Employability Portfolio: Assessing Skills for Finance Assistant Role

This employability portfolio assesses a graduate's skills and readiness for a Finance Assistant role, guided by the Graduate Employability Framework. It outlines the role's responsibilities, required competencies, and the graduate's qualifications, including relevant coursework and experience. The report identifies potential challenges, such as limited co-curricular activities and lack of leadership experience, while also critiquing the framework's limitations. A personal development plan is proposed to address these gaps, focusing on adapting to an office environment, developing teamwork skills, and setting SMART goals to enhance employability. The graduate demonstrates a willingness to learn and a belief in their strengths, aiming to secure and excel in the Finance Assistant position. The portfolio also includes appendices detailing the job requirements and the personal development plan's specifics.

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EMPLOYABILITY PORTFOLIO
By Name
Course
Instructor
Institution
Location
Date

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Employability Portfolio
Introduction
The complex world of job market requires proper evaluation of individual skills of the graduates
(Crane& Kinash 2015). Employability portfolios serves as essential guides to critically assess
those skills, knowledge and experiences gained in the course of their graduate studies. By
extension the graduates develops necessary confidence to face the job market armed with
documented personal competencies. The portfolio underscores individual skills, strengths and
areas that require further development in order to acquire, retain and progress in discharge of
employment (Crane& Kinash 2015). This employability portfolio sets out to discuss the role of
the graduate as a Finance Assistant vis-à-vis elements canvassed in the “Graduate Employability
Framework” for the graduate planning to transition into the employment market.
Summary of Finance Assistant employability portfolio
Upon completion of the degree studies the graduate would qualify to be employed as Finance
Assistant. The choice of this role is relevant in that it is an entry-level role for a graduate in the
employmentsector before advancing to the ultimate position of Finance Director. The graduate
would suit this role since their current roles involve preparing financial reports, communicating
with clients and data entry on financial spreadsheets. Furthermore the graduate has relevant
training in financial management solutions which is considered key in the discharge of the roles.
Some of the responsibilities outlined in the job advertisement for the position of Finance
Assistant include:Process and prepare financial and business forms, analyzing financial reports,
creating, sending and following up on invoices, review of departmental budgets, data entry for
financial spreadsheets, audit of financial reports, communicating with customers. The

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advertisement also enumerates desired competencies of prospective office holders such as
flexibility in working schedules and goes ahead to emphasize employability elements as outlined
in the “Graduate Employability Framework”. They include undergraduate degree in finance and
accounting, solid communication skills, critical thinking, ability to work in a team and personal
integrity (Crane& Kinash 2015). The graduate did online-based research to gain insight into the
role which informed their own challenges in career development.
Important issues before joining the graduate recruitment job market
The “Graduate Employability Framework” offers a wide range of elements the graduate needs in
order to transition successfully into employment(Kinash& Crane 2015). It points out the need to
develop career focus and goals. In this respect, the graduate hassuccessfully completed
foundation course in Fundamentals of business law, financial accounting and reporting,
Economics and markets. He is also on course to finish Business Finance and
ManagementAccounting in pursuit of licensure in certified public accountant. This will enable
the graduate to have not only the Australian job market but also global appeal employability
(Kinash& Crane 2015). Furthermore, the graduate has completed a certificate course in
Government and risk management and is eligible to advance to higher levels.Experience over the
last two years working in a finance department has nurtured the skills of the graduate in key
processes of finance. The graduate has consistently scored above average in key areas pertaining
to finance and confident to advance well beyond the graduate level to doctorate in the discipline
of finance.
However, the graduate may face issues that are considered important in the employability
framework regarding the element of ‘co-curricular” (Crane& Kinash 2015). Over the last two

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years the graduate has participated in minimal co-curricular activities. This in part has been
caused by a minor road accident the graduate is recuperating from and will duly recover and
make up for the lost opportunity (Crane& Kinash 2015). The role of Finance Assistance also
requires excellence in leadership skills. The graduate has not served in any distinguished
leadership position during his undergraduate course. The fact that the graduate has been working
from home means that he missed the opportunity to establish important networks with fellow
workmates. Such business networks could provide important experience and act as basis to
participate in many co-curricular activities (Crane& Kinash 2015). The graduate however is
resilient and will recover in due course to overcome these challenges.
Critique on the Graduate Employability Framework
Most graduates who are approaching the end of graduate course, the next focus is always on the
employment sector. Here the graduate face complex and daunting challenges while making up
mind on the appropriate career to pursue. The “Graduate Employability Framework” offer
graduates important insight in self-evaluation regarding individual employability skills. It also
offers a framework upon which the graduate can identify individual areas that may require
further development and increase their prospects in the job market. The “Graduate
Employability Framework”posits a wide range of elements that are important in determining the
readiness to transition to the employment sector. It offers the perspective of the employers and
essential components they consider in selecting potential employees. The model allows the
graduate to portray their skills, knowledge and achievements in a unique way that raises their
respective profile (Crane& Kinash 2015). By developing individual development plan, the
graduate gains confidence to take on the job market since the plan reflects on personal past
accomplishments and how to apply them to their future roles.

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However, the framework suffers from perceived theorization of practical job market (Andrew
&Higson 2008). There is no empirically adduced research evidence to back its persuasions. It is
criticized for offering ‘snap-shot view of employability which essentially limits intended
application. In this sense, the “Graduate Employability Framework” ignores (Leece 2005) other
factors that could be equally important in employability such as cultural background, the social
class and age/gender. In this respect the graduate will need to take a more personalized
evaluation while factoring in those elements that are not considered by the framework model of
Kinash et al.As pointed out by Dacar, Pool, Qualter &Sewell (2014) there is the danger of
unrealistic self-assessment on the part of the graduates bringing in the need for professional
carrier guidance during the assessment.
Possible challenge in developing Personal Plan
A personal development plan is essential in detailing personal areas that need further
development in order to actualize employment targets (Gallagher 2010). The plan would help the
graduate to bridge employability gap that may exist in the quest to procure and discharge the
roles of Finance Assistant. To achieve this, the graduate must developed a SMART goal
(Gallagher 2010) which will help the graduate to nurture the concept of flexibility and team
work. Since the graduate has been working from home, he would lack important experience
office environment provides. Fear due to lack of exposure may hinder the graduate from
participating actively and socializing with the rest of the team. Lack of participation will
demoralize the employee and he will not discharge his duties as required by the employer. By
working at home the graduate would not be accustomed to the rigors associated with office work.
Home provided a lay-back, stress-free environment which comes with setting own working
schedules. A change from home to office-based working will rob the graduate of flexible work

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pattern they would be accustomed to (Kruse 2012). The consequence to this would entail failure
to meet deadlines set by the supervisor. Fellow employees may not understand the graduate’s
lack of familiarity with office norms and practices and misjudge it as social non-conformist.
To overcome this, the graduate need to understand that there are advantages and disadvantages
of working either from home or at the office (Bridgstock 2009). Whereas home provides
flexibility, office minimizes interruption from family members that eventually eats into time that
an individual may have wished to allocate to office work. The objective is to offer best possible
service to the organization in pursuit of common goal. The graduate would do well to develop
and properly plan daily working hours, create networks at work and adapt to new working
environment (Crane& Kinash 2015). Coupled with resilience and support structure of
teammates, the graduate would eventually actualize the SMART goal.
Conclusion
The Graduate Employability Framework has guided the graduate in making self-assessment of
skills and competencies acquiredin the course of discharge of the current job and the knowledge
gained throughout the undergraduate and graduate training period. Guided by this framework,
the graduate can decipher personal areas that require additional nurturing in order to become
more competitive in the labor market. The graduate has become more aware of personal
strengths, weaknesses and key aspects looked out for by employers (Wibrow 2011).This was
complimented by drawing up a personal development plan aimed at addressing some personal
aspects that require further development and will undertake necessary steps to overcome these
shortcomings. This includes designing and duly following work schedules to avoid falling
behind deadlines (Curtis & McKenzie 2001). He understands the necessity of overcoming these

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shortfalls in order to increase the prospects or suitability to successfully transition into
employment. Most importantly the graduate has the willingness to learn new ideas and belief in
his strengths to attract and retain the desirable job role of a Finance Assistant.

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Bibliography
Andrews, J. and Higson, H., 2008. Graduate employability, ‘soft skills’ versus ‘hard’ business
knowledge: A European study. Higher education in Europe, 33(4), pp.411-422.
Bridgstock, R., 2009. The graduate attributes we’ve overlooked: Enhancing graduate
employability through career management skills. Higher Education Research &
Development, 28(1), pp.31-44.
Curtis, D. and McKenzie, P., 2001. Employability skills for Australian industry: Literature
review and framework development. Melbourne: Australian Council for Educational Research.d.
PO Box 8288, Stational Arcade, Adelaide, SA 5000, Australia.
Gallagher, K.,2010. Personal development in action; in skills development for business and
management, Oxford University Press
Crane, L. and Kinash, S., 2015.Supporting graduate employability from generalist disciplines
through employer and private institution collaboration: final report 2015.
Kruse, K., 2012. Forbes/Leadership:Top 10 Benefits of Working From Home, survey results
Leece, R., 2005. The role of e-portfolios in graduate recruitment. Australian Journal of Career
Development, 14(2), pp.72-78.Oliver, B., 2010. Teaching fellowship: Benchmarking partnerships
for graduate employability.
Wibrow, B., 2011. Employability Skills.At a Glance. National Centre for Vocational Education
Research Lt

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Appendix 1: required skills, knowledge and abilities for the role of finance assistant as per
the advertisement
Team work Observe trust of and respect to fellow working colleagues
Integrity Criminal background check required, must be honest
Diversity Ability to work with people from different backgrounds i.e. race, sex
Flexibility Schedules working hours may include weekends, evening hours and
holidays
Communication skills Contacts customers for corrections on finance contracts and trade title
Computer skills Ms office and web-based applications
Education /experience Associate degree, up to 3 years experience in finance department
Appendix 2: Personal Development Plan
GOAL
How will I
measure goal
achievement
The actual change from home to office-based work and the ease with which I
will discharge my duties
Steps necessary
to achieve
my goal
Planned
activities
Date Resources
required
Evidence to
support
Comments
Start working
from office
1/10/2017 Car, fuel Transport To consult with
line manager
Ask for night
shifts
5/10/2017 None To consult line
manager
Unplanned
activities
To keep closer ties with work colleagues, learn office
etiquette, and purchase a car.
When to reflect
on goal
achievement
I will evaluate my change of work place, the effect on my performance one
month after approval by the line manager
What will I do
in future
In future I intend to juggle between home and office work station, and also
work on holidays should need arise.