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ePortfolio References

Arruda, W. (2025). Define Your Differentiation To Answer The ‘What Makes You Unique’ Question. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/williamarruda/2025/02/23/define-your-differentiation-to-answer-the-what-makes-you-unique-question/ 

Bernieri, J. F. (2000). The importance of first impressions in a job interview. Midwestern Psychological Association, 5-20. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/313878823_The_importance_of_first_impressions_in_a_job_interview 

Blomquist, S. (2013). The Role Of Motivation In A Successful Internship. University Of Applied Sciences, 12-128. https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2013060512973 

Chen-Fu, C. (2014). The Influences of University Interns’ Job Characteristics, Work Value, and Job Performance. Revista de Cercetare si Interventie Sociala, 47, 204-219. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/287166866_The_Influences_of_University_Interns'_Job_Characteristics_Work_Value_and_Job_Performance 

Cote, C. (2024). Personal Branding: What It Is & Why It Matters. Harvard Business School Online. https://online.hbs.edu/blog/post/personal-branding-at-work 

Crosby, O. (2009). Resumes, Applications, and Cover Letters. Occupational Outlook Quarterly, 53(2), 18-29. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ875437 

He, G. (2025). Organizational Culture: Definition, Examples, & Best Practices. teambuilding.com. https://teambuilding.com/blog/organizational-culture 

Kühn, S. (2019). Application Guidliness. Hochschule Zwickau - University of Applied Sciences, 4-26. Microsoft Word - Bewerbungsleitfaden_10.05.2019.docx

Majka, M. (2024). Understanding Unique Value Proposition. Novomatic Technology Poland. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/381917183_Understanding_Unique_Value_Proposition?enrichId=rgreq-6921f2c34201bfa303d2fb39edcba9c9-XXX&enrichSource=Y292ZXJQYWdlOzM4MTkxNzE4MztBUzoxMTQzMTI4MTI1ODAyMzY2NUAxNzE5OTQ0ODE0OTg1&el=1_x_2&_esc=publicationCoverPdf 

Missman, K. (2023). What is an internship? Everything you should know. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/advisor/education/career-resources/what-is-an-internship/ 

Moore, A. (2023). Personal Branding: What is it, Examples & Strategies For 2023. Personal Branding Blog. https://personalbrandingblog.com/personal-branding-what-is-it-examples-strategies/ 

Nanayakkara, K., Wilkinson, S., Halvitigala, D. (2022). Influences of dynamic changes of workplace on organisational culture. Journal of Management & Organization, 27(6), 1003-1020. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/jmo.2021.69 

Odor, O. H. (2018). Organisational Culture and Dynamics. Global Journals, 18(1), 23-29. http://dx.doi.org/10.18535/ijsrm/v6i1.em05 

O’Higgins, N., & Caro-Pinedo, L. (2021). Chapter 3: What makes for a ‘good’ internship?. Edward Elgar, 35-54. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781800885042.00011 

Rozental, L., Meitar, D., & Miller-Karnieli, O. (2020). Medical students’ experiences and needs from written reflective journal feedback. ASME, 55(4), 505-517. https://doi.org/10.1111/medu.14406 

Sutton, M. T., Zeiber, A. R., & Frimpong, A. E. (2006). Developing an Effective Resume or Curriculum Vitae. American Fisheries Society, 1-24. http://dx.doi.org/10.13140/2.1.3738.8161 

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Week 4 Entry 7: Reflection on the subject with respect to my starting point, new learnings and experiences, and how this will assist me from a career development perspective.

Reflective ability is a paramount skill for enhancing professionalism and the development of other skills such as communication skills. It allows an individual to rethink and analyse to enhance their understanding and resolution of practices (Rozental et al., 2020). I believe these ePortfolios are a great example that allows me to reflect on the subject and analyse how it has helped me immensely to improve my professional development skills. The ‘Transition to Professional Practice’ subject run by my lecturer, Simone, was invaluable for my professional development. I have learnt about a wide range of new things related to job interviews and internship processes. As a result, because of this subject, I have been able to substantially improve and be confidently ready for a future internship or job.

I believe the worksheets (an example showcased in Image 1) and the group activities that were organised by Simone throughout all the sessions were extremely useful to gaining a good understanding of the internship processes and the requirements for future jobs/internships. On top of that, I was able to easily apply all of this knowledge in the practice/mock interviews, my assessment for the internship applications, and the actual interview assessment that was completed towards the end. Moreover, thanks to this subject, I have been able to understand the concepts of personal branding, personal marketing and unique value proposition. Hence, it has allowed me to create new profiles on LinkedIn and Facebook and be more active on these platforms to create a personal brand.

Image 1: Persona Worksheet

Additionally, the mock interviews and the actual interview assessment helped me greatly. During the first practice/mock interview, I did not have a lot of confidence, and I was not able to express/articulate myself properly in the “Tell me a bit about yourself” question. However, as shown in Image 2, after receiving feedback from my group members and lecturer for this task, I have seen significant improvements in my ability to articulate and be clear during an interview. Hence, I was able to do well in the third mock interview with a panel of 5 members and do pretty well in the actual interview assessment task. These tasks, information, and feedback have allowed me to be ready for all future job or internship interviews. 

Image 2: Practice Interview 1 With My Peers

Finally, thanks to this subject, I have developed a wide range of new skills and knowledge. As a result, I believe that I will be able to do well by being a high performing intern/employee at a professional and renowned organisation in the near future. 

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Week 3 Entry 6: Critical reflection on my experience of and performance in my interview practices and assessment. How have I developed my technique? What do I need to focus on?

Doing well in an interview is the most important component to be a successful applicant for a job or internship position. Employment interviews remain the most accepted method for employee selection around the world as it is considered to be valid and reliable. It establishes a connection between a potential employee and an organisation (Bernieri, 2000). 

Before the actual interview assessment, my lecturer arranged practice interview sessions over 2 different weeks. The first practice session was a practice run with my peers in the class. We were told to record these interviews in small groups to seek feedback afterwards from the lecturer. The feedback that I received from the 2 lecturers (Simone & Davin) was to practice a bit more and to be more clear and articulate by avoiding words such as “um” or “uh”. The second practice session was another small group task. In this session I was asked questions by 2 peers who then gave feedback via a feedback form as shown in Image 1. In this interview, I was not able to articulate properly or answer the “Tell me about yourself” question in the correct way.

Image 1: Student Internship Interviews Simulation Feedback Form

I made sure to analyse the feedback and practice more before the third and final practice session, which was a simulated mock interview with a panel of 5 members (my lecturer Simone and 4 classmates). As shown in Image 1, we were asked to wear our actual interview attire for this mock interview. I did well in the mock interview by being able to be very clear and articulate with my messages while maintaining good eye contact with everybody on the panel. I was given feedback not to refer to negative examples or experiences for scenario-based questions. Additionally, I was told to use the STAR technique correctly in my answers for the scenario-based questions. This mock interview helped me significantly to prepare for the actual interview assessment. I was more comfortable and confident in myself to do well in the assessment. 

Image 2: Mock Interview Day Attire

After the assessment interview was conducted, I received feedback from both Sasha and Davin (the interviewers) on the areas that I need to improve on. I did a good job at doing the fundamentals such as having professional attire, having a good/confident posture, being clear and articulate, and having good eye contact with both of the interviewers. However, at the same time, I have certain areas to improve on. Sasha said I had a very good and confident answer for the ‘Tell me about yourself’ question. However, I provided too much information such as talking about my strongest skills/attributes. There were 2 to 3 questions afterwards that asked about my strong skills/attributes or information that I already covered in the ‘Tell me about yourself’ part. As a result, she implied that providing too much information in the first question could jeopardize my own interview. This is because of the risk of not being able to provide detailed answers for any other questions containing similar information. Additionally, Sasha said that I needed to use the STAR technique in a better way. She said that I did use the STAR technique for the scenario-based question, but I did not structure it properly and elaborate during some of the key moments in the example I provided. Other than that, Sasha and Davin said that overall, I did well and that they would give me the job if it was an actual interview. I am thankful to Sasha and Davin for providing me with invaluable feedback to improve myself and be ready for future interviews. 

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Week 2 Entry 5: The importance of organisational culture and being a high performing intern and team member.

Every organisation has a unique way of operating. Organisation culture is conceptualised through its beliefs, rules, philosophy and values. (Odor, 2018). The culture of an organisation, determines the performance of the individuals that work within an organisation and, ultimately the organisation’s performance too. Having a positive organisational culture gives an organisation a strong advantage over its competitors. It influences the way employees think, feel and behave within the workplace (Odor, 2018). The culture comprises an established framework that guides the workplace behaviour. Examples include teamwork, integrity and accountability (He, 2025). Furthermore, according to Hamilton et al., (2008) the culture of the organisation can be determined by viewing its physical office layouts and configurations after entering the workplace.

Interns’ job characteristics and work value have a big and positive correlation on the actual job performance (Chen, 2014). Motivation is another element that greatly affects the performance of an intern. As discussed before, factors that have an influence on motivation include the working atmosphere and cooperation with the colleagues within the organisation. If the company/organisation offering the internship position is working with a university’s well planned program, has a supervisor who will provide an orientation, and has a good working environment, the student will be highly motivated to do the tasks well. As a result, these factors will allow the student to be a high performing intern and team member (Blomquist, 2013). 

Personally, I also believe that I will be able to strive forward and enjoy my work in an environment with individuals who are respectful and hardworking. An example of how I have been a high performing team member is my past job as a Target employee. My work experience program application for Target was successful during the 2019 Christmas holiday period. I worked with some of my school peers, students from other schools, and the actual employees at Target. We were given an orientation before the work commenced, and we were given a set of tasks that needed to be done before a deadline. The working environment was very respectful, cooperative and friendly. Therefore, I was able to enjoy my work, and I made sure to work really hard to the best of my abilities. As a result, I was given a small leadership role to coordinate other work experience students and employees to do certain tasks during the busy Christmas holiday period.  Image 1 shows my successful completion certificate at Target (The Glen).

Image 1: Work Experience Certificate

For future internship positions, I believe that I can be a high performing intern and team member because of other reasons such as my strong work ethic, ability to work efficiently in a team, and my willingness to learn and improve all the time. Also, as shown in Image 2, my current skills and past work experiences will be invaluable to be a high performing intern and team member at any organisation. 

Image 2: My skills and some of my work experiences in my resume

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Week 2 Entry 4: Critical analysis of my internship applications relative to best practice using peer feedback.

In order to be a successful applicant, it is paramount to make the internship applications in the right way with all of the required components such as the resume, cover letter, and the key selection criteria mentioned in the PD. The curriculum vitae is the most important document within the application besides the cover letter. HR professionals or employers look at this document first as it provides the best information and overview of the applicant. The CV must contain everything that is mentioned in the cover letter. It must be well structured and easy to understand for the employer (Kühn, 2019). 

Before completing and submitting my internship applications, I received a lot of valuable feedback from both my lecturer and peers about my resume, cover letter, and LinkedIn profile sections found within the internship applications. As shown on Image 1, I received feedback by Simone (my lecturer) and one of my classmates undertaking the ‘Transition to Professional Practice’ subject on the things I did well in and the things that needed improvement. As outlined in the image below, initially I was not able to finish the cover letter and I had just made a new LinkedIn profile during this feedback session. Overall, I received a lot of good feedback on my resume, cover letter and LinkedIn profile being professional, properly formatted, and having a range of good information in them. 

Image 1: Session 5 Review And Feedback Worksheet

As mentioned previously, for my resume, I did receive constructive feedback to improve areas such as adding a references section and splitting the work and volunteer experiences. On top of that, for my LinkedIn profile, they highlighted that I needed to add a professional profile picture, have connections with others (preferably within the same industry) and create more posts. Image 2, indicates my new LinkedIn profile with a professional profile picture and a few connections with people in the same industry. Additionally, Image 3 showcases my resume with a references section and shows how I have split my work and volunteer experiences into different sections. This feedback helped me a lot to finalise my internship applications and eventually submit them on time. Even though I did not receive my grade or feedback for the assessment of the internship applications (during the time I am writing this ePortfolio), I believe I did a good job as I followed all the guidelines and the rubric that was provided. It is visually appealing and everything has been formatted in the right manner.

Image 2: My LinkedIn Profile With A Profile Picture & Connections

Image 3: A Segment Of My Resume

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Week 1 Entry 3: The importance of personal marketing, branding and my unique value proposition. What is my brand and what areas do I need to improve?  

In this subject,  I was able to learn about the importance of personal marketing, branding and unique value proposition from my lecturers Simone and Davin. Personal branding and marketing is when someone markets and promotes themselves as a brand. It incorporates the conscious effort to create and maintain a good image or reputation for an individual. Similar to how companies establish their reputation in the marketplace, people can do the same thing to differentiate themselves both personally and professionally (Moore, 2023). Personal branding and marketing are important because promoting yourself in a certain way can help attract new opportunities in both your career and day to day life (Cote, 2024). Unique value proposition is a vital element that showcases why a product or a person is the best choice for its target audience/employer and sets apart a product or a person from its competitors. It is a clear statement that shows the tangible benefits that the consumer or employer can expect to receive from that particular product or person (Majka, 2024). This is where personal branding and marketing become important too (Arruda, 2025). 

Simone provided the class with some valuable worksheets and activities outlining for us to search our name on Google and answer questions to draft our own unique value proposition. After the Google search, various results such as some of my cricket achievements came up. However, none of my social media accounts were visible. As shown in Image 1, after filling the worksheet I got to understand more about the unique value proposition and the importance of it. 

Image 1: Session 4 & 5 Personal Marketing Worksheet

Furthermore, after learning about the importance of branding and personal marketing by Davin, I started to realise how I did not have a great understanding of it and how I did not have a personal brand prior to the lecture. I was not overly active on social media (especially on platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn). I was active on Instagram, but it was a private account used just for socialising. Davin expressed the importance of having public Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn accounts with posts of my accomplishments or key moments in life. He outlined that it will allow the employers to understand what type of person I am and to see if I will be a good fit for the job. As shown in Image 2,  I have decided to make new public social media accounts on platforms such as  LinkedIn and Facebook. I will make sure to post my accomplishments and other key moments in my life on these platforms. I believe my personal brand is my involvement in cricket as a coach, centre manager, umpire and player. On top of that, I believe that my involvement in various charities can be incorporated into my personal brand too.

Image 2: My New LinkedIn Profile

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Week 1 Entry 2: My preparedness for an internship: my skills (and skills gap), and the importance of a resume and cover letter with respect to the current status of my own documents.

One of the reasons I opted to study the Bachelor of Sports Business at Holmesglen Institute is because of the opportunity to have an internship with a professional sporting organisation or company. An internship is a short term opportunity to gain entry-level work experience at an organisation. Usually, interns work alongside a specified team within a company, and learn from professionals (Missman, 2023).  Internships are becoming an integral component in the school/university to work transition (Higgins et al., 2021).

I believe that I am prepared for the internship because of the current skills and working experience I possess. A good resume and cover letter are important and vital for the outcome of a job interview or internship. A good resume is an important marketing tool that will give the employer an advertisement of you and your strengths, skills, and experiences. Furthermore, it will provide an employer with a brief overview of who you are as a student or professional, what you can do and know about the position of interest, traits, accomplishments, and your educational background. In most cases, the same resume document can be given to any job (Sutton et al., 2006). In contrast, a cover letter is like an introduction to your resume. However, it is written for a specific job. Similar to a resume, a good cover letter displays a person’s abilities and explains how the qualifications and work experiences match the job’s responsibilities (Crosby, 2009).

In the ‘Transition to Professional Practice’ subject, my lecturer Simone, taught me all of the necessary information to build a professional resume and cover letter.  I believe that my resume was already professional before undertaking the subject. However, I was able to significantly improve my cover letter and make it more professional and relevant to the sports business/media industry. As shown in Image 1, my lecturer, Simone, and one of my classmates who was undertaking the ‘Transition to Professional Practice’ subject gave me feedback stating that my resume and cover letter are professional. However, as illustrated, I did receive feedback to improve my cover letter formatting and to improve my resume by splitting my work and volunteer experiences. I have been able to improve my cover letter and resume because of the valuable feedback they provided. Thus, I believe that I am very prepared to have an internship position with a professional and renowned sporting organisation in Victoria.

Image 1: Session 5 Review And Feedback Worksheet

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Week 1 Entry 1: About Me: A brief description on my background, sport interests, work experiences and career ambitions. In addition: a reflection on my study performance to date and areas to improve; expectations and aspirations for this subject and my internship.

My name is Sandanu. I was born in Sri Lanka and moved to Australia with my family in 2014. I lived in Canberra for 2 years and have been living in Melbourne for approximately 9 years. I did all my high school studies in Melbourne at Glen Waverley Secondary College and graduated in 2021. Currently, I am 20 years old, and I am a 3rd year Bachelor of Sports Business student at Holmesglen Institute. I have a passion for a wide range of sports, particularly Cricket. Ever since I was a young kid, I have always loved the sport of cricket. Currently, I am heavily involved in cricket as a player, umpire, and coach.  I have previous working experience in retail stores such as Target, and Paradise Isle. However, at the moment, I work a part-time job as a cricket coach and as a centre manager for the Century Cricket Group (formerly known as the Australian Cricket Institute). Moreover, I umpire junior cricket games in local competitions, and I work as a professional umpire who is in the current Victorian Premier Cricket umpire panel (as shown in Image 1). My career ambition is to work for a professional sporting organisation (preferably Cricket Victoria or Cricket Australia) and become a professional cricket umpire at the state and national level. 

Image 1: Umpiring In Premier Cricket

Reflecting on my study performances to date, I have been reasonably good. In my current Bachelor of Sports Business, I have had 2 good semesters and 1 below par semester. Previously, I did have some issues with time management, and organisational skills between my studies and extracurricular activities such as my involvement in cricket.  As a result, during the below par semester, I have not been able to provide my best work for assessments and did not meet the deadlines for a few assessments as well. My time management and organisational skills have improved significantly after I formed a weekly timetable with all my studies and extracurricular activities as shown in Image 2. 

Image 2: My Timetable

My expectation from this subject is to gain all the knowledge about sports business/media and to be qualified enough to work at a professional sporting organisation. I truly enjoy working in an atmosphere surrounded by elite athletes and other like-minded people who are associated with professional sports. For my internship, I would love to work for a professional sporting organisation (preferably Cricket Victoria) or work for another renowned organisation (for example, Sportslink Travel).