Critical Reflection on Employability Skills EMSK5012 Spring 2018

This essay provides a critical reflection on employability skills, drawing upon theories such as Johari's window and Gallup's strength theory to enhance self-awareness and career development. It analyzes the skills and qualifications required for a Human Resource Coordinator role, evaluates the value addition of an MBA in HRM, and reflects on current skills in relation to a desired job specification. The reflection also includes a discussion of leadership, digital skills, and problem-solving abilities, along with a professional development plan to further enhance career prospects. The essay concludes with a focus on networking, professional development, and continuous improvement to achieve career goals. Desklib offers similar resources including solved assignments and past papers for students.

Running head: EMPLOYMENT SKILLS
EMPLOYMENT SKILLS
Name of student:
Name of university:
Author note:

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Table of Contents
Johari’s window and the Clifton Gallup Strengths theory 2
Sector Learning Outcomes and professional qualification required in your sector. 4
Evaluation of the qualification and its value addition to the company 4
Reflection on current skills, current job description and the specification for a desired job in
your sector 4
References 5

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Johari’s window and the Clifton Gallup Strengths theory
Johari’s window is a psychological tool propounded by Harry Ingham and Joseph
Luft in 1955. According to Tran (2016), this tool is important in raising self-awareness,
improvement of personal development, enhancing communications, improving on
interpersonal relationships, understanding group dynamics and fostering team
development. The highlight of this tool lies in its emphasis on the development and
acquisition of soft skills that include empathy, cooperation and interpersonal development.
The Johari Window emphasizes on the individual to know oneself and the second factor is
that other people should know the person. Gallup’s strength theory emphasizes on four key
strengths that a group or an individual need to possess in order to succeed in life. These four
areas of strengths are executing, relationship building, influencing and strategic thinking (Fox
2015). The strength of execution refers to work being done with precision, speed and
accuracy. The strength of influence is concerned with the individuals’ ability to take charge,
articulate and make people heard. The relationship building strength is concerned with the
individual’s ability to fit into the larger picture and seek ways to thrive. The fourth strength
of strategic thinking is concerned with the ability to think about the existing problem and
devising strategies to overcome the situations.
Drawing from the theoretical framework of the Johari’s window and the Gallup’s
strength theory, it can be inferred that I need to focus on the inculcation of soft skills for
making mark in the field of human resource management. As a human resource coordinator, I
would need to interact with different people and communicate about the vision of the
company to the new employees. Secondly, I would need to resolve the issues in case of
discrepancies or grievances of the employees. The strength of influence and the strength of
strategic thinking will be important to mange and respond to the issues that may emerge
during my role as a Human Resource coordinator. I have good managerial skills that has been

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recognized by Gallup in his execution strength model. This will enable me to get the work
done from the employees. My ability of oral and written communication skills are important
soft skills that has been noted in the Johari’s window. I am aware about my marketing skills
and leadership skills that are essential to survive in the role of a Human Resource
Coordinator. In my CV, the work experiences I have emphasize on my managerial skills,
training new members in Piccadilly emphasize on my ability to coordinate people and
therefore, my efficiency of teamwork. My job in Primark taught me to efficiently handle the
customer service segment. My experience in Burger King taught me to ace the necessary
skills for surviving in the sales segment. I have the ability to manage and work in a team.
Sector Learning Outcomes and professional qualification required in your
sector.
The qualification required to become a successful Human Resource Coordinator is
opting for an MBA course and specializing in HRM (Human Resource Management)
Evaluation of the qualification and its value addition to the company
It is known that a human resource manger is critical to the efficient functioning of an
organization (Cascio 2018). They are intermediaries between the corporate structure and the
employees. They are responsible for maintaining stability of the organization (Albrecht et al.
2015). An assessment of my skills, qualities and experiences show that I will have the
potential to become an efficient Human Resource Manager. A qualification in human
resource would help me to guide the administrative tasks in the organization, promote

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coordination among the employees and efficiently manage the functioning of all the
departments.
Reflect on your own current skill set in relation to the professional qualification and how you
could further develop them. For example: Leadership, digital skills, problem solving
Reflection on current skills, current job description and the specification
for a desired job in your sector
Drawing from the Gallup’s strength theory and Johari’s window, I have understood
that I have the abilities to manage the employee, communicate with the team and coordinate
with the different employees. However, there are certain key areas that I need to focus and
improve my confidence and relate my courage to the group members. I need to attain second-
class upper in HRM. I further need to develop on my networking skills, attend professional
seminars and conduct a more in-depth research of my profession that would give men a
competitive advantage over the others. To build my social capital, I need to socialize more
with people from my subject domain and expand my professional network. Therefore, these
long and short-term goals and an assessment of my progress in achieving these goals will
contribute towards my career growth. I intend to become human resource coordinator
keeping in mind all the experiences and skills I have acquired.

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References
Albrecht, S.L., Bakker, A.B., Gruman, J.A., Macey, W.H. and Saks, A.M., 2015. Employee
engagement, human resource management practices and competitive advantage: An
integrated approach. Journal of Organizational Effectiveness: People and Performance, 2(1),
pp.7-35.
Cascio, W., 2018. Managing human resources. McGraw-Hill Education.
Fox, V., 2015. Strength-based coaching: business. TAXtalk, 2015(54), pp.76-77.
Tran, B., 2016. Communication: The Role of the Johari Window on. Handbook of research
on effective communication, leadership, and conflict resolution, 405.