Assignment 1 Unit 1
Will Whitehouse
Personal attributes
Specific skills-
Technical knowledge- This is a skill that’s needed in almost every line of work these days. It’s quite important for an employee to understand what they are doing. Employers will look for people to hire who have good technical skills because it shows they can deal with technical issues which they are bound to come across in the IT industry.
Working attitudes-No matter where you work you must have the correct attitude. You can’t act how you do at home in the workplace because it’s just not appropriate. Employes are going to want to hire people who act professional and have to correct attitude. The right attitude keeps you motivated and is better for getting work done to a good standard. If you aren’t happy and have a negative it attitude means you won’t be putting the right effort into your work and will affect you and your employers. You’ll probably get fired too. Employers want people who have genuine interest in what they are doing rather than someone who wants the job purely for money.
Health and safety- Very important in any industry because it involves the safety of both employers and employees. Companies will not want to take on people who may pose a threat to themselves or their staff because they can’t follow health and safety regulations. People should know when to come to work and when it’s appropriate to stay off. If someone is sick and they go to work they are risking infecting everyone else they work with and that would create a lot off issues for any business. Since employers are responsible for the safety of those they hire then it makes life easier for them if they have sensible staff that aren’t causing risks to the health and safety of others.
More attributes
Attitudes- These are skills that are valued by all employers. companies want to make sure the people they hire are the best possible fit for the business by demonstrating their strength as potential employees with strong determination, a good level of independence and the right amount of confidence
Determined- Any employer in any field is going to want their workers to be determined. It shows that a person has a good attitude and the motivation to achieve goals they have set out for themselves and to employers this comes across as a person who will do a good job for and work well for them. The most determined people make the hardest workers and every business wants all the hard workers possible.
Independant- There would be no point in hiring a person who cannot do their job without relying on others for help because then they aren't actually doing the job. Or people who only do what they are told and show no initiative of their own. What good is a person who sits around and waits for the work to come to them, they must be able to go and find jobs that needs doing.Employers are going to want to as much work done as possible out of their employees because it’s what they pay them a wage for.
Confidence- If you have a job in something like IT support and you struggle to speak to others then you’re going to struggle. In a career like IT it’s important to be able to talk to others effectively. This is because you need to be able to ask a client about a problem they are having, you may need to talk people through solving a problem. In IT there are a million different things that can break or go wrong so it is unavoidable part of the job having to speak to others. Employers don't want people lacking in confidence because it's a necessary trait to have these days. However too much confidence can be confused with arrogance which is what employers will look at negatively and wont want you to work for them.
More attributes
General attributes
These are skills employers expect you to have if your were going to apply to work for them. They are very much important life skills that are required to be successful and any job. The better you are in these areas then the easier it will be when it comes to securing yourself a career.
Planning skills- Being able to plan your work successfully is a very useful trait that employers will want potential employees to have. Good employees should be able to plan out their work to a schedule, establish and meet specific goals to help them further their careers, make sure your meeting the objectives set out for you and achieve the standard of work that is expected. employers will want people who know what they are going to do and when they are going to do it rather than someone who does everything last minute without any set goals in mind.
Team working- Being able to work well is a necessity in the workplace because employers need their staff to work well together because it makes work easier, jobs can be completed quicker by a group of people working together than a single employee alone. Being able to work well in a team demonstrates good communication skills which adds more value to that person in the eyes of an employer. when working in a team you can designate each member a specific role which suits their strengths and that means you’re getting the best out of everyone involved in each area which is a huge benefit for any business.
Time management- Time management and planning go well together and if a person’s strengths lie in both of these areas then they will make a very organised individual. Time management is about making sure everything is done to a schedule, if you have to be somewhere at a certain time you can’t leave at that time you must leave before hand with enough time to get there. You need to make sure you allocate enough time for a project to make sure it’s done in time for a deadline but not done in one rushed go because employers will expect a certain standard of the work you produce. Having a diary or a planner makes time management a lot easier to keep track off.
Principles of effective communication
General communication skills-
Cultural differences- With the workplace in this day and age being a very diverse it’s important to address cultural differences, simple things like hand gestures mean different things to people from different cultures. It’s important to communicate to your audience so this means thinking about the words and gestures you use to convey your message without causing offence to others.
Terminology-using the correct terminology is key when talking to someone especially in IT when discussing issues. If someone who is computer illiterate has a problem and call up IT support and the person on the other end is too technical in their explanation the customer is going to have no clue about what to do. This is why you must be able to talk about something with a mix of good technical knowledge but at a level people can understand.
Questioning and answering- Taking and answering questions is a useful tool for helping clear up points on something that people are confused with. In IT it’s useful when diagnosing a problem a client may have. Questions help provide feedback on things like how a job went and helps make improvements next time a person comes to do that job.
Interpersonal skills-
Positive and negative speech and body language -
Saying the word yes gives a positive response to a person and too let the person speaking know you are interested and listening to what they are saying you can smile and nod your head to show this. Negative body language can show disinterest in what a person is saying. If you interrupt someone it will be seen as rude
Communicate in writing-
Spelling and grammar- If you’re sending something in writing spelling and grammar must be correct otherwise you look unprofessional and childlike. It also shows lack of effort because you aren't bothering to look over your work. Bad spelling can lead to confusion from the other end and lead to more issues due to that.
Proofreading- Rereading something you've just wrote like a report or an email is really important. You need to make sure it makes sense to the reader and all spellings and grammar is correct. Getting someone else to read over your work it’s helpful because it’s harder to spot mistakes in your own work.
Note taking- Notes are used full for summing up full presentations into the key points or for taking down messages. They need to be concise and to the point. If you are going to be taking notes for someone else make sure all writing is legible and makes sense. Even just highlighting important parts of a document can be really useful.
Barriers to effective communication and how to reduce the impact of these barriers
Background noise- When you’re trying to concentrate to get some work done even the tiniest noise like a tapping or the ticking of a clock can be a distraction and throw you off. The same goes for if you are doing a presentation and there's a noise outside that distracts those you’re presenting to which makes it hard for you to get your message across. Closing windows and doors as well as having others keep volume to a suitable limit can help prevent background noises being an issue.
Distractions- Distractions can range from tiny nuisances like a person tapping on their desk to mobile phone ringing or people walking in late. If someone was talking to others interruptions like this would stop the flow of communications and the speaker would probably have to repeat themselves. To combat distractions people should have mobile phones switched off or on silent and people should make effort not to be late or if the person speaking waits for them their arrival won’t be a distraction.
Physical barriers- Trying to talk to someone who isn’t in the same room can cause issues. If it’s someone in a different country and out are talking over a messaging service then you are having to wait for them to receive that message and then reply when they are available. This can take a long time so if you need to speak to someone as soon as possible it could cause you problems.so Apllications like skype and other instant messager services can deal with those issues.
Location- Your location can determine how well you can communicate with others. If you’re in an area with bad broadband then you will struggle to message people or service messages from others. If you’re trying to talk to someone in a crowded place then you will struggle in being heard and might result in miscommunication due to the loud background noises disrupting the communications.
Lack of concentration-People will lose interest in what you are saying if you take too long or you are not clear with your points. So the length of how long you are talking matters as well as the content. The best way to deal with lack of concentration is to make sure subject is relevant to the audience you are addressing and that the message you are trying to get across is clear and understood by others.
Language barriers- Trying to speak to a group of people that don’t speak the same language as you is going to be a struggle because they wont understand what it is your telling them. trying to make them understand through actions and hand gestures will just waste time. The best way to deal with this issue is finding someone who is able to interpret what it is you are saying.