Reflection Exercise
Introduction
It is quite difficult to imagine that in some period of time I will have to apply for the job, and go to the interviews. The preparation for the entire procedure made me quite nervous not because I was afraid to do the exercises, but because I sincerely thought that the time when I have to do this is far away. Now, as I see that it is essential to prepare myself for the future career, the reflection on the exercises makes sense to me. I do not think that I failed in the exercises, yet I could have prepared myself better. I wish I took more time in researching the requirements for the production manager and the skills this position requires. I think I paid more attention to the professional skills, but I have forgotten to find out what intrapersonal abilities these specialists have to possess in order to work in the position of a manager. Also, after reviewing my performance, I came to a conclusion that the first impression during the interview is particularly important for the company and the applicant. I can tell that I will have to work on my communicational skills in order to create a positive impression and to be more active.
Application Task Reflection
Filling in the application form made me think about my personal and professional skills and what I can offer the future potential employer. More importantly, it was essential to determine how I can match the requirements for the job; if I have enough to offer or I have to improve certain skills in order to be invited for the interview. First of all, it got me thinking about absence of any practical experience in a job. Secondly, I was unsure of what special I can offer to be interviewed or hired. I consider that an employer is looking for a worker that can propose something that the others cannot. It is difficult to imagine that a graduate can compete with a person who actually has certain experience in the field. I began to reflect on the qualities that can make me a good specialist and a valuable employee in terms of productivity and integrity. I think that nowadays it is essential for the specialists to be particularly flexible, adjustable to changing business environment, and competitive in terms of professional skills.
Judging from the application I had to fill in, aside from the basic professional qualities, the employee has to be communicative and outgoing. I think these are the qualities I have to work on more, as within the company you will have to encounter with different people as well as their negative and positive personal features. To my point of view, at work you cannot have good or bad mood, because there is a certain amount of job you have to complete despite your attitude to the entire situation. However, I consider that in general you have to like what you do because otherwise it will stress you out. I am happy to think that I like the profession I have chosen and the skills required in the application form match my expectations for a job position.
Also, I think that the environment at work affects strongly your ability to work within a company. Particularly, during my research regarding the most appropriate way to complete application form I revealed that a possibility to execute control over professional life, the ability to implement skills, the variety of tasks, and an opportunity to develop interpersonal relations with other people have a positive impact on your desire to apply and work within a specific company. Overall, I think that financial reasons, the ability to develop certain social status, and psychological factors influence the decision to apply for a certain job and to be eager to be hired. One of the most important reflections for me was the fact that we are always pushed to take into account the requirements of the employer and forget about our personal expectations and demands for a particular position.
I think it is important to evaluate all pros and cons of a job, research a company, and to have interest in the environment and governance strategy in the company. Of course, as the newly graduated, we do not have a lot to offer to the first employers in terms of experience and proficiency in our job. At the same time, I think that those who have just graduated from college or university have a fresh perspective on the job as well as the ability to catch on new information instantly. We are more energetic and flexible, thus, it will make me a good worker, as I have eagerness to learn and to be found out new perspectives and dimensions in my professional area. That is why, when filling in my application form, I decided to use it to my advantage and to represent myself as young, ambitious, hard working, and creative personality, who can add more energy to the company and be a useful part of a team.
Very often the job is usually seen as a social arena where people apply their skills as well as their ambitions. Certain positions, especially what relates to white-collar occupations, are considered prestigious and may increase a social status of a person. While a lot of people usually connect top management positions in the company as the necessity to gain more financial benefits, it is also emphasized that a sense of power is a major attraction to occupy a better position as well. I am very ambitious person, who will be interested in promotion and appraisal of my skills, yet it is essential to me that the work I am doing is also interesting. The social significance of work also relates to the content of the job and its requirements. However, the importance of the social element of work relates to the values and norms existing in a specific society as well, which, in this case, can connect this factor to the cultural specificity. For example, in the U.S., the ideology of competition and achievements celebrates individuals who occupy top managerial positions and, therefore, the significance of social meaning will be higher here. It is my dream to become an executive one day because I have the qualities needed for a leader.
Reflection on Mock Interview
During the mock interview I realized that it is necessary to be particularly prepared for this task. I realized that it is essential to research for background of the company, which is really easy today thanking to the internet. Also, it is extremely important to evaluate professional and personal skills and compare the results to the requirements the employer makes for a specific position. One of the most difficult questions during the interview, which a lot of HR managers ask is how can you benefit the company. It became clear that the integrity and self-esteem are important qualities that can make you to stand out comparing to the other applicants. I do not think that I failed, but I consider that my entire performance could have been better. Even though it was a mock interview, I still felt certain pressure to show my best. One thing I think I have to consider is to make my decision making model regarding the preparation for the interview more precise and effective.
Developing a personal decision making model, it is necessary to consider the apprehension of usual models of ethical issues emerging in the working place. The situations can be of different kind, like the choice between right and wrong, between two right patterns, or dilemmas that touch several ethical issues. The last step of the personal decision making process is to estimate the aftermath of implemented decision. It is crucial to find out if there are any negative outcomes of the decision. In this case, one has to evaluate the situation one more time and to turn to the other alternative. For example, despite the precautions a specialist can make during the job interview, if you are not prepared, it will be evident for the interviewer. In my opinion, it what happened to me as well.
I emphasized that in most of the cases the main person confronting the changes is the leader and he/she is at the same time the only people who can implement the changes into the process of organization. This is the example of negative effect on the organizational culture of a group. Recently, the flexibility and creativity of a leader are valued more than the other abilities. In the frames of technological revolution and the development of global business and structures the leadership has to find new ways of guidance to embrace the competitive nature of today’s business environment.
I think that passion can transform your life or bend your will. It can change you or rebuilt you beyond recognition. My world changed when I realized that I want to become a leader in production management. One can say it is a bit banal, but the moment I realized what I want for myself, it became the main goal to gain it despite the obstacles. Despite the fact that our role play presupposed me to be a director, I felt really comfortable in this role, even if the feedback on my performance was not excellent. It did not stop me though, I have been trying to find out how I can improve my skills ever since. I think I can make my performance as a leader better if I learn how.
I have realized that due to the specific nature of culture leaders can create it only in very rare cases. In most of the companies leaders come to already formed structure and organizational culture. As the process of formatting of a company or a group has already formed, its structure had already developed and has its own specific features. I can argue that the fact that a leader as a newcomer can influence the system, moreover, it is stated that it can damage the present harmony and personal relationship between the members of the group. Nevertheless, I have realized that organizational structure can be changed by the courageous leadership.
My experience as a leader in the role play made me realized that organizational culture can be affected by the leadership by the strict way as deleting the members of a group who are opposed to changes or hinder the working process. Leader can go in the opposite way and hire people who can benefit the changes in the organizational structure or help to improve the existing system. When using this particular approach, it is important to socialize new members of the group to the existing organization. A leader can try to alter the behavior of members of a group. At this point, a leader has to find the approach to every member of a group and what is more important, to substantiate the reasons of changing organizational culture, to show all pros and cons of the transformations the process has to run for gaining new achievements. In some cases existing organizational culture can be totally destroyed by the leadership. Such transformations happen only in cases of a merger or transformation. In this situation, it is a necessary move as a lot of people are dismissed and new ones are hired. Due to drastic changes the existing cultural organization cannot exist and has to be replaced partially or totally by a new one.
As it was mentioned before, it is a compound of internal and external assumptions that lies within a group. There are several points of views whether leadership influences the organizational structure or not. All the ideas have their own factual basis and assumptions in favour of their ideas. Concluding all the arguments the evidence of influential potential of leadership are stronger. Every leader either it is a new comer or a member of a group creates, shapes and changes the environment around him/her, so as the organizational culture. Transformational leadership has the ability to develop new lines and ways of organizational culture that is required recently in the days of globalization and technological revolution.
Placement Event
Next step of the process is to reflect and evaluate gathered information about the placement event. At this stage it is important to designate possible risks when applying for a certain job. My only regret is that I did not invest any of my efforts into the social life in the school in order to express my potential. I am afraid that the future employer will not see my true potential and abilities, because I did not try to participate socially in my school. There is another alternative, like improving my participation in different events, to do charity work, or volunteer. It can be the most beneficial way out of the problem which is the main purpose of this particular step. I think it is crucial for the leader to be transformational to execute any changes in the organizational culture. Transformational changes in organizational culture can cause some psychological changes within members of a group, like changing the behavior, reactions, the way of conducting business and interconnection between each other. Good leaders have to point out that changing organizational culture they change people within the structure of a group.
