Career Focus Reflection

Field Research (Workplace Interview) Report Sheet

Name of person you interviewed/listened to: Ryan MacDonald

Position: Athlete Services Manager

Organisation: Queensland Events

Workplace Reflection

From the recorded workplace interview with Ryan MacDonald, athlete services manager at Queensland Events, a few important and interesting insights were gained. He talked about how volunteering through a variety of different programs lead to bigger job opportunities. In his case, what started as a short term contract job later turned into his current job. Another insight was how studying at university was a platform into the workplace. Building connections with groups and programs lead to many unique and different opportunities that may not be available to everyone. He spoke about how the event management industry is connection based and that university was a large aspect of that. It was found that having strong and various connections with people help majorly when graduating and working. Also from the interview it was learnt that event work involves a lot of mundane routine and administration work. Lastly it was learnt that events have many different aspects that need to be pulled together at the very end with perfect timing in order for a smooth operation. Overall the interview gained a lot of insight into how university can be used as a business connection and some behind the scenes of how hard event management really is.

During university it is not only important to focus on studying but however planning for the future in regards to career. Having a well thought out career plan is essential for working in the desired environment and career. Career planning includes goal setting, forming strategies and developing plans. If students do not participate in strong career planning, it could result in entering dissatisfying careers or not finding employment by the time of graduation (Renn, Steinbauer, Taylor & Detwiler, 2014). One thing that should be completed before graduating is identifying career goals. Setting up little goals that can be achieved in order to reach a big goal. This will not only provide a clearer path it will allow more time to be devoted to a specific cause. Also becoming aware of self, opportunities, constraints choice and consequences will help develop a strong career plan. It will provide more depth into job opportunities and evaluating whether they would be a good fit. Lastly, programming work, education and developmental experiences will provide direction and timing to attain a specific career goal. (Gunkel, Schlaegel, Langella & Peluchette, 2010). It is extremely important that career planning be done by students before graduating and entering the workforce. Also, it will prepare students for employment and show employers determination and planning. Without having a career plan after graduating could result in no job therefore it is crucial to plan in advance.