Job Search Reflection: Gibbs Model Application & Action Plan

This essay provides a reflective account of a job search experience, employing Gibbs' Reflective Cycle to analyze the process. It begins with a detailed description of the internship search, including the use of online job boards, networking, and interview preparation. The author delves into their feelings during the search, acknowledging stress and rejections, and evaluates the positive and negative aspects of their strategies. The analysis explores what went well and what could be improved, leading to a conclusion that highlights key learnings and skill development. Finally, an action plan is presented, outlining steps for future job searches, such as strengthening networking, enhancing online presence, and continuously developing skills to better align with desired job roles. The essay emphasizes the importance of self-awareness, strategic preparation, and continuous improvement in navigating the job market effectively.

Job search reflection

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
DESCRIPTION................................................................................................................................3
FEELINGS.......................................................................................................................................7
EVALUATION................................................................................................................................7
ANALYSIS......................................................................................................................................7
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................8
ACTION PLAN...............................................................................................................................8
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................10

INTRODUCTION
Reflection is an activity in which person analyse its experiences by using their skills and
practices to learn something new and different (Lekner, 2016). It is an analytical practice through
which a person defines its imaginary or real thoughts and event through which they add personal
reflection. The reflection is written on any issue through which writer can give point of view and
assess how their thoughts might influence their response. For writing a reflection an individual
must be clear with their perspective. There are various factors which must be consider while
writing reflection such as Why a person is writing reflection, whether other will read with
interest, feeling about your own writing, emotions at the time of writing and capability to write
reflection. For writing reflection there are important areas which must be focused by writer like
description of reflection, Interpretation of ideas and Outcomes while writing reflection.
The reflective Cycle was published by Professor Graham Gibbs in his book Learning by
Doing in 1988. Gibbs Reflective cycle is used by person to learn something new from the issues
which they face regularly (de Oliveira Leite and et. al., 2020). This model is used to examine the
writer's experience and understand in which area they need improvement. The Gibbs model is
applied on repetitive situation but it’s stages and principles are applied equally for single
experiences too. It also provides action plan that helps in giving suggestions related to
improvements in a specific behaviour. The reason behind using Gibbs model is that it is a
cyclical model which provides an emphasis on feelings and emotions that can influence the
particular situation. There are six stage in Gibbs model they are Description, Feelings,
Evaluation, Analysis, Conclusion and Action plan which is while writing reflection.
DESCRIPTION
Description includes detail information related to the event or experience. In description a
situation is described in detail aspect. I have done an Internship in managerial position with ABC
Private Ltd. As a Human resource manager my role is to plan and coordinate with other
department and use the talent of employees in achieving goals and objectives of Company. I take
an interview of Candidate and select a suitable candidate who can contribute their best in making
business successful. After interview my role is to look out on boarding process of new
applicants. On-boarding is a process in which I introduce new employees into Organisation. It is
my responsibility to make employees understandable their job position and requirements. For

conducting an on-boarding of new members I make checklist in which all the steps are covered
which for preparing on-boarding of new joiners and provide guidance to them for becoming a
part of team.
To find a managerial job position I have worked hard and applied on different Job boards
and career websites, contact to my friends, I have also call in different companies to ask for any
vacancies. To find a right job I also contacted to my colleagues and relatives for giving reference
in their Company. For grabbing a job opportunity, I create a list of Companies who provides jobs
according to my preference and also give Interview in different organisation. But I get a Job of
managerial position from Career Website. I got a call from ABC Private Ltd. Company regarding
for Interview. My Interview has gone good, interviewer was impressed with my Communication
and knowledge. Career website is effective method of searching jobs as it is cost effective
method, I didn't pay any fees or other charges to get a job. Even I get an immediate response of
my selection from Company. Career website is easy to understand and simple to apply for a job
in firm. I got a job in which I have an interest and could give best in achieving goals and
objectives of Organisation.
Gibbs model is directly related with Job search as to look for a job I have to gather detail
information of the company and its products in which they deal. The Gibbs model provide me a
benefit to feel and understand the job position whether it is suitable for me or not (Dülgeroğlu
and Başol, 2017). By applying Gibbs model I can easily collect the information of Company
profile including its strategy, growth prospects, vision and mission, objectives and its
competitors. The model helps me in availing information through which I can make decision of
applying into job. I also have to describe in which field I have an interest, my target job, how to
find right job, whether I am prepared for job. I have to describe these situations in detail so that I
can know the area in which I have more interest. Through Gibbs model I can feel the experience
that I have faced while searching for a job. Feeling is other stage of model which is descriptive
rather than analytical. I have also eventuated my experiences related to positive as well as negate
aspects while searching for a job. In evaluation I have included the factors which created a
problem while looking for a job. In analysis I have explained the things which did not go to the
plan and the role which I have played in getting my dream job. The Conclusion includes what I
have learned from job search and skills which is developed. After Conclusion an action plan is

made for improving the skills and knowledge to perform job roles in effective and efficient
manner so that I can give my productive in achieving goals of Company.
I Find the role in which I have more Interest and give my best in making company more
profitable. If the role is not according to my preference, I cannot accomplish the task on
appropriate time and can't contribute my efforts in achieving target. So, I decided to look for a
job in which I am more comfortable and could work with proper dedication. I prefer a job in
Human resource department so, I applied on various online job portals in search of Jobs related
to HR. The Career website in which I applied are LinkedIn, Monster, Naukri. Com, etc. Even in
my resume I have added that I want to become successful HR Manager. As I have targeted a
field in which I have to expand my career it become easy for me to find and get a job of HR
Manager. The Interviewer also get aware about my preference in job role.
For standing out differently while searching for a job I have created my resume in such a
manner that attract interviewer to read. As resume creates a first impression in the mind of
interviewer. It is important to build an attractive resume that could create a positive perception. I
made my resume in concise way showing only facts which recruiter want to look at the time of
Interview.
To get a job in Company I contact to many recruiters personally even if they don’t have
any vacancy. I reach out to Organisation by phone calls, emails to find out if they are looking for
candidate that matches my qualification and preference. I have also created a list of Companies
in which I am interested in working and noted their current job vacancies. For grabbing an
attention of Recruiter I have written a formal cover letter to convey them that I am interested in
their company and give my best in making their business successful.
It is necessary to stand out different from others and grab an attention of interviewer. To
garb an attention of recruiter I have created attractive resume in which my skills, education,
hobbies and many other key elements are written that helps an interviewer to know more about
me.
For getting an Internship, I have prepared for various activities to get successful.
Internship preparation includes job research, company background and preparing for an answers
which could be asked by Interviewer. To prepare for Internship I have reviewed many job
descriptions thoroughly to understand the position and preference of Company. In job
description organisation describe their expectation related to the vacant job position. I looked out

whether my skills and knowledge get matched with the expectation of Company. I have also
considered my eligibility for job on the basis of my qualification and experiences. It is necessary
to match whether the job fits in my career path. To prepare for interview I have focused on
company’s profile by visiting their website, employee review and social media pages. I also find
out their mission, vision, culture, products in which they deal and customers whom they serve.
For finding detailed information of Organisation I faced various problems as many company
don't provide information on social media sites, they lock their profile. Many Firm display their
information related to their management on their website which include information related to
business plans, revenue, competitors, strategy and growth prospects (Meyer and Dykes, 2018).
By researching on various organisation I can easily align my resume with their expectation. To
stand different in Interview, I have prepared many questions to ask from interviewer which
shows that I am serious about the job. To impress interviewer, I have make a list of various
interview questions related to the particular position and also prepare for their answers. To gain
an advantage in Interview it is important to be confident and create an impression on Interviewer,
even if I feel anxious and nervous at the time of Interview. I have given my interview in
confidence and with proper communication that attracts employer to select for HR Manager. I
have also practice for mock interviews in front of mirror so that my confidence and
communication skills get increased. I organised my documents in proper manner whether it is
digital copy or Hard copy so that interviewer can easily access my documents. I also update my
online job portal sites and other social media platforms to allow employers for checking my
uploaded profile as company check the social media profiles to look out the personality,
qualification and background.
To search for a job differently in future it is necessary to get noticed by the Company in
which I am interested. I have to show the employer that I am perfect for this job position. It
could be done by showing my talent, creativity, knowledge, skills and abilities to make business
successful. I have to give suggestion related to how they can increase their growth and
profitability which create a chance for me to get selected in interview. I have to show my talent
and creativity to get a job such as providing innovative ideas for increasing their brand
reputation. To search a job in future I have to create a strong network with different people and
Companies that could help me in getting a job. I need to connect with everyone to whom so ever
I know because we never know who can help in searching for a Job. To look for a job differently

I need to rank well on google so that more and more recruiters can find me easily. For getting
rank well on google, I have to create a profile on social media sites and online job portals and use
my name on URL. When an interviewer searches me on online portal my profile ranks high
automatically and creates a strong positive image in front of employer.
FEELINGS
While searching for a job I have faced many uncontrollable events such as Economic
shift, COVID 19 Impact on businesses or hiring freezes due to lack of jobs in Companies.
Searching for a job is so stressful and requires Hard work. The stress comes from lack of
confidence and practice (Anderson, 2019). Even I have faced many rejections that create an
impact on my confidence and make me feel bad. After facing many rejection, I work hard and
prepare myself for Interview and analyse my abilities and capabilities. I also feel bad but due to
my Hard work I remain positive and face interview calmly again and again to improve my skills
and knowledge. By giving various Interviews I prepared myself and improve my knowledge and
confidence. It helps in getting my dream job in which I have more interest and can work
comfortably. I remain focused while searching for a job even I have maintained my online
profiles so that
EVALUATION
I have evaluated that there are positive and negative aspects of searching job through
online portals. The positive aspect is that there are varieties of job in different career websites.
The negative aspect is that I have to wait for a long period of time for getting my dream job. I
faced a problem while searching for a job but I patiently wait for a right job in which I feel
comfortable and give my best to increase the productivity of Company.
ANALYSIS
I used different methods for searching effective job such as online portal, direct approach to
mangers, asked for friend, traditional ways etc. All these are effective ways for me but I
identified that online portal is useful way for searching effective job. There are some best
websites that used by me for searching job such as indeed jobs, Glassdoor, LinkedIn, google,
monster, CareerBuilder etc. These are main websites I used for searching job for managerial
position. I also used different theories for searching job that are effective for me in my
professional growth. Search theory defines the ideal amount of time that I will spend on my

search before settling on one alternative to receive. Search time is depending on some factors
that are reservation price, costly search, price and quality variance, risk aversion etc.
CONCLUSION
The conclusion stage of Gibbs' Model deals with the summary of the situation that took
place. It consists of a summary which includes learning outcomes of the scenario. It further
includes the ways of how the situation could be made more favourable for all the components.
The report revolves around the study related to “Job Search” where we had studied the
various modes to identify the sources of jobs. In the perspective of our study we recognised
various ways of Job search like- Networking of Alumni or referrals, Online modes or job portals
and employment exchange. The modes of Job search included in the report above are- Job search
through Online portals and job search through referrals. The job search through online portal is
done with the help of a web portal which is specially designed with an aim to advertise the job
roles which are vacant in the organization and in order to search the resumes. These are a crucial
part in the hiring process in the present scenario as we can apply for the specific job roles
through an easy access. Networking or the Job search through references also play a crucial part
in hiring at an organization. There are various job roles which are not advertised by the
organization, these are termed as unpublished jobs. So in order to fill those positions the
organization takes help of their Alumnae. Hence we can grab the opportunity for such jobs with
the help of increasing our networks.
In this context to make the scenario look more pleasant, we could have used the method
of registering with the employment exchanges and attending job fairs along with the online
portals and referencing. The job search must be effective rather than being long and hectic. We
can take help 1 or 2 major websites which help in seeking jobs and also attend the job fairs and
directly converse and appear for the interviews. The job fairs are helpful for the jobseekers who
have no working experience (Li, Tan and Xue, 2019).
ACTION PLAN
The action plan stage of Gibbs' model states the alternative approaches that could have been
applied by us if a similar situation occurs in future. It is very crucial to think about or come up
with alternatives to handle or act in the situations in a different manner if they arise in future.
The action plan does not only deals with the planning for future but also to bring it into existence

if the situation is faced by us in the future. The action plan deals with enhancing our individual
skills too in order to increase our efficiency for performing the task in the future (Adeani and et.
al., 2021).
In this report we are focussing on the topic of job search. So in case the same situation arises
in front of us where we need to search for the jobs we can keep in mind the various sources
which would be opting in order to grab the job opportunities. The job seeking methods which we
can search for in future are- through online portal where we can post our resume on our profile of
the portal. In future this will help as the resume will be uploaded with job experience and some
enhanced skills. We can also look forward to seek jobs through references or networking. It can
be expected that after working in an organization for a specific time period the network of an
individual increases this can prove helpful in seeking jobs in the future. We can eliminate the
option of attending job fairs in future as the job fairs are usually organized with an aim to attract
the fresher’s for the jobs. Hence we can be considered as over qualified for the job roles being
offered at the job fairs. We can send our resumes to the organization where we have networks so
that they can contact us in case a job role is vacant in the organization which suits us in
accordance with our profile or resume (Dillahunt and Hsiao, 2020).

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