University Reflective Journal: Employability Skills and Gibbs Model

This reflective journal explores the author's employability and study skills, emphasizing their importance in the competitive market. The Gibbs reflective cycle is used to analyze skills like communication, research, teamwork, time management, problem-solving, and self-management. The author reflects on a presentation experience, highlighting the role of communication, research, and teamwork. The evaluation identifies weaknesses in time and self-management. An action plan is developed to improve communication and time management skills. The conclusion emphasizes the importance of continuous improvement and planning for career goals. The journal references various books and journals on employability skills and reflective practices.

REFLECTING JOURNAL

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................................2
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................2
Reflection.....................................................................................................................................2
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................5
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................6

INTRODUCTION
Employability and study skills are very important to a person in order to gain very
positive outcomes in market place. Day to day market competition is increasing in market place.
In this situation, each person has to develop its different employability and study skills and
abilities, like; communication, research, team work, problem-solving, time and self-management
skills. Basically, these all are major skills of employability and study skills (Vetter, A. and
Wingenbach, 2019). A reflective journal on employability skills has been mentioned below. The
Gibbs model of reflection has been used for the reflection.
MAIN BODY
Reflection
Reflection is very important term in the personal and professional development field.
Basically, each person has to reflect on its past activities and experiences for learning through the
past. I have used the Gibbs model of reflection below for reflecting on own different skills of
employability and study. I am expecting that, after reflecting on own past activities, I will
definitely improve my various un-developed skills and abilities.
Gibbs reflective cycle
According to my research, Gibbs reflective cycle is one of the best reflective models for
different people. The Gibbs model of reflection was developed in year 1988 by Graham Gibbs.
He was launched a book on that time named; “learning from doing”, in which he was included
the concept of reflection in this book. Existing framework of reflection mainly includes six major
stages of reflection which knows as description, feelings, evaluation, analysis, action and
conclusion (Rumson, 2018). These all stages of Gibbs cycle have been mentioned below for
reflecting on own employability competences. Description
Currently I have different skills and abilities which are playing great role in my personal
life for completing different tasks and operations effectively. For example; recently I have got
task of a presentation. This was really great experience to me, because I have learnt many new
things by this presentation task. I have used my different employability skills and abilities to

achieve the final objectives of our task in decided time period. I have experienced that, we have
required well-developed communication skills while completing any task, because we need to
interact with many people while giving a presentation. In that situation, my improved
communication skills were played an excellent role to me, and by using these skills I was
enabled to pass many each message to all colleagues in very effective manner. My other
employability skills, like; research, team work, time management also has played an excellent
role to me in that activity of presentation (Knox and Stone, 2019). However, my problem-solving
and self-management skills are not effective, so that these skills have not played an excellent role
in recent activity. Recently I have made an effective action plan for improving different skills.
 Feelings
I felt that, after having well-developed skills of employability and study, we can do
anything in better way. In last activity of presentation, I have taken lots of advantages through
own various competences. In the recent task I felt that, no one can enable to give an effective
presentation without having inappropriate ability of research. Currently I have well-developed
ability of research, and this ability was played a very productive role to me, because after using
this, I was enabled to collected various relevant data through many important sources. On the
other side, there was componence of team was played a very important role to me, because while
working in for the PPT, we should have an excellent competence of team work. This attribute
basically enables us to maintain an effective relationship with own stakeholders in the
workplace. Time management is another key skill to me, and in recent task of presentation I felt
that we can’t complete our any task on time without having un-developed time management
skill. In this situation, we have to believe in continuously develop our various skills to gain
positive outcomes in market place.
 Evaluation
In this dynamic and modern world, each organisation and company want to hire such
people in their workplace as employees who really has great talent and skills. On the other side,
the society value those people who has well-developed employability competences and skills
(Shukla and Kumar, 2017). These are some major reasons that, I have to be focused on
improving those skills which are currently weak or un-developed. For example; time and self-
management skills are some weak, in which in have to adopt and implement some productive

strategies of personal and professional development in personal life to make my all skills and
competences very effective.
 Analysis
For completing the task on time, it is important for having the right tasks to be distributed
which is going to help for the task to be completed on time. I did try to distribute the task which I
had taken to achieve the task but the decision making was lacking in my work. The task was
completed on time but the result was not as I have expected it to be and the work was not
completed on time as well (Bruno and Dell’Aversana, 2018).
 Conclusion
I could have made sure that the tasks are being distributed effectively in the business so
that there is going to be higher performance. After the tasks which were distributed there should
have been checking of the work which should be present so that there is going to be higher
performance (Mathew, Mathew and Peechattu, 2017). Problems which I had, should have been
addressed on time so that the task would have been completed on time as well as the outcome
would have been better. I learned that there are a lot of skills which I will have to work upon so
that there would be higher performance which I can expect out of myself.
 Action plan
It is very important for the individual to have a stable plan for themselves after
analysing the weaknesses so that the career goals or tasks in hand can be handled
effectively which is going to be very effective. The further report is going to discuss a action
plan for the improvement points and a better sense of direction which can be followed by
me.
Skills Time duration Action plan
Communication skill 3 weeks Family and friends are going to be very helpful and
supportive in this aspect which is they can evaluate
me truly so that there are going to be better measures
which can be taken by me (Minott, 2020). There are
lectures which need to be attended and more practice
on this skill so that there is going to be higher
confidence level in the individual to put forward their

ideas and knowledge.
Time management 2 weeks There are going to be a lot of tasks which are going
to be handed over to me with time limit so that there
is going to be higher results and practice (Taliaferro
and Diesel, 2016). I will have to improve and help
one another so that the pressure is going to reduce
and time is going to be well managed to have higher
results which can help the tasks to be completed as
expected. Inspire others and resolve conflicts is going
to be a good learning which I can develop so that
there is going to be higher performance.
CONCLUSION
From the above report it can be concluded that there has to be good understanding and
planning to improve further should be planned out. There are a lot of skills and knowledge which
can individual can gain if there is going to be improvement with time and career goals can be
achieved easily which would be good for the individual performance and satisfaction. There
must be good measures and action plan to improve in one direction should be present so that the
improvement is going to be faster for personal good.

REFERENCES
Books & Journals
Bruno, A. and Dell’Aversana, G., 2018. Reflective practicum in higher education: the influence
of the learning environment on the quality of learning. Assessment & Evaluation in
Higher Education. 43(3). pp.345-358.
Knox, J. and Stone, M., 2019. Embedding employability skills for the legal professionals of the
future. The Law Teacher. 53(1). pp.90-101.
Mathew, P., Mathew, P. and Peechattu, P.J., 2017. Reflective practices: A means to teacher
development. Asia Pacific Journal of Contemporary Education and Communication
Technology. 3(1). pp.126-131.
Minott, M., 2020. Building work-related knowledge about examination invigilation through
reflective journaling. Journal of Workplace Learning.
Shukla, A. and Kumar, G., 2017. Essential soft skills for employability–A longitudinal
study. Advances in Economics and Business Management. 4(6). pp.362-367.
Taliaferro, D. and Diesel, H., 2016. Cultural Impact With Reflective Journaling. International
Journal for Human Caring. 20(3).
Vetter, A. and Wingenbach, G., 2019. Self-perceived Employability Skills from Agricultural
Study Abroad Experiences. NACTA Journal. 63(1A). pp.164-172.
Online
Rumson, R. 2018. GIBBS – REFLECTIVE CYCLE MODEL (1988). [Online]. Available
Through: < https://www.eln.io/blog/gibbs-reflective-cycle-model-1988>.