Employability Skills Self-Assessment: A Business Development Report

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Business Essential Study and Employability Skills
Student’s Name:
Student’s ID:
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Table of Contents
1.0 Introduction..............................................................................................................................3
2.0 Audit and Evaluation of Key Skills...........................................................................................4
3.0 Discuss the areas for development and the avenues for improvement that you intend to
pursue in your PDP.....................................................................................................................12
4.0 Conclusion.............................................................................................................................13
Reference List..............................................................................................................................14
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1.0 Introduction
An individual should possess some employability skills that will assist him in the process of self-
development. These skills are considered essential because it allows individuals to undertake
certain activities and job roles that they would not have performed otherwise. The
implementation of all the employability skills could be seen in the way it helps individuals to work
in collaboration with one another for achieving a particular job role. It allows them to perform
their tasks by applying knowledge and understanding in the workplace. The study will entirely
focus on the different type of employability skills that are needed for personal and professional
growth of an individual. Teenage Cancer Trust is the only UK charity providing this, but right
now, they can only help half of young people diagnosed with cancer (Teenagecancertrust.org,
2019). The later part of the study will focus on some of the important areas that should be
developed to ensure successful completion of an individual’s PDP. My role in the organisation is
that of a project manager and I will be responsible for meeting with the different requirements of
the project.
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2.0 Audit and Evaluation of Key Skills
Teenage Cancer Trust mainly operates with the help of funds that is gathered in their business.
I had to make sure that I am able to raise funds with the help of my project team members. This
has helped me to understand the standard of my performance as well as my team in providing
help to the organisation. The trust lays emphasis on young individuals that are affected by
cancer. These individuals require special treatment as well as medical aid.
My functioning with the team helped us to get access to quite a number of ideas that stated out
our plan to implement fundraising. While discussing the ideas, I came to understand that
patience is the key aspect while working as a part of the team. It is important to be patient while
listening to the views and perceptions of the team members (Bray, 2016). The importance of
patience could be seen in the way it helps in understanding situations in an authentic manner. It
will help to make sure that the team members are able to perform their role in the right manner
and the amount of chaos will be reduced.
However, it could understand that there were certain instances that made me highly impatient.
As a result of this, I could understand that my team members were unable to discuss the ideas
in an authentic manner. Besides this, the overall process became time consuming. I could
clearly understand that I was lacking concentration in my activities. As a result, I contributed by
patiently listening to the ideas that were provided by the team members (Burke et al., 2017).
This helped me to understand things in a better way and I was able to implement the same
ideas in the functioning of the team.
It is necessary for the members of the team to make sure that they agree to the ideas that they
receive from their teammates. This will help us in making the fundraising activity a successful
one. However, due to the generation of ideas, individuals were able to understand that the
situation started becoming chaotic. As a result, some of the team members took charge so that
the situation could be kept under control (Cottrell, 2015). I felt that it is necessary for us to
spread awareness amongst the donors about the fundraising that would be taking place. Apart
from this, we could take recourse to advertising activities to reach out to a large group of
population. It will help us to get the attention of the donors and it would be beneficial for the
process of raising funds. This reflected on my decision-making ability and I was able to make
good use of the same.
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I made use of my decision-making ability to make sure that my team was on the right in terms of
raising funds. This helped me to understand that I should be able to keep all my project team
members engaged in the process. With the aid of proper decision-making, my team members
will have a clear idea about the ways in which they should perform their job roles (Eden, 2014).
As a result, the team will be able to meet with the project requirements in a better manner.
While working with the different members of the team, I noted that some of the team members
were having difficulty in terms of communicating with one another. The importance of
communication lies in the fact the individuals are able to know about the challenges and issues
that are faced in the team. This will assist them to identify the issues and overcome them in the
team. Moreover, having a developed process of communication makes it easier to transfer
ideas from one end to another (Ghaferi and Dimick, 2016). The team members should be able
to communicate their ideas to the clients so that they are convinced to help them.
I was able to communicate with my team members in an effective manner. As a result, it
became easier for me to talk to them about requirements of the project. I could also notice that
my teammates were adhering to my words and they were performing their role in the most
authentic manner (Groh et al., 2016). As a result, I could understand that my communication
skills were developed and could be used in bigger ways to enhance my team’s performance. I
was able to make them understand my ideas about the fundraising activity that is about to take
place. Due to lack of efficiency of the teammates to communicate, I could see that it had a major
negative impact on the overall team performance.
One of the most important things that are needed to work as a team is effective teamwork. It is
understandable that individuals working in the team are expected to gain better results, as
opposed to them working as individuals. Initially, I faced some serious issues while working as a
part of the team, as I was unable to work in accordance to the other team members. However, I
was not being able to cope up with teamwork (Jackson, 2014). I could understand that I had to
work on my team-working skill so that I can implement it in a better manner. In order to be an
effective team player, I have to make sure that I can communicate with the other members of
the team. Besides this, I should also be capable of managing time in an effective manner.
The implementation and application of the skill will help the members of the team to complete
the project in the right manner. As a result, each member of the team will be able to contribute
his or her job roles equally amongst themselves.
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I could sense that the team members were under a chaotic situation, such as lack of enough
resources and funding in which they were unable to conduct their roles and responsibilities. As
a result, it was important to keep situations under control so that it does not harm the
performance of the team in a negative manner. During the course of the teamwork, I could
understand that the level of confusion in the workplace was highly intense (Lee and Sabharwal,
2016). It was important for me to make sure that the work is done in such a manner so that
confusion could be avoided. However, I was not well equipped with resolving confusion in the
workplace. As a result, the level of chaos amongst the team members increased. Moreover, I
was supposed to get the feedbacks from my peers. I was unable to get their feedback because I
could see the level of communication was dropping amongst the members. However, I was able
to research and plan about the progress of the activity that we decided to perform. I had to
gather relevant information from different sources so that I was able to implement them in the
working of my team (Nash, 2015). This will help me to plan things in a more effective and
efficient manner.
Assess your individual contribution and the overall team performance
Individual Contribution
Well, during the course of working within the team, it was imperative for me to make some
considerable amount of contribution that would help the team to prosper in their activity. I was
capable of communicating with the team members in a better manner. As a result, I was able to
make use of my communication skill so that the chaotic situation of the team could be kept
under control. Besides this, I was able to communicate my ideas to my team members and they
could implement the same in the working of the team (Nunley et al., 2016). Researching and
planning helped me to conduct a proper research about the supports that we can gain in the
process of raising funds. Apart from this, I could plan about some of the activities that my team
should perform in a strategic manner.
Overall Team Performance
It was necessary for my team to perform in the most explicit manner so that funds could be
raised in the best way possible. We had to visit certain places for speaking to our clients and
getting their support. As a result, the members of the team were planning an organised strategy
so that none of the places should be visited twice and the overall confusion could be minimised
(Potter, 2015). Besides this, the members of the team were able to manage time in an effective
and efficient manner. This helped us to meet with the requirements of the project without
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wasting much time. Therefore, it was understood that the performance of the team could be
enhanced and all the members performed with high level of enthusiasm. The role of the project
team members included market research, gathering relevant information related to the funding
process. Besides this, I could understand that individuals in my team are performing to the best
of their abilities to meet with the project requirements.
Demonstrate your development with specific examples and evidence
During the course of my teamwork, I was unable to work in collaboration with the other
members of my team. As a result, it created difficulties for me in order to complete my work.
Moreover, I could not understand about my roles as a member of the team. Due to this, the
overall performance of my team was lowered. In the initial days, I faced these problems and it
had a negative impact on my performance as an individual. I was supposed to ask help from
different organisations in terms of raising funds. Initially, the manager of the visited organisation
was ready to support us; however, the amount that he sponsored was lower than our
expectations (Talman, 2018). As a result, I convinced him to understand that Teenage Cancer
Trust is the only organisation in the United Kingdom that provides help and support to young
individuals that are suffering from cancer. Besides convincing the manager, I was able to make
sure that I have developed my communication skills so that it has a positive impact on the
performance of my team. After hearing this, he considered our request and was ready to
increase the amount in order to support us in a better way. Therefore, I could understand that I
was able to work with my team to gain better results for the Teenage Cancer Trust. This has a
clear indication to my personal development in the course of raising funds. After the process of
funding started, I was able to experience a change in the way my team was performing. As a
result, I was able to enhance my team working skills.
Reflect upon 2-3 experiences in the team project process using a cycle/model of
reflection to support your discussions, e.g. Honey & Mumford, Gibbs Reflective Cycle
etc.
Implementation of Gibb’s Reflective Cycle: Team working
Description
We had to make a group of 4 members so that we are able to work as a team in a successful
manner. The role of the team will include different activities that are important for the course of
the project of fund raising.
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Feelings
We had to visit certain organisations that would support our cause. However, initially we felt that
people were not as supportive as we had expected them to be. During the course of the project,
I could feel that individuals were helpful and they guided us to the manager’s room with whom
we had to talk about the fund raising project (Tattum and Tattum, 2017).
Evaluation
The evaluation of our team working activities could be made in the way people came forward to
support our project. However, sometimes we could not gather enough funds and it had a
negative impact on the team’s morale.
Analysis
During the course of meeting with higher authorities of different organisations, we could
understand that we should operate in an organised manner. This will have a positive impression
on their minds and they will be able to fund our project in a better manner. With the support of
other companies, we were able to make use of the opportunities and develop our activities in a
better manner.
Conclusion
Well, the overall process of working as a team, taught us to stay organised and make sure that
we are able to deal with difficult scenarios easily. It helped us to understand the ways in which
we should look to persuade people for raising funds.
Action Plan
The focus of our team is on developing ways and means by which the performance of the team
can be enhanced. Besides this, the team should focus on using time in a better manner. This
will allow them to meet with the project requirements.
Implementation of Gibb’s Reflective Cycle: Decision-making
Description
In order to understand the importance of decision-making while gathering funds from certain
resources, we decided to visit a famous medical shop in the city. We hoped that the owner
would come forward to support our cause (Warrick, 2016).
Feelings
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After interacting with the owner, I could feel that he was least interested in whatever we were
saying. He further went on saying that he is also doing a social work by selling medicines. Later
the shop owner offered us very little fund and it was a negative indication for the project.
Evaluation
The process of evaluation helped to understand that the shop owner was not at all sensitive to
the cause and moreover, he was ignorant to help us for raising fund for Teenage Cancer Trust.
Analysis
We made a humble request to the shop owner that he should increase the amount that he is
offering to us. However, he was adamant on his part for not giving us any further help.
Therefore, we could understand that we should never insist someone to support our cause.
Conclusion
The interaction with the shop owner helped us to understand that not everyone we come across
is as sensitive as we are. Therefore, we should look to find the right people so that fund raising
could be done in a better way.
Action Plan
Making quick decisions in such a scenario is important for our team. The members of the team
should decide that they should not waste time speaking to people who are not supportive and
sensitive. This will increase the pace of the process and funds could be raised according.
Refer to qualitative and quantitative evidence to support the above, e.g. feedback from
peers, team targets (statistics)
Quantitative Evidence
In order to gather enough funds for Teenage Cancer Trust, the team had visited certain small
companies and they were able to achieve 70% of the target that was allocated to them. This
was possible because the major focus of the team was on their ability to work as a team,
Qualitative Evidence
It took us about 5 days to achieve the target. This boosted our spirit and we were able to focus
on gathering more funds for the organisation.
Feedbacks from Peers
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It was necessary for us to have a clear understanding of the team performance. As a result, we
took the feedbacks from the peers. It helped us to understand that there was a great deal of
coordination and collaboration amongst the team members. Moreover, the team was able to
resolve problems that developed in the course of the project (Weinstein and Barden, 2017).
Determine the areas that you need to develop with regard to these skills.
There were certain areas that required improvements in terms of ensuring that the overall
performance of the team is developed. I had to make some quick decisions during the course of
the project. I felt that I was being a bit confused while doing that because I started feeling
unenthusiastic as a part of the team. I could understand that too much of expectations from my
clients will make me suffer in terms of completing the project. Apart from this, there are
instances when I start feeling exhausted if I am unable to yield the desired outcome. As a result,
it was important for me to communicate with my team members for gaining the appropriate
results for the project (Eden, 2014). I should focus on developing my areas of weaknesses, as it
will help me perform my tasks in the best way possible.
Explore and consider the opportunities to learn and develop whilst at University.
During the University level, I had certain opportunities that could be used to minimise the
negative impact on the project. My tutors and peers in the university taught me about the
various aspects of managing a project in a successful manner. With the help of their learning, I
was able to understand the mistakes that I made in conducting the project for Teenage Cancer
Trust. As a result, I could make use of the different opportunities so that it will help me to make
sure that the requirements of the project are met in the right manner.
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3.0 Discuss the areas for development and the avenues for improvement that you intend
to pursue in your PDP
To understand the areas for development, SWOT analysis has been done.
Strengths Weaknesses
During the course of the project, I was able to
understand that communication skills and
problem solving skills are my strengths. This
has helped me enrich my performance as a
project manager (Nash, 2015).
Interpersonal skills could be regarded as my
weakness. Due to the lack of interpersonal
skills, I was unable to speak to the managers
of different companies. This reduced the
amount of funds that we could have gathered.
Opportunities Threats
By implementing my skills, I could make sure
that all my team members were working in
accordance to the project requirements. This
helped us to accomplish the project in a
desired manner.
Time management and financial crunch
imposed serious threats to the growth an
development of our fund raising project. It was
important for use to make use of the available
time and resources wisely so that it does not
have any negative implications on the project
(Eden, 2014).
Table 1: SWOT Analysis
(Source: created by the learner)
Professional Development Plan
What do I need
to learn
Steps taken Resources Success criteria Time
Interpersonal
Skill
Communicate
with new
individuals on a
regular basis.
Performing
extensive
research will
help in the
process as well.
I will need
access to some
latest newspaper
articles that will
help me to know
about my
drawbacks
related to
interpersonal
My success will
be determined
by the way I was
able to
communicate
with individuals
and managed to
gather their
positive
I will require
about 2 months
to improve my
interpersonal
skills.
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skills. response.
Problem Solving
Skill
I will have to
identify some of
the major
challenges and
issues prevailing
in the process of
project. I will
have to make
sure that I am
able to resolve
them in a precise
manner.
Interaction with
my team
members will
make me aware
about the issues
that they are
facing. This will
help me to take
necessary
measures for
resolving the
issues.
I will have to
note whether I
am being able to
reduce the
unwanted risks
and resolve the
issues.
Approximately 3
months time will
be needed to
develop my
problem solving
skills.
Table 2: Professional Development Plan
(Source: created by the learner)
It is imperative for me to understand my weak zones so that I can develop them to enhance my
performance as a project manager. After interacting with certain managers and other higher
officials of companies, I was able to understand that my interpersonal skills required
development. I understood this because initially I was very hesitant to speak to the managers
about our fund raising program (Vinichenko et al., 2016). The way they spoke to us were highly
professional. Therefore, I had to work on developing my interpersonal skills. Having well-
developed interpersonal skills will allow me to ensure that I am able to communicate with the
managers in a dignified manner. As a result, I will be able to draw their attention to the fund
raising campaign that we are undertaking. In order to develop the skills, I should focus on
meeting new people on a regular basis. This will help me to understand the change in the way I
am speaking to them.
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