Part 2. Professional Capability Gap Analysis:

Part 2 Objective 

Evaluate your current IS professional and personal capabilities, compare these capabilities to your target post-graduation IS job requirements, then 1) propose how capability gaps will be resolved during your course, and 2) present your professional CV to best present yourself. 

Background 

All information technology related professional bodies (e.g. Australian Computer Society) require that their members complete ongoing professional development, which corresponds to Deakin’s Self-management GLO. A key aspect of self-management is the ability to identify and address one’s weaknesses. Deakin and professional bodies (which accredit courses) thus emphasise the need for all students to complete a Professional Capability Gap Analysis during their course. You will produce a report and a professional resume on the results of your analysis. 

Part 2 Tasks 

You are required to undertake background research to do a Professional Capability Gap Analysis. 

First, decide on the specific job title/position to use for your analysis. Students who are already employed and are not planning to change their job after graduation can use their existing job title and state a professional development goal. Students planning to apply for a new job after graduation should identify one (1) job title (e.g. Business Analyst or Data Analyst or another job title). If you have not yet decided, pick one that is the most interest to you at the moment. 

Please note: 

• The job/position must be achievable given your industry experience and qualifications. For example, students with 6-12 months of industry experience cannot be managers. 

• Australian employers of international graduates expect applicants to have Australian work experience relevant to the job/position. If you don’t, then a more realistic goal is to apply for junior / entry-level positions initially. 

Second, find a minimum of 20 high quality, credible research sources, specific to the job title/ professional development goal and relate to the Information Systems / Information Technology sector or relevant to your discipline or choice of career. Each source should state multiple capabilities needed for the professional development area: 

• A minimum of 5 

o advertisements for the job title (for those applying for a new job after graduation) o 

course syllabuses (for those focusing on professional development, not a new 

job) which include capabilities relating specifically to the professional development area above and to the job title / IS/IT sector. 

• A minimum of 5 academic research sources (i.e. peer-reviewed journal articles and conference papers) which report on capabilities relating specifically to the professional development area above and to the job title / IS/IT sector. 

• A minimum of 5 industry sources (e.g. documents, reports or articles) written by a professional body (e.g. Australian Computer Society, Forrester Research, Gartner Group, Ernst and Young, PWC) about the capabilities relating specifically to the professional development area above and to the job title. 

You are required to submit a list of references to the research sources with your final report for marking. Make sure you store all these sources for checking if needed. 

Third, identify the various specific capabilities that are needed for the job title / professional development goal. You must submit the list with your final report. 

Fourth, reflect on your own experience and current capabilities, identify 2-3 weaknesses with respect to the specific capabilities which emerge from the research synthesis. 

Fifth, identify highly specific strategies that you will use to address the weaknesses. For example: 

• Not just ‘certifications’, but which specific certifications, what do they cover, and how and why will they address one or more of your weaknesses? 

• Not just ‘internship’, but what specific internship tasks, and how and why will these tasks address one or more of your weaknesses? 

You must submit your synthesis matrix (i.e. a table) with your final report. Each column should be a capability required for the job title / professional development goal. First row lists descriptions of the capabilities. Second row should be your own reflections, highlighting weaknesses. Third row lists strategies to address the weaknesses. 

Sixth, develop a professional resume to a (hypothetical) employer (e.g. for a job/position description) why you are the best candidate for the job. If you are not looking for a new job after graduation, then you may update your professional resume. 

The professional resume and Professional Capability Gap Analysis report are quite different, because the resume will focus on your strengths, while the report covers your weaknesses and development strategies.