Reflection on Applying for Work Placements and Skills Development

1. Applying for work placements – this area must be included This is a critical evaluation of your experience of applying for work placements.

 
What was that experience like? 

Have you had any highs and lows? 

What has been your biggest challenge and what have you done to overcome that?

What have you learnt from this experience?

What if you have not applied for placements? You must still reflect on this.

Remember for your application pack that was a practice application for a placement opportunity in one of the 4 companies we provided you job roles for.

Consider the following to help you reflect:

What was that experience like? 

What has been your biggest challenge and what have you done to overcome that?

What are the reasons why you have not applied for placements yourself? 

What is the impact of that?

What have you learnt from this experience?

What will you do now, moving forwards?

  
2. Choose only one area where your skills have developed Select only one of these five areas to reflect on your development throughout this year:

• Think about the I.T. skills you have acquired or made use of during this year.

• How have your I.T. skills developed?

• How have they helped you during your course, work or personal life? 

• Have you faced any challenges in training and using these skills? 

•  Think about where you have taken part in teamwork activities

•  What was your role within the team?

•  How did you contribute? 

•  Were there any challenges, conflicts or successes?

•  How have your team working skills improved?

•  What you have learnt about yourself when working within a team? 

• Think about the different types of communication you have used and developed over this year.

• Where have you developed your communication skills?

• How have you developed your communication skills?

• Have you experienced any difficulties or successes? If so, why? 

• What have you learnt about your communication skills?

Refer to the baseline assessments (i.e. temperament assessment, motivation at work assessment, strengths assessment) you carried out in the first semester. These will help you to identify areas of development which are important for you. 

• Consider the results, what they reveal about you and why?

• Re-take some of these assessments to see if there have been any changes. 

• Compare any changes to the results.

• Consider the reason for these changes.

Consider the feedback you have received following your assessments during this year such as:

Application Pack (CV and Cover letter) feedback or Practical Assessment (Interview) feedback

• What have you done well and why?

• What still needs to be improved and why?

• What have you learnt from the feedback?

• How can you use that learning now?

This aspect of the Rolfe (2001) cycle is where you begin to analyse the situation you are reflecting on and evaluate it. Use the questions below to explore your situation in more detail and to help you to look back at it now from a distance.

• What does this tell me about myself and my relationships with others?

• What was my thought process as I acted?

• What information did I base my course of action on?

• What other approaches might I have brought to the situation?

• What might I have done differently to have produced a more positive outcome?

• What have I learned because of this situation?

• What issues have been brought to light by this situation?

• What academic literature/theory relates to this?