MSc Management with Streams: Professional Development and Practice

This professional development portfolio reflects on experiences gained from a part-time job over 18 months. It includes a personal analysis of skills such as communication, patience, friendliness, problem-solving, and negotiation, alongside identified areas for improvement like teamwork and emotional intelligence. A SWOT analysis evaluates strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, highlighting effective communication and problem-solving as key strengths. The portfolio also touches upon motivation skills acquired through online sessions and workshops. This document showcases the application of learned skills and self-assessment for personal and professional growth, demonstrating a comprehensive approach to development and practice.

Professional
Development and
Practice

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION ..........................................................................................................................3
Personal analysis ...................................................................................................................3
SWOT analysis.......................................................................................................................6
Job description .......................................................................................................................8
Curriculum vitae.....................................................................................................................8
Gibbs reflection model (pdp).................................................................................................8
CONCLUSION ...............................................................................................................................8
REFERENCE...................................................................................................................................8

INTRODUCTION
Personal development is considered as a set of tools and techniques, resource as well as training
sessions which provides an individual an opportunity learn and enhance their skills and
effectiveness. This enables individual to get knowledge in their area of interest and also allows a
chance to learn and gain new techniques. Individual who attend sessions, workshops would be
able to enhance and improve their quantitative, analytical and technical capabilities. The goal of
professional development is to implement all the strategies and capabilities for enhance ones
learning and knowledge. The aim of this report is to present a reflection based on what I have
learnt and experience from my part time job from last 18 month. In this report, it covers my
personal analysis which would include all the skill and capabilities, SWOT analysis, job
description, curriculum vitae and Gibbs reflection model.
Personal analysis
Personal development place a vital role in any individual life as it enables them to enhance as
well as improve their skills and increases its knowledge. These skills that learnt could be used in
professional as well as private life as these skills places a key role in ones life. The purpose of
personal development is to provide individual the opportunity to learn and grasp the new skills
and knowledge which would assists them in getting job and its career. This would help me in
increasing my confidence and credibility. It would also provide me with increasing my
networking opportunities as well as my earning potentials. During my part time job. I have able
to gain lot of skills which could help me in future growth in the professional aspect and also in
the private life. One of the major skills that I gain during my job is communication skill.
Communication skill is interaction with an individual or group of people which enables an
individual to express their view pints as well as allows them to understand the opposite entity
perspectives. I get to know that communication plays an important role in any job and also in day
to day life. Effective communication not only provide expressing ourself but also enable an
individual to convey clear message to others so that could understand easily. As I was working in
customer service in retail store where I have interact with different individuals in person , I get to
know my things about an effective communication skills such as one should be clear about their

thoughts and also should clearly state their main purpose. An effective communication skills
helps individual in paying attention to the opposite entity so the one could understand their
viewpoints. Along with this, one should have the conciseness in speaking which means that the
message should include an filter and come straight to the point. As I was working in store, I have
to deal with people directly and body language plays a key role while communicating. Through
body language, one can easily recognise what is the main objective of the communication and
also it enables an individual to explain its perspectives. Body languages such as eye contact,
hand gestures and many more makes the opposite entity understand what the other person wants
to convey.
Another skill I have able to learn was patience. Patience plays a key role any areas of job
as well as life. This has an essential role in customer service skill. Patience is refers to as the
capacity to tolerate as well as accept the delay, confusion and also the suffering. Through
patience, it makes an individual a healthier person as the stress will be low which will
automatically makes a person healthy. Also, this makes me a person which is having a positive
and healthy attitude. It gives me an ability to improve and provides an opportunity to enjoy life
more. Patience also allows me to preserver and create more decisions which would be productive
and that would automatically lead to a good success. This enables me to prevent becoming
irritated, defensive as well as saying things which are hurtful and eventually slow down my
selfishness. Furthermore, this also helps me in developing relationships which is essential and
provides ability to understand the viewpoints of the others. I would be able concentrate what the
customer want and needs.
Friendliness has a major role in my job role. Adopting behaviour of friendliness makes me to
connect to the customers easily and telling them which will suit on them as well as give
suggestion about what should they buy. This makes customers easily purchasing the commodity,
hence improving the sales of the organisation. This skills would assists me to makes
relationships with the customers smoothly. A friendliness behaviour not only help in job roles
and making profits but also in private and social life. One can easily attract to a person who has a
friendliness nature and a smiling face. Through this, the customers could easily feel comfortable
as well as felt that I am valuable for the organisation. Along with this, friendlines behaviour is
also important at work place as if a person is not nice then it creates a direct impact on the work
which has been assigned to them. As mental health is important especially at work place. Being

nice to everyone offers them a piece of calm and reduces the stress. Also this enhance the
productivity and gives satisfaction.
One of the major skill that I got to learn was problem solving skills. During these 18 months, I
was able to solve the concerns, issues and problems of the customers. At first, when I join the
store, I have having hesitation while interacting with the customers as well as solving their
issues, but I observing my mangers and other staff, I came to learn about and now I have the
ability to use this skills as my work place as well as in my life. This skills could assists me in
taking quick decisions which only not lead me to fix the problem but also leaving a good
impression in other. By this skills, the customers in the store sees that I am capable in handling
problems which makes them talk to more that eventually made up purchase the commodities and
increases the sales of the organisation. The advantage of having this skills is that, it enhance my
thinking skills and risk handling which is getting better day by day. Also the problems could be
solved in a more in a better manner with the help of effective communication skill and increased
understanding. This provides an opportunity to elevate the potential of individual and eliminating
the possibilities of bias.
Negotiation skills also has a main role in any job role and one should definitely have this skills.
This skills not only helps in negotiating the deals but also makes the organisational sales. During
18 months of my part job, I came across many customers where they would negotiate to reduce
the price or wanted to have discounts. This skill let me do the discount or reduces the price up to
certain level so that customer could get satisfied as well as taking the sales of the organisation in
a safe zone. While negotiating with the customers, I take the customers in the process of
negotiating which comprises of 6 stages such as preparation, discussion, clarification of the aims
and goal, negotiating to win-win outcome, agreement and then implementation of course of
action. This skills could be utilised in any area of life such as negotiating the salary hike with
HR, negotiating with the manger for taking leaves or negotiating with shopkeepers to reduce the
price of the costly item and many more. The lack of negotiation skills could lead the organisation
as well as customers lost and could affect them severely. This skills in important as it avoid the
future conflicts such as when both entities agrees to a common solution, the chances of the
conflicts reduces. All these skills are important and could be implemented to any area of job and
life. There are certain skills where I lack such as teamwork, emotional intelligence, creativity
skills and time management skills. These all skills are equally essential for an individual to work

these skills would help me in understanding the customers but also help me in being a good
employee of the store. Teamwork skills would help me handling of team member and assigning
their work appropriately. Also, emotional intelligence would assists me in slowing down of the
irritableness which have been occurred easily. Moreover, creativity skills is essential as this
provides me creativity to do solve the problem in a fun and effective manner.
Motivation skills is also one of the skill the that I learnt during online sessions and workshops.
This skill not only make me to learn but also provides an opportunity to motivate others. This
skill helps in encouraging other to do work. Motivating plays an important role for making the
job done and also keeps a spirit in achieving the goals and targets of the life. This skill makes my
relationship with my friends and colleagues stronger.
SWOT analysis
SWOT analysis defined as the evaluation of an individual by determining the strength,
weaknesses, opportunities and threats. From this analysis, one could be able to finding the
current position of itself and also have the opportunity to identify what should they do next. The
personal SWOT analysis is mentioned below:
Strength: Strength are the elements which makes an individual stand out of the crowd. The
major strength of is that, I have an effective communication skills which means that my
communication skill is smooth. This skills provides me an opportunity understand the viewpoints
of others as well as offer me a chance to express myself. Along with this, it also gives me chance
to actively listen to others viewpoints. Body language has an important role while
communicating to other and provides opportunities to chance to make the message
understandable to others. Furthermore, I have also the strength of problem solving skills which
assists me in solving the problems and issues of customers as well as my colleagues. Also, both
negotiation skills and patience boosts my performance at the work place as it negotiation skills
provide me a chance to show off my skills and increases the sales of the organisation as well as
making the customers comfortable with the price issues if they encounters. Patience keep my
thought preserve and helps in understanding the other. Another skills is friendliness which makes
me attractive in the organisation as well as in the eyes of the customers. These all skills I acquire
make a feel stand out of the crowd. Apart from this, I have a certification in coding where I have
the ability to write codes. I also have certification of assistant academic counsellor where I was
the assistant of academic counsellor. Before working as customer service representative, I work

for 3 months in which I was able to counsel 4 students. I have also the skills of motivating
people. I have attended many online workshop and sessions where I learnt to motivate and
encourage people. The workshop teaches me various types of tips and tricks to motivate people.
This sessions helps me to not only understand the tips of motivation but also assists me in
motivating other. Through this sessions and workshops, I am capable of motivating other
individuals. This provides me to reach the aims and objectives of my life and also provide a
chance to motivate others. In the organisation, I used to motivate my colleagues which creates
impact on their productivity in the organisation in a positive manner. This also makes my
relationship with other colleagues stronger as well as my manager. It also improves the working
in the organisation in a more effective and in positive way which means that all the employees
in the organisation always ready to cooperate with each other which results in the success of the
organisation.
Weaknesses: Weaknesses are those aspects which makes the individual influence stop doing the
work. One of the major weaknesses of mine is that, I don't acquires teamwork skill, emotional
intelligence, creativity skills and time management skills. All these 4 skills are very much
necessary in any area of life/area. Teamwork skill is considered as that skills where a leader
would lead a team, assign duties, motivates the team members and so on. The leader has he
ability to analyse the strength of each individual and then the team leader would assign the work
accordingly. It also has the responsibility to encourage their team members to work. Creativity
skills has key role as this would help in solving the problems more better and fun way. Another
weakness is that I have lack of time management skills. This lack of skill could be easily
observed by others such as I always reach late at my office or at any place. When I asked about
this with my colleagues and friends, they told me that I always reach late and this is not good.
This gives a bad image of myself and this behaviour has to be change. Time is precious and I
have to work hard to develop this skills. Along with this, I have a bad habit of overthinking.
Overthinking is bad for health and gives a lot of stress. Overthink leads to headache, body aches
and even anxiety which is bad for any individual. Along, I am a shy type of a person which mean
I would not be able t get along with people easily which also states that I am introvert person.
Introverts are those which do not like to get along with people and prefers to be alone. This
directly affects my performance at the organisation as I face hesitation while communicating to
the customers. Moreover, I am a stubborn person which means that I am unwilling to change my

decisions no matter what will be the circumstances. Stubbornness acts as positive as well
negative element for me. Negative stubbornness could lead to a disastrous situation where I will
not be able to help myself.
Opportunities: Opportunities are those aspects which will provide a chance for improving the
weaknesses. One of the major opportunity for improving my weakness is attending a session and
workshop where I could able to learn teamwork, emotional intelligence, creativity skills and time
management skills. As all these skills are important and useful in professional and private life.
These skills could be easily learnt in workshops where an instructor would be present and gives
practical knowledge about all the skills and would also observe me while implementing the
skills. Teamwork is essential as provides an individual to lead a teams which consists of some
individuals which are totally different from each other. The team leader has many responsibilities
such as leading the team member, give motivation to all the member so that they could do the
work on time, proving training and development sessions to them and many more. Time
management is considered as one the major skills one should have and it is beneficial or
everyone. This skills not only helps in reaching timely to a place or destination but also shows
that the person is committed towards their work and also the person is responsible. Also I have to
focus on the overthinking as this is not good and for this, I would also attending different
sessions so that I could able to overcome from overthinking, along with this, as I am shy and
introvert which is creating impact on many aspect of my professional as well as private life. For
making myself ambivert or extrovert person, I would be observing different people and have
interaction so that I could easily overcome. As I will overcome and learn the important skills, I
will applying to another job as I have to excel my self as well as earn potential and money more.
Threats: As told by my friends and colleagues that I am kind of bullish type off person. This
means that I bully person easily which reflects a bad image of myself towards the other. This
also give a bad impression on the customers who went to the stores. I didn't bully any individual
intentionally but it automatically reflect as the way I interact. Another threat is that, I panic a lot
regarding my future plans as I have acquired many skills and capabilities but still I panic as I
have many weakness which has to be overcome as well as learn all those skills which I lack.
This will provide me to stop the panic about the future plans. Another threat is that, I am not able
to recognise new names easily. This also creates a bad impression in the organisation as I forget
the name customers as well as new colleagues in the firm. Though I have patience and could

easily preserve my thoughts but sometimes started to panic about my future planning. This habit
is not good for me and also creates a direct impact on my image. As I am planning to applying
job in another organisation which will be requiring more skills and for getting selected, I have to
make sure that I should be able to learn skills and also ensures that I must overcome from my
bad habits as these habits will directly create impact on my new job and this could be disastrous
for the me as well as for the organisation. These habits will also create threat socially as it will
reflect in my behaviour and could create conflicts among friends as well as with my close ones.
This will represent a threat for me in both professional as well as in my private life.
Job description
Curriculum vitae
Gibbs reflection model (pdp)
CONCLUSION
REFERENCE
Book and journal