Blog Post 4: Final Reflection On Learning

Before ES2007S, I was truly worried. I was worried about what to expect when I graduate. With the constant reminders by the NUS Career Centre and my peers, I am aware of the dire need to learn how to "market" myself so as to get employed.

I confessed, on the first day of lesson, that I took ES2007S because I needed a module to clear my unrestricted elective requirements. Never would I have expected to learn so much from the course of Professional Communication. Some of my peers who had taken this module commented that it is truly a helpful module. Initially, I thought "aren't all modules helpful?" but the application for this module to the real world is definitely on another level from the other modules I have taken throughout my three years in NUS. Not only did this module cover segments which I was insecure about but it gave me additional confidence in myself that I could be equally as competitive as every other soon-to-be graduates. 

Having learnt tips and tricks to résumé and cover letter writing, I have been given the chance by potential employers to go for interviews. In addition, upon brushing up my skills on effective professional email crafting, I believe I had impressed some recipients of my emails. When I went for an interview today, I was less nervous than I was in the past. I would like to attribute my confidence to the fact that learning about nonverbal cues and the management of my communication skills did allow me to leave a good impression on the potential employer. 

Other than the skills that I mentioned above, in time to come, the proposal writing and presentation skills are definitely going to come in handy. Persuasiveness is an aspect that I have not been able to achieve all this while because I tend to talk about things in a way that is "as a matter of fact" and often people are not convinced. With the skills learnt, I will continue to put them to good use and I believe I can better persuade others to agree with my viewpoint in time to come.

What sets ES2007S apart from other modules is that the application of the skills learnt is far more relevant even in our daily lives. I am extremely glad to have been part of this class of ES2007S group 6. Class time was always constructive and lively. I truly enjoyed myself. 

Thank you all for making a difference in my life.

PS. Can someone send me the photos we took the other day? I don't have a facebook account (by choice).

Blog Post 3: Reflection on Project Proposal

The group's project proposal is on raising the employment rates of ex-offenders and the whole journey had been an eye-opener. 

Despite being clear on the main objective of the proposal, there were many other details that the team had to deal with in the beginning. For example, the types of employments to focus on and primarily the way to craft a proposal that was novel and feasible. The team also dealt with having to keep the report within eight pages because the current measures had many specific details which the group felt were important. However, as the group then decided that the main part of the report was to share the ideas of the proposed solutions, more emphasis was placed in the description and feasibility of the proposed solutions. Hence, it was a good learning point to sieve out what was important to have in the report when attempting to convince the reader that some improvement of the current situation is needed.

As our project topic was closely tied in with government-related organisations, most of the information that we got from our secondary research were worded positively and some additional details which appeared negative towards the organisation or the ex-offenders were left out. Thus there was some challenge in trying to obtain the full picture of the current situation about these ex-offenders and employment. Then again, regardless of the way in which the information was presented, annual reports from the Singapore Prison Service as well as the Singapore Corporation of Rehabilitative Enterprises were extremely helpful for the project for statistical evidence.

It was a great experience to have been able to meet up with Mr Danny personally with the group as information that he provided us with gave us insight to which parts of our proposed solutions could be better improved. Also, the team had a better understanding of the process in which the ex-offenders go through before they achieve gainful employment in Singapore.

Overall, I feel that the team worked well together, complementing one another's strengths and weaknesses. Though, as most projects are, upon reaching the deadline, there is always the tension and need for more time and one can always have better time management with respect to the timeline for the project.