Research Into the Graduate Labor Market, Research Paper Example

Introduction

After graduation from colleges, students are always faced with a challenge of deciding which one is the way forward. Whether to seek for employment in already established companies or to seek self-employment opportunities is usually the big question whose answer must be found. Getting employed in other companies might be a good option for some while others would prefer starting their own companies and therefore get self employed. The fact is, whether employment or self-employment is preferred by a particular person, it is always based/dependent on the personal skills and/or competencies of the individual involved[1]

Section 1: A critical review of skills

Last year I learned several skills that place me in a favorable position to handle the challenges involved as I aspire to further my career. I would like to work as a self employed individual by opening and running my own website company. This company should be running by 2017 a time when I will have completed my master’s degree.

I possess good communication skills an attribute I believe will assist in the setting up of the company. This is as demonstrated by the high competence have in person to person communication, ability to produce a variety of written documents. I possess creativity which is a critical component in the setting up of the company. This will increase my interaction with my customers/clients as I will provide unique services to them in a unique manner.

The internship I will hold in a relevant Information Technology company after finishing my business management degree will perfect further my information technology skills. This includes software configuration to help in inputting data, selection of the relevant data to be used in a given occasion and the editing of any raw data before subsequent usage and/or storage. Data processing by use of relevant analytical methods and application software is another skill that will definitely make the road to success smooth. This will help in organization and presentation of the data from my customers or clients in a manner that will be pleasing to them thereby increasing loyalty. The internship will also expose me to the real challenges facing the setting up of a website company.[2]

I have developed excellent ability to work harmoniously with other people in a given task. Teamwork reduces the time taken to handle a given task. It also creates an environment in which several views or perspectives about one issue are generated thereby increasing the field of options that may be used to reach the desired end. When the options of handling a given task are increased, it is easier to choose the best method by which a task can be handled. Competence in the planning of complex work with colleagues is a key factor in ensuring that several tasks can be handled simultaneously and hence resulting in a high degree of efficiency. I have shown great teamwork skills in the past which have enabled me to identify the limits of certain groups so as not to be overambitious with what a particular group can deliver. I believe cooperative relationship between group members is necessary if the attainment of any given goals is to be achieved.[3] This therefore means that difficulties must be solved in a way that everybody feels satisfied and happy because the essence of any group or team is for members to agree on any given matter first before progress can be made. The faster the members reach a consensus while handling one issue the faster the next issue will be handled.[4]

Am good at achieving what I want to do in the sense that I always analyze and identify factors which in one way or another may affect my plans.  I then use these facts to come up with realistic goals or targets that can be achieved under those conditions. This, I believe, will come in very handy if and when I successfully enroll for my master’s degree by September 2013.[5]

I have developed the ability to identify the problems that may in one way or another hinder the achievements of the targets, and then I seek for the relevant information for the purpose of solving them. Solution to such problems may involve conducting research and getting information from various sources or people to ensure the right solution is found. My planning skills come in handy whenever faced with several tasks that have different deadlines. I believe in making a timetable in which each activity is assigned different time and depending on the deadline. This has proven to be a very efficient approach in maximizing my performance.

I am competent in problem solving methods as regards exploring and identifying the main features of a problem. I then analyze it in detail to ascertain the most relevant information that can be used to solve it. A real problem may have a range of solutions, and most problems do. Identifying the best solution is normally the biggest trick behind any problem. To avoid settling on a solution which is not the best, I review the process used to arrive at a given solution. Carrying out or implementing a particular solution is also one important step that should be considered whenever one is trying to solve any problem. An appropriate solution is picked and properly organized so as to solve the problem with higher efficiency. Regular review of the progress is necessary just to ascertain that indeed the solution picked is the best and for that matter, most relevant. Evaluation of the solution provided together with the outcomes for a given problem against the intended objectives is the final stage of the problem solution.

With these skills and competencies, I believe I have what it takes to meet my self-employment objectives. With these, I can conquer all obstacles that I may face when am on the road to success.

Section 2: A critical review of literature

A website business just like any other business requires one to take into consideration the various factors that aid in smooth running of the activities. These include the technical aspects of the business which are direct factors affecting the real running of the business such as the educational backgrounds. Others which may not be direct factors and include the way a particular individual may relate with elements in his business environment such as customers, government bodies responsible for legislation, clients and even the staff.[6]

Research shows that, in order to come up with a successful business oriented website, one should possess several skills, aptitudes and, where possible, relevant experience in what should be done so as to come up with a good, interesting and attractive website that will be appealing to the customers and clients visiting it.[7]

These skills and aptitudes will put one in a position where he/she can comfortably outline the various workable steps in the process of setting up the website. These steps are clearly illustrated below.

Commitment

In order to come up with any good thing in whatever field, the individual involved must possess commitment and show great possession of the effort required to succeed. A website creation process needs one to be committed for visitors into the website will always require the best content.[8] The commitment includes ensuring that the particular website being created is updated on a regular basis and ensuring that the website remains as competitive as possible I believe I possesses the commitment as a personal attribute and therefore this will help me in achieving my dream of founding my own company as I tread on road to success stipulated in my Personal Development Plan (PDP).

Planning

Just like in any other entrepreneurship business, planning is a crucial step in website creation. The moment one decides to create a website he/she has to start planning on how he/she can do it. One must clearly know the goal of the website for example; if the website is itself a business then one must put down all the necessary requirements of starting a business so as to be successful.  It is important, during plan, for one to understand the requirements of his target audience. Knowing the type or kind of audience target makes it easier to provide for them whatever they need. This target audience may be identified by use of demographic parameters such as age or religion. For example the needs of the youth may not be the same as the needs for the old so in the creation of the website the information intended fro the youth will be misplaced if it appears on he website used by old persons. If this happens then consequently the target or objective of the business created is not achieved. It is therefore important for a website creator to make it fun to the audience, for it is indeed a fact that, the more a website is visited or its products are used, the higher the revenues from the business. During planning stages also determine key performance indicators i.e. determine key data and metrics that will determine ones success.

With the competence I possess in the planning for the various tasks, I have the capability to comfortably handle the necessary planning for the website I intend to create.

Information architecture

After successful planning one needs to create, test, verify, and restudy the architecture and structure of his/her website.  He/she needs to look for the right material armed with insights into information architecture and determine the types of tools required or needed to create the pages. Previous experience and/or knowledge working with HTML editor or text editor to write the WebPages, is essential. One also requires knowledge in the usage of graphics, photos, or clip-art and graphics program.

With this knowledge and/or experience attained one can create the website then test its effectiveness by using some few users so as to evaluate his/her performance and  this usually forms the initial stage of coming up with a workable website. Through with the initial stage one has to look ahead into the local and international market and therefore write the structure that he/she has well analyzed and tested and make it valid. With this catered for one is in a better position to continue designing the website.[9]

With the knowledge of Information Technology I have in abundance this step will not be a problem especially considering that by then I will, most likely, have carried out my internship in a relevant Information Technology firm that will have increased my exposure in the field.

Design

This is the other crucial step to creating a good and interesting website. A high quality website requires a good design so that the intended purpose is clearly brought out.  For one to design a quality website, one needs to arm himself with the HTML software skills so that he/she can quickly solve the problems his/her editor may develop. One has to keep testing the initial drafts with a group of people and make possible adjustments[10]. The website design process should not be rigid and insensitive to the user end interaction, for example, the potential customers or clients may have health issues with the way a website is appearing. This therefore means that at the design stage one has to put into consideration the effects of diseases or ailments such as color blindness and photosensitive epilepsy in case of websites that have stroke lights. Problems of such orientation can always be solved by creating several options and the end user given the ability to choose between the orientation that goes well with him or her.

The dynamics involved in this design are issues I can comfortably handle especially considering my current performance in creativity and once more taking into consideration I will, by then, have had more insights as a result of the internship and the master’s degree attained.

Programming

This represents the implementation process which immediately begins after the design process has been completed. During the process of implementation, the following points need to be considered;

• the impact of the environment in which one is working,
• the script languages to be used and their effectiveness,
• the choice of a suitable document type for one’s documents,
• writing the structured code especially when many people are working on the project,
• using the semantics of HTML accordingly and
• Keeping or maintaining the ease of accessibility.

I have perfected my skills in programming especially in the use of HTML and other relevant web-oriented applications. These will enhance my programming and where possible I will carry out consultation and source the relevant information from other web specialists or programming experts. Programming problems encountered will be referred to the relevant persons for troubleshooting purposes.[11]

Quality assurance

Every business has certain standards that it has to strive to achieve. These standards may be for the benefit of the customer/client or even for the benefit of the particular business enterprise by, for example, keeping it ahead of its competitors. In some cases such standards are governed by legislation and a failure to adhere to them may lead to legal action being taken against the business company.[12]

In the website development business quality is mainly determined by validating, checking and testing the documents, contents, and design over and over again. Other factors kept constant, the quality of services a customer or client receives from a given business enterprise has the greatest impact on the success of that business. Disgruntled customers or clients will not hesitate to discourage their friends against visiting a particular business. Similarly, happy and satisfied customers form the best marketing tool that can be employed by a given business. It is important to note that in the website business just like any other internet business, a critical part of the quality is based on the moral standards upheld by the business .[13]

Once the required quality has been achieved undoubtedly then the website will be ready for launch. During the launch, the major objectives or missions for the business should be clearly outlined. My good presentation skills will, no doubt, come in handy at this stage. [14]

Public relations

Public relation is one important step in making one’s site known to the majority of the people who are the potential customers or clients. It entails marketing one’s website without fear or feeling intimidated by anybody or anything.[15] During the marketing process one can use any of the following ways to promote his or her website.

• Use of word of mouth: This involves telling the people you know and further requesting them to tell their friends.
• Use of the email: This involves one using his or her signature and URL so that each e-mail sent advertises the website.
• Use of banners: These may be used in promoting the site. Furthermore one may deem it fit to ask other people to make links to him/her.
• Use of link exchange strategy: This would probably lead to the performance of wonderful conventional public relations. One may use search engines to maximize marketing by submitting a page to every search engine one gets. Always one must remain focused and not to give up even if the website does not attain high success from the start.[16]

Success control

One must ensure that the key performance indicators which are determined from the beginning are measured.[17]

The following statistic tools may be used to evaluate the success and development of one’s offer:

• Google analysts,
• Mint, and

Apart from the above, one may with time, need to form his/her own personal tracking or timing software that will monitor the number of visits his websites receives in a given amount of time.

Maintenance

This is the last stage in the setting up of a business website and has infinite time frame. Maintenance entails updating the website, taking care of it, regularly adding new content and reviewing old content. One must keep on reading the web content again and again and keep correcting the errors all the time.[18]

This will ensure that the customers always get new updated information with improved quality content every time they visit the website

Conclusion     

With these steps having been executed and a website having been founded the big question may be the future of the website owner in such a self employment opportunity. It is important to understand that the business world today is undergoing a major technological transformation and therefore investment in the industry is a worthy cause.[19]

Works cited

AARP. Staying ahead of the curve: The AARP work & career study. Washington, DC: Author, 2002.

Alberta Human Resources & Employment. A guide for midlife career moves. Edmonton: Author, 2003.

Baldwin, Chandler. Strategies for Success: A Profile of Growing Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises in Canada. Ottawa: Statistics Canada, 2004.

Baldwin, Roger,& Chronister, Jay. Teaching without Tenure: Policies & Practices for a New Era. Baltimore: John Hopkins Univ. Press, 2001.

Davey, John. “Human capital issues in an ageing workforce”. Social Policy Journal of New Zealand, 20, 156-172, 2003.

Fairweather, James. Faculty Work and Public Trust: Restoring the Value of Teaching & Public Service in American Academic Life. Boston: Allyn & Bacon, 1996.

Finkelstein, Martin & Schuster, Jack. “Assessing the Silent Revolution.” AAHE Bulletin 54 (2):3–7, 2001.

Finkelstein, Martin, Seal, Robert & Schuster, Jack. The New Academic Generation: A Profession in Transformation. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Univ. Press, 1998.

Finnegan, Dorothy, Webster, David  & Gamson, Zelda. Faculty and Faculty Issues in Colleges and Universities. ASHE Reader Series. Needham Heights, MA: Simon and Schuster Custom Publishing, 1996.

Glazer-Raymo, Judith. Shattering the Myths: Women in Academe. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Univ. Press, 1999.

Keith, Newton. “Innovation by SMEs in the KBE” Journal of Small Business and Entrepreneurship, Spring, 12-27. 2009.

Manrique, Cecilia & Manrique, Gabriel. The Multicultural or Immigrant Family in American Society. Lewiston, NY: The Edwin Mellen Press, 1999.       Menzies, Teresa. “An Exploratory Study of University Entrepreneurship Centres in Canada: A First Step in Model Building” Journal of Small Business and Entrepreneurship, Summer, 4-15. 2007.

Penrose, Edith. The Theory of the Growth of the Firm. Oxford: Blackwell, 47-94. 1999.

Rinehart, Eric. Self-Employment Training Programs: Case Studies. Springfield: Illinois Dept. of Commerce and Community Affairs, 22-76. 1987.

Saunders, Mark. Research Methods for Business Students. Pearson: Harlow, 2009.

Tan, Wee-Liang. “Entrepreneurism: It is time for a Clearer Definition” Journal of Small Business and Entrepreneurship, spring, 7-58. 2006.

You, Jong-Il “Small Firms in Economic Theory” Cambridge Journal of Economics 19; 44- 462. 2005.

[1] Keith, Newton. “Innovation by SMEs in the KBE” Journal of Small Business and Entrepreneurship, Spring, 12-27. 2009.

[2] Manrique, Cecilia & Manrique, Gabriel. The Multicultural or Immigrant Family in American Society. Lewiston, NY: The Edwin Mellen Press, 1999.

[3] Saunders, Mark. Research Methods for Business Students. Pearson: Harlow, 2009.

[4] Tan, Wee-Liang. “Entrepreneurism: It is time for a Clearer Definition” Journal of Small Business and Entrepreneurship, spring, 7-58. 2006.

[5] Davey, John. “Human capital issues in an ageing workforce”. Social Policy Journal of New Zealand, 20, 156-172, 2003.

[6] Penrose, Edith. The Theory of the Growth of the Firm. Oxford: Blackwell, 47-94. 1999.

[7] Baldwin, Roger,& Chronister, Jay. Teaching without Tenure: Policies & Practices for a New Era. Baltimore: John Hopkins Univ. Press, 2001.

[8] Glazer-Raymo, Judith. Shattering the Myths: Women in Academe. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Univ. Press, 1999.

[9] Rinehart, Eric. Self-Employment Training Programs: Case Studies. Springfield: Illinois Dept. of Commerce and Community Affairs, 22-76. 1987.

[10] AARP. Staying ahead of the curve: The AARP work & career study. Washington, DC: Author, 2002.

[11] Finnegan, Dorothy, Webster, David  & Gamson, Zelda. Faculty and Faculty Issues in Colleges and Universities. ASHE Reader Series. Needham Heights, MA: Simon and Schuster Custom Publishing, 1996.

[12] Fairweather, James. Faculty Work and Public Trust: Restoring the Value of Teaching & Public Service in American Academic Life. Boston: Allyn & Bacon, 1996.

[13] Finkelstein, Martin & Schuster, Jack. “Assessing the Silent Revolution.” AAHE Bulletin 54 (2):3–7, 2001.

[14] Menzies, Teresa. “An Exploratory Study of University Entrepreneurship Centres in Canada: A First Step in Model Building” Journal of Small Business and Entrepreneurship, Summer, 4-15. 2007.

[15] You, Jong-Il “Small Firms in Economic Theory” Cambridge Journal of Economics 19; 44- 462. 2005.

[16] Tan, Wee-Liang. “Entrepreneurism: It is time for a Clearer Definition” Journal of Small Business and Entrepreneurship, spring, 7-58. 2006.

[17] Baldwin, Roger,& Chronister, Jay. Teaching without Tenure: Policies & Practices for a New Era. Baltimore: John Hopkins Univ. Press, 2001.

[18] Alberta Human Resources & Employment. A guide for midlife career moves. Edmonton: Author, 2003.