Employability Skills and Swot Analysis Essay

The UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES) define employability skills as ‘the skills almost everyone needs to do almost at any job’. The employability skills term as UKCES defined in 2008 is most often related with the ‘job readiness’ through demonstration of some elements of the personal characteristics such as (time keeping, responsibility, basic social interaction etc.) but less related with creative thinking and problem solving skills. The term ‘employability skills’ is also connected with other backgrounds, especially with Higher Education. The employability skills that identify me and my future career can be categorized in nine major groups of skills. The first groups of skills are the communication skills. The communication skills are the set of skills that allow an individual to transport information so that it is received and understood (Schroeder, A, 2010). The second groups of skills are the team work skills, which can be defined as the process of interacting and working collaboratively with a group of people in order to achieve a goal (Felder, R. M., & Silverman, L. K., 1988). In addition another group of skills are the organization and planning skills. Those types of skills can be defined as the way of working in a methodical approach, prioritizing and using time management, in order to carry out tasks effectively, for either yourself or your team (Felder, R. M. and Soloman, B. A., 2003). Besides the organization and planning skills, another group of skills that characterizes me, are the problem solving skills. We can define those skills as the process by which an individual or a team works through details of a problem, utilizing their creativity, available information and resources, reasoning and past experiences, in order to reach a solution (Gardner, H., 1983). Another important group of skills are the flexibility and adaptability skills which can be defined as the ability to be adaptable and responsive, to change in any given situation or work environment, or in response to the needs, wishes or demands of others (Honey, P. and Mumford, A., 1986). Additionally another important group of skills are the action planning skills. The action planning skills can be defined as the process which will help you to emphasize your ideas, and to decide what steps you need to take or activities that must be performed, to achieve particular goals (Honey, P., 1992). Moreover another important group of employability skills are the self-awareness skills which can be defined as the ability to know and understand yourself, including strengths, weaknesses, achievements, feelings and behaviors, and what you want out of life (Kolb, 1984). Furthermore another group of employability skills are the initiative skills. That group of skills can be defined as the ability to act and make decisions without the help or advice of other people (Honey, P., 1992). The last groups of employability skills are the personal impact and confidence skills. This group of skills can be defined as an approach which allows us to have a positive and realistic perception of ourselves and our abilities (Perry, 1968). SWOT analysis is a structured planning method used to evaluate the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats involved in a project or in a business venture. A SWOT analysis can be carried out for a product, a place or a person. I t involves identifying the objective of the business project or project and identifying the internal and external factors that are positive and negative to achieving that objective. The technique is official due to Albert Humphrey, who led a convention at the Stanford Research Institute in the 1960s and 1970s using data from Fortune 500 companies. In my case I am going to perform swot analysis for each of the nine groups of employability skills that I mentioned above. I am going to highlight the strengths, the weaknesses, the opportunities and the threats for all the groups of skills that I have mentioned before. Communication skills SWOT analysis Strengths: The first of my strengths as far as the communication skills is the process of presenting information in various formats. A strength that I obtained by being a member of my high schools argument team. Another of my strength is the process of motivating and encouraging others, a strength that I gained as a member and a captain in A.S. Aris water polo for seven years. Furthermore by being a secretary at my father’s clinic for the last two years, I gained the strength of questioning, listening, giving and accepting criticism. At last another of my strengths is the process of persuading and negotiating. A strength that I obtained as I was my class president for the last two years of high school. Weaknesses: As for my weaknesses as far as the communication skills are concerned I have to point out that the most of them exist due to the lack of my experience in the workplace. Construct coherent arguments and articulate ideas clearly to a range of audiences is a weakness to my communication skills but I will try to improve it in the future through knowledge and experience inherited by a variety of seminars connected to the subject that I am going to take. Another of my weaknesses is the fact that I cannot easily choose forms of delivery, structure and language appropriate to audience. A weakness that I tend to improve through studying about the subject. At last some other weaknesses of me are, understanding the others body language and my lack to articulate. Opportunities: I can get help from others or from people via the Internet.I can establish a network of strategic contacts that can help, or offer me good advices. If the customers or vendors of my future workplace complain i can create an opportunity by offering them a solution. Threats: I have poor marketing skills. There is a lot of competition in my field. A lot of communication may lead to negative results. Team Work skills SWOT analysis Strengths: The first of my strengths as far as the team work skills is that I can easily work and cooperate with other people from different cultural backgrounds, as I was a reservation manager for three summers (summer 2009-2011) at Spitaki bar-club. Some other of my strengths are the element of leadership, the process of taking a share of responsibility, the process of accepting and learning from constructive criticism, and the process of understanding role in a team . I obtained those skills as a member and a captain of A.S. Aris water polo team for seven years. At last I gained the process of the analysis of problem or task, and the strength of respecting others, as I worked as a bartender to Goldfish Bar for three years (2009- 2011). Weaknesses: My weaknesses as far as the team work skills are, that I am not so good at mediating between people, I have weak develop and maintain networks skill, that I am not working with confidence and that I am not being assertive. I will try to improve those weaknesses in the future by finding a role model and read the biographies of people that i admire. Opportunities: With my teamwork skills and through cooperation my job becomes easier. New innovative ideas are coming to the ‘’table’’ easier after brainstorming. By treating my team with respect any set of targets are achieved efficiently with accuracy. Threats: Differences in the character of the members of the team may lead to arguments and misconducts. My inability of maintaining networks will have a negative result in a team work project. My lack of confidence may lead in a negative result in a team work project. Organization and Planning Skills SWOT analysis Strengths: To begin with, my strengths as far as the organization and planning skills are the ability of good record keeping, the process of assigning priorities and the ability of undertaking good research. Those skills where obtained by attending several university classes. Some other of my strengths are that I am very good at documentation and attention to detail and at the process of setting clear goals that are achievable and measurable. Those were obtained by me as I worked as a secretary at my father’s clinic for the last two years. Weaknesses: My weaknesses as far as the organization and planning skills are, that I am not so good at the process of scheduling resources, managing time effectively and developing processes and procedures. Also I need to improve the processes of reviewing progress, and working to deadlines. Opportunities: Knowledge of new technology can help in my future work. I keep my knowledge up to date by reading regularly the ‘’Economist’’ magazine. Attention to detail will provide me with better employment opportunities. Threats: My lack of experience may lead to mistakes and miscalculations. Since I am not good at time managing i may not achieve my goals on time. Organization may lead to misconducts and arguments. Problem Solving Skills SWOT analysis Strengths: My strengths as far as the problem solving skills are, my ability of setting goals, the process of using initiative and logical reasoning and the element of evaluating information. Strengths that I obtained as I worked as a secretary at my father’s clinic for the last two years. Furthermore some of my other strength are, the processes of the decision making, planning, implementing, delegating tasks and responsibilities and the ability to identify and analyze situations. . I obtained those skills as a member and a captain of A.S. Aris water polo team for seven years. Weaknesses: My weaknesses as far as the problem solving skills are that I am not good at experimenting with new methods, negotiations and the process of resolving conflicts. In addition I do not possess the ability to deal with and implement change. I will try to improve those weaknesses in the future by earning experience from future works. Opportunities: My elements of setting goals and evaluating information will help me be more accurate and efficient at my workplace. I am responsible and mature, elements that will help me to be successful at my field. Threats: My lack of experience may lead to mistakes and miscalculations. The fact that there is a lot of competition in my field. Flexibility and Adaptability Skills SWOT analysis Strengths: My strengths as far as the flexibility and adaptability skills are the processes of managing multiple assignments and tasks at the same time and working either independently or as part of a team. I obtained those skills as a member and a captain of A.S. Aris water polo team for seven years and as I worked as a bartender to Goldfish Bar for three years (2009- 2011). Weaknesses: My weaknesses as far as the flexibility and adaptability skills are, that I cannot easily adapt to changing conditions and work assignments and I find it hard to set parameters. Opportunities: I have a flexible and adaptable character which is a basic element for a work in field. I gained the ability of working either independently or as part of a team, an element which creates a big advantage for my future carrier. I love to travel so a job that includes traveling seems ideal. Threats: Changing work conditions and work assignments can confuse me. Action Planning Skills SWOT analysis Strengths: My strengths as far as the action planning skills are, the ability of identifying objectives, using lists, setting clearly defined steps and prioritizing tasks effectively. The above were obtained by me as I worked as a secretary at my father’s clinic for the last two years. Weaknesses: My weaknesses as far as the action planning skills are, I find hard to work to deadlines, to develop a contingency plan and to develop a timetable or work schedule. I intend to improve those weaknesses by earning experience as I will continue to work as a secretary at my father’s clinic. Opportunities: The job am willing to follow is in a high growing industry. I am watching networking events, educational classes, or conferences so that I will be ready when the time for an interview comes. I am trying to accomplish a new role or project that forces you to learn new skills, like public speaking or international relations. Threats: I find hard to work to deadlines, to develop a contingency plan and to develop a timetable or work schedule, element that create threats for my future work. Self-Awareness Skills SWOT analysis Strengths: My strengths as far as the self-awareness skills are the ability of receiving and using feedback, the ability to reflect on what I have learnt and the ability of understanding my strengths. The above were obtained by me as I worked as a reservation manager for three summers (summer 2009-2011) at Spitaki bar-club. Weaknesses: My weaknesses as far as the self-awareness skills are, that I find hard to understand where the gaps in my knowledge and experience are, how to recognize my motives and how to identify my own training needs. Skills that I tend to improve in the near future through university classes. Opportunities: I can get help from others or from people via the Internet which creates an advantage for my place at the current market. I have the specific skills (like a second language) that could help my future company or workplace for an expansion or acquisition. I will take advantage of my competitors failing to do something important in order to climb up the hierarchy. Threats: I find hard to understand where the gaps in my knowledge and experience are and how to recognize my motives, elements that could risk my potential carrier. My lack of experience may lead to mistakes and miscalculations. Initiative Skills SWOT analysis Strengths: My strengths as far as the initiative skills are, that I have the ability of giving assistance to others, of finding a solution to a problem quickly and effectively, of taking responsibility and of introducing improvements. I obtained these strengths as I worked as a bartender to Goldfish Bar for three years (2009- 2011). Weaknesses: My weaknesses as far as the initiative skills are, that I find hard to generate ideas, to challenge perceptions and to be creative. . I will try to improve those weaknesses in the future by earning experience from future works. Opportunities: I will try to identify the needs of my workplace that no one is filling. If a colleague is going on an extended leave. I could take on some of this person’s projects to gain experience. Threats: My lack of experience may lead to mistakes and miscalculations. There is a lot of competition in my field. Personal Impact and Confidence Skills SWOT analysis Strengths: My strengths as far as the personal impact and confidence skills are, that I own the ability to display a sense of control, to show positive attitude to work, to take responsibility for own learning and reflective practice, and to act as a role model. Strengths that I gained as a member and a captain in A.S. Aris water polo for seven years. Weaknesses: My weaknesses as far as the personal impact and confidence skills are, that I find hard to seek advice and support, I am not able to establish boundaries and I do not have awareness of growth, progress and achievements Opportunities: I have sense of control, an element that will help me to be a vital employ of my company or industry. I am confident as a person, an element that is very important in order to achieve my goals. Threats: My lack of experience may lead to mistakes and miscalculations. The fact that there is a lot of competition in my field. My inability of maintaining networks will have a negative result in a team work project. References Schroeder, A., (2010), The strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of using social software in higher and further education teaching and learning. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 26: 159–174. Felder, R. M., & Silverman, L. K. (1988). Learning and Teaching Styles in Engineering Education. Eng. Education, 78(7), 674–681. Felder, R. M. and Soloman, B. A. (2003). Index of Learning Styles Questionnaire Available online at http://www.engr.ncsu.edu/learningstyles/ilsweb.html Gardner, H. (1983) â€Å"Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences.† New York: http://ebooksfreedownload.org/tag/gardner-frames-of-mind-pdf Honey, P. and Mumford, A. (1986). Using your learning styles. Maidenhead: Peter Honey Honey, P. (1992). The manual of learning styles: Revised version. Maidenhead: Peter Honey Kolb (1984), Experiential learning: experience as the source of learning and development, Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall (available at: http://academic.regis.edu/ed205/Kolb.pdf ) Perry (1968) Patterns of development in thought and values of students in a liberal arts college. UKCES. (2008). 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