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7. Employability: a qualification alone might not be enough - part 1

When I entered university for the first time, graduate attributes were the last thing on my mind. I did not even know what a graduate attribute was. I entered university with the mentality of getting the degree, proceed further to obtain a higher qualification so that I could complete my training and get a permanent job. Apparently, that is not all that is required to be an employable graduate. I only heard about graduate attributes during my second year at university from Mr Rodrique E. George, my then lecturer of the ‘Intensive Reading and Writing’ module. Graduate attributes are the qualities, skills and knowledge that we as students must develop while at university. Some graduate attributes include: the ability to use knowledge to solve problems; the ability to use and apply information effectively; the ability to interact with people from different backgrounds and being able to understand their views, to name a few. There are characteristics and skills that stem from gra

6. Employment Application: Writing a Curriculum Vitae (CV)

http://full-media.co.uk/tips-on-cv-writing/ There comes a point in time where a Curriculum Vitae (hereafter referred to as a CV) is required to apply for a job, a scholarship, to further studies, for an internship - whatever the case may be. This applies to almost everybody, whether one is a learner, a student, a graduate or an employee. It is reasonable to conclude that if minimal effort is put in completing a CV, there is a greater chance that the CV will not be effective in our application. The Workplace-Readiness Skills Workshop that I mentioned in earlier posts included a section on CVs. In this article I share the importance of a CV in relation to the recruitment process, the particulars of a CV and guidelines on how to write it, as communicated at the workshop by the HR consultant Mr Thando Melane. I also include information regarding elements of a CV, obtained from the Office of Student Development at the University of the Western Cape. P.S: The article is focused more

5. Part 3: Conflict management - For workplace purposes

Mr Melane and Ms Poole also shared the process of resolving issues and skills for managing conflict. Let's start with the process of resolving issues. The following process is suggested in cases where conflict is identified: http://www.rrdca.com/wwwrrd1/?doc=oportunidades Acknowledge that conflict exists Identify the real conflict Listen actively to all points of view Explore and generate ways to resolve conflict Select a preferred solution and clarify responses Monitor progress by scheduling a followup session to monitor and review progress To manage conflict: Allow time for cooling down Analyse the situation Be confident that you can resolve the problem Listen carefully Deliver a clear message State the problem to the other person Give proper feedback Be open and flexible Focus on a positive outcome We've come to the end of conflict management. I certainly hope this was as helpful as I find it to be. Please fell free to share your views, concerns,

5. Part 2: Conflict management - For workplace purposes

In the previous article, the concept of conflict management was addressed. The different styles of handling conflict and the situations in which the styles should and shouldn't be used were also communicated. Now, let's find out which conflict-handling style we are most dominant in, and how less dominant we are on the other styles; so that we can work on ensuring that we use the correct style in the correct situation: Below is a multiple choice exercise that was provided at the workshop. We have to imagine ourselves in the situations presented and choose what we would do in the given situation. Some situations are repeated but let's not cheat! (Lol!). And let's be honest! :D This can be printed out. Alternatively we can write the numbers 1-30, and next to them write our option: A/ B. Here we go!! 1 A.       There are times when I let others take responsibility for solving the problem. B.       Rather than negotiate the things on which we