Transferable skills

 

Communication

Brink and Costigan, (2014) believe that communication is the most important thing in any workplace, stating that in every action in the workplace either social or interpersonal communication will be needed. Communication means a variety of things but is generally defined as presenting, listening and conversing (Tepekoylu, Ozbey, and Camliyer, 2015). I had my first job when I was fourteen, when my mother opened up her nail bar business, after school I would come here and work on reception. Working on reception meant I dealt with guests a lot, either over the phone or in person, I was required to book appointments and talk to guests about their treatment. This helped me to gain confidence and develop my communication skills, since then I have continuously had a job that requires me to use communication, my communication skills are continuously developing but I also feel that that are at a high level.

Pro activity

 During my employment at the Marina Spa, I feel developed pro activity, the spa's occupancy rate was 99% and was a large team of therapists consisting of 10 spa therapists, the spa was constantly busy and did not have a spa host or treatment manager, this meant that being proactive in between, during and after treatments was essential. During my time at University I feel I have developed my pro activity skills further, gained from working in the Devonshire spa and having various assignments deadlines. Being at University has meant that studying is self-taught, and I have had to develop my pro activity of studying during my study. Pro activity is when somebody takes it upon themselves to be organised for a situation, meaning they take control of a situation instead of adapting or adjusting to a situation (melitorrify, 2014).

Leadership

 Last year I felt that my leadership skills where strong, however since starting my second year at university I feel that they were something that needed to be improved on. I was made shift leader at the Devonshire spa on a Tuesday afternoon, being a shift leader means that I have to keep my team motivated at all times, along with leading by example  and showing pro activity within the spa. Although I feel my confidence within leadership is something that can be improved, I feel I adapting well to my new role and surroundings and strive to show my team determination and motivation. Effective leadership is someone who can be organised and can influence positive behaviour to achieve the outcome of shared objectives within a team (Yukl, 2012).

Problem solving

During my time at the Marina spa, I developed problem solving, often the spa would encounter problems, with premier spa where clients may have been double booked or had been located into the wrong room, during a day of back to back treatments, it is very important to locate these problems and deal with them effectively and quickly in order not to lose on valuable treatment time and to ensure the guest is dealt with professionally. Doing this involved problem solving, quick thinking and adapting. Problem solving is a fantastic skill to be able to have, as it is used a lot in workplaces, problem solving is the act of being able to find and deal with difficult or complex situation usual under pressure (Proctor, 2009).

Technical Skills

This skill has been developed through work experience practice and extra training. My degree has allowed me to progress my technical skills due to further and higher education within the spa sector, alongside training with elemis.

Specific occupational skills

Occupational skills have been acquired through different work in salons and spas. Specific skills such as time keeping, column management and manager skills are skills only acquired through hands on practical work, during my time at university I feel that these skills have been developed the most. Working at the commercial spa at university has allowed me to translate my theoretical knowledge into occupational skills.

Team working

As part of my university course, I have been working as shift manager at the Devonshire Spa, here I have been working with a small team of therapists to help run the spa. During my shift it is essential for the spa to be running smoothly and helping the team to manage their columns. It is important for me to work with the team and demonstrate good team working skills. Team work is described a group of people who work well together in a team to achieve or complete an aim (Phil, 2007).