1)Demonstrate how to use a range of tools and concepts from this course to construct your personal career strategy. (6 pages)
It is infrequent for a university course to change the way that a person thinks and plan for his future. Self-awareness and Career Management is the only module that I' v e done until now, which makes me consider different important aspects around of myself character. I realise how important would self awareness be in my life in the near future and what career (job) is more suitable for me according to my characteristics, as a result of self awareness module.
As we taught until now the most important thing is to find out strengths and weaknesses, and if I follow this will help me complete my target in the near. According to article(2008) sais that the first think to be consider is to find out your own strengths and weakness in your character even if there are positive or negative, In order to find the best suitable career. Consequently I will focus more on my own strengths which are important so I can use them as better, as I can to find the best suitable career. In this assignment my objectives are to find and illustrate my character and what I will do in the near future to accomplish my career plan by using different range of tools and concepts that I learned to this module and by analysed the feedback that I received from different people that they know me.
Holland's Hexagon
First I am going to explain the Holland's Hexagon and how is apply in my situation . Holland Hexagon is designed to show some ideas about personality, work activities, and work environments to going through thousand of career choices less awe-inspiring. Analysing of myself Holland Hexagon illustrate that I am realistic and investigative(see appendix 9) . Both of them are similar characteristics as shown on the Hexagon. According to Gerald Matthews, et al. (2003) assist me combine my belief that they explain my personality traits effectively by describing each characteristic in detail. Investigative and realistic means that I enjoy working in academic structured atmospheres, studying maths and analyse numbers, graphs, formulae, computers, and electronic games which I especially can't without it. Also by comparing realistic with my character I conclude that I am practical and being very strong physically, also I like outdoors sports like cars, speed boats and football. The preference of characteristics is very individual, as it is made by the person.
MBTI
On the other hand Myers Briggs Type Indicator(MBTI) is a less individual way and is very useful by shown what personality type I am. As I complete MBTI I realised that there are some parts that I agree and some others that I am not agree.
A less subjective way of assessing personality type is the Myers Briggs Type Indicator, (MBTI) which was extremely useful in highlighting my personality type. However there were both results I agreed and disagreed with. MBTI divide the personality into 4 divisions: 1) Extroversion or Introversion, 2) Sensing or iNtuition, 3) Thinking or Feeling and 4) Judging or Perceiving (McCarthy , 1999). At the beginning when they introduce MBTI to us I said that MBTI was waste of time. But this was changed when I seen the results of mine and when I compared it with other students. However when I compared it with a group of students that they done MBTI I was surprised by the results. The outcome was so different and our personal types were different. My questionnaire results is ISTJ (Introvert, Sensing, Thinking, Judging), (see appendix 5) as we can see from the table on the handouts Introduction to MBTI, ISTJ is the main and most common for males with a percentage of 19.7% followed by ISTP(10.8%) and ESTJ(11.6%). ISTJ personality type is known to described as a person who leads by quietly setting an example, and finds the most logical approach (Arthur, 1996). My opinion is that ISTJ personality type fit on me exactly, because I always try to find the most logical approach and be quietly( see appendix 5)
Johari Window
The Johari Window is been considered to find out more about our self and which are our abilities when we have contact and communicate with other peoples (cognitive psychological tool)(Luft,J 1955). According to Hase (1999) Johari Window is being used in different self-help groups and corporate settings as a heuristic exercise. After creating the Johari Window with the peer reviews about myself from 8 friends of mine that they known me more than 3 years, I understand what is their opinion about my character. According to Johari Window(see appendix 7) results I found out that other peoples consider me as friendly(6/8) and energetic (4/8). As we can see and compare these results with mine, I conclude that results are exactly these that I also believe about myself and they agree with me by(6 out of 8). I can be friendly with anyone, except of peoples that are not friendly with me, also I am energetic and this I ensure it because I was choose to be in special forces for 2 years and have a honour medal that I was one of the best soldiers by doing what they said to me and doing thinks by my own.
The chance to work together with student members in a practical includes group assignments (mostly presentation) helped me to get feedback from them and thinking more about myself. However, based on different feedbacks that I received from them , they described me as a realistic person(see appendix 3), confident (appendix 2) and shy of which I am completely aware of (appendix 7). If I discuss the 'Blind Spot', the peers are not aware though that I am a bit mysterious, and there are nothing that I keep it for myself because I simply like to be who I really am and not try to be someone that I am not. As a result I am not keep anything for myself. This may be the reason why in Johari window I've been described as a person who can be more confident. and who should be more open to the ideas of other people as well as working with them.
Protean and Boundaryless Career
In a protean career, the person is autonomous and determined by their own values as can handles the a variety of experiences in learning, training, employment, leisure and family life. An employee with a protean career has a new skill or ability in the workplace that allows them to freely move between jobs whenever suits them best (Hall, 2004). Protean is a personal career choices and search for self-fulfilment are the joining or integrative basics in the life. The condition of achievement is internal (psychological success), not external
The role of the organization then is not one of a traditional career manager but in the case of boundaryless or protean careers may be to provide opportunities to learn new skills and form networks that apply to the current job and that could be useful in seeking new jobs or in seeking personal growth. This may results in a career with many employers through changes in jobs and even occupations, or a "career which gains meaning from outside the employer through external networks or information or the interpretation of the career as independent of the organization by the career actor". (Granrose, 2006)
Combining protean career concept with the boundryless career concept of psychological and physical mobility creates a general view of various career type profiles. In the near future I plan to follow protean career as suit more for me. As I wanted to work in a bank by starting as a simple employer and one day to be the manager of my brand.
As a result from the feedback of Johari window, my presentation group and other students, I can see that my strongest personality traits are energetic, being confident and organized.
Illustrate together all the information output from the above results I conclude that, my career strengths are logical, with good team work as a result of organized , and be a leader as a result of energetic. The team work and confident strengths are based on feedbacks I received from both my group and class peers who reported that I spoke with a lot of confident but I had to speak more clearly and loudly whilst presenting which was also reflected in the grades. In my opinion is that I am not a shy as they describe me in all of feedbacks, but this is because I speak a language that is not my main and that's why I am speaking quietly because I am not sure if are correct the thinks that am going to say.(appendix 1)
General feedbacks
By all these 12 weeks that I studying self awareness module I have received feedback from my fellows students on several circumstances. The first feedback (appendix 3) which is on my personality traits was by Ghassan Abulola who I met him 5 minutes before gave me the feedback and after we have a small conversation about 15 minutes. He said that I am realistic person who knows my goals and that I am energetic and even if he knows me only for 15 minutes he realised these. The next two feedback (Appendix 1.2) was from random classmates who describe me with main criteria the presentation . After looking through the feedback, they found me as I am speaking clearly, that I am confident and also that I am shy. I agree with the first two but I disagree with shy. I may be a little shy sometimes but in presentation I wasn't shy I just feel nervous because of the difficulties of language. I was speaking quietly so if I was doing a mistake no one could hear it and criticize and laughing with me. In all situations my self-confidence was mainly well-known and my comfortable approach was a determined theme except on 2 minutes when I present. The first impressions feedback was very positive, with my partner 'Alizee Ochoa' with some negative comments(see appendix 1). The negative feedback that my group gave to me was that I was easily unfocused some times as a result of that I am a relaxed person (Johari window). I think that I was unfocused because as a confident person I was very confident about our presentation . The presentation feedback(see appendix 1) known that I spoke clearly and gave attention to the person speaking by showing interesting on the topic. However my weakness that I have it in all presentation is the eye contact that i don't have because I fell nervous and I read my part from my notes. I will try to correct my weakness very soon because in the future presentations it may cost me by losing marks.
The different tools and theories in self awareness course made me to be a more self-aware person. They help me by identifying my strengths and weakness and my personality traits. I also confirm some characteristics of my personality that i know before but I discover and some others that I am going to take it seriously in my future life and career. At the beginning I was thinking of choose this module but now I feel very lucky that I did it. My career plan was being made before 2 years, but it was very general, now with this module I will feel more comfortable to rebuilt my plan by learning all these information.
2.) Critically evaluate the role that your self-awareness will play in making your career a success.
According to Eleanor Roosevelt "You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing you think you cannot do." (Site build up,2010)
To achieve and being a manager in the near future I have to gain strength, confident and courage. I can achieve my aims if I study hard and have the humbleness to take other peoples recommendations about my weakness and strengths and try to correct my weakness and take advantage of my strengths
I will do my best to be more aware of my blindspots, so as to be learned as to my strengths and weaknesses. The awareness of knowing this information's will allow me to get improved as a manager, as I will be in a position to better avoid my blindspots from negatively affecting those under my management. By being more self aware, I will be able to use my strengths such as leadership, citizenship, teamwork and genuineness(See appendix 6)
By being more aware of my performance, I will be able to adapt my behaviour according to the personality of my inferior. As a result of this, as a manager and leader, I will be in position to understand and get understanding effectively with my staff. My opinion is that successful communication between managers and employees is dominant to a business to success
According to MBTI personality test results about myself is that I've been taught with a lot of new thinks about myself that I would be never been known if I didn't attend Self-awareness and Career management module. As a results of the MBTI , I learned that people who have an ISTJ personality tend to be quiet and reserved persons and they are interested in safety and peaceful living. Organized and systematic in their approach, they can general achieve in anyone objective that they take on. The most important in my case is that ISTJ are "good citizens". They been depended on families and communities. Most times they see the things more seriously and they usually have an interesting sense of humour specially in situations of family or work-related. My family and the family that I am going to do in the future for me is the most important thing in life, I can't live without it. I always have my family above me and everything. I feel very lucky that I have them.
Based on the results of Johari Window model, I understand that I notice myself to be confident, energetic, friendly, intelligent, organized and shy, while my friends believe that I am calm, happy, helpful, logical, mature, powerful, quiet, relaxed, responsive and sensible (see appendix 7). This nearby into my character will be useful in my future career. As a manager(boss, leader), the awareness of the people to be being managing are extreme importance. Employees have to recognize their manager to be reasonable. In the near future I expect to keep up the way people view me as a person and l also believe that this will be positive in my future career. (appendix 8) To be a manger in the future, Self-awareness is essential in my success. From this module I learned that a deeper understanding of myself by using tools such Johari Window MBTI, Via Survey if Character Strengths will allow me to understand others better.
To choose my career I will look both on the work to be challenge on me and to include the good skills that I have. Once I decide and manage to do these, then I am going to connect with 'Flow'. Flow is mean when a person is motivated with the mind be focused on the mission (Csikszentmihalyi, 1997). As we conclude I have exposed that my main strengths are, caution, leadership, citizenship, teamwork and loyalty. These five main strengths will play a role when I decide on my career type.
Appendix 7
Johari Windows
Appendix 8
Action plan
Graduate
At present I am a university student
I am studying Business and Marketing Management. I will graduate 6 months late because I change from Business Economics to Business and Marketing Management
Before graduation, I made a lot of activities that they help me a lot in my character such as (army, scout) and I am planning to continue with more activities such as try to choose module with group assignment that will help me by developing my organization skills and give me more confident in the future
According to appendixes (feedbacks ) I am a shy person. In the future I am planning to start my career as simple employer in a bank (1 year after I finish university), and then to reach the top by being boss Shy is a characteristic that I have to work on it and try to change this because I have to make my employees to respect me, that's why I have to expand my public speaking skills and to accomplish this I have to work a lot on change from shy. According to biology, shy generally means "tends to avoid human beings" (Kuper, A 2003)
Try to get a Master's Degree
Additional study in the field of Marketing It will be useful in my future career
At the same time, I expect to find a job in bank or as a chartered accountant which are in a similar line of business that I wanted to work.
By studying and getting the above degrees and with work experience that I already have by working every summer I hope one day to work with my mother in bank and received her place from boss. With her help eventually I will take the experience to be the head in the business.
Appendix 9
