Career Development: Self-Awareness and Skills Assessment

Further information about general assessment criteria, ARNA regulations, referencing and plagiarism can be found on the e-Learning Portal (Blackboard) site for the module. Students are advised to read and follow this information. 

Module Learning Outcomes (MLOs)
1.Demonstrate the ability to work in culturally diverse groups and teams and make appropriate and personal contributions to team effectiveness

2.Have critically evaluated personal strengths and weaknesses and have demonstrated the ability to engage in reflective self-development

3.Have critically reviewed the development of inter-personal and intra-personal skills in relation to what employers seek in postgraduate students

The module will be assessed by one summative assessment of 3500 words which comprises the following three components: 

Part A – academic essay (1500 words)

Self-awareness is the key to career success. Using a range of relevant literature (both academic and professional sources), choose 2-3 of the core topics we have studied on this module and explore and critically evaluate why it is important for you to develop in these areas for your own successful career development. 
You must include the following in your essay:
A definition of self-awareness and an explanation of why it is important to the development of your leadership and/or management capability.  
Identify 2-3 of the core module topics from the following: giving and receiving feedback, values, learning to work in a team, emotional intelligence, cultural intelligence, personality, motivating self and others, leadership and management, and explain their importance to the development of self-awareness.

Provide an overview of the context of your target job/profession/industry/sector  with a focus on why you need to develop in the topics you have selected in order to succeed in this chosen sphere of work.
A conclusion of your own attitudes towards self-awareness and how they might help or hinder your career development and success.

Part B – Establishing the Possessional and the Positional: A self-analysis

Drawing on the results of toolkits and/or psychometric tests you have completed during the course of this module, including those related to your topics of exploration in Part A , conduct a self-analysis identifying your strengths and weaknesses across the range of interpersonal and intrapersonal skills relevant to your target profession/industry/sector  

Firstly you must:
Use the template provided – please download this from the Assessment Folder on the BB site – provide a summary of your strengths and weaknesses 
This summary must be supported with evidence from the toolkits and other psychometric test results provided to you, or that you have identified from previous work or assessment centre experience, or researched online.   
NB. The contents of this table are not included in the word count for your submission
Your template answers the question – what skills, attributes and characteristics do I possess? 
Secondly, you must: 
Include a reflective statement in which you critically evaluate your strengths and weaknesses and reflect on any patterns of behaviour that relate to the topics you have discussed in Part A.  
Consider what are the implications of your current skills, attributes and characteristics in relation to your target job/profession/industry/sector, ie.  how ‘ready’ are you to enter into the career of your choice?  
NB. You should draw on appropriate academic literature to underpin your reflections and this statement is included in the overall word count for your submission
This reflective statement establishes your ‘position’ 

Part C – What Next: Establishing Areas for Development

This final part establishes the ‘processual’ – the ‘what next’ element to your career development

?Based on your self-analysis in Part B outline three areas for development - aligned to the topics under discussion in Parts A and B - which will enable you to bridge the gap between where you are now and where you need to be in the future to ensure career success in your target profession/industry/sector.
  
Provide an action plan in table format to demonstrate how you will achieve these areas for development

At the end of your programme of study you will have achieved the following goals:

Goal 1: To develop the skills necessary for employment and career progression
Goal 2: Be culturally and ethically aware
Goal 3: Have developed leadership and management capability
Goal 4: Have developed and applied knowledge of international business and management theory
Goal 5: Have developed a range of research skills and project capabilities
    
All of the learning that takes place within modules is designed to enable you to achieve the above goals and your assessment tasks are mapped directly to these goals.  In this module you will be assessed on objectives relating to Goal 1 :

1.1 Demonstrate awareness of your personal strengths and weaknesses and the ability to engage in continuing self-development

1.2 Critically review and develop your inter-personal and intra-personal skills