Embedded Files
Writing a 'Reflective Statement' can help you set out your wants, needs, priorities, and expectations before a placement, internship year, year abroad, work experience, or a job. This statement will give you the opportunity to understand what you want from an experience and help you focus on making the most out of your experience. You can also come back to your reflective statement throughout and after your experience to help you understand your experience, reflect on how it went, and therefore feel more confident communicating your skills, experiences, and development in the future.
Writing Your Reflective Statement
Writing Your Reflective Statement
A reflective statement is an opportunity for you to outline exactly what you want, need, prioritise, and expect before you start an employability development experience. This will ultimately help you have a clear idea of what you want your experience to be and give you the opportunity to evaluate it after you have completed your experience. Answer the questions below and use your answers to write a summary for your reflective statement.
Your Wants
Your Wants
What experiences do you want to have during your experience?
Which skills do you want to learn?
Which skills do you want to develop?
How do you want to feel during your experience?
How do you want to feel after your experience?
How do you want to describe this experience once you have finished?
Your Needs
Your Needs
What do you need from your host during your experience?
Do you have any accommodations/reasonable adjustments you need to ask for?
Are there skills/experiences you need to learn during your experience?
Are there any goals you need to achieve during your experience?
Your Priorities
Your Priorities
What are the most important skills you want to learn?
What skills are you going to focus on developing during your experience?
Is there an experience you will aim to have?
What are your goals for this experience?
Which Sheffield Graduate Attributes do you want to feel more confident with?
Your Expectations
Your Expectations
How do you expect to feel during this experience?
What do you expect your role to be during this experience?
Which goals do you think you are going to achieve?
Which skills do you think you will use the most?
How will you communicate if you need help/have a question?
How will this experience develop my employability?
Now write a summary of your answers into a reflective statement.
Now write a summary of your answers into a reflective statement.
You can use the How to Reflect activity to help with your thinking and to reflect on why these things might be your wants, needs, priorities, and expectations.
You can then use the Reflective Statement Check-in and Reflective Statement Evaluation activities to make the most out of your statement.
By completing this activity, you will have used these SGAs:
Growth Mindset
Positive Mindset
Defining Purpose
Self-awareness
Critical Thinking
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