PART 1: ABOUT ME

Answer the following questions to capture how you see yourself, in terms of values, aspirations, key qualities, goals, strengths, and areas of growth:

1) Find a quote or saying that captures your values, motivations, and aspirations and share it here.

‘‘Failure Will Never Overtake Me If My Determination To Succeed Is Strong Enough.” – Og Mandino

In my opinion, this is the best quote to live by because it captures my values, motivations, and aspirations. The quote reminds me that I have to develop an unwavering determination to accomplish what I aspire. Regardless of the challenges, I have to do that which I am passionate about.

2) Describe some of your main personal, academic, and professional goals.

My goals are:

Personally – I want to invest more time into relationships and friendships. To accomplish this, I will need to spend more time with family and friends by having dinner together whenever possible and by going out for picnics together.

Academically – I want to participate in class discussions and other scholastic acuities and events. With participation, I will enhance my talents and skill because it will allow me to learn from my peers. Consequently, I will have high academic achievements.

Professionally – I want to have a piece of expanded professional knowledge and training. After earning my degree, I want to enroll in various courses and attend training programs and workshops to get additional certificates. The certificates will serve as evidence for my knowledge and capabilities.

3) What are some of your strength areas? Think about the top 2–3 skills you would advertise about yourself, or consider what others come to you for advice about.

I am a good communicator. I am excellent in verbal and written communication because I can tailor my messages in a clear and conscience manner for my audience. I understand that for communication to be effective, one has to be a good listener, I listen and respect the views of other people.

I am competent in problem-solving. I can display the ability to take an analytical and logical approach to solve issues and problems. With my problem-solving skills, I approach problems from different angles to arrive at a solution.

4) What are some areas you would like to grow and improve in?

I would like to grow and improve in areas such as leadership and collaboration. I would like to develop leadership skills to help me, coach, motivate, and empower others to their best. Due to the complexity of projects at school and elsewhere, the ability to work in teams has grown importance. Thus, I would like to improve the ability to work and share knowledge with groups.

PART 2: ACCOMPLISHMENT STATEMENTS

Accomplishments don’t have to be as large as climbing the top of Mount Everest or starting your own company. We accomplish many things in our lives every day that have meaning. For example, perhaps you organized volunteers for your school’s food drive, or made an extremely profitable sale. Or, if you’re more advanced in your career, perhaps you’ve received a promotion or special recognition.

In this part of the assignment, you’ll identify two accomplishments from work, school, volunteering, or other activities. You’ll then practice communicating these in ways appropriate for a CV or résumé.

To begin, brainstorm accomplishments from your work, school, volunteering, or other activities. Click Accomplishment Categories for a list. After you’ve identified two accomplishments, write their story using the information below:

1) Think about each of your accomplishments in these terms:

Challenge	Situation, problem, or requirement.
Action	Specific actions you took to resolve or meet the challenge.
Result	The benefit created in specific and measurable terms. Be sure to tie results to the organization’s goals when possible.
Details	Clarifying details, such as numbers or percentages, to provide context (consider answering how many, how much, how long, or how often).

Consider the example below of someone with experience as a retail manager:

Challenge	An increase in customer complaints about the helpfulness of staff.
Action	Developed a new training program for staff, got approval from district manager, and once approved implemented it with a regular review process.
Result	After 3 months, customer complaints decreased.
Details	Previously, customer complaints averaged 4 per week. After 3 months, complaints averaged 1 or less per week.

2) Write two stories to practice using this format:

Challenge	The organization was constantly experiencing budget deficits.
Action	I helped the organization limit spending. By emphasizing on the need to cut money in spending categories that are not as important, the organization transferred money spent on employee picnics and parties to cover essential categories such as staff salaries and advertisement. I also managed to combine the duties of some positions that were not essential for the company.
Result	After minimizing its expenses, the organization managed to have enough funds to run its operations.
Details	Once expenses were reduced, the company eliminated a 100% budget deficit achieving a budget surplus.

Challenge	When the management announced it was introducing a new customer relationship management system, most employees resisted the change
Action	I developed an influential company culture that fostered deep connections between the leadership and the employees. With the culture, the staff was able to socialize with each other; thus, the management explained the importance of the new system.
Result	The latest information system was eventually implemented because the administration and the workers were able to understand each other on a personal level.
Details	Employee acceptance to change increased from 45% to 85% within one month.

3) Now, try writing your two accomplishment stories concisely for a résumé or CV:

Formula 1: Result + action + brief description including clarifying details.

Example: Decreased customer complaints from 3 per week to 1 or less per week by training staff and implementing a regular review process.

Formula 2: Action + brief description with clarifying details + results.

Example: Trained retail staff in customer-service techniques and implemented a regular review process, decreasing customer complaints from 3 per week to 1 or less per week.

Accomplishment 1 Story

By reducing the company’s spending, all budget deficits were eliminated, leading to a budget surplus.

Accomplishment 2 Story

Focusing on the organization’s culture reduced employee resistance to change, increasing employee acceptance for change from 45% to 85%.

PART 3: REFLECT ON YOUR EXPERIENCES

1) How has reflecting on your goals, strengths, areas of growth, and accomplishments been valuable for you?

It has enabled me to identify any incidents where I have not been effective. By focusing on what went wrong, I can determine how to deal with the event the next time when the situation arises. Thus, it helps me maintain a positive focus in life.

2) What are the ways you can build in a regular practice of reflection?

The methods I can use include meditation and the use of a life satisfaction chart. Meditation will allow me to have a better connection with myself because it will allow me to observe my thoughts and how they make me feel. A life satisfaction chart will enable me to asses all my life areas to ensure there are no omissions of certain aspects.

3) In your current understanding of the 10 Skills, identify 1–2 skills that you believe have helped you reach the accomplishments listed in Part 2. Briefly explain how.

In my opinion, negotiation and persuasion are my best skills. With the skills, I was able to influence the organization’s top managers to minimize spending. I also managed to persuade the other workers to accept organizational change.

4) After practicing writing your accomplishments in a CV or résumé-appropriate style, do you feel more confident in expressing your achievements to an employer? Briefly explain.

I feel optimistic about communicating my achievements to employers. The reason is that I now feel secure that my resume writing skills can present my abilities to organizations viewing my resume.

Reflecting on Your Skills, Goals, and Accomplishments