The Importance of Reflection on Employability
Key Insight 1
“Half of you are below average.” This was not a sentiment that I was expecting to hear on the first day of EXSC 200: Introduction to Sports Medicine and Athletic Training. It made perfect sense, the very definition of an average means that half of the values are below, and half are above. In this case, Dr. Mensch meant that as students, whether we compare our grade point averages, the number of clubs we are in, the number of friends we have, the number of real-world experiences we have gained, or the quality of internships or jobs we have had, there will always be students that fall below the average. Although this didn’t seem like the usual way to motivate students, he didn’t end the statement there and continued on to say that it is up to us all individually to move ourselves up the success scale into the “above average” group. Taking advantage of opportunities as they come, and then later being able to reflect on those experiences is what allows each person to move up on the scale to become an “above average” applicant and person. This idea was connected to every lesson and the main focus of the course became employability and marketability to future graduate schools and job vacancies.
Employability was also a theme in EXSC 401: Practicum Preparation through our dissection of the Employability Model and Borton’s Framework for Reflection. We practiced using Borton’s Framework in our reflective writing assignment which can be seen as artifact #1 below. In this assignment we directly related experiences we had at USC to The employability model considers all of the important skills and experiences that one can reflect on to make themselves a more marketable candidate. Borton’s Framework for Reflection explains how reflection can be accomplished by asking 3 questions: “what?”, “so what?”, and “now what?”.
When looking into applying to graduate school, I was forced to reflect on certain experiences, and realized that one stood out in the way it taught me to reflect and work on most of the professional skills apparent in the Employability Model. As a University Ambassador, I spend at least 3 hours a week in the visitor center and give at least 1 tour a week to prospective students looking at attending USC. It is mandatory that the ambassador to be able to talk, connect, and reflect on their time at USC in order to create the best experience for visitors. At the conclusion of my tour, I use Borton’s Model to discuss the journey that led me to USC and the reasons why I continue to choose Carolina every day. A recording of this can be seen linked below as artifact #2.
The first question in Borton’s Model is “what?” which tries to encourage the person to describe the event and actions that occurred. I tell visitors that I first visited the University during a spring break trip where I took a tour with an ambassador that was just like me. She was involved in the same things I wanted to do in college, was the same major, and had the same professional aspirations. The next question in the model is “so what?” which implores the person to think about and explain why that event was significant. I continue on to explain that as a result of the similarities and quality of the tour, I felt comfortable going up to the tour guide and asking questions and as a result felt a sense of comfort walking on campus that I hadn’t ever felt before. Once I got home from spring break, I began answering the question “what is your first choice for college?” with “the University of South Carolina”. At that point I didn’t really know where I wanted to go, but the feeling I got on the tour I took was something that really impacted how I felt about the process. The last question is “now what?” which urges the person to explain how the future will be impacted by the event. I finish by stating that I was going through the end of this process when the pandemic hit in 2020. I was supposed to commit to a university based off of a tour I took the year prior, without being able to go back and solidify my decision, which seemed daunting and impossible. However, that tour stuck out in my mind, and I realized that maybe the answer I gave to people regarding my first choice had more of an importance than I had originally thought. I decided to commit to USC without going back to visit, and it ended up being the best decision I have ever made.
I not only go through Borton’s Model every time I give a tour, but also anytime I am in the Visitor Center talking to parents and prospective students. When they ask about any of the experiences, relationships, knowledge, skills, or growth I have developed at USC (all of which are part of the employability model), I am able to reflect and provide them with a succinct and articulate answer without hesitation. It wasn’t until I was required to do a mock interview assignment for EXSC 401: Practicum Preparation that I realized how valuable the skill I had learned and practiced in and out of the classroom was to become a stronger applicant. Some of these answers can be seen as artifact #3 below. The goal of the assignment was to answer interview questions while using the employability model to draw from experiences in our answers while treating it like a real graduate school or job interview. I was able to go through each question with little preparation and expand on my experiences without hesitation, and with considerable elaboration and description of why those experiences were important to me. I earned a100% on that assignment and had great feedback, which showed me that there can be real benefits to being able to deeply reflect and be able to articulate that reflection.
Through my experience as outside of the classroom University Ambassador, I was able to put the theoretical reflection and employability models into action to see the real benefits of reflection during the preparation stages of entering the workforce. These skills will be beneficial when interviewing at future graduate schools as I will be able to describe my growth as a person and professionally during college. I have learned that reflection and increased employability are key to improving my odds of future success, which will motivate me to constantly strive for more opportunities and experiences. Reflection is the key to moving up on the scale of success- because no one wants to be “below average”.
Employability was also a theme in EXSC 401: Practicum Preparation through our dissection of the Employability Model and Borton’s Framework for Reflection. We practiced using Borton’s Framework in our reflective writing assignment which can be seen as artifact #1 below. In this assignment we directly related experiences we had at USC to The employability model considers all of the important skills and experiences that one can reflect on to make themselves a more marketable candidate. Borton’s Framework for Reflection explains how reflection can be accomplished by asking 3 questions: “what?”, “so what?”, and “now what?”.
When looking into applying to graduate school, I was forced to reflect on certain experiences, and realized that one stood out in the way it taught me to reflect and work on most of the professional skills apparent in the Employability Model. As a University Ambassador, I spend at least 3 hours a week in the visitor center and give at least 1 tour a week to prospective students looking at attending USC. It is mandatory that the ambassador to be able to talk, connect, and reflect on their time at USC in order to create the best experience for visitors. At the conclusion of my tour, I use Borton’s Model to discuss the journey that led me to USC and the reasons why I continue to choose Carolina every day. A recording of this can be seen linked below as artifact #2.
The first question in Borton’s Model is “what?” which tries to encourage the person to describe the event and actions that occurred. I tell visitors that I first visited the University during a spring break trip where I took a tour with an ambassador that was just like me. She was involved in the same things I wanted to do in college, was the same major, and had the same professional aspirations. The next question in the model is “so what?” which implores the person to think about and explain why that event was significant. I continue on to explain that as a result of the similarities and quality of the tour, I felt comfortable going up to the tour guide and asking questions and as a result felt a sense of comfort walking on campus that I hadn’t ever felt before. Once I got home from spring break, I began answering the question “what is your first choice for college?” with “the University of South Carolina”. At that point I didn’t really know where I wanted to go, but the feeling I got on the tour I took was something that really impacted how I felt about the process. The last question is “now what?” which urges the person to explain how the future will be impacted by the event. I finish by stating that I was going through the end of this process when the pandemic hit in 2020. I was supposed to commit to a university based off of a tour I took the year prior, without being able to go back and solidify my decision, which seemed daunting and impossible. However, that tour stuck out in my mind, and I realized that maybe the answer I gave to people regarding my first choice had more of an importance than I had originally thought. I decided to commit to USC without going back to visit, and it ended up being the best decision I have ever made.
I not only go through Borton’s Model every time I give a tour, but also anytime I am in the Visitor Center talking to parents and prospective students. When they ask about any of the experiences, relationships, knowledge, skills, or growth I have developed at USC (all of which are part of the employability model), I am able to reflect and provide them with a succinct and articulate answer without hesitation. It wasn’t until I was required to do a mock interview assignment for EXSC 401: Practicum Preparation that I realized how valuable the skill I had learned and practiced in and out of the classroom was to become a stronger applicant. Some of these answers can be seen as artifact #3 below. The goal of the assignment was to answer interview questions while using the employability model to draw from experiences in our answers while treating it like a real graduate school or job interview. I was able to go through each question with little preparation and expand on my experiences without hesitation, and with considerable elaboration and description of why those experiences were important to me. I earned a100% on that assignment and had great feedback, which showed me that there can be real benefits to being able to deeply reflect and be able to articulate that reflection.
Through my experience as outside of the classroom University Ambassador, I was able to put the theoretical reflection and employability models into action to see the real benefits of reflection during the preparation stages of entering the workforce. These skills will be beneficial when interviewing at future graduate schools as I will be able to describe my growth as a person and professionally during college. I have learned that reflection and increased employability are key to improving my odds of future success, which will motivate me to constantly strive for more opportunities and experiences. Reflection is the key to moving up on the scale of success- because no one wants to be “below average”.
Artifacts
Artifact #1- Reflective Writing Assignment
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Artifact #2: Tour Conclusion
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Artifact #3: Mock Interview and Reflections
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