Matthew

Krens

Matthew Krens

5611421

Global Business Management

316LON_1617APRJUN

July 2017

Presented to:

Orhan Demirovski

The word count totalled 3,235 (comments and outcomes)

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 Matthew Krens

Reflective Diary

Entry Date Supervisor Comments Outcomes



The introduction to each member of the team
I was introduced to each member of the
and the departments which are active within
Synergy Medical team, and given a briefing on
1 24 / 04 / 17 Orhan Demirovski the business was an appropriate icebreaker
each department within the business and their
which made me feel welcome, and helped me
purpose.
rapidly understand my position within the firm.



I was introduced to my desk and was given time
This was my first exposure to an office
to assess my surroundings. I was also issued
environment, specifically in sales. The office
2 25 / 04 / 17 Orhan Demirovski time to become familiar with company
did not match what I was expecting, but was
resources which surrounded my workspace, the
better than what I predicted.
computer and phone was my key focus.


The regional director and CEO interviewed me This meeting which with the regional director
to understand who I am as a person, and and CEO helped me understand the business
understand what my future ambitions are. The fully, and made it clear as to what was
3 26 / 04 / 17 Orhan Demirovski
interview detailed the plan for my internship, in expected of me during my internship. This
addition to discovering what I would like to assisted me in planning for my project report
learn within Synergy Medical. and my social life.

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 Matthew Krens

This user account was made for me to give me

access to the same resources as other
Synergy Medical produced a user account for
experienced recruitment consultants,
4 27 / 04 / 17 Orhan Demirovski me to ensure I have access to correct user
membership to one of the programme’s cost
software which is used on a regular basis.
more than £1,000, which motivated me due to

the level of responsibility being handed to me.


I was granted permission to take the day off, as
I was issued a day off as I had an interview for I had an assessment centre to attend for a
5 28 / 04 / 17 Orhan Demirovski opportunities available after finishing my future employment opportunity with Opus
university course. Group, the director and CEO were both
understanding of this circumstance.



I was issued the job of analysing previous
Producing advertisements was the task given to
advertisement postings, and then producing
me, I had to spend my day researching roles
6 02 / 05 / 17 Orhan Demirovski one for Synergy Medical. Postings focussed on
and looking at past postings made by Synergy
information given such as job type, description
Medical or competitors.
of the role, salary, and location.




By undertaking this role within recruitment, I
I finished producing advertisements on this
could exercise skills such as creativity and high
day, mainly for the West of Scotland and all
7 03 / 05 / 17 Orhan Demirovski attention to detail. The feedback which I
areas of Wales. The postings produced were
received from my finalised advertisements
said to be of a high quality.
were extremely positive.

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 Matthew Krens

Now that I had a final advertisement, I could
I used advertisements produced yesterday as a use it as a template to publish advertisements
template for advertisement production at a at a much faster pace. This was my first
8 04 / 05 / 17 Orhan Demirovski rapid rate. I was also taught how to upload experience of fast production in a brief period
these postings onto CV databases and our own within a sales environment, which was
company website. stressful to begin with but became bearable to
more I repeated the process.



Achieving my KPI set by the regional director
The final day of producing company
filled me with a sense of satisfaction as this
advertisements was the last opportunity to
was a difficult objective to complete, for
achieve the posting KPI set by the regional
9 05 / 05 / 17 Orhan Demirovski someone as inexperienced as me. This activity
director. The day finished after I surpassed the
has prepared me for fast paced production
50-posting target. This date was also the first
within work, and made me realise where value
dress down for me in the office.
within the initial stages of recruitment is made.




This role was something which I have never
CV database scouting was my
even considered, let alone acted upon.
next role, to discover the next greatest talent
10 08 / 05 / 17 Orhan Demirovski Because of this, I shadowed one other member
based upon the requirements of Synergy
of the team to understand what to achieve and
Medical.
how to achieve it.



I was instructed to scout candidates who had I had go again demonstrate high attention to
minimum 1 year NHS experience, a relevant detail within this process, otherwise I would
11 09 / 05 / 17 Orhan Demirovski
medical degree, and who lives near locations risk missing out on a high potential candidate,
which Synergy Medical recruitments for. or duplicate a CV already discovered.

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 Matthew Krens

Carrying out this task made me realise how
CV searching can be a lengthy process, I
soul destroying the task can be if put under the
continued my search from the previous day to
12 10 / 05 / 17 Orhan Demirovski wrong conditions. Fortunately, the office
gather as much potential as possible from all
environment made the process enjoyable, and
accessible databases.
helped me to discover my drive to succeed.



As the scope of my search narrowed, I was I felt valued when carrying out this task, as I
given the responsibility of discovering nurses was rapidly given an elevated level of
and doctors who hold a prominent position responsibility in searching for medical staff of a
13 11 / 05 / 17 Orhan Demirovski
within their field. On this day, Synergy Medical high calibre. Furthermore, these high-level
received its first respondent to Welsh ITU nurse positions were in demand at Synergy, meaning
which I posted. I was adding direct value to the company.


The end of week 3 did not mean the end of CV
searching, as it was no my duty to browse CV Because of my high performance during the CV
databases whenever the day was going slow or scouting process, the regional director
14 12 / 05 / 17 Orhan Demirovski
if I had free time within the office. I hit my KPI requested that I continue to search for
successfully by printing off over 80 high quality candidates if responsibilities lessened.
résumés.


Once I had gathered a CV shortlist, I was The regional director believed I had the ability
instructed to call each candidate and attempt to contact and entice candidates to register
15 15 / 05 / 17 Orhan Demirovski to initiate the registration process with each with Synergy Medical, as I had already
interested candidate. My KPI was to achieve 1 demonstrated confidence and efficient
hour call stats per day. problem-solving skills during my internship.

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 Matthew Krens

My director sat with me when instigating cold
I started the cold calling candidates under the
calls, he observed my initial method and
right supervision, I initiated contact with
16 16 / 05 / 17 Orhan Demirovski developed my own approach, rather than
candidates who came across as motivated and
telling me to follow his own method without
likely to respond.
understanding my learning style.


This issue of negative candidates became a
Today was not as successful as I encountered learning experience for me, as their
some rude and frustrated candidates, frustrations could be used to the benefit of
17 17 / 05 / 17 Orhan Demirovski
particularly one lady who had an unpleasant Synergy Medical. Any problems which a
experience with a recruitment firm before. potential candidate may have can be
countered by a benefit of Synergy Medical.



I successfully enticed a candidate once I
Today led to my first successful cold call, where
understood which specific skills to apply during
a quality candidate who meets requirements
a cold call to attract a candidate. The regional
18 18 / 05 / 17 Orhan Demirovski was interested in registering for Synergy
director and CEO of Synergy Medical were
Medical. This was also the first day where I
aware of my efforts as the daily call stats
successfully achieved my daily KPI.
showed I exceeded their daily target.




Today I spent the day searching for more
Today was the first day where office hours
candidates of CV databases, as I had worked
were cut short and there were company
19 19 / 05 / 17 Orhan Demirovski my way through the CV shortlist and needed
drinks. Staff within the company finally had an
new potential candidates to contact. The end of
open schedule after a busy payroll period.
the workday led to company drinks.

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 Matthew Krens

This task tested the rate at which I can learn a
Today the director was not present as he had
new project, as the process to fill in such
to attend a company meeting. As a result, I was
information is highly detailed an long. This task
20 22 / 05 / 17 Orhan Demirovski given the task of filling in the companies’ day
also tested my mathematical skills, as there is a
targets of clients booked and revenue made
lot of numbers related to profit and revenue
within the company.
being processed.




This programme is very complex, with no other
Today was the first day which I was given the
recruitment consultant knowing how to
opportunity to use the recruitment software
21 23 / 05 / 17 Orhan Demirovski operate the programme fully. I was given a
which contributes towards the success of
briefing on how to use the programme with
Synergy Medical, otherwise known as Eclipse.
relation to the tasks being assigned to me.



The candidate will need to provide Synergy
Medical with over 60 documents to ensure
I used Eclipse to document check candidates, that they are fit to work within the medical
ensuring they have all the right credentials and industry. It is at this stage where Eclipse proves
22 24 / 05 / 17 Orhan Demirovski
highlighting what documents are still required its worth, as the huge candidate database and
from each candidate. vast number of documents required means
that it is difficult to organise information
without the programme.


The lengthy process of compliance means that I Following this repetitive procedure for two
had to spend more than one day on ensuring days in the row made me realise that this is not
23 25 / 05 / 17 Orhan Demirovski
that candidates are fully compliant with a department which I would like to operate in,
Synergy Medical and medical institutions. as there is no pleasure in this process.

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 Matthew Krens

For the final day of working within compliance, I enjoyed undertaking this task within
I had to call up candidates and chase them for compliance, as I could transfer skills which I
24 26 / 05 / 17 Orhan Demirovski documents which are missing as Synergy had learned from cold calling, which has been
Medical wants to fully register and allocate my favourite stage of the recruitment process
medical staff as soon as possible. so far during my internship.


As there was a bank holiday the day before,
there was less focus on me as an intern for a The constant hunt for a high-quality CV has
brief period as Synergy Medical had no option improved my attention to detail skills, and has
25 30 / 05 / 17 Orhan Demirovski
but to miss a payroll period. Because of this, I led me to discover more candidate potential at
continued to search for viable candidates on CV a better quality, in little time.
databases.


The opportunity to be within an interview Being within this situation granted me learning
setting has allowed me to understand the which could not be taught within a lecture
approach required to gather information from room. The professionalism displayed by the
26 31 / 05 / 17 Orhan Demirovski
medical staff. For my first day, I was put into an regional director throughout the interview
interview setting between the regional director relaxed the nurse and made the process more
and ICU nurse. efficient in terms of extracting information.


The setting was interesting in comparison to
The next day of interviews was with more the nurse interview which I experienced the
senior doctors, who have held previous day before. This interview process helped me
27 01 / 06 / 17 Orhan Demirovski
positions which were of a high level, such as understand how to effectively communicate,
theatre manager. as senior doctors were direct in with their
speech and used a range of terminology.

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 Matthew Krens

This experience was very rewarding for me as I
Today I was granted to opportunity to
could put everything I have seen into practice. I
interview one of the nurses who have
28 02 / 06 / 17 Orhan Demirovski was originally nervous to undertake such a
registered with the company and have
task, but felt at ease when the regional
prepared to come in for an interview.
director interrupted during moments of panic.



Today was the final day before annual leave for
some of the recruitment consultants who There was an element of team bonding which
worked on ad-hoc shift booking, on a took place when discussing the details of ad-
29 05 / 06 / 17 Orhan Demirovski programme called E-Tips. I spent time with the hoc shift booking. This newly formed
recruitment consultants who were preparing to relationship made communication easier, and
leave, to ensure that I understand how to enabled greater engagement from myself.
utilise the E-Tips programme.



The speed at which shifts appear and get filled
Today was not a success in terms of allocating
was unimaginable. I was too slow every time
candidates to shifts, as I had underestimated
30 06 / 06 / 17 Orhan Demirovski when a shift appeared and did not always give
the information fed to me during the ad-hoc
my full attention to the booking sheet, so I
allocation briefing session.
missed out on a fair number of shifts.



One other colleague worked with me for today
Today was just as intense as the previous day in to ensure that we get at least 2 shifts booked
31 07 / 06 / 17 Orhan Demirovski terms of shifts coming out, but was more for 3 nurses registered to our company. Acting
successful after learning from my mistakes. together to achieve this meant that we
successfully booked shifts for candidates.

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 Matthew Krens

Today was a lot calmer in terms of shifts being

released. This could be due to it not being a
Today was a lot slower compared to the rest of
Monday, where nurses request shifts for the
32 08 / 06 / 17 Orhan Demirovski the week, but this was not an issue as there
week ahead, nor is it a Friday where there is a
was not so much demand for shifts on this day.
great demand for weekend shifts due to the

higher rate being offered.



The process of scouting for a good CV became
The team which deals with ad-hoc shift
increasingly difficult, many high potential
bookings returned today, and took over the
candidates have already been contacted
33 09 / 06 / 17 Orhan Demirovski job. There were no new tasks let for me to
before by myself. The resolution to this issue
complete until Monday, so I looked to increase
was to discover candidates who were active
my shortlist and carry out some more cold calls.
and uploaded their CV is the past few days.




I was provided with a briefing of all the after-
Aftercare is important for a recruitment firm, I
care methods which Synergy Medical provides,
was briefed on the many ways which Synergy
34 12 / 06 / 17 Orhan Demirovski and was expected to perform one of these
Medical provides aftercare to ensure the
methods per day to understand the
satisfaction of their medical staff.
importance of satisfaction among candidates.



I contacted the client directly to understand Every candidate which I contacted was happy,
what their current circumstances are, which lead me to prompt them into explaining
35 13 / 06 / 17 Orhan Demirovski identifying whether they are happy or what they are happy about. This kind of
dissatisfied with their current situation. At feedback helps us identify the focus for future
present, there are no issues. candidates registered with Synergy Medical.

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 Matthew Krens

It can be better to gain a second opinion on the

wellbeing of staff within an organisation,
Today, I contacted the client which one of our
especially when that second opinion is from an
candidates’ current works for. I was put
36 14 / 06 / 17 Orhan Demirovski experienced member of that organisation. That
through to the manager responsible for mental
individual within the company will also be able
health nurses within this organisation.
to provide a direct form of care, which benefits

the candidate at work.


This situation allowed me to dig deep into
Today I contacted a candidate who did request reasons as the why they are dissatisfied at
37 15 / 06 / 17 Orhan Demirovski aftercare in the form of support, as they were work, which subsequently allows me to
not satisfied with their present situation. demonstrate my problem-solving skills to
resolve the issue quickly and efficiently.



Synergy Medical were again accepting of this,
I had to attend an interview on this day with 6
which demonstrates the positive culture which
Degrees Group to keep my career prospects
38 16 / 06 / 17 Orhan Demirovski is installed within the company. To pay back
open, lest if Synergy Medical does not offer me
for my absence, I will arrive to work at 8am for
a position within the company.
Monday and Tuesday of next week.



It was by this time where I realised how much I
had to achieve in a brief period. On this day,
The final week of my internship is when I began
the company allowed me to plan for my
39 19 / 06 / 17 Orhan Demirovski to plan all the work which I had assigned for my
project report, my primary research, and the
final university submissions.
presentation which I had to perform to my
academic supervisor.

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I already knew what questions I wanted to ask
the respondents of my questionnaire, as I
I wanted to expand my primary research over wanted to relate my project report to my
40 20 / 06 / 17 Orhan Demirovski two days, so today had a focus on producing internship experience. The data collection
and distributing my online questionnaire. process was a success, and saw results
gathered from both the London and Milton
Keynes office.


The next phase of my primary research was to I reduced the number of respondents for my
gather data through interviews, as I wanted to questionnaire to 3, as I understood how busy a
41 21 / 06 / 17 Orhan Demirovski
gather a new type of information that can sales environment can be, and how long it can
provide as much detail as possible. take to gather data for an interview.


Completing the internship presentation which I This presentation is to prepare and performed
had to perform for my academic supervisor to Orhan in a short space of time. Fortunately,
took priority today. It is an appropriate time to the experience of working under quick
42 22 / 06 / 17 Orhan Demirovski
prepare the presentation now that the primary deadlines under Synergy Medical has equipped
research is finished, as I would be able to me with the ability to produce a excellent
present my findings. quality presentation in a short period of time.


For my final day, I was given the flexibility to do This flexibility which Synergy Medical
what I wanted, whether that be for the demonstrates ensures that job satisfaction
43 23 / 06 / 17 Orhan Demirovski companies benefit or my own. In the end, I among employees remains high, making work
decided to scout for jobs on LinkedIn to secure feel less like a prison and more like a place of
my future career. enjoyment.

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 Matthew Krens

Personal Development Plan

Name: Matthew Krens


Covering period from: 24 / 04 / 2017 To: 23 / 06 / 2017

My goals: To become a comfortable team worker within Synergy Medical Recruitment. An essential skill that ensures success within a recruitment organisation and can be transferred
to various roles within the business, whilst possess the ability to improve other skills such as communication and time management.

What do I want to learn? What will I do to achieve this? What resources do I need? What is my success criteria? Target dates


To verbally communicate Study the meaning of technical The organisations handbook to To confidently apply technical terms
effectively and efficiently with terms and the context in which learn from and experienced confidently when conversing with
23 / 06 / 2017
my colleagues within the they are applied and start more colleagues who can teach me colleagues, and to feel as if I am part
workplace conversations definitions of a team


Time management with regards Formulate a plan which prioritises A planning sheet with vacant time To complete an assigned task and
to outstanding tasks to tasks based on importance and slots to allocate duties under little arrive to work 30 minutes before a
23 / 06 / 2017
complete and arriving at the wake up earlier in the morning to pressure, and an alarm clock that set timeframe, and arrive in the
office on time prevent tardiness can wake me up in the morning office 15 minutes before 9am

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 Matthew Krens

To perform as an efficient team To form bonds with colleagues so A workspace which puts me in To work on at least 3 projects with a
worker who will make constant that work related discussion frequent contact with most of my large group of colleagues
23 / 06 / 2017
contributions and eventually becomes easier, and so that colleagues, possibly rearranging successfully, regardless of the
add value to the firm conversation becomes natural the seating arrangement objective at hand


How human resource processes Reflect on learned theory in Moodle which has access to To conclude that relevant theories
are applied in practice, whether university and relate that to the previous HRM slides and are either proven or disproven in a
23 / 06 / 2017
that be with regards to workplace, particularly content assignment, and observation work environment, in addition to my
recruitment or not from my HRM module records made during office hours own academic work


How to become a competent Shadow my director to understand My directors’ expertise and To allocate candidates on Eclipse
user of essential company the purpose and function of Eclipse knowledge in using Eclipse and unaided and free from mistakes, and
23 / 06 / 2017
software such as Eclipse and and ETIPS, so that I can understand ETIPS, in addition to using the to fill ad-hoc shifts on a regular basis
ETIPS the basic functions programme itself with little street

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 Matthew Krens

Personal SWOT

Self-Management



• Went above and beyond what was expected of me during my final few weeks
Strengths
• Achieved KPI targets frequently because of my high self-management



• Initial poor self-management as I was unfamiliar with personal organisation within a professional setting
Weaknesses
• Sometimes I would avoid producing day targets due to low preparation and confidence



• The ability to learn how to how to manage my work placement, my academic report, and social life all at once
Opportunities
• Accessibility to online resources which can help with reflection and self-management



• The long commute can sometimes make it difficult to manage my punctuality, especially if travel issues occurred
Threats
• The constant changing environment makes it difficult to manage yourself in the long term

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Managing Tasks



• Went above and beyond what was expected of me within the workplace to get tasks done
Strengths
• I produced advertisements better than any other employee, giving me confidence in managing this task



• Inexperience within the field of recruitment made it difficult to manage some complex tasks
Weaknesses
• Managing projects on LinkedIn when I did not own a LinkedIn Premium account



• To learn rapidly and directly through my management of tasks due to the small staff count within the office
Opportunities
• The opportunity to take on new tasks that nobody else was acting upon was always available



• The pressure of academic work would always interfere with my work placement, knowing I had a report to write
Threats
• Failing to understand industry terminology such as “IR35” can lead to confusion

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 Matthew Krens

Communication



• My strong verbal communication ensured there I was operating as part of an effective team
Strengths
• My ability to listen well made the task of cold calling a lot easier and successful



• I am not bilingual so I found it difficult to communicate with the international team and their clients
Weaknesses
• Communication which discusses complex terminology left me confused at times



• To communicate as part of a professional team
Opportunities
• To frequently build upon my current communication skills



• Globalisation means that a second language is becoming a requirement
Threats
• Operations are becoming more intense, meaning stakeholders are becoming less sympathetic for poor communicators

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Applying Knowledge and Skills



• Demonstrating personal skills impresses the employer more than discussing your skills
Strengths
• Applying appropriate skills benefits the organisation a lot



• I knew how to apply HR knowledge, but did not know how to apply this with relation to the health industry
Weaknesses
• Not being able to apply organisational skills efficiently, as other employees are aware of my poor time management



• The opportunity to apply academic theories within the workplace is available
Opportunities
• Applying practical skills is the best way for me to learn



• Applying the wrong skill at the wrong time can lead to severe consequences
Threats
• High competition among other employees within the office

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 Matthew Krens

Initiative



• I have generated ideas during times of need
Strengths
• I have worked alone on some projects and led myself to complete the task at a high quality



• Sometimes my initiative meant that I drifted away from the task at hand
Weaknesses
• When I struggle to discover innovative ideas, I lose motivation to work



• Recruitment allows you to be more open and dynamic
Opportunities
• I am still learning diverse ways of becoming increasingly innovative



• The open and dynamic environment leads people nowhere if they possess innovation but no guidance
Threats
• Recruitment can also host a harsh setting, which can demotivate and limit innovation

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