Ideal Job, Goals, And Industry Trends In My Essay.

Brief summary of your ideal job. What is the job? What does a person in this role do? What are the prospects in your ideal job- salary, working hours, career development?  What is the future of this industry and occupation- labour market trends, employment opportunities, growth potential

Goals are things that you want to achieve in the future. They are things that will help you to be prepared and ready for change at university or in your life. It is important that you think about goals early because then you can work out how to achieve them. Thinking about goals means that you will be prepared to study the subjects you like, do the types of occupations you prefer, and keep your future options open. If you meet a goal throughout the year, set another new one for yourself – maybe a more challenging one.

Review the level of skills, attributes and qualifications you need for your ideal job against your current levels. Identify where you may need further development and outline a basic plan for how you will achieve this and by when.

Write a word cover letter in response to the job advertisement in Section A. Write your cover letter as if you have achieved the goals you set for yourself in Assignment.

The utilization of group art therapy as a framework to enhance relationship building skills among emotionally disturbed students.

Impact of child-teacher relationship training on teachers' and aides' use of relationship-building skills and the effects on student classroom behavior.

Executive perceptions of the top 10 soft skills needed in today’s workplace'. Business Communication Quarterly,

Experience of burden in carers of people with dementia on the margins of long?term care.

What is an ideal job?

I am creative and innovative when dealing with different challenging situations. I can always come up with new ways of solving problems. I always make sure to deliver quality results in my tasks. However, I am very indecisive and take time before coming up with a conclusive decision. Thus, I have a challenge when I face situations that require immediate decision making. I have not yet mastered the decision-making skills and I need to work more on this aspect.I think that I am good at keeping my team motivated.  I can keep a positive and calm mind during hours of intense pressure. I can act as the support system of my teammates.

I come up with various interesting initiatives such as setting targets, the group works, and rewards. This helps me to keep myself and my team motivated. Rothwell et al. 2015 note that Employees need frequent motivation to enhance productivity and prevent turnover (p.34-46).I value a continuous learning process at the workplace. Learning makes the workplace interesting and, enhances employees’ satisfaction (Haan & Caputo 2012, P. 42). I adore an environment where I am exposed to new ways of doing things. This will help me to grow professionally and personally.

I am passionate about helping people achieve their goals in life and, be part of a team that motivates people to excel. Additionally, I am passionate about young children. I like spending time with them and impact their lives positively in their early age. In life, my top priority is to be in a career that I enjoy my work. Moreover, I aim to be part of a team that helps people become better in the future by imparting my acquired knowledge, expertise, and skills. I also strive to be a problem solver and help people in difficulties situations in life.

I am a hardworking and dedicated person. I take tasks and follow up to the end to get the desired results. Dedicated employees own up organizations missions’ and work towards achieving the set goals (Miyazaki 2016). I am a very good listener and observer. I believe in listening to the problems of people carefully before reaching to any judgments.

This helps me to come up with effective solutions to issues in the workplace. I am also an empathetic person and I believe that Empathetic people are the best problem solvers (Van Aken & Berends 2018, P. 20-28). Moreover, I am very conscious and alert person. I am proactive in addressing work-related issues.

Setting Goals and Early Preparation

My Future

My ideal job is to be an Early Childhood teacher (CHT) in the education and training industry. The education and training industry offers education services in different divisions such as preschools, schools, training centers, colleges and universities (IBISWorld 2018). A childhood teacher works in the preschool division and educates young children at the start of their life. A childhood teacher is responsible for the growth and development of children mentally, socially, emotionally and physically (Jordan et al. 2015, p. 152). The job entails spending time and playing with children, providing them with meals on time, observing and responding to their behaviors. A childcare professional in Australia makes an average hourly pay of AU$ 21.41 and works for an average of 8 hours a day (Sutcliffe et al. 2016, p.102). This translates to an annual earning of AU$37,318 - AU$53,879. The job offers great opportunities for career development. Childhood teaching profession has a huge growth potential. (Spurk et al. 2015, p. 140).

A CHT has the opportunity to be employed in houses, as a professional preschool teacher, and in childcare institutions as well.I love children and like spending time with them. As an early childhood teacher, I will give children maximum attention and will be taking good care of them. I am an observant and attentive person. I am conscious of my surroundings and, this will enable me to observe the behavioral changes in children and assist in their growth process. Furthermore, I am hardworking and dedicated. I will always stay dedicated towards my work and properly serve for the growth and development of the children.

I believe that I have a creative bent of mind. This will also be much suitable for my chosen profession. Being an early childhood teacher, I need to find out new and creative ways of teaching children. I will have to learn proper communication skills as well (Argyris 2017, P. 27). Hence, I will be able to strike a rapport with parents, report and follow up on an issue for the good of a child.

My Plan

My Career SWOT

Strengths

• I am a very creative and innovative person. I will be able to make new, simple and easy to understand teaching methods for children. Young children require frequent changes in teaching tactics to hold their attention (Littlefield et al. 2017, P 293-311).  
• I am also of a conscious and alert nature. I will keep a note of any changes in the behavior of the children and contact their parents immediately so that they can give proper support to them (Glass 2017. P 12).

Weakness

• I am an introvert. I don’t converse frequently with other people. Childcarer profession requires frequent interaction with children and their parents as well (Chen et al. 2014, P. 367-377). So, I will have to work on this aspect.

Opportunities

• I will guide my students in their growth. I will bring the best out of them to be great people in the society. I will have the chance to start my own childcare institution. Through the skills that I will be acquiring, I will be able to run my institution and employ other professionals.

Threats

• One of the threats can be ignorant or unconcerned parents. Childhood teaching requires support from parents. Without an active support, the job of the teacher becomes really difficult. Most working parents pay less attention to the growth of their children (Masten & Monn 2015, P. 5-21).

Smart Goals

I want to gain the necessary academic knowledge and pass my exams in Early Childhood Education. I hope to start my career as a childhood teacher within the next 6 months.

Objectives 1:

• Pass my Early Childhood Education exams at the University
• Gain requisite ECD academic qualification

Support/ Resources Required

• Lecturer guidance in Class
• Early Childhood Education literacy materials

Potential barriers/ Difficulties

• Potential failure in my exam
• Lack of up-to-date ECD learning materials in the library

Problem Solving Strategies

I will ensure the following -

• Mandatory attendance of lectures and, committed personal studies
• Use of the Internet to access the up-to-date ECD learning materials

Reviewing the Skills Required for the Ideal Job

Review date

Six weeks

I want to volunteer in a Childhood training Institution to gain practical experience in the childhood teaching profession and, have professional recommendations from my supervisor in the next 12 months

Objective 2:

• To gain practical skills and experience in child care professional
• To establish areas of improvement in the profession

Support/ Resources required

• A child Care facility
• Supervisor guidance
• Support from family  

Potential barriers/ Difficulties

I might face lack of funds to finance my movement while volunteering

Problem-solving strategies

I will find the nearest Child Care Facility to avoid commuting cost

Review Date

• 12 months
• I want to get employment with a child care facility to practice my career in the next 5 years

Objective 3:

• Practice my career
• Interact with children and help them build a bright future
• Earn a living

Support/ Resources Required

• Child Care Facility
• Colleagues
• Parents

Potential barriers/Difficulties

Changing teaching methods for young children

Unconcerned parents

Problem-solving strategies

• Continuous research to update my teaching methods
• Effective communication skills to bring parents into the life of the kids

I will require sources such as Library, scholarly materials on the internet, Childcare facilities and career websites. Furthermore, I will need help from my lecturers, colleagues, parents, childcare facility supervisors and employers to make my dream come true.

Attributes to develop

• Good communication skills

I will take a communication skill course at the university. I will strive to learn how to address different audiences as I will be dealing with different stakeholders.

I will achieve this in three months.

• Teamwork skills

I will volunteer in community service projects that deal with different people and teams. Thus, I will learn how to work with a group of children, colleagues, and parents. I will achieve this in six months

Job Specific Skills to develop

• Proactive and problem-solving skills

I will engage in challenging college and community projects. I will be able to spot the possible issues in a project and address the issue. I will learn to identify children going through a problem and solve it effectively.

I will achieve this within one year.

• Empathy skills

I will undertake community service projects in hospitals and also engage in projects that require frequent interactions with people living with disabilities. I will listen to them and relate to their situations. I will grow my skills in relating to children and deal with disorders in their growth. I will achieve this in 3 months

Qualification

University Degree

• I will take a university education to attain a bachelor's degree in Childhood Education. I will learn children behaviors, children psychology and other related growth and development issues.
• I will achieve this in 4 years

First Aid Certificate

• I will take a First Aid certificate course. I will learn to handle emergencies at school.
• I will achieve this in 6 month

EARLY CHILDHOOD TEACHER

Think Childcare is a leading provider of Early Childhood Education & Care across Australia. With a large support network, we value each individual team member and believe that everyone plays a critical role in continually improving our practices. This is your opportunity to be a part of a quality Centre and contribute to making it a leader in the industry.

We are currently seeking a passionate Early Childhood Teacher to join our team on a permanent basis, working 37.5 hours per week at Joseph Avenue Early Learning & Kinder.

This role includes :

• Developing and implementing the educational programs and achieving quality learning outcomes for children enrolled in our Kindergarten program
• Using a wide range of teaching methods (stories, media, indoor or outdoor games, drawing etc) to enhance the child’s abilities
• Design and follow a full schedule of activities and routines
• Creating and maintaining an inclusive, fun, safe, healthy, productive and effective learning environment
• Creating and maintaining excellent relationships with children, families, carers and other team members
• Keep records of children's progress, routines, and interests
• Ensuring compliance with routines, policies, processes, and practices

In this position, you will be responsible for leading the Kinder program in line with the National Quality Framework and mentoring our Educators in delivering the Kinder program. 

Skills and experience

• Bachelor in Early Childhood Teaching
• Current VIT card
• Current Working with children check
• First Aid Certificate – HLTAID004
• A commitment to delivering high-quality care and NQF high-quality indicators
• To be innovative, creative and motivated
• Experience in leading a team and building strong team morale
• Ability to commence employment as soon as possible

Why apply?

• The opportunity to be a part of a supportive and dedicated team
• Company Induction and Training provided
• Further training in the Early Learning Framework and the Reggio Emilia philosophy
• Career development opportunities
• Networking with other services and like-minded employees

About the company

If you want to really make a difference and be able to say 'we did that', then hit the apply button today. Please visit www.josephavenueelc.com.au for more information.

RE: Early Childhood Teacher Job Application

I write to apply for the Early Childhood Teacher position that you seek to fill in your organization as advertised online at SEEK on 15th August 2018. I have a bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education and First Aid certificate. Creativity, innovation, motivation, good communication skills and passion for children ranks high for the success of any ECT in the industry (Ren and Chadee 2017, p.155). I possess these valuable skills and, this makes me an ideal candidate.

I have four years of professional experience in Early Childhood Training. During the period I developed Education programs, engaged in the continuous establishment of creative and fun teaching methods that elicited transformation and quality results. I am very passionate about children and have gained practical skills in record keeping in performance and interest. I am a good communicator and will create a constructive relationship with all stakeholders and lead a successful team to place the organization as a leader in the organization. Successful trainers must have leadership skills (Helker & Ray 2009, P 70).

I have a great interest in your organization due to the shared ambitions of working out as a team for the future of children. Moreover, your organization provides the opportunity for continuous learning which I value a lot.  I look forward to furthering discussion about the opportunity at any time. If you need additional information about the application, please reach me through my email (Enter Email)

Give an example of when you’ve overcome a problem at work

During my Internship position at Bright Horizon Childcare facility, I had to deal with emerging problems that were threatening the well-being of children.

One of the roles in my position was to ensure that all children are picked on time by their parents after studies. However, on various occasion, some parents stayed late at night before picking their children and others failed to completely show up to pick their children and, had to arrange quick transportation to take the kids at home. The situation was resulting in a mockery of these children from peers. Moreover, the children were getting isolated in the center and, casting feelings of loneliness and developing hate towards their parents. The children felt that their parents did not love them. This situation prompted me to act fast to solve the problem.

To achieve this, I arranged for a mandatory meeting between all parents and the school management. I spearheaded the discussion about how these few parents’ actions were harming the lives of their innocent children. Effective communication skills are key to solving work-related issues (Robles 2012, P. 453-465). I outlined to the parents the need for their support and show of love to their children in early age to help them grow and developed well. I talked to the parent about the growing hatred towards them and, how this might affect their future relationship. A good trainer is a problem solver (Stern 2017, P.116). We agreed to have the parents prioritize their duties. They must give the top priority to their children above every other thing. They must pick them on time without fail, either personally or sent a well-known person to the child and to the institution.  

At the end of one two weeks, the issue of late pickups was a thing of the past and, this restored children happiness, uniform behavior and performance.

How do you build relationships with other members of your team?

During my role as a volunteer Project Coordinator with Save the Children Australia, I had to develop effective working relationships with colleagues.  One of the roles involved leading a team in the mobilization of resources. To succeed in this role, I had to develop personal and working relationships with my colleagues to ensure we have a harmonious working relationship. A successful leader must possess relationship building skills to bring a team together (Diamond et al. 2011, P. 56-81).

To achieve this, I regularly arranged for team building activities for the group. I had to organize for retreats on free days to have the members interact with each other, engage in gaming activities and the sharing of meals. Additionally, during work days, I engaged in humorous personal discussion with individual team members to make friends, know how they are faring with their family and, inquire if they need any assistance. The situation led to a very interactive, unified and committed team.

A cohesive team works towards a common goal and strives to achieve the set target (McCallum & O'Connell 2009, P.152- 166). By the end of three months, the team surpassed the target resources and we run a very successful project.

Elevator pitch

I have very good communication skills. I am a good listener and I am able to handle emotional situations properly. During the course of my professional career, I found that I am good at communicating but at the same time I am of an introvert nature. I have to overcome this introvert nature if I need to stay in this profession.

Early childhood trainers must have good communication skills to relate to children, parents, and colleagues (Conners-Burrow et al. 2017, P 187 -199). As an ECT Intern, I was able to address the problem of unconcerned parents who failed to pick their children from the facility through effective communication.

 Professional Headline

Early Childhood Teacher

Industry

Education and Training

Professional Experience & Goals

I have professional experience as an Early Childhood Teacher, childcare Intern and as a volunteer project coordinator. As an ECT, I am involved in developing learning materials for young children I can also maintain a constant follow up of the teaching schedule and routine. I create a fun, productive and healthy child-friendly environment while assessing growth and making reports. I am responsible for creating a cordial relationship among all stakeholders. As an Intern, I took care of the children, gave them food and played with them. I also make sure that they are being dropped and picked by their family or guardians at the right time without any delay. I have interests in teaching children and making their life better in all aspects

Experience

 Early Childhood Teacher – Randstad Education

• Developing teachings programs and follow up activities
• Developing and using interactive and fun teaching methods
• Keeping children records and maintaining a good relationship with stakeholders

Child Carer Intern – Bright Horizon Childcare

• Using a variety of teaching methods
• Maintain children records on performance and behavior
• Taking care of children needs; feeding, playing with them, ensure they are picked on time

Volunteer – Save the Child Australia

• Mobilizing resources donation
• Team Building
• Creating facilities visiting schedule

• Spending time with Children
• Learning new children games
• Motivation Speaking

During this unit, I had to write a cover letter that required me to engage in precise communication. I have written in formal and clear communication outlining my abilities, skills, and experience to the potential employer. I had to write in a simple and concise manner focusing on the needed requirements to convince the employer. During this assignment, I engaged myself in a variety of communicating style. The first part of the assignment I had to use the first person and write in an explanatory manner about my personal SWOT analysis. This is different from the career toolkit part where I wrote in a descriptive manner to explain my abilities and skill when dealing with different situations at work.

In this assignment, I have adopted an explanatory communication approach while addressing my skills in my career action plan. I had to communicate with my professor in a clear manner to outline what I intend to do in my career and in the future. Moreover, I have adopted a descriptive approach while addressing my employer. I choose this approach to paint a clear picture of who I am and convince the employer why I best fit the position. Additionally, I have been expressive in my LinkedIn profile showing my experience and skills. I choose this approach so that the recruiters and other unknown contacts audiences who come across my profile get to know me in all aspects.

I have learned about the different communication approaches and the appropriate time to use them. I would like to improve on my descriptive communication to be able to create an impacting image about me for my clients. This unit has enhanced my communication skills. I now am able to deal with different audiences. I can also communicate with them properly. This will help me to grow in my career.

References

Argyris, C., 2017. Integrating the Individual and the Organization. Routledge, New York.

Bright Horizon Childcare 2018. About us [online] Available from https://www.bhchildcare.com.au/ [16^th August 2018]

Chen, J.Q., McCray, J., Adams, M. and Leow, C., 2014. A survey study of early childhood teachers’ beliefs and confidence about teaching early math. Early Childhood Education Journal, 42(6), pp.367-377.

Conners-Burrow, N.A., Patrick, T., Kyzer, A. and McKelvey, L., 2017. A preliminary evaluation of REACH: Training early childhood teachers to support children’s social and emotional development. Early Childhood Education Journal, 45(2), pp.187-199.

Diamond, A., Walkley, L., Forbes, P., Hughes, T., & Sheen, J 2011, 'Global graduates into global leaders', Research Report. [online] Available from www.ucml.ac.uk/sites/.../shapingthefuture/101/CIHE%20-%201111GlobalGradsFull.pdf. [Accessed 16^th August 2018].

Glass, K.L., 2017. The utilization of group art therapy as a framework to enhance relationship building skills among emotionally disturbed students. Research Report. [online] Available from https://rdw.rowan.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3390&context=etd  [Accessed 16^th August 2018]

Haan, M. and Caputo, S.M., 2012. Learning in the Workplace: A literature review. University of New Brunswick, Saint John.

Helker, W.P. and Ray, D.C., 2009. Impact of child-teacher relationship training on teachers' and aides' use of relationship-building skills and the effects on student classroom behavior. International Journal of Play Therapy, 18(2), p.70.

IBISWorld 2018. Education and Training: Australia Market Research. [online]. Available from https://www.ibisworld.com.au/industry-trends/market-research-reports/education-training/education-training.html [Accessed 18th August 2018]  

Jordan, J., Price, J. and Prior, L., 2015. Disorder and disconnection: parent experiences of liminality when caring for their dying child. Sociology of health & illness, 37(6), pp.839-855.

Littlefield, L., Cavanagh, S., Knapp, R. and O'Grady, L., 2017. KidsMatter: Building the capacity of Australian primary schools and early childhood services to foster children's social and emotional skills and promote children's mental health. Social and emotional learning in Australia and the Asia-Pacific (pp. 293-311). Springer, Singapore.

Masten, A.S. and Monn, A.R., 2015. Child and family resilience: A call for integrated science, practice, and professional training. Family Relations, 64(1), pp.5-21.

McCallum, S. and O'Connell, D., 2009. Social capital and leadership development: Building stronger leadership through enhanced relational skills. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 30(2), pp.152-166.

Miyazaki, A 2016, Personal Branding: Assessing Your Potential Strengths (Marketing Yourself), 21 January, viewed 20 October 2017 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTfVmxk4bPg . 

Randstad Education 2018, Early Childhood Teacher, viewed 16^th August 2018, https://www.randstad.com/jobs/australia/early-childhood-teacher_beenleigh_15716337/ 

Ren, S. and Chadee, D., 2017. Influence of work pressure on proactive skill development in China: The role of career networking behavior and Guanxi HRM. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 98, pp.152-162.

Robles, M.M 2012, 'Executive perceptions of the top 10 soft skills needed in today’s workplace'. Business Communication Quarterly, vol. 75 no. 4, pp. 453-465. 

Rothwell, W.J., Jackson, R.D., Ressler, C.L., Jones, M.C. and Brower, M., 2015. Career Planning and Succession Management: Developing Your Organization's Talent—for Today and Tomorrow: Developing Your Organization’s Talent—for Today and Tomorrow. ABC-CLIO.

Save the Child 2018. Volunteers [Online]. Available from https://www.savethechildren.org.au/Get-Involved/Volunteer?currentSort [Accessed 16^th August 2018]

Seek 2018. Early Childhood Teacher [online] Available from https://www.seek.com.au/job/36976680?type=standard [Accessed 15^th August 2018]

Spurk, D., Kauffeld, S., Barthauer, L. and Heinemann, N.S., 2015. Fostering networking behavior, career planning and optimism, and subjective career success: An intervention study. Journal of vocational behavior, 87, pp.134-144.

Stern, W., 2017. Psychology of early childhood: up to the sixth year of age. Routledge, London.

Sutcliffe, C.L., Giebel, C.M., Jolley, D. and Challis, D.J., 2016. Experience of burden in carers of people with dementia on the margins of long?term care. International journal of geriatric psychiatry, 31(2), pp.101-108

Van Aken, J.E. and Berends, H., 2018. Problem solving in organizations. University Printing Press, Canbridge.