Employability Skills and Professional Development Report - Task A

This report, prepared for the Fairfield School of Business, meticulously examines employability skills and professional development. It begins with an introduction to employability and professional development, setting the stage for an in-depth analysis of a skills audit, focusing on technical, per...Read More

Employability Skills
and Professional
Development
1

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
TASK A...........................................................................................................................................3
Task 1: Evaluation of Skills Audit...............................................................................................3
Task 2..............................................................................................................................................5
Tools and techniques for enhancing interpersonal and transferable skills.................5
SWOT Analysis....................................................................................................................7
Individual Appraisal.............................................................................................................8
Task 3 : Personal and Professional Development Plan........................................................10
CONCLUSION.............................................................................................................................14
Task B : Reflective Essay..........................................................................................................15
REFERENCES............................................................................................................................18
Appendix........................................................................................................................................20
2

INTRODUCTION
Employability skills can be referred to as those skills that are essentially required
for any job. They are also referred to as soft skills and allow employees within an
organisation to communicate with their colleagues and co-workers. These are the skills
that make an individual employable by an organisation. Thus, employability skills help a
person in remaining competitive at their workplace (Allatt and Tett, 2019). Professional
development on the other hand, refers to learning how to maintain and various
professional credentials like academic degrees, different informal learning practices etc.
The primary purpose of professional development is to enhance the overall knowledge
as well as skills of an individual. There are various ways in which a person can improve
their overall professional development. This can include developing new skills, attending
training sessions, getting feedback etc. Organisation chosen for this report is British
Telecom, a multinational telecom company which was founded in the year 1969. The
company is headquartered in London, United Kingdom. The report involves an
evaluation of the skills audit, a personal SWOT analysis, an individual appraisal as well
as a personal and professional development plan. It also includes a reflective essay on
the Personal and professional development plan included in the first task.
TASK A
Task 1: Evaluation of Skills Audit
A skills audit can be defined as a process that is used in order to measure as
well as record skills of an individual. The primary purpose of a skills audit is to identify
the knowledge as well as different skills that are required in an organisation and the
ones that are already present within the workplace (Alonso-Bello, Santana-Vega and
Feliciano-García, 2020). The data can be used to observe the skill deficiencies and
improve the overall level of skills in the company. The different skills of a skills audit is
explained below -
Technical Skills – Technical skills can be defined as the knowledge as well as
ability that is used to perform various practical tasks within an organization. These are
important because they can help an individual in performing more efficiently. Also, it
makes the employee feel more valuable candidates to the employees. I have generic
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managerial skills like planning, effective communication and decision-making skills.
Also, being an Assistant HR Manager I have good recruitment skills and this can be
seen from the candidates whom I have hired in the company to fill various positions.
Individually, I have learned a lot from my experience at the company that there are
different ways of selecting the right candidates (Bates and et. al., 2019). There is a
requirement for me to work on negotiation skills as well as employee relation skills. This
will help me in carrying out my job in a much more enhanced manner as well as make
sure that right people are hired in the company.
Personal Transferable Skills – I have developed various personal transferable
skills at my workplace. These are also referred to as soft skills and include various skills
that help a person at their work. For instance, I have developed self-management skills
which means that I am able to control my thoughts as well as actions at the workplace.
Being an Assistant HR Manager, one of my responsibilities at my workplace is to set
goals independently and be able to achieve the same effectively (Bridgstock, Grant-
Iramu and McAlpine, 2019). Apart from this, I have also developed self-awareness as
they help me in judging my individual growth as an employee at the workplace.
Developing self-awareness skills has also helped me in identifying my strengths as well
as areas in which I need to improve. Emotional intelligence skills are other skills that I
have developed while working at British Telecom. Lastly, I am now also able to learn
new things independently because this is important for employees in an organization.
Although, I am constantly working on my learning skills to learn more new things.
Professional Transferable Skills – I have developed interpersonal skills which
can be defined as the skills or behaviours that an individual uses in order to interact with
other people within as well as outside the workplace. In context of business,
interpersonal skills are an individual's ability to work collectively with other people.
Effective interpersonal skills allow employees to develop long-lasting relationships with
each other. Interpersonal skills have enabled me to develop good professional relations
with my colleagues at work. I am aware that there is a need to work upon my
communication skills. Communication skills are one of the most important skills that an
individual should possess in order to earn the desired job. Good communication skills
can contribute to the overall morale of employees within the workplace. Not only this, it
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also results in an increase in the overall productivity levels as well as performance of
the employees. Adaptability is one of the many skills that employers look for in a
potential employee. Adaptability improves the chances of succeeding for an individual
(Bridgstock and Tippett, 2019). A man or woman who possesses accurate problem-
solving abilties is able to examine the hassle and generate the maximum appropriate
solution for the equal. Effective time management abilties consist of various
competencies that assist an character in handling their time in an powerful way.
Important time control competencies include conversation, delegation, prioritising etc.
These are important because they allow a person to manipulate their time in this kind of
manner that the desires are carried out. Also, they allow someone to attain extra within
a shorter time frame.
By analysing the skills audit, it can be seen that the skills which are my strengths
include presentation skills, adaptability and problem-solving skills. This is because my
co-workers think that I deliver presentations that are engaging and interesting. Also, that
I'm able to adapt myself to changes in the work environment and that my way of
approaching a particular problem is innovative (Chowdhury and Miah, 2019). On the
other hand, there are certain skills which I need to work upon in order to get a job as
Marketing Manager at British Telecom. These skills include effective communication
skills, teamwork, time management, planning and organising skills. Lastly, my
colleagues think that I also lack good interpersonal skills and should work upon them.
Performance objectives within the organisation
 To enhance overall performance of the company within 5 months through online
training. To provide various opportunities to the employees in order to help them
acquire new skills.
 To encourage team building among employees within 2 months to enhance
culture of the organisation.
Task 2
Tools and techniques for enhancing interpersonal and transferable skills
There are different tools and techniques that an individual can adopt in order to
enhance their interpersonal as well as transferable skills. It is important to develop a
5

positive outlook because it will help in developing skills that can be beneficial for the
future of the individual (Fearon and et. al., 2020). Another technique for the same is to
become aware of the skills as well as knowledge possessed by the person. Becoming
self aware will help in recognising the strengths, limitations as well as actions in a much
more accurate and effective manner. Strong and efficient communication skills can help
a person in building a good understanding of how can they work in an improved
manner. Thus, while communicating, the person should be aware of their body
language, maintain eye contact and an understandable tone of voice (Boost Your
Interpersonal Skills, 2020). These tools and techniques are important because
organisations value individuals who possess effective interpersonal skills.
Apart from this, there are various other techniques that can help an individual in
enhancing their overall interpersonal as well as transferable skills. It is important to have
excellent communication skills because they help in delivering the message in an
effective manner. Individuals who have effective communication skills are also active
listeners. Active listening can be a great way for someone who wants to enhance their
interpersonal and transferable skills. A positive body language makes it easy for others
to interact with the individual in an effective manner.
If a person want to enhance their interpersonal skills, it is important for them to
develop active listening skills. This can be done my maintaining an eye contact with the
person who is speaking and nodding head. Interpersonal skills are those that are used
on a day to day basis. Another technique of enhancing interpersonal skills is to remain
aware of how one interacts with another person (Jiracheewewong, Yongxia and Han,
2019). Having good interpersonal skills make sure that communication with colleagues
at the workplace is effective. This is important because employees at a workplace
spend more time with each other and it is important to make sure that they are
comfortable in working with each other and communicate effectively. Therefore, if a
person lacks effective interpersonal skills, they should identify the areas and work
towards improving the same. This will lead to an increase in the productivity levels as
well as the performance of not only the individual but also the organisation they work
for.
6

SWOT Analysis
SWOT Analysis is referred to as a strategic framework that can be used by both
individuals as well as companies in order to identify their strengths, weaknesses,
various opportunities as well as potential threats that can have an influence on the
overall performance as well as productivity (Keiper and et. al., 2019). It also helps
organisations in formulating effective strategies and implementing them to obtain
desired results. The strategic framework can also be used in order to evaluate the
effectiveness of an idea. A personal SWOT analysis is explained below -
Strengths – I have an experience of working for a middle sized telecom
organisation as a marketing executive. The role required me to prepare and present a
lot of different presentations to the customers as well as clients. And this is one of the
reasons for my good presentation skills. I am a confident individual who like taking
challenges and approaching a situation with innovative and new solutions. I once
received a reward for the same from my colleagues. Apart from this, I am adaptable to
new and changing work environment.
Weaknesses – Although I am good at verbal communication, I still need to work
upon my written communication skills. Due to this, I am sometimes not able to deliver
the right information. Apart from this, I am not very comfortable in working as part of a
team which means that I lack effective team work skills. Due to this, I sometimes fail to
contribute efficiently to the project. Also, my peers have told me that I lack interpersonal
skills and need to work upon the same. Lastly whenever I am assigned a particular task,
I don't plan and organise the different activities due to which I fail to deliver work on
time.
Opportunities – Working as a marketing manager at British Telecom is one of
the opportunities that I can avail. Also, the introduction of various online courses are
opportunities that can help me in enhancing my written communication skills. Also,
since British Telecom has a culture wherein employees work in teams, I will acquire the
skill of working as part of a team. This will not only enhance my existing knowledge but I
will also get an opportunity to learn new skills.
Threats – There are certain threats that can influence my performance as well as
productivity levels (Knox and Stone, 2019). One of the major threats is competition,
7

because if other candidates who apply for the position of marketing manager at British
Telecom possess more skills and knowledge than me, their chances of earning the job
will be greater than mine. Lack of opportunities for future growth in the marketing
industry can also act as a threat. Lastly, not having updated knowledge about latest
technology and trends in the market are also some of the threats.
Individual Appraisal
Individual performance appraisals can be referred to as appraisals that measure
the performance of individuals against different measurable objectives. These
appraisals provide and opportunity to the employees as well as supervisors wherein
they can share ideas and reach objectives that are mutually agreed upon. Individual
appraisals are important because they improve the overall efficiency of an organisation
and this is done by making sure that employees perform by putting in their best efforts
(Lisá, Hennelová and Newman, 2019). This leads to an improvement of the overall
performance of the organisation. Appraisals also allow the managers and team leaders
to provide positive feedback to the employees. The manager can discuss about the
performance of the individuals in an effective manner. An individual appraisal is
explained below -
British Telecom APPRAISAL FORM
EMPLOYEE APPRAISAL FORM
Name of Employee: Employee Number:
Department: Date of Appraisal Meeting:
Name of Appraiser:
Objectives set previously:
 To improve planning and organising skills within 4 months to be able to
maintain an effective quality of the tasks assigned.
 To enhance time management skills within 3 months in order to be able to
8

complete assigned tasks on time.
 To enhance overall performance of the company within 5 months through
online training.
Performance against the objectives (note whether they have been met, and if
not why not):
The overall performance against the objectives has been fairly good. This is because
some of the objectives were achieved (Lord and et. al., 2019). For example, time
management skills were enhanced. Also, the overall performance of the company
was improved and this was done by conducting online training for the employees.
Whereas, planning and organising skills could not be improved as the time duration
was short.
Objectives for the coming review period:
 To provide various opportunities to the employees in order to help them
acquire new skills.
 To encourage team building among employees within 2 months to enhance
culture of the organisation.
Training needs:
The employees will be provided effective training so that they get a chance to improve
their overall knowledge about the latest trends in the market (Majid and et. al., 2019).
Apart from this, they will also acquire new skills. The areas in which employees
require training will also be identified.
Any other comments:
In order to achieve the set objectives, the employees of the company will be provided
various opportunities. Apart from this, training and development sessions will be
conducted from time to time.
Signed (line manager)
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Signed (employee)
Task 3 : Personal and Professional Development Plan
A personal development plan is a document that is primarily based on values,
reflection, awareness etc. by an individual for the personal development for their
education, career and self improvement. On the other hand, a professional development
plan comprises of a list of steps that are actionable for achieving the different career
goals. The plan helps a person in gaining a specific insight into how can goals and
objectives be achieved in an effective manner (Okolie and et. al., 2020). A professional
development plan is important because it allows individuals to identify the different skills
that they need to develop to move forward in their respective careers. Not only this, it
also helps in identifying different steps that can help in achieving those goals and
objectives. A personal and professional development plan is explained below -
S.
No.
Learning
target
Present
Proficiency
Target
Proficiency
Development
Opportunities
Criteria for
Judging
Attainment
Time
Scale
1 Communication
Skills
7 8 In order to
develop
effective
communication
skills, it is
important to
engage the
audience. This
can be done by
using a simple
and
understandable
Team
Leader and
Manager
2
month
s
10

language.
Relying solely
on visual aids
should be
avoided at all
times.
2 Teamwork 7 9 To enhance
teamwork
skills, an
individual
should seek
different
opportunities of
working as part
of a team (Rus
and et. al.,
2019). Also,
participating in
different local
events can also
contribute to
developing
effective
teamwork
skills.
Manager 2
month
s
3 Time
Management
Skills
8 9 For developing
time
management
skills, I would
need to
Colleagues
and Team
Leader
3
month
s
11

develop a
schedule and
try to follow it
all times. It is
also important
that I set
boundaries and
avoid
procrastinating
tasks.
4 Planning and
Organising
8 10 For this, I will
have to identify
certain risks
that can affect
the planning
process
(Sambell and
et. al., 2020).
Apart from this,
I will prioritize
different tasks
in an particular
order.
Co-workers
and Team
Leader
4
month
s
5 Interpersonal
Skills
7 9 I will
acknowledge
expertise of
others and try
finding a
positive thing or
trait in every co
Co-workers 3
month
s
12

worker. Lastly,
practising
active listening
skills will also
help me in
enhancing my
interpersonal
skills.
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Therefore, by working on these skills, I will be able to enhance my overall knowledge
about different aspects as well as acquire new skills. Also, I will be able to track my
progress of developing these skills and remain up to date about the different trends in
the industry (Scott and et. al., 2019). As a result, I will be able to achieve my goals and
objectives effectively and also be able to earn the job for the position of marketing
manager at British Telecom. The plan will also help me identifying skills that I need to
develop in order to enhance my chances of earning the job.
CONCLUSION
From the above report, it can be concluded that in order to get a desired job or
be employable, a person is required to possess different employability skills. These
skills help in increasing the overall productivity. Also, there are various tools and
techniques that can be used in order to enhance interpersonal skills. The different
techniques include active listening, developing effective communication skills etc. Apart
from this, a SWOT analysis can be used in order to identify strengths, weaknesses,
opportunities and threats to be able to perform in an effective manner. Individual
appraisals can be used to measure the performance of individuals in an organisation
against objectives. Lastly, a professional development plan is a document that
comprises of a series of actions that can be used in order to develop certain skills or
overcome weaknesses. Not only this, it can also help in identifying skills that should be
developed to attain career growth.
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Task B : Reflective Essay
While completing the above task, different activities were carried out like a
personal SWOT analysis, Individual Appraisal, Skills Audit etc. These activities
contributed significantly to my overall learning. I got an opportunity to identify my areas
of strengths and weaknesses (Singh, 2019). The different activities also helped in
enhancing my personal as well as professional skills. For example, I worked on my
communication skills to be able to communicate with others clearly and in an effective
manner. In the completion of my development plan, I included all those skills on which I
needed to work in order to enhance overall performance as well as productivity. I also
developed effective time management skills as I reduced procrastinating things and
made sure that the tasks that were assigned were completed well within the time frame.
But, I also cam across certain problems during the completion of the above task. For
example, I struggled with enhancing my interpersonal skills.
It took me a while to enhance those skills and be able to communicate with
others in a confident manner. I also found it difficult to research the information required
for completing the task initially, although I managed somehow. I received positive
feedback for the skills that previously were my weaknesses but I worked on them to
ensure that the desired output was achieved. Using the SWOT analysis helped me in
getting a clear view of my strengths as well as weaknesses that should be improved.
Also, I gained an insight about the different opportunities as well as threats that could
affect my overall performance. The above task also required me to develop a personal
and professional development plan. The plan helped me in tracking overall progress as
well as the skills that I needed to develop. There are certain areas that I need to
improve on like build strong time management skills, planning as well as organising
skills. This is because enhancing my overall efficiency in different areas will help me in
gaining the desired job of a marketing manager at British Telecom.
In order to improve myself in these areas, I will need to adopt various measures
like attend online courses, read different books and so on. Completing the above task
has only been a source of learning for me because I acquired different skills as well as
built my knowledge on different subjects. I also identified that presentation skills,
adaptability as well as problem solving skills are my areas of strengths. This is because
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I have a prior working experience wherein I was required to deliver presentations to
different clients. Apart from this, I also get adjusted to a changing working environment.
Therefore, I can say that different activities that are included in the above task helped
me in enhancing my knowledge as well as developing new skills in an efficient manner.
From analysing the personal and professional development plan, I identified the
different areas in which I need to improve. For example, I need to work on my
communication skills. This is because they are considered to be one of the most desired
skills that the employers expect their employees to have. Another reason why effective
communication skills are considered to be important is because they will help me in
communicating with other employees within the workplace in an appropriate and
understandable way (Wang and et. al., 2020). Although I possess good communication
skills, I still want to work on them to be able to stand out from other people. Apart from
this, team work Is another area wherein I should focus. In order to do so, I will
voluntarily take part in projects or tasks that involve a group of people to complete the
same.
My learning has increased and I am a more confident person than I was earlier.
All the different activities that have been conducted in Task 1, have helped me in
enhancing some of my personal as well as professional skills. And this will be beneficial
for me not only for my academics, but also for my future career. For example, there are
different weaknesses on which I need to work upon. For the completion of my
development plan, I critically analysed my weaknesses. This helped me in developing
the plan in a structured and systematic way. Due to this, I was able to work upon them
and identify different efficient ways in which I could work on them to improve my
performance. As a result, there was improvement in my overall way of performing
during a task.
This is also because I worked on those weaknesses regularly to ensure that
there was no issue (Allatt and Tett, 2019). One of the problems that I came across while
completing the first task was a lack of time. It was difficult for me initially, to work on the
weaknesses, but I was determined to work on them and convert the same into my
strengths. This gave me an opportunity to also build up confidence. I realised that
although time and money can act as barriers or problems, one can still find alternative
16

ways to enhance their overall learning as well as acquire new skills. But there can still
be some areas that can need improvement. According to my view point, I performed
fairly well in completing the first task of the project.
Time management as well as interpersonal skills are also the areas where I need
to improve. And it would require me to adopt various effective measures to work on the
same. This is important because having good good time management skills will help me
in completing the assigned tasks in an effective way. Although there can be certain
problems that I might come across, but I would still need to make sure that I work one
them and complete the assigned tasks on time. This will also help me in saving a lot of
time which I can take into account when completing other work. Therefore, these are
some of the areas wherein I need to develop an understanding as well as work on them
to improve overall performance.
17

REFERENCES
Books & Journals
Allatt, G. and Tett, L., 2019. Adult literacy practitioners and employability skills: resisting
neo-liberalism?. Journal of Education Policy. 34(4). pp.577-594.
Alonso-Bello, E., Santana-Vega, L. and Feliciano-García, L., 2020. Employability skills
of unaccompanied immigrant minors in Canary Islands. Journal of New
Approaches in Educational Research (NAER Journal). 9(1). pp.15-27.
Bates, G. W. and et. al., 2019. Beyond employability skills: Developing professional
purpose. Journal of Teaching and Learning for Graduate Employability. 10(1).
p.7.
Bridgstock, R. and Tippett, N. eds., 2019. Higher Education and the Future of Graduate
Employability. Edward Elgar Publishing.
Bridgstock, R., Grant-Iramu, M. and McAlpine, A., 2019. Integrating Career
Development Learning into the Curriculum: Collaboration with the Careers
Service for Employability. Journal of Teaching and Learning for Graduate
Employability. 10(1). pp.56-72.
Chowdhury, T. A. and Miah, M. K., 2019. Perceptions of students and employers
regarding employability skills for entry-level positions in marketing and
sales. Australian Journal of Career Development. 28(1). pp.3-13.
Fearon, C. and et. al., 2020. Graduate employability, skills development and the UK’s
Universities Business Challenge competition: a self-determined learning
perspective. Studies in Higher Education. 45(6). pp.1280-1297.
Jiracheewewong, E., Yongxia, M. A. and Han, X. U. E., 2019. The Determinants for
Best Employability Skills and Job Opportunities for Undergraduate Students
Majoring in Chinese in Thailand. Education and Urban Society. 51(7). pp.989-
1004.
Keiper, M. C. and et. al., 2019. Employability Skills: A Case Study on a Business-
Oriented Sport Management Program. e-Journal of Business Education and
Scholarship of Teaching. 13(1). pp.59-68.
Knox, J. and Stone, M., 2019. Embedding employability skills for the legal professionals
of the future. The Law Teacher. 53(1). pp.90-101.
Lisá, E., Hennelová, K. and Newman, D., 2019. Comparison between Employers' and
Students' Expectations in Respect of Employability Skills of University
Graduates. International Journal of Work-Integrated Learning. 20(1). pp.71-82.
Lord, R. and et. al., 2019. The role of mock job interviews in enhancing sport students’
employability skills: An example from the UK. Journal of Hospitality, Leisure,
Sport & Tourism Education, 25, p.100195.
Majid, S. and et. al., 2019. The Importance of Soft Skills for Employability and Career
Development: Students and Employers' Perspectives. IUP Journal of Soft
Skills. 13(4). pp.7-39.
Okolie, U. C. and et. al., 2020. Enhancing graduate employability: Why do higher
education institutions have problems with teaching generic skills?. Policy
Futures in Education. 18(2). pp.294-313.
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Rus, R. C. and et. al., 2019. Development Of K-Workers Employability Skills
Measurements Indicators in Agricultural Sector in Malaysia. Journal of
Technical Education and Training. 11(4).
Sambell, R. and et. al., 2020. Work-Integrated Learning Builds Student Identification of
Employability Skills: Utilizing a Food Literacy Education Strategy. International
Journal of Work-Integrated Learning. 21(1). pp.63-87.
Scott, F. J. and et. al., 2019. Empowering students by enhancing their employability
skills. Journal of Further and Higher Education. 43(5). pp.692-707.
Singh, S., 2019. Building employability skills in English as a second language (ESL)
classroom in India. THE ENGLISH TEACHER. 48(2). p.12.
Wang, S. and et. al., 2020. Teachers' transformational leadership and students'
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Online
Boost Your Interpersonal Skills. 2020. [Online]. Available
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Appendix
Skills Audit
Knowledge and skills which I consider to
be important for my current studies
My ability rating (1-5)
Interpersonal Skills 3
Generic Managerial Skills 4
Independent Learning Skills 2
Time Management Skills 2
Knowledge and skills which I consider to
be important for my future career
My ability rating (1-5)
Adaptability 4
Emotional Intelligence Skills 5
Communication Skills 3
Manpower Planning Skills 2
Rating:
1 = No current knowledge or skill
2 = Some awareness, but not sufficiently competent to use it
3 = Familiar with and able to use the knowledge or skill
4 = Proficient in the knowledge or skill and able to show others how to use it
5 = Expert, with a high degree of skill and/or comprehensive knowledge
Personal SWOT Analysis
Strengths
 Generic Managerial Skills
 Adaptability
 Emotional Intelligence Skills
Weaknesses
 Interpersonal Skills
 Independent Learning Skills
 Time Management Skills
 Communication Skills
 Manpower Planning Skills
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Opportunities
 Working as a marketing manager at
BT
 Introduction of various online
courses
 Culture of working in teams
Threats
 Competition
 Lack of opportunities for future
growth
 Lack of updated knowledge about
latest technology
21