Learning Log Example

8/11/2019 Learning Log Example

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Placement Learning Log

During your placement you should keep a weekly record of what you have been doing on placement

(using a notebook or journal).

You should take notes of:

The tasks you have completed The skills you have developed during the completion of these tasks

Details of tasks you performed well Details of any tasks you could have performed better Any feedback you have received from your work colleagues

It is important to make regular notes over the course of your placement so that you dont forget any

of your experiences from the early stages of your placement.

Once you have recorded information on your placement, the next step is to look carefully at what

you have achieved and learned over the course of your placement and to think about how this fitsin with the questions asked in the log.

The questions are intended to resemble questions asked by graduate employers on applicationforms and during interviews , so that in completion of the log you will see how your experiences andskills development on placement can be applied to graduate applications later on.

You are encouraged to discuss your log with your supervisor and seek guidance if required. You canuse this log in your end of placement assessment session with your supervisor to help you discuss

your skills.

Help:

If you require any help in completing your log, please contact: [email protected]

In your Club 21 Placement Handbook you will find an example of a completed log, with briefguidance notes on the kinds of information being asked for. Please use this as a guide whencompleting your own log.

Please note: in completing the placement learning log, attempt to include at least one activity tosatisfy each skill area .
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]


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Skill Area Description of Activity

Problem Solving, OvercomingObjections, Using Initiative.

Give an example of a time

when you encountered asetback to a task on placement.Give details of how you

overcame this setback.

I was asked to update the marketing calendar.

The Occasions Manager would not provide me the information Irequired after numerous emails. I was nervous about approachingher as she always looked very busy.

I decided the best course of action was to ask her PA to schedulea 30 minute meeting between the two of us.

In the meeting I explained the purpose of the calendar. Sheexplained that she had been reluctant to provide it before in caseher marketing budget was cut; I explained that, that was not thepurpose of the calendar it was to ensure that our communications

were staggered correctly. She then went on to provide theinformation.

I decided to compare my calendar with the competitors marketingactivity document. This exposed that we were far too late inscheduling our Valentines Day marketing. I recommendedextending the marketing campaign, this was approved by theMarketing Manager and the Occasions Manager had hermarketing budget increased and was delighted.

Verbal Communication Skills

Can you name a time when youhad to use good verbal andcommunicative skills tocomplete a task?

I was asked to present a presentation on a new process to my

colleagues.

Several minutes into my presentation, I decided to stop and checkthe understanding of my colleagues. At this point I realised that Ihad assumed they were aware of the old process.

I decided that the best course of action was to turn off myPowerPoint and focus on a general overview of what the inputsand outputs were and my colleagues role within that rather thaneverything to do with the process.

By adjusting my presentation to that of my audiencesunderstanding I was able to ensure they understood their part ofthe process and what was required of them. If I had continuedwith my PowerPoint, I would have confused them and myobjectives would not have been met.


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Team Work

Tell us about a time when youhad to demonstrate the abilityto work effectively in a team tocomplete a task.

With the other student on placement and a new graduate traineewe were asked to form the social media working group toinvestigate whether the company should have its own Twitter andFacebook pages.

The first 10 minutes of our meeting was a free for all with nostructure or anyone taking the lead. I decided that we were notgoing to get anyway unless we had some kind of structure.

I asked everyone to stop for a moment, think about the key tasksand what we were trying to achieve and then sketched out arough agenda. We then went through the agenda and divided thework evenly between us and agreed a date when we would meetagain to collate our work. Before this meeting I sent out a roughagenda, so that everyone understood how the meeting was goingto run.

I felt that the graduate trainee was slightly more superior thanme, but that someone needed to stand up and create some kindof process. I managed to do this without upsetting anyone whichallowed us to work in a collaborative fashion and we have sinceworked together again but we now take it in turns with mycolleagues to be the informal of chairman.

Proactively AddressingDevelopment Needs,Independent Study

Can you describe an occasionwhen you took accountabilityfor your own professional

development?

Two weeks into my placement I realised that my skills on excelwere not as good as my colleagues and this was beginning toaffect my work. I was quite embarrassed about my lack ofknowledge. At first I started watching YouTube instruction videosafter work, which did help to an extent but it was hard toremember all the steps and writing it down didnt seem to work.

I then decided to look at the learning site on the corporateintranet and discovered a course was being held for staff the nextweek. I asked my supervisor if I could attend, he was more thanhappy for me to go.

I now have a much better understanding of excel and how tomake best use of it. My work has improved and I will have theseskills ready if I need them after my placement has finished.

Time Management, PrioritisingWork Load, Working toDeadlines

Describe an occasion onplacement when you had

several very importantpriorities but very little time inwhich to carry them all out.

How did you manage this?

It was Friday afternoon and my managers asked me to complete ashort report and have it on his desk for 5pm as he needed to takeit to a meeting on Monday in London. Shortly after the Directorsent an email asking me to attend an informal networking sessionalso scheduled for that afternoon.

I decided to ask my manager what I should do, as I really wantedto go to the network event but also did not want to let him down.We talked about my workload and how important it was to havethe report completed but how beneficial it could be for me to

attend the networking event.


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During the conversation I discovered that the meeting mymanager had wasn t until 3pm and suggested that I had time onMonday to do it if he was happy to accept an emailed version.That worked perfectly, I was able to go to the networking eventand my manager had the report on his iPad during his importantmeeting which he could then refer to.

Once you have completed this document, please email it to [email protected]

Completion of this log is a Club 21 requirement , if we do not receive your completed log, we will beunable to record your Club 21 placement on your academic transcript.
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]

Learning Log Example

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