Creating a Work Portfolio - Case Study Example

Students Name: Institution Name: Creating a work portfolio. Introduction. The following writing is an account of my career achievements, and the vision for my career as for my aspiration to advance and venture into more tasking world. The portfolio entails the list of my career achievements, academic advancements and the accounts for my referees. I have been able to establish a good foundation and accomplish a countable number of objectives in my career field. I have been working since the year 2010 up to date, in different companies and varied departments. With the experience and skills gained during the duties I carried out, I intend on advancing my career ambitions to the next level. My ambitions in life are to keep advancing and improving from one state to the next. I am currently focused on property management. It is through my skills and experience that I view this as an achievable objective. Career Objectives and goals In my career, I am aiming at achieving so much. From the experience and the knowledge I have from classwork it is my hope that my dreams in achieving a better tomorrow will be a success to me. I am a hardworking self-reliable individual who is interested in achieving so much in my career field. My objective in the field is to give an outstanding support to the company or institution that I work for in ensuring their set objectives and aims are attained through maximum cooperation and teamwork towards to better the services being offered by the company. In the near future, I am optimistic that I will have done so much and my career will be in a better position (Arter, 1992). Mission statement. My life’s major happiness is to see a nation that all the people are getting equal services and resources that satisfy them. It seems impossible but with hard work and dedication, doing my part as a service person will be my contentment in life. My motivation to work hard is to build a better future by offering great services no matter the position you are in. In the period I have been carrying out my duties, there has been great visible achievements and advancements in my career. Starting from a lower point to where I am, I can point some accomplishments along the way. The following is an account of my work experience detailing the period of the work and all the duties I have been able to execute. It is through the career achievements that I feel confident and hopeful that more good things lie ahead. Online professional identity. To place my professional details on the online platform. Using a LinkedIn account gives the room for a person to update almost all his/her career details. With my LinkedIn account, I have been able to view multiple career choices fitting with my qualifications. LinkedIn offers a user with a platform having multiple recruiters’ database hence there are high chances the users will benefit directly by having their data online. I have also learned so much from the established users of the LinkedIn, through their life and career experience. With the large database of companies and parastatal within the LinkedIn portal, I have been able to analyze potential employers and how my career future entail. From the companies, I have been able to view analyze my potential recruiter based on my achievements and career ambitions (Gerard, 2012). Recently I joined a focus group consisting of alumni. The group entailed carrying activities running through a one week period, with a set objective of focusing on our future career objective. The focus group was established to put the members on track in meeting their career objectives and towards the establishment of their future career. I joined the group to sharpen and enhance my career skills and gain a clear perspective in my future career ambitions. The BTEC college alumni focus group helped me in many as I acquired the knowledge and gained a clear perspective regarding my career ambitions in the field of property management. From the online platform and the use of alumni focus group, I can say I have made quite an achievement towards the fulfillment of my career goals. From the online platform, I am able to view the current trends and foretell the future in terms of my career ambitions. The employment records and what it takes to manage a business is what I gained through the online platform. The focus group enabled me to acquire personal skill involving courage, boosting my personal self-esteem and on how to set my career goals. Having a career mentor from the focus group encouraged me in a bigger way, he showed me the necessity of aiming at my career target and how to achieve the goal. He taught me no to settle at halfway measures, that it is better to carry out an activity to its completion rather that leaving it halfway or pending in the name of saving money. Career reflective analysis. I worked at Marsh Green Children Centre as a teaching assistant in the month of May 2010. I performed basic duties such as answering office phone, assisting in setting up new borders and taking part in some lesson activities. From the institution, I acquired skill such as good communication, self-motivation, and courage, ability to relate well with other, the ability to handle customer complaints, was able to learn how to be a part of a team key in teamwork, good listening skills and ability to work well without supervision. It was a good place to begin and achieve so much in my career. I performed the duties as it was expected of me by the institution. As from June 2012 to December 2012 I worked for Debenhams a UK company dealing with beauty, fashion, clothing, women dressing, furniture and electricals. I was working as a sales assistant and sales advisor. Within this period I was able to carry out duties such as giving information on the products that could perhaps lead to a sale, working in the fitting room and keeping it tidy for customer’s use and other purposes, helping customers with problems that needed attention and performed other duties like cleaning tables and folding clothes back to the way they were meant to be. From this, I acquired skills that would help me in advancing my career, which entailed creating a good rapport with the customers, good communication skills and good listening skills in situation clients required assistance. In the year 2013, for a two months period from August to October, I worked for Card Factory as a sales assistant cash till assistant. Card Factory is a company dealing with greetings cards and gift stores in the UK. Working with the company I was able to dispense a lot of duties ranging from approaching customers, attending to customers at cash sale till, assisting in the stockroom and carried out duties allocated by the supervisor or management. The skill attained during this period were in line with the sales assistant field I am undertaking. This skill entails communication skills, good rapport with customers and good listening skills. From October 2013 to February 2014, I was able to work at Miss Selfridges as a sales assistant or cash till assistant. Miss Selfridges is a UK company that deals with fashion clothing and style, women’s clothes, dresses sales and clothing. At the company I was able to perform duties such as greeting customers, carry out duties in the dressing rooms, approaching customers, I was in a position of giving standards on clothing and performing other duties allocated to me. The company to me was an eye opener as it from here that I learned a lot of skills as per the duties of a sales assistant. Maintaining a good rapport with a client was the major skill that I acquired from the company, good communication skills, listening skills and giving appropriate responses to customers were all part of the skills achieved. From October to November 2014, I worked for Sainsbury’s as a sales assistant, personal shopper, and cash till assistant. Sainsbury’s is a chain of supermarkets in the UK dealing with all sorts of items. Within the company, I was in a position to carry out duties such as approaching customers, cash handling, attending to the needs of customers at the cash till, and replenishing the stocks. The company offers a variety of services and receives so many customers and thus it is a good place to acquire appropriate skills in the field of a sales assistant. The skills are merely similar to the ones I acquired with the previous work experiences. Majorly dealing with good customer management, good communication, and listening skills, and a good rapport with clients. As from March 2015 up to April 2017, I have been working at Cineworld as a cash till assistant and an active team member. Cineworld is a UK cinema operator. From the company, it is full of new things to learn from. With which I performed exemplary in the duties I was allocated. For instance, I was able to carry out duties such dealing with customers such as approaching customers on their needs, greeting customers, performing given tasks, attending to customers at the cash tills, handling money, performing all training given by the company and refiling new stocks. It from this training in the company that I attained new skill in my field of study and majorly pertaining my career objectives. The skill dealing with customer and sales assistance included good communication skills, good rapport with clients, listening to client’s complaints and responding appropriately, and skills on being a good team player. These are the achievements I have had since I started advancing my career and the work experiences I have so far gained. Reflective log My career advancements have been full of challenges. And from this challenges, I have been able to find a way and strength to overcome this challenges. I have been able to achieve much and acquire so much knowledge in the field of retail. My career weakness is staying up to date with the ever changing trends in the society. I am active in the retail sector and passionate at carrying out duties involving it (Moon, 2004). My major strengths involve keeping time, performing duties allocated to me to satisfaction, working with the company under minimal or zero supervision with exemplary results and I am also a result-oriented individual motivated to see that the intended services are rightfully performed. My current state in the career field. I have set a good foundation towards the achievements in my career, I have acquired technical skills that are useful in the building of my career and fulfillment of my dreams. To be a successful retail person. With the acquired skills I know the future ambitions and growth will turn to be a success. With the technological trends and advances going on, there is a likelihood that the future will be so demanding in terms of my career success. There are requirements and improved requirements in my career field that requires someone to pursue more studies in the retail field. It is only through experience and advancing my studies that I will remain relevant in the current and future business ambitions. The skills and knowledge gained will necessitate my existence in the field of retail. Career Journey I can see advances towards the betterment of my career. Analyzing my strengths and weakness, I can visualize a good positive future in my profession. I am optimistic that the future of my profession is secure. Using my strengths and weakness I can argue out my points with my supervisor to find a clear way forward towards achieving my set goals. Figuring out my expectations in the near future with the help of my supervisor gives me the hopes that the future holds better results for me (Wayne, 1999). Setting goals that are short-term a period of 1 year, medium term goals a period of two to five years and long-term goals set for a five and more year period. This goal is the achievable set ambitions of an individual, set based on our current performance in the career field. From the previous experience, I believe that a little fine tuning can give me the right tools and requirements for a successful career achievement. My career plan in ensuring a successful career is by working and gaining experience after experience. Using workshop, career mentors, teams and groups, career education and many other career activities will ensure I have a stable career with a secure future. In the time I have been working and aiming at my future goal. I have been through quite a challenging experience. These includes working as a volunteer in order to achieve the desired work experience, with the economic factor, this becomes a challenge. I have been able to overcome this challenge by seeking volunteer services in companies near my vicinity which rarely works in my favor as I still have to look for other economical means. Career development plan. In the last few years, I have seen improvements in my career. Began working at Marsh Green Children Centre as a teaching assistant. From then, I have been experiencing improvements and achieving greater things in my career. My aim currently focused in property management, it is through proper career development plan that I will achieve my desired objective (Berings, 2004). Within the next three years, my major goal is property management. With the effort I have been putting along, I believe I will be able to achieve the objective in the time period. My current employment and the previous employments, I have gained knowledge and skills useful towards the achievement of my goal. In the previous employment, I have been able to acquire work skills key in the achievement of my set three-year goal. The previous years I have gained good communication and listening skill, proper handling of customers, customer appreciation, good rapport with customers, timekeeping skills, and good record keeping practices among other useful skills. These skills are useful towards the achievement of my goals. While there are good traits from previous working experience, I cannot gain some skills appropriate for the achievement of my goal (Barrett, 2000). For instance, managerial skills. The previous employments has always been there to promote the technical skills that entail communication skill, listening skills, and customer handling. Some activities that I carry out in my current career involve, activities like printing the office documents, arranging documents in the work area. These activities are useful but not necessary for my future ambitions in the property management. My plan is to reduce such activities by delegating them to junior employees (Savickas, 2011). It will also be necessary for me to add a job experience and gain leadership skills, problem-solving and decision-making skills. This can be achieved by getting involved in a field pertaining leadership, for example performing more activities touching on teams by being a team leader or a team member. This ensures the right leadership skills is attained. It can also be achieved by attending workshops, leadership forum and having education on leadership and management skill. The three-year goal of being in the property management field can be achieved (Duffy, 2009). Updated CV PERSONAL PROFILE I am an active team player, who is self-reliant, responsible and hardworking person who can perform duties accordingly even under pressure. I am a skilled individual having experience from so many field and eager to advance my career as a sales assistant within a retail sector. I am self-sufficient individual with good interpersonal communication skills. I am geared toward working for so many hours under intense pressure, ensuring that the company meets its desired and expected goals in customer satisfaction and solving challenges arising. Employment History Cineworld – Employment Date: Mar 2015 to Apr 2017 Cash till assistance Duties Greeting costumers Approaching costumers Performing duties allocated Attending customer at cash tills Handling money Undertaking trainings from the company Refilling new stock Sainsbury’s - Employment Date: Oct 2014 to Nov 2014 Cash till assistance Duties Dealing customers Handling money Dealing with customers at the cash tills Refilling stocks Miss Selfridges - Employment Date: Oct 2013 to Feb 2014 Sales assistant Duties and Responsibilities Performing allocated duties Standardizing clothing Performing duties in the fitting room Greeting costumers Attending to customers Card Factory - Employment from Aug 2013 to Oct 2013 Sales assistant Duties and Responsibilities Attending to customers Assisting in the stock’s room Helping customers at the cash till Performing duties allocated Debenhams - Employment from June 2012 to Dec 2012 Sales Assistant Obligations Cleaning tables and folding of clothing to their original state Serving customers experiencing problems Working in the fitting rooms to keep it tidy for customers and other duties required Performing other duties allocated by supervisor. Giving information of the product and guide customers to ensure possibility of sale. Marsh Green Children Centre - Employment began: May to end of May 2010 Training assistance Obligations Answering office phone when required. Assisting in establishing new borders. Taking part in a number of lesson activities. PERSONAL SKILLS Self-motivated having a positive attitude. Good communication skills with good interaction qualities. Good relations skills with all persons regardless of their age. Adaptability to work changes Able to handle customer’s complaints Working under less or no supervision and under intense pressure A good team player Education Course/Qualification Period Institution’s Name Score GCSE Diploma Level three Sept 2006 to June 2011 September 2011 to July 2013 school of science college Mathematics scored a C English Language had a C Science scored a C Catering scored a C History had a C Business scored a B Health and Social Care -Merits Interests I love to make friends, having family and friend’s time. I like being up to date with trends and design pertaining fashion. I am passionate in the field of retail and I have established a good foundation. I like keeping fit and attending to a gym to ensure I am fit. I love modeling and I have taken part in a couple of them, a number of times. Referees. 1. The management team at Cineworld Company 8th Floor, Vantage London, Great West Road, Brentford TW8 9AG Registered in England. No: 05212407 2. Management at Debenhams company.secretariat@debenhams.com . 3. Marsh Green Children's Centre Address: New Road, Dagenham, Essex, RM10 9NJ. Feedback on performance. I have received both positive and negative compliments from the number of employers I have had a chance to work for.my supervisors have always complimented my work positively, which normally gives me a chance to work hard to better my career. There are negative feedbacks that I normally get from employers and supervisors concerning my career. These feedbacks normally keep me on toes ensuring that I work extra harder to achieve my career goal and achieve the company’s set goals (Sampson, 2004). References. Arter, J.A., and Spandel, V., 1992. Using portfolios of student work in instruction and assessment. Educational Measurement: Issues and Practice, 11(1), pp.36-44. Barrett, H.C., 2000. Create your own electronic portfolio. Learning and leading with technology, 27(7), pp.14-21. Gerard, J.G., 2012. Linking in with LinkedIn®: Three exercises that enhance professional social networking and career building. Journal of Management Education, 36(6), pp.866-897. Berings, D., De Fruyt, F. and Bouwen, R., 2004. Work values and personality traits as predictors of enterprising and social-vocational interests. Personality and Individual Differences, 36(2), pp.349-364. Wayne, S.J., Liden, R.C., Kraimer, M.L. and Graf, I.K., 1999. The role of human capital, motivation and supervisor sponsorship in predicting career success. Journal of Organizational Behavior, pp.577-595. Sampson, J.P., Reardon, R.C., Peterson, G.W., and Lenz, J.G., 2004. Career counseling and services: A cognitive information processing approach. Belmont, CA: Thomson/Brooks/Cole. Moon, J.A., 2004. A handbook of reflective and experiential learning: Theory and practice. Psychology Press. Savickas, M.L., 2011. Career counseling. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. Duffy, R.D., and Dik, B.J., 2009. Beyond the self: External influences in the career development process. The Career development quarterly, 58(1), pp.29-43.43. Read More