professional and enterprize development - individual component
DESCRIPTION
Individual Assignment done at APIIT Lanka for the Module Professional and Enterprize DevelopmentTRANSCRIPT
ASIA PACIFIC INSTITUTE OF INFORMATION
TECHNOLOGY
INCOURSE ASSIGNMENT
PROFESSIONAL AND ENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT
INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENT
Prepared By
A.N.Ahamed Nishadh (CB004081)
Module Code & Title
CE00315-2-PED
Cohort
HF11B1SE
Date of Submission
10th September 2012
Instructor
Ms. Zackiya Ashraf
Submitted in partial fulfillment for the degree of
Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Computing
i
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Firstly I would like to thank our lecturer Ms. Zackiya Ashraf for all the help and
guidance given while doing this assignment.
Also there are many individuals who have helped me in numerous ways directly
and indirectly so that I was able to complete this assignment.
And last but not least my friends, parents and the well-wishers without whose
moral support and encouragement, I would not have been able to do a good job.
Finally, if there are any shortcomings in this project, then I request to excuse me
for all those and accept this documentation.
Ahamed Nishadh
ii
PART II – MARKING SCHEME
Criteria Marks
Allocated
Marks
Awarded
Two suitable vacancies –
The vacancy must be current and accompanied by a
short report which states what degree you are doing and
gives reasons why this vacancy is suitable for you.
20
A letter targeted at each vacancy – this must include:
a. An introductory paragraph saying why you are
writing
b. A paragraph stating why you are interested in this
particular vacancy with this particular company
c. A paragraph stating why you feel you are a strong
candidate for this vacancy
d. A closing paragraph/polite ending
e. It must also be correctly laid out
20
A CV targeted at each vacancy – this must:
a. be a maximum of 2 sides of A4
b. be clearly laid out, so sections are easy to identify
and follow
c. be correct, in terms of spelling and grammar
d. highlights skills, qualifications and experience
relevant to the vacancy and provides evidence of
these
20
Interview questions:
For a vacancy of your choice (choose only one) prepare
a list of relevant questions (not less than 10 questions)
you foresee will be asked during the interview. Include
20
iii
your answer to each question
Reflection of your understanding of what the
employer’s expectations are for the right person for the
job (based on the industry trends and not on the person’s
spec accompanying the vacancy).
20
Total marks available = 100 100
iv
PART III – MARKING SCHEME
Criteria Marks
Allocated
Marks
Awarded
A. Scope of issues and professional ethics involved.
Support each issue clearly explaining the context
and scope. Thoroughly lists references that are
relevant to the topic.
50
B. Research analysis, critical thinking and relativity to
the real world. 30
C. Demonstration of your personal understanding 20
TOTAL MARKS 100
v
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1.0 – INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................... 1
2.0 – VACANCIES ...................................................................................................... 2
2.1 – VACANCY 1 – SOFTWARE ENGINEERING INTERNSHIP ................ 2
2.2 – VACANCY 2 – ASSOCIATE SOFTWARE ENGINEER ........................ 4
3.0 – COVER LETTERS ............................................................................................. 6
3.1 – VACANCY 1 – SOFTWARE ENGINEERING INTERNSHIP AT
MILLENIUM IT .................................................................................................. 6
3.2 – VACANCY 2 – ASSOCIATE SOFTWARE ENGINEER AT DUO
SOFTWARE ........................................................................................................ 8
4.0 – CURRICULUM VITAE ................................................................................... 10
5.0 – INTERVIEW QUESTIONS .............................................................................. 12
6.0 – EMPLOYER EXPECTATIONS IN THE INDUSTRY ................................... 15
7.0 – PROFESSIONAL ETHICS AND ISSUES FACED AT WORKPLACE ........ 17
8.0 – CONCLUSION ................................................................................................. 21
APPENDIX – I | Curriculum Vitae ............................................................................ 22
APPENDIX – II | Bibliography .................................................................................. 24
1
1.0 – INTRODUCTION
The individual professional portfolio folder is a report consisting of several
sections ranging from the type of jobs that I wish to take on in my career to what I
think are the requirements that I need to achieve in order to obtain a job in the
field of software development or computing in general.
The PED module has helped me in preparing myself to the world out there which
is filled with competition and I believe that I now am prepared to go out
confidently since I have a fair knowledge on how things work in the workplace
and in the market.
Furthermore, this report also contains a report on the professional ethics and
issues faced at workplace that has been compiled by me through research on
various issues that employees and employers face in the workplace along with the
solutions and my comments on those issues and remedies.
It is my belief that I have thoroughly applied what I have learned in class in this
report.
2
2.0 – VACANCIES
2.1 – VACANCY 1 – SOFTWARE ENGINEERING
INTERNSHIP
Out of the two vacancies that I have found that are suitable for me, the first
preferred job for me would be the job at Millennium IT for the post of Software
Engineering Internship.
The reason why I selected this vacancy and why it would be my first preference
out of the two available is that I, graduating from a reputable university with a
recognized degree in computing always dream of working in one of the “big shot”
companies in the country. Since the market is filled with competition, even a
graduate with a degree and no experience will find it difficult to get a job. In this
circumstances, an opening for an internship at a very reputable company while I
am reading for my degree would add strength to my qualification and CV.
3
Furthermore I understand that I fulfill the requirements of the vacancy. The
vacancy requires for a student who is currently following a course in IT and
requires experience in .Net technologies which is the career path that I intend to
take. Also I have good communication skills as well as can work in a team
environment and easily adapt to new situations within a very short time.
Furthermore, I believe working at a reputable company and being mentored by
some of the best out there would help me a lot personally in my own future
career.
For this reasons I believe I believe that this vacancy is suitable for me.
4
2.2 – VACANCY 2 – ASSOCIATE SOFTWARE ENGINEER
The second vacancy that I choose is for the post of Associate Software Engineer
at Duo Software.
The company may be little known publicly but seem to be a reputable company
when I went through their website and they also seem to be dealing with a pretty
decent client base.
The vacancy is for an Associate Software Engineer with experience in .Net and
Microsoft Technologies which as I’ve said before is my field of interest. The
vacancy announcement requires a person with one year of experience, but I
believe that with the experience that I have gained through working on
5
assignments and other side commercial projects that were done by me and friends
apart from the curriculum, I possess adequate experience to apply for the vacancy.
Furthermore with my experience in being a member and also the head of AREA
51 at APIIT, I believe that I have acquired the relevant experiences to apply for a
vacancy that requires one year experience since I have on a personal level worked
on several different projects while being a member of AREA 51.
And as said before, I have the relevant communication and networking skills as
well as previously worked in developing a billing system for a small time
organization which would give me added advantage.
Hence I believe im suitable for this vacancy once I graduate from APIIT with a
degree in my hand.
6
3.0 – COVER LETTERS
3.1 – VACANCY 1 – SOFTWARE ENGINEERING
INTERNSHIP AT MILLENIUM IT
Abdul Najeem Ahamed Nishadh
105 2/1, Hampden Lane,
Colombo 6,
Sri Lanka.
Manager – Human Resources,
Millennium Information Technologies (Private) Limited,
48, Marcus Fernando Mawatha,
Colombo 07,
Sri Lanka.
September 5, 2012
Dear Sir/Madam
APPLICATION FOR SOFTWARE ENGINEER INTERNSHIP
My name is Ahamed Nishadh and I am writing to you with regard to an
advertisement for the recruitment of a Software Engineer as posted on the official
website of Millennium Information Technologies (Pvt) Ltd. in the Careers section
on the 15th of September 2012.
I am an undergraduate from APIIT Lanka currently in the 3rd semester of my
2nd year of study in the course BSc in Computing (Specialized in Software
Engineering). At the end of my second year of study which will be at the end of
this month, I would like to do an internship in software engineering at your
institution to gain practical knowledge on the field I intend to pursue after the
completion of my studies later next year.
In the past two years of my study at APIIT, I have learned the requirements
needed to be a software engineer such as programming languages, theorems and
7
other software engineering knowledge and my grades show the knowledge I have
gained.
Over time, I have specialized in the .Net platform and am very fluent in C# and
VB programming languages while also my passion towards web development has
led me to do independent study on web programming languages and am also
fluent on ASP.net, PHP and HTML with CSS.
My resume that is attached to this email has more details on my skills and
experiences that I have gained over the time.
I would be thankful if you would review my application and give me a suitable
internship opportunity at your organization for a period of 6 months.
I can be contacted anytime on email through [email protected] or
reach me at 0712696592.
Sincerely,
Ahamed Nishadh
8
3.2 – VACANCY 2 – ASSOCIATE SOFTWARE ENGINEER AT
DUO SOFTWARE
Abdul Najeem Ahamed Nishadh
105 2/1, Hampden Lane,
Colombo 6,
Sri Lanka.
Manager – Human Resources,
Duo Software (Pvt) Ltd,
403 1/1, Galle Road,
Colombo 03,
Sri Lanka
September 5, 2012
Dear Sir/Madam
APPLICATION FOR THE POST OF ASSOCIATE SOFTWARE
ENGINEER
My name is Ahamed Nishadh and I am writing to you with regard to an
advertisement for the recruitment of Associate Software Engineer as posted on the
www.topjobs.lk by your organization in the advertisement reference no.
0000149493 as of 5th September 2012.
I am an graduate from APIIT Lanka with a degree BSc in Computing (Specialized
in Software Engineering) with my final results still pending as I have completed
my course of study only a week ago and I expect to excel in my examinations and
obtain a decent result.
In the past three years of my study at APIIT, I have learned the requirements
needed to be a software engineer such as programming languages, theorems and
other software engineering knowledge and my grades show the knowledge I have
gained. I have also worked out of my curriculum by taking on projects for small
organizations in making order processing and various other office automation
systems along with my friends as a group.
9
Over time, I have specialized in the .Net platform and am very fluent in C# and
VB programming languages while also my passion towards web development has
led me to do independent study on web programming languages and am also
fluent on ASP.net, PHP and HTML with CSS.
I understand that you require at least one year experience for this vacancy but I
believe that my knowledge and experience gathered over the past several year,
would equal to the same.
My resume that is attached to this email has more details on my skills and
experiences that I have gained over the time.
I would be thankful if you would review my application for the vacancy.
I can be contacted anytime on email through [email protected] or
reach me at 0712696592.
Sincerely,
Ahamed Nishadh
10
4.0 – CURRICULUM VITAE
Since both the vacancies that I intend to apply for are of the same nature, I have
decided to submit the same CV to both the companies as they have all the
necessary information about me that is required for both the jobs. The following
the copy of the CV that I intend to attach with my cover letters.
11
Note: A full sized copy of this CV is attached in Appendix 1.
12
5.0 – INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
The following are some of the questions that I believe will be asked from me at
the interview I face for my job and the most probable answers that I will be giving
to them.
1. Ahamed, Tell us about yourself…
Well, my name is Ahamed Nishadh. I had my primary and secondary
education at S.Thomas’ College Mount Lavinia. Then I went on to study at
APIIT where I graduated with a BSc in Computing – Specialized in Software
Engineering with a <the result I expect to get>. Ive been a tech crazy person
since a little kid and got my first diploma in a computing subject at the age of
15. Ive continued from there and here I am with a degree and a passion
towards computers and programming.
2. What do you know about Millennium IT?
MIT as far as I know is one of the big software companies in Sri Lanka. The
first time I heard about the company was when the news about London Stock
Exchange purchasing MIT came public. After that, I have heard about the
company and its strengths and the quality of your work through various
articles and during my degree through visiting speakers and lecturers and
other seniors who have or are working here.
3. What is your salary expectation?
As a graduate who has just finished his degree, I would like to start small and
climb up the career ladder. To start with, I would be happy to have around
25000 – 30000 SLR.
4. Why are you applying for this internship? (Software Engineering -
Internship)
Well since this the market for software engineering jobs is set at a very high
level, gaining prior proper experience is seen as a must in today’s world.
Hence, an internship at a reputed company like yours would be a kick start for
my career as well as gain industry experience.
13
5. What is your biggest plus point u see in yourself?
The biggest plus point I have is that I can work long hours with little
distraction and always strive for perfection. When I am not satisfied with my
work, I consider that the work is still incomplete. Hence I will work as much
as it’s needed to get the work done perfectly which I think is the biggest plus
point I see in myself.
6. Why should we consider you over the other candidates?
Because I know that I got what you expect in the perfect candidate for the
vacancy. Being a software engineer is not something that popped into my
head a few days ago. It’s been nearly my dream for years and almost
everything I’ve done up to now academically has been towards achieving this
dream. So you could depend on me to do a good job.
7. What will you do after your internship?
The internship is for 6 months. After I complete the internship, I intend to
return to my studies to complete my final phase of my degree. After that, if
you were happy with me during my internship, you could still hire me
provided that I get a suitable job else I would go into searching for a suitable
job that I could get hold of as soon as possible since I hate just idling around
without doing anything.
8. What have you achieved so far?
In life, I have different goals set for the different characters of mine. Apart
from being a software engineer, I am also a volunteer worker and a part time
sports journalist. On a volunteer perspective, the biggest achievement I have
gained so far is that I was and still am part of a project that’s silently changing
the lives of many in this country. The genuine thankful smile I see on a
person’s face is the satisfaction I get through this. Apart from that, from a
software engineering perspective, I am proud that I was part of a team that
was one of the finalist in a very large competition held in Sri Lanka. Also I am
a Microsoft Student Ambassador which as a Microsoft Technology enthusiast,
I am very proud of it.
14
9. Talk us through some of the projects you have worked so far…
Till date, I have worked in a few major projects and quite a number of small
projects. On a personal basis, I am also a web developer and designer and
have designed nearly 20 websites for clients. On the other hand, I have
worked in many projects with friends as groups. I worked on a disaster
management system which was a mobile and web based system which was
modeled for the Disaster Management Center in Sri Lanka. Also I developed a
system for a hospital and their billing system. Those were the biggest systems
that I have made upto now.
10. Anything you want to ask us?
Yes. I would like to know, when I get selected where I will be posted, if in
Colombo or in Malabe. Also, would I be able to work part time after my
internship until I finish my studies?
15
6.0 – EMPLOYER EXPECTATIONS IN THE
INDUSTRY
In the current era in which we live in where there is an economic meltdown and
where performance matters in jobs, jobs are not easy to get for unemployed
people let alone people who already have a job and are trying to move on to
another job or get a promotion. In a situation like this, the market for Software
Engineers is no different. With companies cutting down budgets to gain profits,
performance and skill of an employee becomes first preference than anything else
when the employee reviews take place.
The trend in the current world is that software engineers have to work long hours,
have different skills, perform above the others, produce results and meet
deadlines. With thousands of software companies out there competing for clients,
large firms such as Virtusa or Millennium IT depend on the quality of their output
which helps then retain their customers. And for this to happen, employers seek
for employees who are virtually exceptional in their areas.
Employers employing software engineers and other types of employee’s in the
field of computing, look into the history of the person and the experiences. For a
fresh graduate, the work experience may be something he lacks, but to
compensate that, the employers look into their Final Year Project and how much
unique and innovative it was, other projects they have done while still studying
and for up to a certain amount on their grades. It is a known fact among top notch
employers that not all talented and skilful employees are good in studies and not
all nerds are talented and skilful.
Yet another aspect that is looked into by companies now-a-days is the
professional aspect of the employee. The way he talks, walks, dresses,
communicates, socializes is all taken into consideration. The process of
identifying a potential employee starts the moment the person walks through the
gate of the company to attend his/her first interview and even in some cases, their
behavior and conduct on social networks such as facebook is also looked into as a
background check by the HR department before a potential employee is given a
job.
16
In addition to all this, one rather new or side aspect that employers also look into
is the extracurricular interests of an employee. Almost all large companies have
their own sports teams and various other activities that they expect their
employees to be part of and at times some companies even take pride in
participating and winning tournaments as it adds value to their employee
satisfaction review.
Looking at all this, it can be summarized that employers look for professional,
talented, skilful, dedicated, hardworking, multi-talented individuals to take up
vacancies in their organizations. Else it is the company and the employee
themselves who will end up in a bad position over time.
17
7.0 – PROFESSIONAL ETHICS AND ISSUES FACED
AT WORKPLACE
Following professional ethics is a vital part of being an employee let alone being a
professional. One needs to know, as a professional or an employee, what they can
do, what they can’t do so that both he/she and the company have a win-win
situation. And to maintain this moral obligation in a legal manner, most
companies have various different policies and codes that are implemented and
that the employee has to sign and agree into before they can be employed in the
company. “Code of Conduct”, “Privacy Policy”, “Dress Codes”, “Data Protection
and Confidentiality Policy”, “Sexual Harassment Policy” and the list just goes on.
An employee may not read these documents at the time of signing since it is
normal procedure but it is vital for an employee to know and understand the
clauses in these various documents that they have signed to so as to protect him
from being accused of misconduct.
In workplaces, many issues happen. Especially in large organizations, issues are
not something that doesn’t happen. Out of these issues, over the recent years, an
issue that has risen significantly is the issue of passing on company secrets or
more commonly known as “Trade Secrets” by the employees of one company to
another rival company in return for financial or other benefits. This is more in the
production or innovation oriented industries where one company tries to come up
with something before their rival does and to do this, they “plant” employees in
the rival company or by bribing or “purchasing” the employee who then provides
them with vital information which helps this. Copyright infringement can also be
related to this type of issue since they both fall into the same category which is
dishonesty.
Trade Secrets are vital for the existence of a company. The biggest example that
can be cited for this is “Coca-Cola”. The global soft drink manufacturer has
survived for the past 126 years and is still the leader in the Cola flavor drink in the
world operating in over 200 countries because they have managed to keep their
trade secret, in their case the “secret recipe” for the drink safe since it was made
by the Pharmacist back in the year 1886. Although a few time, the secret was
18
about to be leaked into the public, appropriate actions have been taken by the
company against the employees and the issues have then been solved. In a
technological side of event, trade secrets can mean proprietary software that
companies make, algorithms that are developed to make processes work faster,
new devices that are made, innovations, creativity all included. These when
passed from one company to another in an illegal way, it considered a crime.
Employees need to refrain from doing so since the employees themselves if
caught and proved can serve time as well as be subject to massive amounts of
fines which would end up making the employee bankrupt. Also their loyalty
towards the company can be questioned and his/her reputation would hit rock
bottom where no company would want to offer a job for the fear of a repetition of
events by the employee. Internationally, there are many laws and organizations or
authorities who work towards the protection of trade secrets and to bring those
responsible to justice but on a personal knowledge, cases in Sri Lanka of such
issues are very rare or are settled out of court in a private manner.
Another issue that takes dominance in the work place issues category is the issue
of sexual harassment. This can be by colleagues, superiors, authorities or simply
any other employee in the company. This is a serious issue with regard to women
working in the office where sexual harassment can mentally and at times
physically bring down the female employee which may result in the lady
performing badly in her job which may result to other complications. Sexual
harassment can range from improper conduct with a fellow employee, especially
with a female employee to making a sensitive remark verbally.
One of the very famous cases in the world in relation to sexual harassment in
workplaces was the case between Mitsubishi Motors and female workers of the
company where a settlement of US$34 million was reached which was also the
largest in the world in terms of a sexual harassment lawsuit. The case was where
the female employees had made a complaint that their daily work routine
consisted of being harassed everyday by male workers including sensitive
remarks which was also known to the management but no action was taken. This
is a clear cut example on how much of an issue sexual harassment can be in
workplace. Strict laws and policies are needed within the company to curb these
kind of issues. Especially with campaigns like “Equal Rights”, “Women Rights”
19
being done to give equal opportunities to females in workplaces compared to a
century ago, women should also be treated in the way they should be treated
morally and culturally.
Just like employees request for a safer work environment free from sexual
harassment, it should be noted that it is also the responsibility of the management
that the work place is a suitable place. It is a widely known fact that many sexual
harassment issues in the world have been by the executive level employees
towards lower level employees and when complains are being lodged internally
by the employee, they are not taken seriously or are brushed under the carpet by
the management to protect the executives in which case employees resort to legal
action which although takes a long time to be solved can provide some form of
justice to the victim. Although, such cases are on the decline, it is no reason for
companies to take the issue easily and relax rule and regulations but to keep them
strict as always because it was the rule that brought the issue down.
Like the two issues stated above, there are many other ethical issues that happen
in the workplace. Another such issue that is encountered in the workplace is
employees being honest and working properly without faking their work. This is
vital for the company since inefficient work or inefficient workforce can bring
down the company and also their reputation.
In the current era, honesty is something that is required from the employee by
every employer. The clients place their trust on the company and give orders and
the company places their trust on the employees to complete the work properly.
The employee also has an obligation to be honest in his work towards the
company since the company pays for the work he does. In my personal opinion, I
believe that if an employee is not happy with the work or the workplace, he/she
needs to talk to the management and try to get the issues cleared out and continue
working else leave the company and find a job in which he/she can be happy.
Unhappy workers who are not happy with their workers pose yet another threat to
the company. Which is they end up being depressed and mentally unstable. A
good example for this kind of problem is the row of suicides by employees at
FoxConn which is one of the major electronics manufacturers in China. In the
period between 2010/2011 nearly 20 employees were reported to have jumped to
20
their death from the factory buildings after they were unhappy with their working
conditions which was later through a research by Chinese Universities named as a
“labour camp”. FoxConn which is a major supplier to world famous brands like
Apple, HP, Dell, Sony etc took a hit with customers threatening to pull out orders
if employee working conditions were not improved after which FoxConn
improved on the working conditions including giving a pay raise to the
employees. The employee suicides created a negative image on the company.
Employees not discussing their issues with the management and solving issues.
In this instance it should also be noted that just like the employers expect
employees to be honest and hardworking, the employees also expect certain
conditions from the employers. Like flexible working conditions and workable
working conditions as well as a good remuneration to support their lives. Some
companies pay below the proper market level for the services rendered which is
nearly equal to theft which should not be done by the employers.
All in all, a happy workplace with less issues is what an employee and an
employer always wishes for. There may be hundreds of policies, rules, regulations
codes and what not but if the person themselves is not good enough and ethical,
all these problems could occour. That is why it is important that when recruiting,
employers select the proper right people for the job so as to avoid a negative
impact on their reputation after such issues happen and become public.
21
8.0 – CONCLUSION
This assignment has made me understand how much prepared I was to step into
the corporate world and how I should have prepared myself. Thanks to the
assignment I am now confident that I am prepared enough and understand the
do’s and do not’s of the industry which I am pretty sure will help me very much
in my career and future.
22
APPENDIX – I | Curriculum Vitae
23
24
APPENDIX – II | Bibliography
CNN Money, 1998. Mitsubishi settles for $34M. [Online]
Available at: http://money.cnn.com/1998/06/11/companies/mitsubishi/
[Accessed 6 September 2012].
CNN Money, 2007. 2 sentenced in Coke trade secret case. [Online]
Available at: http://money.cnn.com/2007/05/23/news/newsmakers/coke/
[Accessed 6 September 2012].
Dessler, G. & Varkkey, B., 2011. Human Resource Management. 12th Edition ed.
s.l.:Dorling Kindersley (India) Pvt Ltd.
Jeff Blagdon , 2012. Foxconn suicide threat resolved, 45 workers resign. [Online]
Available at: http://www.theverge.com/2012/1/12/2701990/foxconn-150-suicide-
threat
[Accessed 6 September 2012].
Joel Johnson, 2011. 1 Million Workers. 90 Million iPhones. 17 Suicides. Who’s to
Blame?. [Online]
Available at: http://www.wired.com/magazine/2011/02/ff_joelinchina/
[Accessed 6 September 2012].
MICHELLE FABIO, 2006. Five Biggest Sexual Harassment Cases. [Online]
Available at: http://www.legalzoom.com/legal-headlines/corporate-lawsuits/five-
biggest-sexual-harassment-cases
[Accessed 6 September 2012].
Millennium IT, 2012. Millennium IT Careers. [Online]
Available at:
https://careers.millenniumit.com/mit_site_2009/careers/index.php#login_frm
[Accessed 5 September 2012].
TopJobs.lk, 2012. TopJobs.lk. [Online]
Available at:
http://topjobs.lk/employer/advertismentpreview.jsp?jc=0000149493&rid=0&ac=0
000000159&ec=0000000191
[Accessed 5 September 2012].
www.noop.nl, 2009. 100 Interview Questions for Software Developers. [Online]
Available at: http://www.noop.nl/2009/01/100-interview-questions-for-software-
25
developers.html
[Accessed 6th September 2012].
www.salary.lk, 2012. Sexual Harassment in the Workplace. [Online]
Available at: http://www.salary.lk/home/labour-law/sexual-harassment
[Accessed 6 September 2012].