Individual Academic Critical Self-Reflection and Personal Branding Portfolio
Introduction
The objective of this portfolio is to analyze opportunities for professional advancement in the selected field. In addition to the critical reflection on professional self-development, the portfolio approaches personal branding and assesses factors that shape it. Personal statement is presented as a culmination of the personal branding process.
Critical Reflection on Professional Self-DevelopmentReflection is an essential prerequisite for professional advancement. The confirmation of this statement can be found in Ghaye (2007) suggesting that “…reflective practices offer us a way of trying to make sense of the uncertainty in our workplaces and the courage to work competently and ethically at the edge of order and chaos…” (p. 7). Reflection is a driving force of my professional growth, as it is evident from further analysis.
To make reflective process more orderly, it is recommended to rely on a specific framework or model. I choose Gibbs’ reflective cycle, a very popular and frequently used model that includes six stages – description, feelings, evaluation, analysis, conclusion, and action plan (Gibbs, 1988). Gibbs’ reflective cycle applies to the creation of a personal statement for the position of a Graduate Sales Executive.Often, it is very difficult to get a good job without the ability to write a strong personal statement (University of Birmingham, 2010). The objective of this document is to capture a candidate’s strengths, and to help him or her to stand out from other applicants (Brattole, n. d.). This is why I regarded writing an effective personal statement as a challenging, but important task facilitating my career development.It would be fair to admit that my feelings for writing personal statement were rather ambiguous. On the one hand, I realized the significance of this experience. On the other hand, I felt frustrated, mainly because the Internet is full on recommendations and guidelines to write personal statements, and it is very difficult to choose what suits you personally. The situation is aggravated by the fact that it can be challenging to identify the validity of a specific online resource, and to decide whether recommendations that it suggests should be incorporated into writing personal statement for a specific job.
The process of writing the statement was as ambiguous as the feelings related to it, so there could be identified both benefits and challenges associated with it. Evidently, the most significant benefit was my ability to write the statement that looked rather effective, and was approved by most peers and colleagues who familiarized with it. Taking into account their positive feedback, I plan to submit the composed statement when applying for the job that I found recently. However, to get a good result, I had to face a number of challenges. Evidently, the most serious challenge was to find an understandable explanation and an accurate sample that could be incorporated into the final document.I suggest I was able to achieve my strategic vision and to write a strong personal statement, because I was aware …
