1. Developing Professional Skills
Year 2 Computer Networks
Skills Awareness Workshop
Andrea Duncan, PDP Coordinator

2. Aims to help you:
Identify and explain evidence of skills important for professional roles in computing
Become more aware of individual strengths and qualities, including contribution to teams
Improve ability to present yourself to others eg CVs and interviews
Improve ability to reflect and take stock of academic learning and other experiences

3. Personal/professional development: processes of reflection & planning.
Formal or informal activities
Looking back and looking forwards
Writing down thoughts, ideas, feelings, hopes
Thinking about what went well…or didn’t go so well
Setting new goals and making things happen
Links directly to CPD
eg professional registration with BCS

4. Everyone is doing it....
All students in UK strongly encouraged to use PDP processes
Common practice in the workplace
- for ongoing professional development
UN support outlined on NILE ( PDP tab) linked to tutorials and/or to core modules on your course
NUPAD web pages and MyPAD e-portfolio to help you
…..but it’s YOUR responsibility!

5. PDP supports both STUDY and EMPLOYABILITY It is a two-way process…….
Looking Back…
Reviewing progress
Evaluating performance
Reflecting on learning
experiences
Looking Forward…..
Defining goals and objectives
Targeting any gaps
Action plans

6. Academic Experience…thinking it through
Thinking about skills you are using and developing
Reflecting on strengths & how to fill any gaps
Practising translating skills into language for work contexts
Taking action on comments for improvement eg attending skills workshops/Centre for Academic Practice
Attending tutorials & using PDP tools 6

7. Your best example of teamworking…?

8. Articulating your skills orally……
In pairs ask each other the question:
‘Give an example of how you contributed to the work of a team. What challenges did you face, and how did you address them?’
Switch roles and repeat
Consider what went well; think about how you could improve your evidence.

9. Group tasks….. Setting personal and shared goals Interpersonal skills
Managing meetings and tasks
Time management
Problem-solving
Presentation skills
Keeping records – minutes
Evaluating work of others (peer marking)
Reflective skills
What specific contribution might you make to your team project……How might you help your team work more effectively?

10. PDP for your future success: becoming (& staying) employable
Employability? - any job? graduate job? career promotion? beat recession? own business?
Work-based experience essential - need skills gained from studies AND part-time / voluntary /vacation activities
Understand how your learning can transfer to new situations
Have a clear view of who you are becoming, & what you can offer – essential for effective applications

11. What employers look for in selection - for placement/graduate applicants
Evidence of specific skills
Examples you can describe
Experience gained in different situations
Enthusiasm knowing what you want and why
To gather this evidence form applicants employers use application forms, CVs and interview processes.
As time goes on and you apply for higher level and more competitive opportunities the selection gets tougher and more sophisticated. 11

12. You need more than a degree …. making your experience count
The majority of employers are interested in any experience you have: the trick is to be able to show what you have learnt and how you have developed.
‘I’m looking for graduates with good communication skills, and the ability to work in a team. I like to see initiative, particularly when it involves problem-solving. Time management, organisation and business awareness are invaluable’
Make your experience relevant
Increase your chances by standing out from the crowd!

13. Application forms - how will you answer these….?
Give an example of a problem you have had to solve. How did you go about it?
Describe a situation which demonstrates your ability to deal with difficult people?
What do you consider to be your most important achievement and why?
Give an example of how you have worked successfully in a team.
The part of the form employers are most interested in -
they want to know, for example, not just about the problem and its solution, but more importantly the process you went through, and any initiative & creativity you displayed

14. Build up your store of individual ‘mini-stories’
academic project (team/individual)
research task
part-time/vacation job
voluntary project
family responsibility
student activity
travel experience
organising role
personal challenge

15. What is reflection…….. Making sense Standing back Repetition
Deeper honesty
Weighing up
Clarity
Understanding
Making judgments

16. PDP as a continuous process - on work experience …and everything

17. Getting the most from work-based experiences
knowledge of organisation’s structure and systems
keeping notes on learning experiences
looking out for opportunities to learn new skills
responding to change & coping with pressure
thinking & reflecting on skills and personal qualities developed 17

18. The art of translation…
The art of translation…..translating your experiences into CV/interview language
The SO WHAT? EXERCISE:
Task/responsibility/achievement:
so what?....I developed skills in……..
so what?....specific EVIDENCE statements which demonstrate that these skills and aptitudes could be applied elsewhere.
Ideally these should be linked to the job/person requirements of the opportunity (to show how they can add value for the organisation)

19. MyPAD : e-portfolio space on NILE
Your personal storage space to track your development, thoughts and plans
Use blogs and wikis to build your profile
Suggestions to help you get started - content and presentation up to you
Link to other useful/interesting web resources
Use to track progress with study topics, on-line discussions, work-based learning
Potential resource for CVs, applications, interviews, promotion…..

20. Why should you bother to write things down?
it’s easy to forget the detail of our feelings and reactions to particular tasks
putting into words what we have learnt /need to learn often makes it clearer
future employers are interested in detailed examples, even negative experiences
a good habit to develop for career progression in the workplace
Reflective notes can be short and sharp!

21. Finding out more……