Pratik Shah

Student id – N01424510

Post Placement Reflection Report

The field placement objectives were to make me confident and apply skills that I’ve learned in the GBM
program. During my work at Settle North Immigration Inc. I was assigned as a technical assistant, where my
job was to process visa applications. My duties and responsibilities were handling visa applications,
reviewing the visa documents, and communicating with the applicants.

Tasks that I performed included sorting the received visa documents, communicating with clients on phone
or email, Reviewing and verifying the documents then entering the data into the company’s database via
excel sheets and reporting back to the manager. I am a quick learner and was able to acquire skills during
my tenure, one of the crucial skills that I developed was attention to detail. As I had to review many
documents at a given time, even a small mistake or an error could result in delay or rejection of the
applicant. I was also communicating information back to the reporting manager and clients. I communicated
with people of different backgrounds, and they spoke different languages so communicating information
clearly and effectively helped me develop skills and taught me how to handle different types of clients.
Language was a barrier as people spoke different languages, I learned to communicate effectively even if
they spoke a different language. As I was assigned to work on multiple cases at a time I learned to manage
my time effectively with working on these cases and completing tasks on the given time. The company was
processing high number of applications and it was challenging at start to keep up with the pace, I learned to
manage my time and prioritizing cases and seek help when it was needed.

Just like our faculty at Humber College where professors were collaborative and helpful whenever it was
needed, colleagues that worked along with me helped me by sharing their knowledge and expertise with me,
they were always available to answer questions I had, provide feedback on my work and guide me if I’m
lacking in a particular area. The supportive and collaborative work environment helped me to learn quickly
and was able to work in an effective manner. Coming from a different country, I was not aware of different
cultures and languages, I had an opportunity to improve my communication skills along with increasing my
cultural awareness. I understand responsibility of my job as I was once an applicant before coming to
Canada. I saw the same amount of stress on the people and was able to sympathise, this gave me
understanding of importance of immigration process and how it needs to be fair and efficient.

Results that were achieved in relation to the objectives are, I was able to create a effective documents
gathering process by creating a checklist and provide information to the clients. Reviewed and verified
many documents to check they meet the requirements before I submit and timely submission of these
documents in an effective manner. I was primary point of contact for clients and was providing guidance
whenever it was needed during the application process. Replying to the clients with the updates and
inquiries in a timely and professional manner. I also developed good relations with clients that resulted in
future referrals.

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By utilizing proper time and resources, I was able to prioritise and track the applications and also monitored
them in case of any delays or issues that were faced. Organizing these pieces of information and providing
attention to detail, I was able to successfully complete my tasks. Communication was the key as I was
working with clients and with colleagues both written and verbally, created concise emails to both sides
resulting positive outcome. I was able to build good relations with colleagues and clients being professional
at the same time.

As Humber College is melting pot of cultures and people from different background attend the campus, I
was able to learn about different people and this was very valuable in interacting with clients that were from
different parts of the world. The Canadian business law subject also taught us legal structures and policies
that was elaborated more when I was working and got hands on practice. As business student, we are taught
organizing and task management, which helped me to prioritise work and create work schedules that
improved my overall efficiency. The college’s group projects and presentations helped me develop my
communication skills and work on areas that I lack, these interpersonal skills were really helpful while
communicating with clients or my team. As most of the projects and assignments involved critical thinking
and presenting a detailed explanation on a particular subject, I was able to develop great analytical skills that
are needed to provide a detailed output.

Before starting this internship, I had my strengths in the areas of analytical thinking and communication,
however these were based on my personal experience and these skills needed to be polished so that I could
deliver up to the industry standards related to customer experience and interpersonal skills in an
organization. Some of my strengths were good academic performance, communication skills, ability to work
independently, Time management, Attention to detail. My weaknesses were lack of industry specific skills,
limited work experience, less experience working in a team. This internship provided an opportunity for me
to polish my strengths and work on my weaknesses, I was able to network with people and learn from
people who were doing this for many years. I was able to develop skills and work on my self and I am a
curious and a person who is eager to learn new things, which helped to open up to more people and was able
to learn very quickly. The management was really helpful in providing feedback which helped me identify
my strengths and weaknesses, and work on them by providing training or practice on a case. This internship
helped me learn and develop skills that were up to the industry standards and interpersonal skills that will be
an asset moving forward in my career.

It was an overall great experience for me from a learning perspective, while I do have some
recommendations for the employer on improving their business. As many clients that came to the company
were form referrals or from organic advertising that involved posting adverts on busses or posters in a
public place. I would advice them to focus more on digital advertising and try to gather crowd from the
digital space as there are so many people who are unaware of the company and would like to connect and
use services. As we would have a larger pool of people that we could target and convert into our clients,
there is a greater chance to increase the revenue and make a bigger customer base. Also advertising online
would encourage people to know about the company all around the world, so rather than working with the
people just in North America the company would be able to function globally and build connections that
could really be helpful at this time as there are many people that are willing to come to Canada and don’t
know about the legal process and documentation work. This can prove to be really helpful for the people as
they would know more about the company through social media advertising and boosting customer base

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through social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram could be really helpful for the company in
the long run.

Our program should include more practical courses where students could get hands on practice with the
industry standards and also try to include field visit where we can have a more practical view of how an
organization works and “day at work” type of visits where an outsider gets an opportunity to visit the office
for a day and experience work like a normal employee. This along with the academics would help students
to gain knowledge and learn to apply it in practical world, as applying skills are more important, along with
having knowledge about a particular subject.

It was a great learning experience for me a student and I would recommend it to others as I was able to learn
many skills form the internship experience and apply what I had learned as a student. This work had a high
volume of applications at a time and helped me to learn about time management and also communicating in
a better way. These skills are needed when we go out and start our carers. A new intern would learn a lot
form this company and is highly recommended if a person likes to be challenged and is able to balance time
and skills while maintaining a good professional conduct.

I have plans to work on my analytical side more, I was always a persons person, where I would interact and
always strike a conversation with others. I was able to polish my communication skills by doing this job and
my future plans are to work in a customer facing role as a representative of an organization, where I would
be face to face with the customers whether it be sales or customer service. I enjoy working with people and
being around them, also like to build a network where I learn a lot from other’s experiences. I would take up
a human resource certificate course or a customer experience certificate in future to improve my skills and
keep them up to date. I like to learn new skills so I’ve registered at Coursera and Udemy which provide me
access to many courses that I can take over time to polish my skills and maybe learn a new skill in future if
I try to branch out or try in a different industry. These skillset would help me secure a good carer path for mt
future where I would be able to help others and provide my services and create value for other people and
the organization that I’m working for.

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 Post Placement Documentation
All required documentation will be uploaded on the DEVU Blackboard site

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 Post Placement Reflection Report
You must submit ALL post placement documentation to the blackboard site
Once you have completed your placement, you are required to complete and submit a complete Post-
Placement Package. This package includes:
 Employer Evaluation Form (completed by your employer)
 Field Placement Reflection Report (detailed below)

Report Structure

This is a 1,500 to 2,000 word report that follows the structure given below. Please use complete sentences and
paragraphs, correct spelling and proper grammar.
Please answer all of the questions posed here in your report.

Objectives:

 Describe your field placement objectives.

 Describe the results that you achieved in relation to these objectives.
 What specific tasks and activities did you perform and how did they relate to the achievement of
your objectives?
 What skills and knowledge gained in your program of studies helped you perform your field
placement duties?

Learning:

 What did you learn, relative to your program of study, from your field placement experience?
 What were your strengths and weaknesses before your field placement experience and how have
they changed as a result of your field placement?

Recommendations:

 Relative to your program of study, what recommendations do you have for your employer about
how their business could be improved?
 What recommendations do you have for your program coordinator about how the program could
better prepare students for their field placements?
 Would you recommend that your employer host future field placement students? Why or why not?
 What kinds of ongoing learning activities, such as further education, on-the-job training, or
mentorship, will you pursue over the next year to ensure your continued employment success?

Please note: Only preapproved placements will be considered for grading. (Prior to beginning your placement, you
must have submitted and had approved a completed and signed Student/Employer Agreement form and, if the
field placement was to be unpaid the WSIB Forms (Appendix A & B). If you completed your placement outside of
Ontario, a completed Student Out-of-Province Travel Activity form & supporting documents) must also be
submitted.