Free «Employability and Professional Development» Essay Paper

The report below provides a critical evaluation and assessment of my existing employability skills and capabilities. The evaluation is based on career EDGE model provided by Dacre Pool with main emphasis on the model’s ideas about what employers want from graduate recruits. Employability is an issue of high concern to most graduates because majority leaves colleges unprepared for great things that await them in the outside world (Menken 2010). They further fail to meet employers’ high expectations with their inability to attract and maintain employment status. It is common knowledge that employers seek to get skills that transcend academic qualifications and experience. There is the need for a graduate to blend the two with experience and desire to learn how things work outside learning institutions, since it will inspire development in the job market. The employability skills will allow a person to get, keep and be successful in his or her job (Brown 2012).

Dacre Pool and Sewell (2007) provide an insight for understanding skills required by employers. Other than qualification and experience, the two authors propose three main measures of employability, which include self-esteem, self-efficacy, and self-confidence. It is capped by a critical reflection and evaluation of a person’s development in the job considering issues, such as career development and learning, experience work and life, emotional intelligence, graduate attributes and intelligence skills, as well as degree subject, knowledge, skills and understanding.

 

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Self-esteem is the first skill of interest for employers, and includes how warmly a graduate feels towards him or herself. It seems that I suffered lowered self-esteem. It came as a result of reduced confidence in my ability to think and cope with life’s daily challenges. However, it is not the case concerning employment and job situations. It came after a realization that good self-esteem was essential for my physical and professional well-being. With high self-esteem, I trust my judgment and thinking to make better decisions, hence creating a higher quality life required to succeed in the job (Hall 2005). Furthermore, the fact that I trust my judgment and thinking implies I will create more efficient interpersonal and work relationship skills, further contributing effectively to growth and development of everyone, with whom I interact in the workplace.

Ideally, a good sense of self-esteem has positive impacts on activities done in the workplace, how workers communicate with one another and career growth and development (Zhou 2011). On the contrary, it means that poor self-esteem will lead to inappropriate behavior, such as excessive compliance, defensiveness, rebellious behavior and fear of the unfamiliar and new. I understand the roles played by self-esteem and the reasons employers require it. In fact, it remains vital to success in the job market, and I boast positive personal self-esteem as may be required.

Additionally, employers are equally interested in self-efficacy. It is the feeling that one can face challenges and meet goals amidst obstacles. The job market is not a walk in the park with regards to obstacles and challenges (Alsop 2013). Self-efficacy will allow me to complete tasks in time and achieve goals, as well. It goes hand-in-hand with qualifications and experience, but focuses more on how employees complete tasks. I strongly believe in my abilities to realize designated levels of outcomes for any organization, in which I work. Employees are frequently faced with challenges, and such come with two main options; either a person feels he or she can rise and accomplish goals or resents and gives up in defeat. Self-efficacy is an effective attribute when the employer ascertains that a graduate has the ability to accomplish tasks without follow-ups.

Closely related to self-efficacy is self-confidence, which is also of high concern for employers. It is a feeling of trust in a person’s ability to accomplish all required job tasks (Brown 2012). In fact, such attitude allows me to boast positive yet realistic view of myself and what the organization requires from me. It also comes with trust that one will make a difference for the organization, hence is closely related with self-esteem. After a person feels comfortable with him or herself, he or she needs to trust in personal abilities to make changes at work. Self-confidence further implies that a graduate is sure employers need him for different benefits which he can bring to the company.

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The subsequent section is a learning proposal that discusses skills and capabilities I intend to develop during the course of the module. With major focus on job market, I intend to be a graduate of desire for all relevant employers and one capable of presenting myself worthy before all organizations, in which I can make remarkable changes. Taking into account self-esteem, self-efficacy and self-confidence, I hope to instill all three within a period of education and be ready to take on challenges as they come. I believe that self-esteem comes first, since it concerns a feeling towards myself, then efficacy is followed closely. Efficacy concerns my ability to accomplish tasks and meet goals. The two are capped by confidence, which explains trust in my abilities, judgment and qualities.