Reflect on what you have learnt from the meetings with the Mentor, including the

Presentation that you gave to your Mentor. (3 lines)

My friend suggested me the mentor. For the project, I had to do three meetings with the
mentor as per the instructions given by OBU. These meeting played a vital role not only for my
project but also helped me a lot to improve my skills.
First Meeting
The day of meeting came. I was too nervous as I had no idea how to work on my project on my
own. Another thing that was making me scared was that either I could develop the sort of
bonding with my mentor that he could understand how to help me out throughout this
procedure. As the time was approaching, the fear of failure started to haunt me. I wanted to
give my best and it was only possible with the help of a good mentor. Finally, I met my mentor
and I must say first meeting made me satisfied completely with the mentor’s credibility. The
mentor asked me a few question to assess my knowledge regarding the project. He suggested
me few things which I heard carefully as these things were going to help me a lot in my project.
Furthermore, I discussed all my concerns with my mentor. He took it seriously and tried to clear
all my doubts in which he remained successful. Overall we had a good discussion over the
project and the objectives I was going to select for the project.
Second Meeting
I felt energetic and on track after my first meeting with the mentor. I started my work with a
new zeal. I had to do all of my paper work before the next meeting so that I could show to the
mentor that I have acted upon his advices. I needed to research a topic of my interest for the
project. I had to face a lot of issues as I was working along with the project and my working
hours were not allowing me to do my work on project with full attention. Even after the office, I
had to work for office at home due to work burden. The day I met the mentor, he analyzed all
the work I had done under his instructions. He let me know the art of avoiding unnecessary
things and to focus on the core area related to my project. I learnt from him the ways to
manage the time. I decided to prioritize the things with the help of the mentor. He helped me
in this concern too and after doing this, I was pretty much clear about the things I need to do
and the things I had to avoid. As I had time management issues due to my tough working hour’s
routine, the mentor helped me to make a schedule so that I could do maximum work in
minimum time and this became also easier because of the to-do list I had made for this
purpose. This meeting remained successful as I was clear about the road map I had to follow in
order to complete my project.
Third Meeting
First two meetings helped me more than my expectations and the enthusiasm to complete the
project also enhanced with these meetings. I started to research thoroughly to get all the
desired data for my project. Along with this, I started to work on my presentation as I had to
present it to my mentor in the third meeting. On the third meeting, I presented my work in
front of my mentor. He keenly observed all the things and discussed the loopholes with me so
that I could work to make the things perfect. He has analyzed my fear to face the audience. He
gave the tips to overcome this fear which were proved helpful and after doing a lot of practice, I
finally overcame this issue. My self-confidence boosted with the encouragement of the mentor.
The fear of failure also vanished with the time. I not only presented my presentation with full
confidence but also I answered the questions of the audience without any hesitation which
made it clear to the audience that I had a strong over the areas on which I wanted to work.
To what extent do you think that you have achieved the RAP research objectives that you
set?
It was not a piece of cake as I was totally unaware about the pattern, the procedure, in fact, I
was totally blank how to make this project. This was mere a dream for me to work on it. I used
to do the things in totally a different manner and for the project, I had to do work in a different
way. I found it hard to choose authentic objectives. The other issue for me was to manage the
time, I needed a proper time for the project but the tough routine was not allowing me to make
my dream come true. Another issue was to scan an authentic data from internet. A lot of data is
available on the internet but to get to the point data is a time taking job. I had to research a lot.
I revised the concepts through the past papers of ACCA. I learnt the art to skim and scan the
useful data out of the sea of data on the internet. I studied a great number of research articles,
newspapers’ articles, journals etc. I came across the works of specialists from where I learnt
how to present my work in a proper manner. The most difficult was to calculate the ratios by
keeping in mind the economic factors. Though, I had work on ratios while doing ACCA but in the
project, I had to do ratios in quite different manner. For this purpose, I had to get the authentic
data from the websites of the companies, I was working on. I also learnt to work on different
models including the SWOT and the Porter’s Five Forces Models for my project. I had to collect
a complete data of the companies I had chosen for the project in order to learn thoroughly
about the strengths, weaknesses, threats etc. I used a lot of time in this regard and found the
authentic as well as recent data of the companies. I carefully calculated the ratios. Having done
work on the objectives and other parts of the projects, I carefully worked on the
recommendation after analyzing and calculating all the ratios. I presented the best possible
recommendation for the betterment of the companies.
How have you demonstrated your interpersonal and communication skills during the project
work?
As far as the interpersonal and communication skills are concerned, these are the basic
ingredients for any task. These skills proved essential tools for my project. The presentation of
the data without these skills was not possible. I had an issue of facing the audience but with
practice and time, I learnt to get rid of this issue. I practiced a lot to make me perfect in
communication skills and worked a lot to make the things better. The collection of authentic
data from the internet is not an easy task, it needs a lot of practice and patience. I worked a lot
to improve my skills to get authentic data within short possible time. I took a lot of time to get
an analytical approach towards things after going through countless journals and articles. While
learning these things, I got a habit of reading and this improved my reading skills as well as
made me a keen learner and observer. This things did wonders in days after projects and is still
helping me a lot. Reading helped me a lot in developing new ideas which helped me a lot during
my writings as I developed a creative writing habit. I used the readings in my writings. Before
this, I was not able to write a few lines perfectly but now I could write as much as I want to.
These all things was a result of supervision of a good mentor who helped me out to polish my
skills and to present them in a best possible way. I developed a self-confidence. I also
developed the habit to do things in an organized way, earlier to this, I used to get panic and
that created a mess. I found out my hidden abilities and learnt to use these in a good way. I
developed an analytical approach. I learnt to use Microsoft Office which was good enough for
my future too. I acquired good communication skills as well.
Reflect on how undertaking the RAP helped you in your accountancy studies and/or current
employment role?
There are a lot of things which I learnt through this journey. First of all, I got a habit to see
things analytically. I adopted a way to see things practically. I was not a dedicated person but
now I became dedicated towards my work. I became patient towards all situations and got rid
of getting panic. I learnt to work under extreme pressure and with every kind of people. I learnt
how to face criticism and to keep myself motivated even after failures. I learnt how to work in
an organized manner to avoid any mess. The reading habit which I could not develop over years
was now helping me a lot during my work. I started to keep insight overview of the companies I
work with this keeps me aware about the strengths and failures of the companies. This thing
helps me to give an overview to my manager in order to strengthen the position of the
company. This thing has made me prominent and I also got promotion in my office. The manger
has started to trust me and in case of any issue in office, people trust me enough to sort it out. I
felt a lot of changes in my personality. My confidence boosted to a great extent. Promotion was
my dream from so many years which I got within a few months. I became proficient in IT skills. I
learnt to get an authentic information regarding things using internet. I learnt to remain
consistent which was a need to complete the project but it became my habit. I started to take
decisions on time. I got rid of habit of procrastination and started to meet the deadlines before
time. I became prominent in my circle. I successfully earned trust of my boss and colleagues. I
learnt to use the things I have learnt during my ACCA. I became used to of calculating ratios
easily which was a hard task for me before RAP. RAP helped me a lot in developing my
analytical as well as communication skills. My way to deal the clients totally changed due to my
self-confidence and convincing power. My manager started to send me to more and more
clients because he became aware that I would convince the clients and will make the
impossible the possible ones. The reading habit made me curious about things and I began to
read books related to my field to take a strong grip over things and it really helped me to
achieve my aim.
To conclude, it is to say that the time that I invested in RAP proved fruitful as I learnt a lot of
things during this process. This process helped me to a great extent in overcoming my short-
comings. I improved myself in various things which helped me to grow in my professional life. I
became a practical person with time. People started to look at me with praise in their eyes. I
was no more a lazy and procrastinate person.