University Portfolio 1: Summary of Professional Skill Development

This report presents a comprehensive portfolio summary of essential professional skills developed by a student. It analyzes a range of skills crucial for career success, including data collection, academic reading and writing, research topic selection, plagiarism awareness, referencing, CV and cover letter preparation, interview techniques, presentation skills, and transferable skills. The report details the practical application of these skills, offering insights into how the student has utilized them in academic and professional contexts. It emphasizes the importance of each skill, providing examples of how they contribute to effective decision-making, communication, and overall professional competence. The student reflects on their experiences, highlighting the development and application of these skills to improve their work and career prospects. This portfolio serves as a valuable resource for students seeking to understand and enhance their professional capabilities.

CW2 : Portfolio
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Summary
To develop various skills it is important for an individual so that they can ensure their
success in their career and professionally. Also it enables in managing the change and various
challenges that are faced by the individual due to emerging competition and dynamic business
environment. Some o the crucial skills that an individual must have includes communication
skills and other transferrable skills. With detailed knowledge and understanding of the
environment enable me to think creatively and logically. This improves the efficiency in my
decisions making ability and to analyse the situations more efficiently.
In this report a portfolio of various skills is created in which I included various skills are
included that is required to be successful. I analyse all these skills and how important they are. I
considered my academic reading and writing skills with the help of which writing, understanding
and reading abilities are analysed. They facilitated me in managing my reports and completing
various assignments within university and professionally. The presentation skills so possessed
enabled me to present myself before others, but with the help of this I could also motivate my
team members to improve their skills as it facilitated me in convincing the management and
clients in an efficient manner. The research skills and the ability to identify the research topic
also facilitate in undertaking the research efficiently so that the objectives of the research can be
identified as per the area of interest. This is also supported by the data collection skills because
the research included data collection. The efficiency in these skills enables me to conducts
various research at both university level and in my professional career. Recently I conducted a
research in which I used various research methods and data collection methods efficiently
because I had understanding of all such methods.
I also prepared CV and cover letters which enables the employer to identify all my abilities
and strengths which can help me in executing my roles for those particular designations. To
support this I also developed my interview skills so with the help of which I could respond to the
questions of the interviewer confidently. The concept of Plagiarism and referencing facilitated
me in improving the quality of my reports and assignments so formulated by me as with this I
could ensure the readers of the authentic information which enhances the reliability on the data
and the outcomes. Lastly, with the help of my transferrable skills I could develop a better team as
I could transfer various skills required by all by making them understand it’s important for them
as well as for the overall performance of the team.
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Table of Contents
Summary..........................................................................................................................................3
Main Body.......................................................................................................................................5
1) Data collection...................................................................................................................5
2) Academic reading...............................................................................................................5
3) Academic writing...............................................................................................................5
4) Research Topic...................................................................................................................6
5) Plagiarism...........................................................................................................................6
6) Referencing........................................................................................................................7
7) CV......................................................................................................................................7
8) Interview............................................................................................................................7
9) Presentation skills...............................................................................................................8
10) Transferrable skills...........................................................................................................8
11) Cover Letter.....................................................................................................................9
12) Research skills..................................................................................................................9
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................10
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Main Body
1) Data collection
Data collection is the process with the help of which the information are gathered by the
researcher for undertaking any study as per their area of interest, purpose of the study and
availability of the resources (Hart, 2018). It can be done with the help of various methods such
as surveys, questionnaires, focus groups etc. These questions can be structured and unstructured
as per the need of the research in which the either a set of questions are framed or are asked
randomly with on the basis of the responses of the people. I have undertaken various researches
during my studies and even during my professional career for managing various issues such as
for market research to identify the customers reactions with the help of structured questionnaire.
2) Academic reading
Reading skills are those with the help of which one can understand the information that has
been presented to them. The academic reading skills enable a person in developing knowledge
by reading various study material with which they can develop ability to think and understand
various situations (Green and Salkind, 2016). When I was in university I use to go through
various case studies and business journals that develop an understanding in me regarding which
factors must be taken into consideration at the time of decision making. This also improved my
academic performance as with this effective communication was possible with which I could
present myself better than others.
3) Academic writing
Academic writing is crucial for an individual as with this they can convey the outcomes so
identifier by them with their analysis and researches etc. as it includes formal writing which
includes formal writing (Abe,2019). This makes it an impersonal style which is used by the
students for preparing their reports and assignments, also the grammar that is being used must be
considered as this affects the quality of the report. With better academic writing skills better
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marks can be scored by the students. During my course I had prepared various reports for the
assignments in which my focus used to be on impersonal and accurate information which is
evident as this make the report so prepared authentic and reliable. This also facilitated me in
preparing my project reports at professional level as well.
4) Research Topic
Research topics are those on which the study is being done by an individual and such topic
clearly defines the purpose for which the research is undertaken. While selecting the research
topic it must be taken into consideration that the broad topic of interest is taken then gradually it
must narrow down to develop a detailed understanding (García-Peñalvo, 2016). Various
databases facilitate to browse for the research topic from various sources such as journals,
articles directly communicating to the people related to the research topic. While undertaking
various researches I used to decide the topic by conducting preliminary research on it and this
facilitate me to identify the relevance of the research.
5) Plagiarism
Plagiarism is considered to be an act in which the ideas, words, thoughts of others are
presented as their own. It is treated as the stealing of the intellectual property and academic
offence. Also it affects the trust of the readers and the reliability on the content as the data is not
original (Giul, 2017). The plagiarism can be intentional or unintentional as it can be done by any
individual even when they are aware of it or it can be in case when they do not know about it.
When the students attempts to do this their marks get deducted but when it is attempted on
professional level various legal implications has to face by an individual. I was not aware of this
until it was mentioned as one of my academic assignment.
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6) Referencing
Referencing is the concept with the help of which the information so included within the
report must be provided a source that reflects from where the data is being gathered. With this
the authenticity of the data can be improved and reliability of the readers can be enhanced. This
enables the students to score better marks as it reflects their efforts for browsing the information.
When I prepared various assignments I used referencing in my projects with which my teachers
could determine my efforts. These referencing can be done in different styles such as Harvard,
APA, Chicago etc.
7) CV
It is a written document which includes information about an individual regarding their
educational qualification, skills, abilities, knowledge etc. along with this it includes their
personal information such as their name, address, contact information and various transferrable
skills (McDowell, 2019). With the help of this the employer can determine the ability of an
individual to perform various tasks that is associated with the particular job role they are
applying for. Along with this the experience in terms of their last employment can be identified
by the employer with which they determine the suitability of the candidate. I prepared my CV
when I was in last semester as I appeared in various interview. It enables the employer to analyse
my ability for that particular job and facilitate comparison with other candidates.
8) Interview
Interview is the process with the help of which the abilities candidate is analysed by the
employer. A candidate must prepare themselves before appearing in any interview by identifying
answers to the common questions asked (Wong, 2019). Along with this significant knowledge
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must be developed regarding the organisation and the job role that has been offered. In addition
to this the understanding of various factors that can affect the business operations must be
analysed as with the help of this better responses can be provided to the interviewer. With the
help of Interview Skills I could easily present myself before the interviewer as I prepared myself
in all these aspects. The employer provided me various situations and I could efficiently respond
to them as I have understanding of various prevailing market condition related the business.
9) Presentation skills
With the help of effective presentation skills one could efficiently convey the message to
the audience by breaking the topic into smaller and understandable form. Such skill is beneficial
in both the case as in academic and professionally (Bohari, 2017). The ability, knowledge and
understanding are reflected in the presentation so given by the individual. To improve the
performance it is crucial for an individual to enhance their knowledge of the particular topic. At
the time of giving presentation it is important to have confidence and it is reflected by way of
direct eye contact with the audience, ability to engage the audience etc. The most important
aspect that must be considered is the use of simple words so that the audiences can understand
easily. I developed this skill in me with the help of giving presentation in university and my
graduation course.
10) Transferrable skills
Transferrable skills are portable skills which can be transferred from one person to another.
These skills increases the chances of an individual to be successful as it includes various
communication skills, leadership skills, self motivation etc. All these skills make an individual
capable of managing various situations by motivating others (McGuire, 2019). With various
writing and verbal skills the reports can be formulated, discussions can be facilitated which
develop understanding among the employees within the organisation. I posses various skills such
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as better communication skills, leadership abilities, self motivation with which I can develop a
better team that can facilitate in dealing with various situations.
11) Cover Letter
Cover letter is a document that is provided by the candidate to the employer so that they can
better understand the abilities of the candidate. Such a document is provided in addition to the
CV in additional information is included (Bohari, Hin and Fuad, 2017). It is generally treated as
a letter of introduction which is offered by the job seekers to the employers. All the necessary
information which are not included in CV or which require detailed understanding is included in
the cover letter. With this an employer can efficiently compare the abilities of different candidate
who has applied for the same job. I developed a cover letter along with my CV. In this letter I
included information such as my role in the internship program with which the employer can
determine the responsibilities that has been provided to me.
12) Research skills
The research is considered to be a systematic process with the help of which understanding
of the topic on which the study is done can be facilitated. It is related with exploring, explaining,
evaluating and changing the issues defined in the objectives of the research. Different types of
researches are undertaken by the individual which is dependent upon the nature of the study such
as scientific research which is based on logic, reasons etc. and social research which is based on
social behaviour. For undertaking the research various methods are adopted by the investigators
and accordingly data is gathered by them. I conducted various researches and recently conducted
a scientific research to understand the impact of emerging technology. This facilitated me in
developing better analysing skills which improves ability of decision making.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Bohari, A. M., Hin, C. W. and Fuad, N., 2017. The competitiveness of halal food industry in
Malaysia: A SWOT-ICT analysis. Geografia-Malaysian Journal of Society and Space.
9(1).
Giuli, R. D. and Treadgold, N. K., Apple Inc, 2017. Better resolution when referencing to
concepts. U.S. Patent 9,633,004.
Hart, C., 2018. Doing a literature review: Releasing the research imagination. Sage
McGuire, A. and OBroin, D., 2019, October. Using a Game-Based System to Develop Student
CV Writing Skills. In European Conference on Games Based Learning (pp. 978-XIX).
Academic Conferences International Limited.
Wong, S. H. and et. al, 2019. Communication techniques. U.S. Patent 10,194,330.
García-Peñalvo, F. J., 2016. Presentation of the GRIAL research group and its main research
lines and projects on March 2016.
Green, S. B. and Salkind, N. J., 2016. Using SPSS for Windows and Macintosh, books a la carte.
Pearson.
Stephenson, G. M., 2015. Group remembering. Psychology of group influence. p.357.
Abe, A., Pease, D.A. and Real, L.C.V., International Business Machines Corp, 2019. Dynamic
symbolic links for referencing in a file system. U.S. Patent 10,212,067.
McDowell, G. L., 2019. Cracking the coding interview: 189 programming questions and
solutions. CareerCup.
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