Career Planning

Career Planning



Career Planning

Skills for learning at Masters level [500]

Everybody is managing his/her daily life - which means every person have managerial skills. We need this managerial approach to make the work done in our daily. Now people are doing a master degree course to build their managerial skills. Every body is keeping in mind while managing his/her life or a job. Master level student is a highly skilled person has the skill and experienced about his/her specific field. Studying for a degree requires intellectual ability and motivation but completion of a Masters requires more commitment and capability, with the course often proving extremely intensive. These attributes are often very appealing to employers and may give you an advantage in the competitive employment market. (Sternberg, 2001: 105-109)

Employers value transferable skills as well as more technical and vocational skills gained through specific Masters study. If the role is specifically related to your Masters qualification, it is essential that you highlight your relevant experience.

Many employers use competency-based assessment criteria to select candidates. Certain skills are identified and it is up to the candidate to show they have those skills. CVs and application forms offer the opportunity to supply evidence of the strengths and skills that are required in the role. (Candela, 2009: 207)

Interviews are designed also to find out whether you have the skills required of the job. Typical questions include: 'Tell me about a time when you worked as a member of a team' and 'Tell me about a challenging work situation - how did you respond?' These questions are designed to test competencies, including teamwork, problem-solving and action planning. It is important that you have identified your skills beforehand so you can link them to the relevant questions.

Following skills are required for learning at master level:

critical and analytical thinking;

planning and organisation;

research methods - particularly with Masters by research courses but also through data collection and analysis for dissertations;

time management - Masters qualifications can be extremely intensive requiring you to balance coursework deadlines and manage your self-study;

project management;

advanced IT skills;

presentation skills - to peers and/or external colleagues;

group/teamworking skills - both leading and being part of team projects.

Masters graduates gain skills through their first degree that are then enhanced and consolidated through postgraduate study. To effectively understand the skills you have you should start with a skills audit. This is a self-reflective process that enables you to identify your skills and strengths.

You are probably a successful graduate and already have many of the skills required for postgraduate study. These skills are, however, developed further and assessed more stringently at postgraduate level. (Kendrick, 1993: 89)

Employers value qualifications as well as skills and experience, and it is essential that you demonstrate how your Masters can be of use in the particular job you are applying for. Your Masters will have provided you with specific specialised skills that may be of particular relevance to the job area. There will also be transferable skills picked up from the Masters course that will be an ...