Developing Professional and Academic Skills: A Detailed Report

This report explores the significance of professional and academic skills for career development in business and management. It includes a reflective statement based on personal learning approaches and transferable competencies developed during academic studies, utilizing self-analysis models such as SWOT, Belbin's team role test, DISC assessment, Borton's CUE questions, and the VAK model. The report also presents a personal development learning log and action plan to develop critical thinking, teamwork, vocabulary, and time management skills over the next 12 months, emphasizing the importance of these competencies for achieving desired outcomes and contributing effectively in a professional environment. This student-contributed assignment is available on Desklib, a platform offering a wealth of academic resources for students.

PROFESSIONAL AND ACADEMIC
SKILS DEVELOPMENT

Table of Content
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
TASK...............................................................................................................................................3
Importance of professional & academic skills for career in the context of business and
management.................................................................................................................................3
Reflective statement based on my approach to personal learning and growth as well as
transferable competencies that have already developed by attention module.............................3
Producing a personal development learning log and action plan. ..............................................7
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................9
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................11
APPENDIX....................................................................................................................................12
VAK Model...............................................................................................................................12
Borton's cue questions...............................................................................................................12

INTRODUCTION
Development of academic and professional skills play important role in success and
unexpected growth of individual person. This type of development has contributed to enhance
and increase the productivity level of people's and enable them to obtain expected outcomes. The
current assignment will explain the significance of both types of skills for career in the field of
management & business. Furthermore, it will define the reflective statement based on personal
learning approach and transferable competencies that have already developed during academic
studies. Lastly, the report will justify personal development learning log and action plan that will
consider developing each skill over the next 12 months.
TASK
Importance of professional & academic skills for career in the context of business and
management.
In the world individual person works really hard to grow their career in one of those
professional fields, in which they are interested. In order to develop career in specific field of
business and management, it is important for them to utilize varied skills related to academic and
professional concepts.
Problem solving, presentation, creative thinking, ICTs, effective communication,
research writing, report, time management, team working and better understanding of
vocabulary, are included in category of those competencies that needed and play essential role in
career development (Reed and Jones, 2021). For example, with the help of problem solving skill,
individuals during their academic studies may solve critical issues and clear path to success
effectively, which bring varied advantages for them that they obtain appropriately for purpose of
excellent growth and success. It can be said that ICTs skills enabled a person to resolve common
technical issues in their systems at workplace that help to work with it easily and allow showing
creativeness with advanced technologies.
Reflective statement based on my approach to personal learning and growth as well as
transferable competencies that have already developed by attention module.
There are different types of methods and techniques as well as approaches available in
the world that has been utilized in the context of personal development. Self analysis is one of
those approaches that I have used with the help of taking several strategic models into

consideration that enable me to conduct self-analysis process in varied manners. These
frameworks are;
SWOT analysis-
The best model that I had used is current one, which enable me to identify my skills as
key strengths and weaknesses that put negative impact on my performance when I would take
approach to perform effectively as employee in an organization in the future. With the help of
this framework I have determined opportunities that I would grab to overcome my threat, and a
weakness as well.
Strengths-
 ICTs skill
 Leadership competence
 Collaborative
 Problem-solving
Weaknesses-
 Lack of vocabulary
 Good knowledge of team work
 Poor time management
 Average in creative thinking
Threats-
 Poor understanding about
organizational culture
 Intense competition in job market
 Lack of corporate knowledge
 Changing requirements of employers
related to employees skills
Opportunities-
 Technological advancement
 Training and development methods
 By comprehending corporate world and
overall environment.
 By reading books related to profession
and using internet.

Belbin's team role test-
By considering this model, I have conducted an online test, which in return provide final
outcomes in term of determining which skills I have and need to develop.
By conducting Belbin Analysis team role test, I have identified my effectiveness and
efficiency in term of key skills. From overall analysis, I have come to final outcome and tend to
describe that I am more chairperson and capable to play important role in a team as a driver, who
is able to drive the attention of others towards success.
DISC assessment-
Along with above two, for purpose of self-analysis I have utilized another model and that
is current one. I have obtained outcome of this test in form of graph that define what skills I have
and which competencies I lack and need to develop.
Illustration 1: Belbin Analysis Outcome
(Source: Team roles test, 2021)

Borton's CUE questions-
This self-analysis model is developed by Borton in 1970's. It encompasses 3 key
questions. This concept enables me to identify my approaches that I have taken in the context of
personal development and that is action plan, which in return provide outcome according to my
expectations and drive my attention toward strategic career growth in the future. This model may
totally straightforward and simple to implement in term of reflective concept. It enabled me to
reflect my personal as well as academic skills without having appropriate structure in front of
me.
VAK model-
This model stand to visual, auditory and Kinesthetic terms that defined as the best and
highly utilize learning styles that provide simple ways or forms to explain and comprehend
Illustration 2: DISC model
(Source: DISC Personality Report, 2021)

specific form of personal development & learning (Vak Test: What Is Your Visual, Auditory, And
Kinesthetic Type, 2020). By using current model as self assessment tool, I have identified that I
am a Kinesthetic person, which means my process information by what I feel & experience more
so than by what I hear or see. I like take pleasure of physical activity, exploring new things
without any plan, a sense of touch, and go with an comprehending of how things make me feel,
emotionally or physically. While learning, I am hands on type.
Producing a personal development learning log and action plan.
Skills that I have-
From above analysis, I have come to conclusion that I am capable to provide appropriate
advice and strategic directions to others as I have effective collaborative skill. I am also capable
to solve key problems and challenges by developing effective plan. Furthermore, I am able to
solve key problems by developing appropriate and effective solutions with usage of advanced
technologies.
Competencies I would like to develop-
I want to improve or develop set of key skills such as critical thinking, team work,
vocabulary, and time management. As I am not posing better knowledge about each skill, which
play important role in my academic and professional career growth. Time management is one of
those competencies that contribute to enhance individuals performance level and productivity as
well. It would give me power to grow rapidly and perform in the future as a employee in
productive manner that is quite beneficial and important for me to do that.
Personal development learning log-
Date of event What was the
development
activity?
What have I learned? How will I apply this
learning?
23/11/20 SWOT analysis Better understanding
about conducting self-
analysis.
I would apply this
learning for purpose of
determining my
strengths, weaknesses
threats and
opportunities.

24/11/20 CV writing I have learned to
create appropriate CV.
To represent my skills
and effectiveness.
27/11/20 Team work I have learned to work
in a team and support
others.
While performing in
team.
30/11/20 Research and analysis I have learned how to
collect important
information.
To conduct research
based on specific
topic.
01/12/20 VAK model I have developed
better understanding
about my personality.
I would understand
throughout my life in
term of obtaining
excellent benefits of
my further studies.
05/12/20 Borton's CUE
questions
How some habit of
individual helped them
to achieve desire
outcomes
Throughout my
academic studies and
professional career.
Action plan-
In order to develop my skills and competencies, I have taken approach to develop an
action plan, which encompasses key stages or elements that helped me to obtain desire outcome
and gain benefits in the future while working as skilled and productive employee.
What do I want
to learn?
What do I have
to do?
What support
and resources
would I need?
How would I
measure
success?
Target for
review.
Vocabulary Read books and
novels
Internet By writing good
academic and
other types of
report.
2 months

Knowledge of
team work
Team
collaboration and
coordination
Leaders
suggestions
By analysing
outcomes while
performing in
teams
1 month
Time
management
Planing and
scheduling
Internet and plan By completing
each task on time
20 days
Creative thinking Situational
analysis
Training and
development
By providing
creative solutions.
1 month 15 days
CV
Name- Stuard John
Contact number- 0154814674
Email id- [e-mail]
Personal profile
Effective communicator, problem solver, creative and committed personality with better and
excellent experience of performing in management as executive manager. Hard working,
effective collaboration and time management are additional qualities.
Core skills
 Ms Excel
 ICTs skill
 Team player
 Passionate
 Leadership
Career summary
Executive manager- 2019 September
Location- Heritage place
Professional qualification
 Certificate in hospitality management
 Advance diploma in management
Academic qualification

 MBA in hospitality management
 ITI
 Advanced technology courses
CONCLUSION
From above analysis, it has been concluded that effective communication, critical
thinking, problem-solving and other types of academic & professional skills has enhanced the
performance level of each candidate. These competencies made them capable to achieve desire
results and provide satisfactory work to employers who have high expectations from them.
Furthermore, by summing up above discussion, it has been summarized that action plan and
personal development learning log has contributed to build strong personalities, who have
capability and efficiency to work effectively during work load. Self-analysis models has
provided varied benefits in bulk that developed and improved individual skills.

REFERENCES
Book and Journals
Kusumawarti, E. and Subiyantoro, S., 2020. The Effectiveness of Visualization, Auditory,
Kinesthetic (VAK) Model toward Writing Narrative: Linguistic Intelligence
Perspective. International Journal of Instruction. 13(4). pp.677-694.
Reed, D.E. and Jones, G.Z., 2021. The Importance of First Semester Seminars for At-Risk First-
Year Students: Analysis of Student Skills and Time Spent on Class Preparation.
Education Sciences. 11(9). p.510.
Sary, E., Rozi, Z.F. and Satria, T.G., 2020. APPLICATION OF VISUAL LEARNING
MODELS, AUDITORY, KINESTETIC (VAK) ON THE RESULTS OF LEARNING
SCIENCE CLASS V BANGUNREJO STATE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. Literasi
Nusantara. 1(1). pp.51-60.
Online
Borton's Development Framework. 2020. [Online]. Available Through: <https://www.physio-
pedia.com/Borton%27s_Development_Framework>
DISC Personality Report. 2021. [Online]. Available Through: <https://www.123test.com/disc-
personality-test/id=fEQZOZECDM5B18A&version=>
Team roles test. 2021. [Online]. Available Through: <https://www.123test.com/team-roles-test/>
Vak Test: What Is Your Visual, Auditory, And Kinesthetic Type? 2020. [Online]. Available
Through: <https://www.proprofs.com/quiz-school/story.php?title=vak-quiz-visual-
auditory-kinesthetic>

APPENDIX
VAK Model
Borton's cue questions