with a positive outcome. Monetary support is not the only from of motivation that
works for individuals, appreciation and acknowledgement of performance and contribution is
also a great medium of motivation among the people (Cherian and Jacob 2013).
I have to learn about team building and team bonding as I think this is one of the aspects I
lack and I still need to know this will help me fulfill and help the people associated with the
organisation achieve optimum performance (Loughead and Bloom 2013). Apart from this my
customer service skill will also help the company to make loyal customers, with the help of
effective communication and interpersonal skills will help me in developing a valuable relation
with the customers. The LinkedIn profile that I have created is in sync with the requirement of
the new job role that I have been seeking. During the course I have realized that social

6TOPIC
networking has become an integral part of corporate life, the management of the organisations
look out for personal social networking profile as well as profiles such as in LinkedIn which
supports job seekers to build a virtual social network using the internet platform (Chiang and
Suen 2015). I have learnt how to use this platform to channelize my networking skills and
communications. The Job description of the role that I have been aspiring as well as my
LinkedIn Profile has been attached in the appendix for reference.
The interview process was mostly focusing on the leadership and communication skills.
The management was clearly looking for a person who is not only aware of the industry and the
ticks of the trade in the industry but also a person who is a good leader who can lead a team
towards better performance. The interview also focused on how I have managed my customers
while I was an entrepreneur. I have tried to include the aspects of the STAR method, while I was
answering this question. Here I had described an incident of crisis that I had faced and had
successfully overcome with the help of my interpersonal and communication skills. The
interviewer also asked the reason for me taking up a job when I already have a business.
Throughout the course I have learnt and developed a number of employability skills
which I think I did not have before, these skills are patience, professionalism, leadership skills:
like motivating the employees, understanding the issue before judging, working as a team,
importance of building a team bond etc.

7TOPIC
Reference list:
Cherian, J. and Jacob, J., 2013. Impact of self efficacy on motivation and performance of
employees. International Journal of Business and Management, 8(14), p.80.
Chiang, J.K.H. and Suen, H.Y., 2015. Self-presentation and hiring recommendations in online
communities: Lessons from LinkedIn. Computers in Human Behavior, 48, pp.516-524.
Lent, R.W. and Brown, S.D., 2013. Social cognitive model of career self-management: Toward a
unifying view of adaptive career behavior across the life span. Journal of counseling psychology,
60(4), p.557.
Loughead, T.M. and Bloom, G.A., 2013. Critical overview and implications for team building.
Routledge handbook of sports coaching, p.345.
Oetzel, J.G., 2017. Effective intercultural workgroup communication theory. The International
Encyclopedia of Intercultural Communication, pp.1-5.

8TOPIC
Appendices:
Appendix 1: Confirmation of attendance

9TOPIC
Appendix 2: CV
CLARIS CLARKE
N4 4HJ

10TOPIC
Tel [phone]
E-Mail: [e-mail]
Personal profile
Experience in fulfilling multifunctional roles (Cashier, floor sales, stock replenishment).
Running my own Hair Salon, I Offer excellent customer service skills both face to face and over
the phone, with a confident and good interpersonal skills. Enjoys being part of a successful and
productive team, a good problem solver, who enjoys helping people as much as possible. High
energy levels and can operate efficiently with a subtle and persuasive manner.
SKILLS
 Attention to detail
 Customer service
 Stock management
 Multi tasker
 Energetic and out going
 Skilled communicator
Education and Qualifications
Feb2015 - 2020 GSM LondonSept 1974-1979 Silverthorne Secondary school
Small business an enterprise- Qualifications (BSC)
Qualification gained: Maths: PassEnglish: Pass Science: Pass
Employment history
Dec 1998 - Sept 2000Norwood Bus Garage
Chef

11TOPIC
Duties: Controlling, cooking and directing the food preparation process and other relative
activities. Constructing menus with new or existing culinary creations, ensuring the variety and
quality of the servings. Approving and polishing dishes before they reach he customer
Aug 2002 - March 2018Salon Owner
Manager
Duties: Greeting customers arriving at the salon and provide them with the information
regarding salon services, answer telephone calls and provide information to callers, managing
my staff, scheduling appointments and make follow up calls to customers to remind them of
appointments, count cash at the end of the shift and ensure that cash flow information has been
logged into the salon register.
Reference
Miss Keisha Edwards (Employer) -Tel: [phone] Email. [e-mail]
Miss Carmel Watson(tutor)-Tel:[phone] Email:[e-mail]

12TOPIC
Appendix 3: Linkendln Profile
Profile photo
Edit Profile
Claris Clarke
Self Employed at C's Salon
London, United Kingdom
Profile:
A dedicated and hardworking individual with the ability to work with a diverse background of
colleagues and management. Through the completion of a BSC Programme in Small Business
Enterprise, I gained practical and theoretical aspects of managing and motivating colleagues and
employees I work with. The opportunity to study an undergraduate degree have equipped me
with excellent written and spoken communication and can communicate effectively with all
levels of management and employees, the ability to think critically, the ability to problem solve
and work effectively within a team.
Experience:
Self Employed with a demonstrated history of working in the design industry. Skilled in
Sustainable Enterprise, Corporate Social Responsibility, Hair Cutting, Hair Care, and Digital
Marketing. Strong entrepreneurship professional with a small business focused in business and
enterprise from GSM London.

13TOPIC
Education:
Greenwich School of Management- GSM London
Degree Name: Bachelor's degree
Field of Study: Small Business Enterprise
Graduation: 2015 – 2020
Dates attended or expected graduation: 2015 – 2020
Appendix 4- Aspiring Job role
Salon Manager North London
Location- North London (N1)
Salary- Competitive
Duration-Permanent
With 15 British Hairdressing Awards under our belt, RUSH Hair & Beauty is an industry-
leading brand; operating across 92 salons with big expansion plans. We are continually growing
to meet our busy client base and deliver our industry leading services. We are looking for an
enthusiastic, energetic Salon Manager to join our Rush Salon in North London.
As a Rush Salon Manager, you will work closely with every member of your team of stylists to
ensure the day to day running of the salon is professional, on brand and meets Rush standards. It
will be the job of the Salon Manager to ensure the salon offers a top service to all customers.
We encourage salon managers to take full ownership of their salon environment and grow and
develop their teams. Rush believe in the importance of education and career development.

14TOPIC
Requirements of a Rush Hair Salon Manager
Knowledge and previous management experience of working in a fast-paced environment -
hairdressing industry preferred.
 Excellent organisational skills
 Team leadership qualities.
 Great customer service skills.
 Able to manage and delegate work within a team.
Job Description:
 Manage and motivate your team of stylists with regular meetings to ensure all team
members are aware of business objectives
 Drive and improve overall salon performance
 Managing the salon to ensure it operates professionally and stays on brand always.
 Encouraging your team to grow regular clients, achieve revenue targets and ensure
excellent customer service is delivered always. Including ways to increase hair services
and retail sales.
 Manage salon costs and profits.
 To maintain good communication links with head office departments
Contact: Louisa Cox
Reference:
Total jobs/Salon Manager - North London
Job ID: 81857081

15TOPIC
Appendix 5- Current Professional Development Plan
Objective of the plan:
 To develop leadership skills
 To understand the industry better
 To initiate effective communication
ACTION PLAN
Activities Time Frame Objective Inputs
1. Understand
team building
and team
bonding
During the course time develop leadership skills Study the theories of team building
and leadership and incorporate
them in the process
2. performance
management During the course time develop leadership skills Learn about several performance
management theories and models
and explain the usage in the
interview

16TOPIC
3. research
about the
industry
During the interview understand the industry better Use networking and research skills
to understand the trends in the
industry