Self-Reflection on Career Development

Introduction

Career development, holistically, can broadly be understood as sociological, educational, physical and economical methods of enhancing the career ambitions and/or choices of an individual. The current understanding of career development can be understood in two broad terms; either in the sense of understanding career development in an individual’s life span or certain career interventions (Herr, 2001).

The purpose of this document is to self-reflect on the career promoting actions that have been taken by me in the duration of my education and understand in the context of my education. The document will also look at the assessment that I accessed and took through the portal and how it will positively benefit me in my career actions later and whether my personal interests are compatible with my professional capabilities. I will also elucidate on the concepts of networking and the usage of CV and expand on why they are important for career development and personal development.

Career Development and Employability

The following section will discuss in some detail two important methods and tools for the development of one’s career, the CV and networking methods.

Curriculum Vitae

A curriculum vitae (CV) or resumé has various purposes in academic settings. It serves, in the best-case scenario, as a synopsis of the most essential and significant components of that person's professional experience, and it describes, in detail, all of the academic accomplishments that have characterised that person's academic career trajectory, including as a framework to assess research performance and efficiency. In a gender-neutral approach, a CV is equally beneficial for job applications and promotions (Steinpreis et al., 1999; Cañibano and Bozeman, 2009).

In your job hunt, your CV is the most important marketing tool. It summarises one's qualifications and experience, and it aids Hiring Managers and Recruiters in determining how you might benefit customers and the organization. It is critical to devote effort to creating an appealing CV in order to land that coveted interview. Employers utilise resumes to learn more about a candidate's abilities, talents, and accomplishments. Your cv should include successes, awards, education, training, and any other noteworthy accomplishments that are relevant to your professional path and objectives. One of the ways in which you can develop it better is by structuring it in an attractive fashion and make it as succinct as possible (indeed.com).

Networking

Career networking, often known as business networking, is making use of social, professional, academic, or family relationships to help with a job hunt, career objectives, or learning more about your sector or another industry you'd want to perform in. Networking can help you learn about job openings or gain a connection at a firm where you want to work. According to the popular job site and networking site, LinkedIn’s reports, In 2016, 70 percent of people were recruited at an organization where they had a link, 80 percent of professionals believe professional networking is important for the successful accomplishments in their career, 35 percent of surveyed professionals say a normal conversation on LinkedIn Messaging led to a new prospect, and 61 percent of professionals agree that regular social communication with their network of people is important for career achievement (Mihalick, 2019).

There are many skills which need to be developed in order to develop one’s networking skills, three of those skills are communication skills, active listening skills and social skills. The act of transmitting message from one source to another is known as communication. It entails conversing and empathising with individuals in order to accurately receive and understand the message which the other person is giving. Active listening is another crucial networking ability. Listen to and comprehend people's wants if you want to make them enthused about your company and what you're discussing with them. In addition to that, an individual needs to have good social skills too. These are the abilities you use to communicate with others, both verbally and nonverbally. Not only do they comprise words, but also gestures, body language, and outward character. It also encompasses friendliness, which implies sincerity and goodwill. As a result, trust and empathy can develop, creating a solid basis for a new connection while networking (indeed.com).

Assessment Reflection

In this section, I will expand on the assessment that I chose for my own evaluation from the portal that was made available to me, share my insights on what I understood about my capabilities from that assessment and reflect on how I will use these skills that I possess and have acquired in my future.

The test that I took was the Management Skills test as I feel that is a professional area which has a lot of potential and I also feel my personal interests and skills closely align with the area. My score in the test was 87, and according to the scale that was given in the assessment website, this means that my assessment skills are promising. I missed the mark of coming into the category above that by just two points, but according to the category that I scored in, I need more encouragement and education in management and related skills in order to consider it as a serious career option.

Upon taking that test, what I realised about myself was that although I have the rough capabilities of developing a successful career in the managerial arena, I need to gain greater technical knowledge in the area too. I believe I can do that by introspecting on what my strengths and weaknesses are, particularly in my academic performance and what I can do to change that.

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References

Herr, E.L., 2001. Career development and its practice: A historical perspective. The Career Development Quarterly, 49(3), pp.196-211.

Indeed.com. 2021. [online] Available at: [Accessed 20 May 2021].

Cañibano, C. and Bozeman, B., 2009. Curriculum vitae method in science policy and research evaluation: the state-of-the-art. Research Evaluation, 18(2), pp.86-94.

Steinpreis, R.E., Anders, K.A. and Ritzke, D., 1999. The impact of gender on the review of the curricula vitae of job applicants and tenure candidates: A national empirical study. Sex roles, 41(7), pp.509-528.

Linkedin.com. 2021. The Importance of Career Networking. [online] Available at: [Accessed 20 May 2021].