Unit: 1

Communication and Employability Skills for IT

Assignment Guide

Task 1
P1: Explain the personal attributes valued by employers
Scenario:
You are a Placement Consultant in ABC Academy’s Job Placement department. Your job is to
prepare students for their employment. For that purpose, you need to educate the students on
the attributes valued by Employers in the IT industry. This should accomplish by a 30 minutes
presentation to students.
Prepare a PowerPoint presentation with at least 10 slides which clearly and effectively
communicate the attributes valued by employers.
The PowerPoint must begin with an agenda and use one slide to focus on a particular
attribute. List the key points under each attribute in the slide.
Following group of key attributes must be dealt with in the presentation
1. Job Related Attributes (Technical Skills, Working Procedure etc.)
2. General Attributes (Planning Skills, Organization skills etc.)
3. Attitudes (Independence, Integrity etc.)
Evidence: P1.ppt (10+ Slides)

Slide: 1 (Introduction) Slide: 2 (Agenda)

Name: Your Name Agenda
Role: Placement Consultant Job Related Attributes – 3 minutes
Company: ABC Academy’s Job Placement General Attributes – 2 minutes
Department
Attitudes – 2 minutes
Topic: Personal Attributes Valued By Employer
Slide: 3 (Purpose of Topic)
Purpose of Topic
- To know the attributes valued by
Employers in IT industry

Guide for P1
(a) Specific Attributes:
1. Job-related attributes
 Technical Knowledge

2. Good Working Procedures

 Health and safety
 Security
 Work attributes

(b) General Attributes:

1. Skills
 Planning Skills
 Organizational Skills
 Time Management
 Team working
 Verbal Skills
 Written Communication Skills
 Numeracy
 Creativity

(c) Attitudes
 Preferred
 Determined
 Independent
  Integrity
 Tolerance
 Dependable
 Problem Solving
 Leadership
 Confidence
 Self-motivation

Task 2
P2: Explain the principles of effective communication
Scenario
You are a Project Executive in the IT department of a Web Development Agency specializing in
Web & Mobile applications. Your job is to assist the project manager in the smooth running of a Website
Development project. Your project manager asks you to prepare a presentation among various
stakeholders in the team such as Developers, Designers, Testers, System Analysts, Project Managers, and
Architects etc.

Exercise: Prepare a PowerPoint presentation to educate and refresh the stakeholders on

effective communication skills. The presentation should cover the skills such as

Guide for P2

1. General Communication Skills

a) Cultural differences
b) Adapting to suit an audience
c) Accuracy
d) Engaging the audience
e) Question and answer

Evidence: P2.ppt (8 Slides)

Slide: 1 Introduction Slide: 2 Agenda

Name: Your Name Agenda

Role: Placement Consultant Job Related Attributes – 3 minutes
Company: ABC Academy’s Job Placement General Attributes – 2 minutes
Department
Attitudes – 2 minutes
Topic: Principles of Effective Communication,
Barriers to effective communication, How to
reduce and interpersonal skills

Slide: 3 Purpose of Topic

Task 3

P3: Discuss potential barriers to effective communication

For the same scenario as explained in Task 2, Your Project Manager plans to educate the
team on barriers to effective communication.
Improve the presentation P2P3.ppt with additional slides explaining various barriers for
effective communication.

Include topics such as

1. Distractions
2. Lack of Concentration
3. Jargons
4. Boredom
5. Types of Questions & Answering they prepare

Evidence: P2M1.ppt (At least 6 Slides)

M1: Explain mechanisms that can reduce the impact of communication

barriers

Add one slide for reducing the impact for each of the communication barrier noted on P3.
Evidence: P2M1.ppt (At least 6 Slides)

You can combine P3 and M1 like:

Potential Barriers and how to reduce the barriers in effective communication

(Barriers – 6 slides + how to reduce – 6 slides)
1. Distractions
- How to reduce
2. Lack of concentration
- How to reduce
3. Jargons
- How to reduce
4. Boredom
- How to reduce
5. Types of Questions & Answering Them
- How to reduce

Task 4

P4: Demonstrate a range of effective interpersonal skills

For the same scenario as explained in Task 2, your Project Manager plans train the team on
effective interpersonal skills.

Exercise:
Prepare a presentation containing 5 slides to train the team members on effective
interpersonal skills. The topics include

 Non-verbal communic ation

 Positive & Negative language
 Active Engagement
Evidence: P4.ppt
NOTE!
You all need to create two PowerPoint files:
One Presenation File : P1 (Scenario: Placement Consultant in ABC)
Another one Presentation File: P2, P3, M1, P4 (Scenario: Project Executive in IT
department)

Task 4
P5: Use IT to aid communications
Prepare your Resume to apply for Jobs using Microsoft Word or Google Docs. The Resume
should be at least 2 page.

Prepare a 1 Page Covering letter addressing the employer. In the covering letter you should
specify your skills and request for an interview.

Create a blog using Blogger.com with your email id. Write & publish a post on your skills and
capabilities. Include the blog URL in the Resume.
Evidence: Resume_<YourName>.doc .

Guide for P5 (Evidence: Resume_YourName.doc)

1. RESUME using Microsoft Word (At least two pages)

- Summary or Profile
- Skills
- Interest
- Technical Skills
- Qualifications
- Other Qualifications
- Certifications
- Seminar or Conferences
- Project Experiences
- Add your blog URL using Blogger.com

2. Cover Letter (1 page)

- Address to employee (myemail: eithandarkhaing@googlemail.com)
- Include Your Skills
- Request for an interview
- Take the screen capture for sending email to me

3. Create Blog using Blogger.com with your email.

- Write your skills
 - Write your capabilities
- Publish your post in Blogger.com
- Take the screen capture for your published post

Task 6:
P6: Communicate technical information to a specified audience.
You are working as a Project Executive in a Web Agency. Your company plans develop
a Website portal similar to www.redmart.com. Prepare a Requirement Specification document.
Browse through various types of pages in www.redmart.comand prepare a document explaining
various pages and their features.
The feature includes
1. Home Page
2. Product Listing page
3. Product Detail page
4. Menus & Categories
5. Search & Search Results Page
6. Various forms in the website
Capture as much information from the website to convey the kind of portal which needs
to be developed. This document will be presented to your customer. Do not use
www.redmart.comname in the Specification.
Evidence: P6.doc

P6 Guide
Technical Documentation for your selected website (online shopping)
1. Purpose
 What is the purpose of your website to the user?
 What kinds of benefits can get?
2. Scope
 What is your ecommerce website scope?
 What kinds of functions and features can be used?
3. Overview
 Overview of your website
4. Product Functions
  Home Page
 Menu Page
 Category Page
 Product Listing Page
 Product Details Page
 Search & Search Result Page
 Varios Forms (Sign Up and Sign In)
5. User characteristics or User perspective
 What types of users can be used for your website?

6. Constraints
 Which functions and features are restricted for the user.

7. Persona (at least three different persons)

 Whom are collected the data for your website?
 Persona Name:
 Demographics: Gender, Age, Location, Martial Status
 Goals and Needs:
 Frustrations (Pain Points):
 Behaviors:

8. Hardware Requirements
 What types are hardware components are needed for your website?

9. Software Requirements
 What types of software are needed for your website?

10. Website Performance

Your website performance
 Loading Time
 Security
 Maintainability
 Responsive Website

11. Assumption and Dependencies

 Any third party software for security like Kaspersky, Nortan, etc.
 Online Payment

12. Use Case Diagram

 Only one use case diagram
 13. At least 6 wireframes
 Draw wireframes with explanation

14. One storyboard

15. At least 6 information architecture

M2: Review draft documents to produce final versions

Pair up with one of the student to review each other’s document prepared in P6.
Do not allow the other student to change their document while conducting the review.
Turn on Track Changes feature of Microsoft Word. Find out any mistakes in technical
content, language, vocabulary in the document and note them down.

Evidence: Save the Review you have conducted for other Student called P6_Review.doc
with changes noted.

D1: Evaluate interpersonal and written communications techniques.

While you are reviewing the document for M2 with the other student, demonstrate interpersonal
communication skills.
Evaluate the interpersonal and written communication techniques based on the interaction with
the other student and provide feedback using the table below.

S.No. Attribute Feedback (1 to 5) Feedback

1 - Very Poor
5 - Very Good
Interpersonal Skills
1 Non-verbal communication
2 Use of Positive Language
3 Avoidance of Negative Language
4 Active Engagement
5 Key Messages
Written Communication Skills
6 Communication of Key Messages
7 Grammar & Spelling
8 Structure of the Document
9 Proofreading
10 Capitalisation

For getting D1,

1. You must show your interpersonal and communication skills in video.
2. Evaluate your peer interpersonal and written communication skills with report style.
3. Fill up your feedback on your peer in the above table.
Task 7
P7: Produce a personal development plan

Reflection (Write a note of 100 words on each of the following):

1. Skills Comparison
Exchange you resume with at least 2 other students.
Compare your resume with them and identify
 The list of Skills /
 Certifications you are interested in, which you do not already have.

2. Feedback Received from Other 2 Students

 Summarize the P6_Review.doc & P6_Report.doc provided to you by other
students and summarize the feedback.

3. Feedback Received from our Learning Facilitator

 Summarize the comments you received from your Learning Facilitator.

Analysis

1. My Jobs
 Go to the popular job search portal in your country
 Search using the skills you already possess and
 List down the jobs available for your qualification, skills & experience. (Find at
least 10 advertisements).
 Screen capture the Advertisements.

2. New Skills
 Identify any other skills listed by employers in those Job advertisements, which
you do not have.

3. Popular Certifications
 Identify the list of Certifications available for your skills and list them.

4. Improvement Areas
 Analyse the feedback Received in reflection and list the improvements
 Goals

1. Personal Goals
 Write a note on what you want to achieve in life
 List down names of persons in your friends, families, eminent persons &
celebrities who interest you. Keep the list meaningful and realistic in your
opinion.
 Analyze your passion, skills and knowledge and strike down the names listed in
step b and short list them to 1 or 2.
 Set financial targets & lifestyle for yourself in 5 years. Write down all that you
wish to have in 5 years’ time.

2. Career Goals
 Based on advertisements reviewed list the type of jobs you are interested in,
Shortlist at least 3 jobs you like

3. Skills & Certifications

 List the skills you want to develop based on career goals, analysis and other
student’s resume review.
 List the Certifications you want to acquire.

Action Plan (For each of the Action Plan item, put a date when you would have
accomplished them)
1. What are you going to do to work on your improvement areas ?
2. What are you going to do to work on your goals ?
3. What institutions offer you skills and certifications based on your “Skills &
Certifications Planned” and when are you going to take the training ?
4. What interval in time, would you like to review the progress of your immediate &
long term goals ?
5. As part of the Action Plan Apply for 3 to 5 jobs a day every day in a week,
following up on various job advertisements and venues available. (This is to ensure securing a
job)

Personal Development Plan (PDP) on 01/01/2019

Improvement What are you What institutions When are you Review date on
Areas going to do to offer your skills going to take the the progress of
work on your and training? immediate or
goals? certifications? long term goals
Presentation  Watching I can get that Next 3 months Review on
 Skills to be a Youtube skills by without 12/01/2019
confident video watching attending any
presenter  More practice YouTube training class.
with myself channel and then
 Practice with do myself more
my peers in practice with my
the classroom classmates
Improve my Create Personal Gym Next 6 months Review on
personal fitness individual Trainer 12/01/19
workout
schedule to
enhance fitness
and stamina.

Evidence: PDP.doc

M3: Explain how an awareness of learning style can aid personal

development.
Take the evaluation in and find out what type of learner you are
http://www.educationplanner.org/students/self-assessments/learning-stylesquiz.shtml
Write a note on the type of learner you are.

Evidence: M3.doc

Guide:
1. Visit to the http://www.educationplanner.org/students/self-assessments/learning-
stylesquiz.shtml
2. Fill up the survey form.
3. Website will guest what type of learner you are.
4. According to the survey, explain how an awareness of learning style can aid PDP.

Task 9 P8: Follow a personal development plan.

Follow the Action Plan developed in Task 7 and write down below information for every day organized
by date.

1. Make notes of efforts you have made every day to achieve your objective.

2. Note down success, failure and doubts which may arise