In my current work place Superdrug I have a few recommendations I would put into place to resolve problems I have, with improving on these areas will gain me more confidence and new skills.
I would start with Communication with the managers and team members more which would help me find more things out about people and what they struggle with so I can help them out and them help me out when I need the help, also communication regarding sales/targets so we can all see how the shop is doing etc…
There is few solutions i would recommend 1 they need to Identify the issues; be clear about what the problem is, remember that different people might have different views etc… Be clear about what the problem is. 2- they need to understand everyone’s interests; Interests are the needs that you want satisfied by any given solution. 3- sit and list solutions; brainstorming time to come to a conclusion of what to do in a situation. 4- evaluate the options for conclusion; 5- Choose an option to solve the issue.
My time management could be improved, as I am always in first starting at 6am and I recently struggled to get in for 6am and was a few minutes late I have now started arriving at 6am but becoming very tired which results in me taking longer with delivery, so what I am going to try and do is start with the isle which has more stock and go faster then do all the other isles once I’ve finished the biggest this will hopefully help me get the most of the stock out.
Lastly I would say I need to work on my sales skills, we have targets each week to sell 1 sim a week, register 10 beauty cards a week and 5 star buys per week, some weeks I have no problem smashing all my targets but then some weeks I really struggled so what I am going to put in place is a speech for each item and say this to each and every customer, but I would make it short and sweet which the customer will like and not get bored easily.
My original plan for work experience was to gain more knowledge and experience in the management position, I felt that although I had a great deal of knowledge in the travel and tourism industry, I didn’t have any experience in management and by carrying this out it would significantly improve my confidence.
For my work experience I thought it would be a good idea to shadow a manager, as it would give me an insight of what it would be like to handle a team etc… also this is different to what I have done in the past, I’ve decided to do my work experience at Superdrug which I know is not tourism related but I thought I would try something that was not related and work In the management department. The ten days I was here I covered several management jobs including cash handling, cashing up, stocktake, deliveries and I also got a chance to work on the tills which gave me the chance to see what its like to be a manager and run a shop floor.
During my time at Superdrug I had a mixture of feelings, on my first day I was extremely nervous and felt like it was a waste of time and I would not gain anything but then as the days went on I started to become more relaxed and was really enjoying my time there and I did not want to leave when I came to and, the experience has made me realise it is something I want to do. When the store manager told me my plan for the time I was there be doing, and I felt satisfied that I would learn new thing from the experience. I was very anxious when I came to doing all the banking as I didn’t feel I would be able to understand the concept of it all as I have always struggled with maths and finance etc…
i am very pleased with myself for completing my work experience, regarding my development plan i mentioned in my weaknesses is numeracy, which completing certain tasks during my working experience has gained me more confidence and knowledge which all helps towards my future career. a few tasks such as all the data coding, tester orders and banking took me a couple of days to get the hang of. Delivery which was stock handling, putting stock out etc.. i got the hang of this very quickly, although it took me 1 whole day to figure out the whole shop and familiarise myself with each section for example (Hair care isle 3).
Overall my experience was excellent as I got to work with managers which was to show me their roles, even though I couldn’t go over every job role as it was only a short amount of time. I was very pleased with what I did learn, and I feel like I’ve benefitted from this, this has given me confidence in what I want to go into once I have finished my HND tourism management. This experience gave me a number of skills including confidence skills, customer service skills, financial skills etc…
Teamwork was a big skill here at Superdrug, everyday all the staff worked as a big team; we would all work together such as help each other set the star buy’s up, tidy the store, manage the tills etc… “The better you work with others, the more successful your team will be in achieving their goals. Employees often need to collaborate or work with others to complete tasks and projects – having teamwork skills and experience will make it a much better experience.”(“What Are Teamwork Skills | Build Skills For Life And Work | Young Professional – Youth Employment UK”, 2019)
Before I started at Superdrug, I sent a plan of what I wanted to do, they spoke to me in further details about myself for example what I study, what I like doing which is what the store manager used to work out the plan for what was suitable for me to cover etc… this demonstrates my insistence.
In conclusion from my time working at Superdrug I learnt all the different roles in a management position that I have not had any experience in, I was really nervous to start and I don’t understand why I was as I feel I thought too much into all the aspects, also people that worked there as a manager had no experience as a manager before hand which actually made me feel a lot better in the position. Each staff member that worked here all worked together. I have decided that due to enjoying the role it is something I would like to pursue when I finish my HND until I decide I want to go ahead and be an air hostess.
If I was to work experience over again, firstly I would ask if we could have more than ten days this way there will be more time to experience more, then I would maybe research into another company or even look into shadowing a manager in the tourism industry which would give me a better insight in the tourism industry and better knowledge in a bigger company.
Throughout the Visit to the Lowry hotel in Manchester we started off having a talk and a presentation by the sales manager which he covered all the key terms relating to hotels such as BAR, CRS,RGI,OTA, over-booking, dynamic pricing etc… i found this all very interesting, some parts i had no idea what he was talking about which is why this trip was very helpful in our upcoming unit rooms division.
While I was here at the Lowry, I demonstrated my listening skills “Great listeners show their curiosity and ask a lot of questions. Do this, and you will make a great impression.”(“Types of Listening Skills With Examples”, 2019) i also feel like it improved my listening skills which is very beneficial. ” Having strong listening skills is essential at every organizational level and will improve one’s chances of future promotions.” (“Types of Listening Skills With Examples”, 2019) I also used communication skills as i was asking questions and answering questions. “Developing your communication skills will help all aspects of life, from your professional life to social life and also everything in between.”(2011-2019, 2019) i feel this trip gained me more confidence in communication and to speak up in front of room full of people.
This trip has given me some strengths to take onboard and carry on developing the skills i developed from this trip, also it has improved a weakness of mine which is presentation skills, even though i didn’t present anything i still spoke up in front of a room full of people.
The second part of the trip we got shown around the hotel which was very nice to see and find out the price difference in each room, we had a look around the deluxe king room, riverside suite and the presidential suite. I feel this trip has given me and insight and knowledge on hotels and will 100 percent help me with rooms division unit.
I would certainly recommend this hotel to anyone who is looking for luxury while staying in Manchester and if one day I got the chance to stay I would.
Concrete Experience I had applied for a part time role of passenger service agent at Manchester Airport for Dnata Travel. Which I was then contacted to arrange a phone interview the day after completing the application.
Reflective Observation Previous to the phone call I was very organised as before I even applied for the job, I researched the company and the role I then also prepared myself with interview questions which made me feel confident and more comfortable with the situation. I feel I communicated successfully by listening and answering all the questions that I was asked, and I went into as much detail as I could mainly about my past experience in customer service and team work skills etc… which I feel my past working experience has gained me a lot of skills which has benefitted my development.
I
felt this interview went very well as the woman on the phone was very impressed
with all my answers, she then asked about my commitments in to which I told her
about college, and I worked a full day Wednesday and explained I had 3 holidays
booked this year she was then concerned I would not be fully flexible enough.
Abstract Conceptualization I felt this interview gained me knowledge of what the passenger service agent interview process is like and the type of questions that would be asked. i also felt this interview helped me improve my skills for my development plan such as communication skills as throughout this interview i became really confident and was showing my communication skills to a high standard which is what they really liked about me and my ‘bubbly’ character.
Active Experimentation In upcoming interviews I will have more knowledge of the kind of questions for a passenger service agent role. I will also be more prepared and gather together more questions of different types and think of example answers. in future interviews i need to work on my timing skills, so when i have an interview i need to make time to organise more and gather more research etc…
Kolb, A. Y., & Kolb, D. A. (2005). Learning styles and learning spaces: Enhancing experiential learning in higher education. Academy of management learning & education, 4(2), 193-212.
So
today I had my mock interview in college, some past Jet2 cabin crew came in to do
the interview’s. the session was split in two parts, the first half was to
assess how well I would do in a real interview and the second part was to prepare
me for any future interviews in the tourism industry.
They
started the day off with an icebreaker which was to get us all comfortable and
for them to get to know us a little better. We were asked “you’re given £500 to
spend on either a family member or friend for a weekend. What would you do and
why?” everyone then took some time to think and write the answer down my
answer was I would treat my mum to either a spa day or take her for afternoon
tea somewhere and some shopping as she does everything in her power for me it
would be nice to treat her and let her relax. We then all shared our ideas and
got to know a little bit about each other.
We then went onto the next activity which included us selling something we were all given 15 minutes, I decided to sell a party package for Zante which included a boat trip, white party, bar crawl etc… I described all the benefits and what was included in the package I then described Zante and what Zante has to offer such as restaurants, nightclubs, bars, beaches, shops etc… I finished the pitch off with prices and offers that would be available if they booked the same day. i believe this was a great way for me to work on my presentation skills, as i had to speak in front of people and sell them my deal.
This day was full of all different styles such as communication, teamwork, listening and i would also apply leadership into this day as i took it upon myself to lead the group when we were all asked the first question.
The next task was a maths and English test, we were given these to do interdependently to assess out skills in currency exchange, basic maths and basic English. i was very surprised and proud that i achieved high marks in this test which gained me more knowledge and confidence when it comes to my weakness in numeracy.
The final task to finish off the mock interviews was a one to one
interview in which I was asked a number of questions about myself, why I wanted
the job, why Jet2, what would I bring to the company, my strengths, weaknesses,
challenges and conflicts I have overcome.
My primary career interest is Cabin crew, preferably I would love to work for an airline such as British airways or Emirates. I would love this opportunity, as I have always had a keen interest in this area of career and I feel after several years of studying in travel and tourism and gaining skills and knowledge, this is the correct career path for me, this would be my mid-term goal which then allows me to work and build more skills and knowledge.
Below is my SWOT analysis of my future career plan.
As stated above I have mentioned in my weaknesses that I need to gain a few more skills in the sales area such as selling items and pushing myself to hit targets I will push myself in my current work place to become more confident when upselling our star buy’s and sim cards. I have also mentioned I have a visible tattoo on my foot which will affect me in my future career so my plan is in the next few months to have this tattoo lasered which will remove the tattoo and the I will have no problems in appearance.
As for threats I have mentioned, I will make sure I make time for myself and make a plan on when I will start the course or training so I can work around these dates and times etc…
Below is my personal objectives for my future career plan.
As stated above in my short term goals firstly I will either sign up online for a sign language course or complete one in my HND studies, then I will complete a first aid course again I will do this online or look into a private course. I will then start researching into the airlines I am interested in such as British airways or emirates and look into their duties, skills needed etc… and finally for my last goal I would like to be more confident in my numeracy skills, I will do this by signing up to an online mathematics course which will test me and gain more knowledge.
My medium term goals once I have gained more skills, worked on my weaknesses and removed my tattoo I should then feel confident enough to go and get myself a cabin crew job ideally in the airline I want. meanwhile now I have gained a new job with DNATA travel at Manchester airport in a year or so I’m hoping to work my way up to team leader.
My Long term goals ideally I want to gain a higher position in cabin crew which I would want to do for several years and then be the head of cabin which is my future goal which I now I will have to work very hard to gain but once I have completed all these goals and gained more skills and knowledge I should do just fine.
What? Throughout this session I learnt how to sign numbers, tell the time, morning, evening and night. This means I can now ask and answer questions such as: What time do you start work? What time did you wake up? Meeting friends at what time?
With this session I didn’t quite understand at first what I was doing until I decided to think and focus more instead of always saying i cant do it and give up straight away, once i did this everything started going my way and i was enjoying the lesson more.
So what? Throughout this session I focused more than usual to get the most out of this lesson, as I knew this was our last lesson with Andrew it was a lot more detailed this lesson with telling them time which Is why I needed to concentrate as it was only a short lesson. I’m finding sign language lessons very helpful but also a lot to take in and understand and as I’ve mentioned previously in my other blogs regarding sign language they have improved my non-verbal skill significantly and my social skills as we all worked in teams.
I found a useful explanation of team work skills; Working well in a team means:
Working with a group of people to achieve a shared goal or outcome in an effective way
Listening to other members of the team
Taking everyone’s ideas on board, not just your own
Working for the good of the group as a whole
Having a say and sharing responsibility (“What Are Teamwork Skills | Build Skills For Life And Work | Young Professional – Youth Employment UK”, 2019)
I will go home and take what Andrew has taught us over this 3 week course and practice at home so I will remember everything I will definitely be able to be more confident talking/approaching a deaf person now. I will also watch YouTube videos to keep me up to date and as I still don’t feel 100% confident in having a full conversation with a deaf person, I want to look into a sign language online course where I will learn more as it will be more lessons. once I have completed the online course and I keep up to date reminding myself watching online videos I will feel very confident in myself to have a full conversation with a deaf person.
What Throughout this week’s session we learnt a variety of things which can be put together to make a simple question or simple response which include; What is your name?, Past, Present and future, Days of the week, Types of transport, What days do you work? When do you go to college?
So, what Throughout this session I proved I understood these questions and phrases I did this by having a conversation with Andrew who was our teacher in sign language; as well as asking the person opposite me questions and answering theirs. This has added more confidence to my non-verbal skills as well as social skills and team working skills with other people in the class. i feel today i used the Egan Soler theory which stands for S; face squarely which shows you are interested, O; open posture so have no arm or legs crossed as this will make people feel intimidated, L; Lean forward which will show them you care and are interested to the person you are talking to, E; eye contact again shows interest and R; relax ensure you are relaxed as it may cause tension. this method is what i would use when i am talking to a deaf person to make them feel comfortable and me comfortable. (2019)
Now what After Learning all these basic questions which has given me the knowledge for learning in my next few lessons, as all this will one day help me when dealing with customers in my future career or in a general situation. today helped me with communication skills and team work skills in my future career i need to be prepared as i will be coming across all different people deaf, disabilities, different language, so from this lesson today i feel like i have gained confidence.
Today direct communication was used as i feel like this kind of communication is very straightforward and this type can be done with full confidence with no hesitation. (“Communicate in a Variety of Styles & Appropriate Manner”, 2019)
References:
Rolfe, G., Freshwater, D., Jasper, M. (2001). Critical Reflection in Nursing and the Helping Professions: a User’s Guide. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
Description Throughout this sign language lesson I learnt how to finger spell the alphabet as well as taking part in group activities where we had to communicate by lip reading.
Feelings
I was very nervous with doing the finger spelling as ive never come across this before and it usually takes me a while to learn something like this, as we started to do the finger spelling, I then got the hang of it and actually then felt confident. During the group session again, I felt nervous as lip reading is not my best subject and find it difficult. After this lesson I realised how much deaf people struggle and how much they have to take in on a day to day basis which must be very draining.
Evaluation Throughout this session I would say I enjoyed learning this and found it very useful I enjoyed learning the alphabet, I didn’t particularly enjoy the lip reading. This has improved my non-verbal skills and my social skills and team work skills with other people in the class.
Analysis I would say I should have put more effort into the lip reading and think about it before saying I can’t do it and try harder instead of moving on, i found it very beneficial with gaining more skills and knowledge which all goes towards my future career path. i will still have to go home and watch videos on YouTube to remind me as 1 hour lesson was not enough time to fully learn and remember the whole alphabet.
Conclusion If I was to do this session over again one thing, I would do is try harder with the lip reading and not give up thinking I can’t do it and challenge myself with the alphabet. like i mentioned above i will carry on watching videos which will help me in the future as i would have took the time to learn more in my own time.
Action plan In other lessons I will make sure I work and try harder at the tasks which will benefit me with my future career and interactions in the future.
Gibbs, G. (1988). The reflective cycle. Kitchen S (1999) An appraisal of methods of reflection and clinical supervision. Br J Theatre Nurs, 9(7), 313-7.
Throughout
today’s lesson I successfully delivered my poster presentation on my research
topic, how did the terror attack in 2015 affect Tunisia’s tourism. Firstly, I
explained my research with the HNC students where I described what my research
was, my key primary and secondary findings, conclusion and recommendations. I then
went on to ask for their opinions and advice what they thought about the topic.
I felt this was good for them as it gives them help for when they are carrying this
unit out.
I felt quite confident with my presentation as I knew all of
my data and research, I found was an interesting topic and with what is going
on in the world now other people take interest in this topic to see other people’s
opinions. When I was delivering my presentation, I was feeling a little nervous
as thoughts was going through my head; what if people think this topic is
stupid, what if people ask questions and I don’t know the answer too etc… but
once the presentation was over, I was feeling fine and shocked myself with
answering people’s questions with confidence. I felt I was very self-confident during
the presentation.
Once this was accomplished, the other students gave me some feedback, which I was very surprised at as they were all positive and people said it was such an interesting topic and I explained my presentation very clear and they understood what I was talking about, they said it looked very professional, good use of references and good use of charts and pictures. These comments prove I must have good communication skills, listening skills and social skills.
In general, I was made up and feeling very proud of myself with my presentation
and how well I did, this unit will 100% help me in future units and tasks as I have
learnt to always prepare myself so when I have a presentation to make sure I know
what I am talking about and take my time. So, I would say this unit boosted my
presentation skills. If I had the chance to present my presentation again, I would
be more confident ask them if they have any questions instead of them thinking
should I ask a question or not?
Chevaune HND Studies 
