Development Plan for Talent Acquisition at Carnival UK

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Development plan
Student’s Name
Instructor’s Name
Course
Date

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Part A
Introduction
Carnival plc.is a leisure travel company in the United Kingdom and one of the largest
vacation companies in the world. Micky Arison and Ted Arison founded the company in 1972.
Carnival’s headquarter is based in the United States of America (USA) and the company
operates under the hospitality and tourism industry. The company also has subsidiaries in other
continents including North America, Europe and Asia. Carnival plc revenues mainly come from
the cruise industry and by the end of 2018, the company had revenues of US$18.881 billion
(Carnival Corporation & plc, 2019 p.1). The company offers a wide range of products including
the provision of guest with exceptional vacation experiences at an outstanding value. The ability
of Carnival to offer quality cruise vacation has made it the most profitable company in the entire
leisure travel industry. In the UK, the company is listed on the London Stock Exchange (LSE)
under symbol CCL. In addition, the company accommodates over 120,000 employees from all
regions of the world (Carnival Corporation & plc, 2019). Furthermore, the company operates a
fleet of a hundred ships with approximately 77,000 shipboard employees and 200,000 guests
(Forté Senior Lifestyle Group, 2015 p.1). There are more than 277,000 people sailing at any
given time. Currently, the CEO of the company is Arnold W. Donald.
Skills and competence
A skill is defined as an ability and capability that is acquired through sustained efforts to
carry out job functions or complex activities involving people (interpersonal/interpersonal skills),
things (technical skills) and ideas (cognitive skills) (Vos, Hauw and Heijden, 2011 p.438). A
competency is defined as a measurable pattern of behaviors, abilities, skills knowledge and other
characteristics that an individual requires to perform occupational functions or work roles

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effectively (Mogensen and Schnack, 2010 p.59). Generally, skills and competencies differ in
accordance with people’s careers and sectors they are working.
Skills and competencies required for Talent Acquisition at Carnival UK
 Knowledge of Applicant tracking skills (ATSs) and Human Resource Information
System (HRIS).
 Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
 Familiarity with professional networks (hub), resume databases and social media
(LinkedIn. Facebook).
 Experience with full-cycle recruiting using diverse evaluation methods and interview
techniques.
 Deep understanding of diverse roles within the organization
 Proficient in computers packages such as Microsoft Office, Access and Excel.
 Experience with talent acquisition, job screening and hiring practices.
 Basic Knowledge of labor unions, practices and regulations that governs employees.
 Working knowledge of applicable state employment laws is expected and human
resource functional areas.
 Knowledge of contracts like Service Level Agreement (SLA) and Non-Disclosure
Agreements (NDA).
 Knowledge of ethical and professional recruitment standards that are associated with
employment in the tour and travel sector.
The benefits and importance of undertaking ongoing professional and personal
development and how it can enhance career prospects.

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Professional and personal development is defined as a process of tracking and
documenting experience, knowledge and skills that people gain both informally and formally as
they work beyond any training (Sheridan, Edwards, Marvin and Knoche, 2009 p.377).
Furthermore, professional and personal development involves an understanding of how to do the
job effectively and how to improve job performances by identifying key areas that need
improvement and developing skills and competencies. Some examples of professional and
personal development include management training, conflict management, time management,
leadership training, communication skills and legal knowledge or expertise.
In Talent acquisition role, undertaking ongoing professional and personal development is
important as it ensures that person capabilities are at the same pace with current standards of
others in the same career or industry. Ongoing professional and personal development also helps
in the development and enhancement of skills and knowledge that are needed in the delivery of
professional service to the clients, customers and community. Furthermore, continued personal
and professional development ensures that knowledge remains relevant and updated as one
becomes more aware of the changing trends in the profession.
Professional and personal development also helps a person to make meaningful
contributions in the workplace. Research conducted by Singh and Gupta (2015 p.1192-1211)
shows that employees who had taken additional development activities in the organization had a
high degree of contribution in terms of ideas and innovation as compared to those who showed
little commitment to personal and professional development. Therefore, when employees are
highly developed in terms of personal and professional career growth, they significantly
contribute to workplace developmental activities. Furthermore, the organization values
employees reward them accordingly, and assist them to move to a new position where they can