Reflective Interview

During the course of this module, I was able to engage in various activities I believe have impacted my career development in one way or the other. As a result, I plan to conduct a self-reflection using the Career EDGE Model which will aid in the analysis and evaluation of gained skills, as well as the areas that I still need to work on so as to improve my employability. This reflection will feature an evaluation of my relative strengths and weaknesses, an evaluation of my progress in terms of employability, a reflection of my personal development as well as future career planning needs, and finally the ability to present myself professionally and effectively under interview conditions.

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Strengths and Weaknesses

In relation to my individual career aspirations, I have been able to identify my strengths and weaknesses. I have strength in terms of gaining experience by working in the MYO Sports Clinic as a sports project coordinator. This is because working here will offer me an opportunity to enhance my experience of the sports industry as I will be working in cooperation with organizations and schools too.

Another area that will enhance my experience is planning for workshops in outdoor areas. Here, I will be able to learn the various ways of organizing workshops and being able to fight with uncontrollable external factors such as weather and venue. It enhances my skills of developing ideas for back-up plans, even in emergency situations. Planning workshops that require collaborations with gyms also adds strength to my skills as it enables me to learn proper communication with commercial organizations. Finally, I will gain experience in working with a team of teenagers whose workshops tend to be a bit complicated as a result of the education policy. Here, more factors will have to be taken into consideration, such as the discipline control.

The weaknesses that I identified, however, are limited but can cause a great impact on my future career. For example, I have learned that I do not know how to communicate effectively, or come up with problem solving methods. I still tend to be dependent on others and cannot think of my own ways for organizing workshops, unless I get ideas from others.

Evaluating my Own Progress in regards to Employability

To evaluate my progress in regards to employability, the Career EDGE Model will be considered. I have made progress under Degree subject knowledge, understanding and skills. According to Pool and Sewell (2007), employers will basically judge graduates basing on how successfully they have accomplished their degree course. Although I am yet to graduate, the past two years has seen a great improvement in my theoretical skills in Sport Event Management, Sport Organization, Operational Management and Policy, as well as Sport Facility. For example, I know that to indicate mastery in this degree subject I need to also showcase an understanding of industry trends among many others (Cheng et al., 2013).

When it comes to generic skills, I can comfortably say that I still have room of development as I am not comfortable with most of my skills such as communication and organization. Therefore, in this regard, I still need to develop to improve my employability chances.

In terms of emotional intelligence, I feel like my competencies are well developed enough to enable me to interact with customers in this sports industry effectively. For instance, I know how to handle a client whose main reason for exercising is to improve physical function which was destroyed in the event of an accident (Cheng et al., 2013).

Considering my views of the future, I feel that I have achieved so much under Career development learning. I know that it is important for me to give other areas of sports industry a try, even when I will be employed in a specific section. This is important as it will give me a chance to further develop my career and not just be stagnant in one section (Pool & Sewell, 2007).

In terms of experience, I can say that I have learnt, and I am still learning a lot. There can never be enough experience, as one is supposed to develop progressively over time (Pool & Sewell, 2007). Working in MYO Sports Clinic ensures this development, just as it ensures my personal life is also being improved in terms of proper communication and relations with others.

Self-Reflection of my Own Development

Considering the analysis above, I am confident that I have developed a lot when compared to the time I started the course. At present, I have mastered skills and theories in Sports, and know what to expect in this industry. I know the various employment positions I can get and the roles I will be expected to play. Finally, I have also added a little experience that has provided me an opportunity to put theory in practice.

My Professionally and Effectively Under Interview Conditions

When being interviewed, I can answer appropriately through the use of both verbal and nonverbal communication. This is because I have learnt the importance of effective communication in a real working environment. I understand that dressing appropriately is also important. When attending an interview, I will dress in a black suit to ensure I appear as a professional. Finally, I will engage effectively with the interviewers to portray my interpersonal skills.

References

Cheng, P. et al. (2013). A Comparative Study of the Professional Competences Development in Asian Sport Industry in Higher Education. Journal of Global Business Management 9(3): 58-63.

Pool, L. & Sewell, P. (2007). The key to employability: developing a practical model of graduate employabilityEducation + Training, 49(4), 277-289. DOI: 10.1108/00400910710754435