Personal professional development Tasks 2022

Running Head: Personal professional development 0
Personal professional development

Personal professional development 1
Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................2
Task 1.........................................................................................................................................2
Evaluation of learning style and its implication on personal development............................2
Examining learning style....................................................................................................2
Methods of learning new things..........................................................................................3
Training and development needs........................................................................................3
Task 2.........................................................................................................................................4
Evaluation of skills and competence......................................................................................4
Skills and experience..........................................................................................................4
Training and information....................................................................................................5
Personal development plan.................................................................................................6
Skills and knowledge an employer need.............................................................................7
Final personal development plan........................................................................................8
Task 3.......................................................................................................................................10
Future development plan......................................................................................................10
Task 4.......................................................................................................................................12
Conclusion............................................................................................................................12
Bibliography.............................................................................................................................14
Appendices...............................................................................................................................17
Appendix 1...........................................................................................................................17
Appendix 2...........................................................................................................................18

Personal professional development 2
Introduction
Personal professional development is an important part of an individual’s life for its career
progression and personal development. It involves gaining new experiences and skills. These
developments can be achieved by acknowledging personal learning preferences to experience
quick and enjoyable learning process. Learning is something that never ends in human life,
but it is necessary to select specific fields and sectors to be explored during the process of
personal professional development1. The awareness of own personal learning preference can
help an individual to learn new skills and things with a favourable method.
In this assessment, personal development plan is developed by using two skill tests, a
competency test and by considering employers’ demands. Skills and knowledge can be
developed by understanding the
Task 1
Evaluation of learning style and its implication on personal development
Examining learning style
The outcome of the first test presented in appendix 1 indicates that my personal learning
preference is highly visual followed by auditory and tactile learning styles with 50%, 40%
and 10% respectively. A highly visual learner learns things by picturizing them, reading
about it, and by seeing pictures related to it. According to the result, I can learn more easily
with better outcomes by using learning styles that are mainly visual. The test also says that I
remember and understand things by closing eyes and visualising, to which I strongly agree.
By evaluating my learning style2 with the second option, it is figured out that my personal
learning preference is highly visual followed by aural and logical style. I follow most of the
1 Skills you need, ‘What is personal development?’, Skills you need, 2020,
https://www.skillsyouneed.com/ps/personal-development.html, (assessed 27 March 2020).
2 Zoe B, ‘How to identify your learning style in 5 minutes’, Simple life strategies, 2012, p. 1,
https://simplelifestrategies.com/sls-learningstyle/?cn-reloaded=1, (accessed 28 March 2020).

Personal professional development 3
methods given under visual learning style and some methods from logical and aural learning
styles.
Methods of learning new things
I usually try to learn how to operate things on my own. For example, I bought an I pad
recently. To learn its functions and features, I randomly tried every option that I could.
However, I failed to understand all of its features and lastly read the instructions that came
with it. Finally, I am able to use all the features of that I-pad by practicing the instructions
several times. I also used online videos to understand some of its features. This shows that I
am good at learning things by reading and seeing videos. I also figured out that, it could have
saved much time if I used the instruction in the first place. I developed my skills and
knowledge during work by using observation and visualisation. I mostly plan the fields to
explore for the development of skills and information. The continuous personal development
cycle is an ideal way for an individual to learn things and act3. By analysing the cycle and my
learning techniques, it can be said that observation and visualisation are effective ways of
developing skills and learning new things for me. Using videos to understand things and
develop skills can also be taken as an effective method for personal development.
Training and development needs
Training is vital for the growth of a company and its employees. Training improves the
performance of an employee by adding to its skills and knowledge. In this competitive world,
every day new strategies and innovation come to market. It is important for employers to be
dynamic and keep implementing the new strategies and changes to become competitive in the
market. Employers can only implement the changes by giving training to its employees and
before that they themselves have to learn the changes. Training also enhances employees’
understanding of rights and wrongs. Training programs allow to strengthen employee’s skills
3 CIPD, ‘Continual personal development’, CIPD, 2020, https://www.cipd.co.uk/learn/cpd, (accessed 28 March
2020).

Personal professional development 4
that are needed to be improved. It also ensures the growth in productivity and quality
standards4.
Task 2
Evaluation of skills and competence
The competency test result presented in appendix 2 is the analysis of 16 competencies.
According to the result, I have high leading competency. My competency score is mentioned
on personal competency profile appendix 2, which says that other than leading I am equally
good at creativity. I often use new and innovative methods in my decisions. According to the
competency test, my score of noticing signals from organisations, people around me and
society is just below average from the reference group. I should give more focus on people’s
non-verbal cues so that I can improve my noticing skills. Also, I should consider several
points of view instead of acting single-mindedly. In all 16 competencies, I lie near to average
compared to the reference group. This shows that I have a scope of development in all 16
competencies.
Skills and experience
I believe in taking quick decisions by observing the facts and quickly analysing all the
alternatives. During my studies, I have participated in several activities. In most of those
activities, my role was to manage one or more teams. I do it by encouraging the team
members to work together so that the given task can be completed on time with high
accuracy. By participating in these activities several times, I developed communication skills,
teamwork, creativity, and work ethics. I have worked in several places and fields with
different people. Working with people that are from a different region, religion and cultural
background developed my capability of dealing with different people. I am a friendly person
4 2020 project management, ‘The importance of training and development in workplace’, 2020 project
management, 2020, p. 1, https://2020projectmanagement.com/resources/project-management-training-and-
qualifications/the-importance-of-training-and-development-in-the-workplace, (accessed 30 March 2020).

Personal professional development 5
and get involved easily with people that I even do not know. This nature is developed
because of my involvement in those work that included people with different mentality and
nature. I often observe people and try to learn from the knowledge and skills they carry. My
work involves several difficult situations in that difficult decisions have to be made. In those
conditions, I usually visualise all the information and alternatives that lie with the problem
and come up with a quick decision. If my solution or decision does not work, I prefer to
accept new and innovative methods to solve the issues. By practicing several methods
regularly, I developed a quick learning process. I have also attended training programs to
learn different software like CAD. These applications are often used in my current workplace
which is a construction-based company. By evaluating my skills and knowledge through
work experience, it can be said that there is still a huge scope of development in the field of
soft skills required in the workplace as well as in personal life.
Training and information
As per my current workplace, skills play the most important role in the growth of the
company. In the world full of competition, every company requires extra skilled employees
to maintain its position and to become a competitor. To acquire extra skills and knowledge
for employees, companies provide training programs5. The employer of construction-based
company demands employees that are skilled with the software used in the field. The
employer also arranges training programs for the same. Also, health and safety are important
concerns of an organisation. Employers also arrange training programs to develop an
understanding of safety and health importance6. If my employer wants me to lead the CAD
training program for my organisation’s employees, I will positively accept it and give my
best to assure all the trainees to develop the skill. To take the particular training, several
5 MSG, ‘Employee training’, management study guide, 2020, p. 1,
https://www.managementstudyguide.com/360-degree-feedback-advantages.htm, (accessed 2 April 2020).
6 HSE, ‘Why is health and safety important?’, HSE, 2020, p. 1, https://www.hse.gov.uk/treework/training-is-
important.htm, (assessed 3 April 2020).

Personal professional development 6
information and devices will be needed. Companies already recruit their employees that are
familiar with the software that is used. Mainly, the training involves a correct and thorough
command of the software as the employees mostly never used them for practical purposes7.
The training program will need good knowledge about the software as well as tricks related
to it. I do have thorough knowledge about the software, but there is always a room for
improvement, it can be improved by watching videos and reading articles about the new
updates and options8. The sources can of the knowledge can be either books or the internet.
Other than this, several skills are required to take any training. For example, communication
skills, leadership skills, advanced research skills and flexible organisation skills9. These skills
can be developed step-by-step by practicing and reading guides of skill development. Some
of the information can be collected by consulting superiors and experts in the field and taking
advice from them.
Personal development plan
My personal development plan for three years can be developed by considering the purpose
or directions, identifying the needs of the development, looking for opportunities for
development, and undertaking development10. After doing all these processes, outcomes can
be recorded and then the final step of the plan can be reached which is review and evaluation
of the entire process11. The purpose of developing my personal development plan for three
years is to explore new fields, learn new skills and grow my knowledge. Also, I would like to
7 Bon-Gang Hwang and Wei Jian Ng, ‘Project management knowledge and skills’, International journal of
project management, 2013, pp. 272-284.
8 Archibus, ‘Training program requirements’, Archibus, 2014, p. 1,
https://www.archibus.net/ai/abizfiles/v21.2_help/archibus_help/Subsystems/webc/Content/ehs/
background_data/training_programs.htm, (assessed 1 April 2020).
9 John Laskaris, ‘7 essential skills and training tools for trainers’, Talentlms, 2018,
https://www.talentlms.com/blog/essential-skills-training-tools-for-trainers/, (assessed 2 April 2020).
10 Simon Beausaert, Mien Segers and Wim H Gijselaers, ‘Using a personal development plan for different
purposes: Its influence on undertaking learning activities and job performance’, Vocations and Learning 4, no.
3, 2011, pp. 231-252.
11 Kariene Mittendorff, Wim Jochems, Frans Meijers, and Perry den Brok, ‘Differences and similarities in the
use of the portfolio and personal development plan for career guidance in various vocational schools in The
Netherlands’, Journal of Vocational Education and Training, 2011, pp. 75-91.

Personal professional development 7
improve the skills that I already carry. Developing skills will help me in my professional
progression and personal development. The skills I want to develop in a period of three years
are; technical skills, time management, digital literacy, and critical thinking. Technical skills
can be developed by reading books and attending several seminars or training programs
related to it. simultaneously I will improve my time management and it can be done by
making schedules and by managing more than one work at a time. After that I will improve
my digital knowledge and critical thinking skills. It can be done by reading current
information and by analysing situations through different modes. I selected these skills to be
acquired first because my result of the competency test presented in appendix 2 says that I
need huge improvement in these fields. And, technical skills are primarily important for an
employee to grow professionally.
My strengths that could help to complete my personal development plan are; quick learning,
good communication skill and reading habits. Also, the technical training programs in my
workplace will act as an opportunity for my personal development plan. New releasing books
and the growing era of the internet with numerous information on it will be an opportunity for
my personal development plan.
Skills and knowledge an employer need
Employer of a company wants several skills and qualities in its employees. To improve the
skills and qualities of an employee, the employer provides skill development training
programs so that the employees can work efficiently. However, employers expect their
employees to develop their own personal development plans. The most important skill that an
employer wants from its employees is technical skills12. Without technical skills in the field
of construction, the employee is worthless for the company. Soft skills are also required in
12 Wendy Cunningham and Paula Villaseñor, ‘Employer voices, employer demands, and implications for public
skills development policy’, The world bank, 2014.

Personal professional development 8
the workplace. An average employee and great employee are mostly separated by soft skills13.
At present my employer needs technical skills that are newly launched in the market along
with soft skills such as good communication, leadership, and initiative skills. The employer
demands these skills in its employees because these are basic skills that are needed to deal
with any project and client. As per the growth of market and competition, the employer may
demand skills such as problem-solving, emotional intelligence, perseverance and motivation,
and negotiation and persuasion skills in its employees to deal with growing market and
arrival of new techniques14.
Final personal development plan
Skills I need
to develop or
improve
Developm
ent need
Strength and
opportunity
Obstacles
might get
in the way
source of
knowled
ge and
informati
on
How can I
improve
chances of
meeting my
goal
revie
w
Technical
skills
2.) It will
help me in
career
progress.
1.)
Technical
skills
develop
confidence
in work
place
1.) training
programs in
workplace.
1.) Work
load
2.)
Unavailabil
ity of
contents
and
mentor.
videos
and
literature
available
on
internet
1.) Time
management
2.)
continuously
practicing
Communicat
ion skill
Personal
and
profession
al progress
Training
program in
work place
Work load,
difficulty to
find out
right way
to improve
Training
program
in work
place
Communicat
ing with
people from
different
region
Personal 1.) Self- Work load, videos Making a
13 Alison Doyle, ‘Top skills and attributes employers look for’, the balance career, 2020,
https://www.thebalancecareers.com/top-skills-employers-want-2062481, (assessed 28 March 2020).
14 UCAS, ‘What are employers looking for’, UCAS, 2020, https://www.ucas.com/careers/getting-job/what-are-
employers-looking, (assessed 3 April 2020).

Personal professional development 9
Time
management
and
profession
al progress
motivation
2.)
employer
encouragem
ent
difficulty to
find out
right way
to improve
and
literature
available
on
internet
schedule and
daily
checking the
improvement
Critical
thinking and
problem
solving
Personal
and
profession
al progress
1.) Self-
motivation
2.)
employer
encouragem
ent
Work load,
difficulty to
find out
right way
to improve
Books,
videos,
and
literature
available
on
internet
Dealing with
mew issues
and by
solving them
with distinct
and new
methods
Team work Personal
and
profession
al progress
Already
have the
skill, just
need to
improve
1.) Work
load
2.)
Unavailabil
ity of
contents
and mentor
videos
and
literature
available
on
internet
Encouraging
people to
work
together and
unitedly give
quality
outcome
Emotional
intelligence
Personal
and
profession
al progress
1.) Self-
motivation
2.)
employer
encouragem
ent
Work load,
difficulty to
find out
right way
to improve
videos
and
literature
available
on
internet
Observing
people and
their
reactions
Digital
literacy
Personal
and
profession
al progress
1.) Self-
motivation
2.)
employer
encouragem
ent
1.) Work
load
2.)
Unavailabil
ity of
contents
and mentor
videos
and
literature
available
on
internet
Reading
everyday
updates
Initiative Personal
and
profession
al progress
1.) Self-
motivation
2.)
employer
encouragem
ent
1.) Work
load
2.)
Unavailabil
ity of
contents
and mentor
videos
and
literature
available
on
internet
By practising
it

Personal professional development 10
Task 3
Future development plan
Developing future development plan is important to ensure progress in professional as well as
personal life15. The development planning includes goals to be achieved, its deadline,
strength, opportunities, threats, and action with support16. People usually plan their vacations
carefully but they somehow ignore planning their future development17. People that are
involved in several activities to improve their knowledge and skills have more chances to be
successful in their life18.
Goals
My goals for the future are to develop several skills and knowledge for success in my career
and for personal satisfaction. According to my knowledge, people that improve themselves
day-by-day and become better and skilled person today from yesterday has high chances of
getting success and self-satisfaction19. But achieving this cannot be possible without planning
it and making a list of goals to be achieved in a fixed time period20. My goals for future
development are as follows:
Short term goals (three-year goals):
1. Developing new technical skills in construction software and designing skills.
15 Robert A. Stringer, and Randall S. Cheloha, ‘The power of a development plan’, People and Strategy, 2013,
p.10.
16 Alison Doyle, ‘How to create professional development plan’, The balance careers, 2019,
https://www.thebalancecareers.com/how-to-create-a-professional-development-plan-2059790, (assessed 2 April
2020).
17 Eva Lu, ‘Personal development plan’, Mind of winner, 2015, http://www.mindofwinner.com/create-personal-
development-plan/, (assessed 2 April 2020).
18 Arthur Rubens, Gerald A. Schoenfeld, Bryan S. Schaffer, and Joseph S. Leah, ‘Self-awareness and
leadership’, The International Journal of Management Education, 2018, pp. 1-13.
19 Constantine Sedikides, and Erica GD Hepper, ‘Self‐improvement’, Social and Personality Psychology
Compass, 2009, pp. 899-917.
20 Jeffrey A. Kottler, The therapist's workbook: Self-assessment, self-care, and self-improvement exercises for
mental health professionals, John Wiley & Sons, 2011.

Personal professional development 11
2. Improving technical skills like CAD that I already practice with all the updates and
new methods.
3. Start managing skills and time.
4. Develop critical thinking and problem-solving skill.
Long term goals (5 years goals):
1. To become project manager of the organisation.
2. Developing emotional intelligence.
3. To achieve a thorough understanding of all technical software and skills.
Prioritization
Out of all goals mentioned above, developing technical skills is most important from the
short-term goals. From a long-term goal, achieving higher position as project manager in the
organisation is my first priority. Both of them are in my priority list because it will help in my
professional success. Once I achieve a good position and success professionally, it would be
much easier to develop and improve other soft skills. However, it is important to improve and
develop all the skills simultaneously for a better outcome21.
Strength
I am a quick learner and have the ability to adjust in every circumstance. Also, I understand
my weakness and always ready to improve it. My good communication skill allows me to
openly interact with people of different region, culture, and values, thus add advantage to my
professional and personal quality.
21 Werner G. Faix, Skill-Management, Springer-Verlag, 2013

Personal professional development 12
Task 4
Conclusion
Understanding of personal learning style plays an important role in planning personal and
professional development. By acknowledging that, one can find out easy and interesting
methods to learn things. According to the learning style tests, my personal learning
preference is highly visual. And according to the competency test, I have room for
improvement in all the 16 competencies. It is important to acknowledge self-weaknesses so
that plans can be made for improvements.
In the process of planning my personal development, I selected several skills to be developed
in three years. My priority was to develop soft skills first, but as the process of developing a
personal development plan proceeded, I changed my priorities. By understanding the
importance of new technical skills from my employer, I realised that developing technical
skills first can maximise my chances for success and career progression. By acknowledging
all the outcomes and analysis, it can be said that planned goals can be achieved by
continuously supervising the efforts and measuring progress. By following the process, I
acknowledged the areas where I need improvements and development. However, soft skills
are the factors that separate an ordinary or average employee from an extraordinary and
highly efficient employee. To follow the process that is planned for self-improvement can
only be achieved by working on two or more skills at a time. Recognising the progress is
important and should be noted down to ensure self-motivation. It can be concluded by
analysing the assessment that, there is always a possibility of improvement in every field. To
ensure success, planning for personal and professional development is important by analysing
my own skills, learning style, and knowledge. Above that, consistent action to the plan is
required with supervision in order to achieve all goals.

Personal professional development 13
Bibliography
2020 project management, ‘The importance of training and development in workplace’, 2020
project management, 2020, p. 1, https://2020projectmanagement.com/resources/project-
management-training-and-qualifications/the-importance-of-training-and-development-in-the-
workplace, (accessed 30 March 2020).
Archibus, ‘Training program requirements’, Archibus, 2014, p. 1,
https://www.archibus.net/ai/abizfiles/v21.2_help/archibus_help/Subsystems/webc/Content/
ehs/background_data/training_programs.htm, (assessed 1 April 2020).
B, Zoe, ‘How to identify your learning style in 5 minutes’, Simple life strategies, 2012, p. 1,
https://simplelifestrategies.com/sls-learningstyle/?cn-reloaded=1, (accessed 28 March 2020).
Beausaert, Simon, Segers, Mien and Gijselaers, Wim H., ‘Using a personal development plan
for different purposes: Its influence on undertaking learning activities and job performance’,
Vocations and Learning 4, no. 3, 2011, pp. 231-252.
CIPD, ‘Continual personal development’, CIPD, 2020, https://www.cipd.co.uk/learn/cpd,
(accessed 28 March 2020).
Cunningham, W., & Villaseñor, P., Employer voices, employer demands, and implications
for public skills development policy. The World Bank, 2014.
Doyle, Alison, ‘How to create professional development plan’, The balance careers, 2019,
https://www.thebalancecareers.com/how-to-create-a-professional-development-plan-
2059790, (assessed 2 April 2020).
Doyle, Alison, ‘Top skills and attributes employers look for’, The balance career, 2020,
https://www.thebalancecareers.com/top-skills-employers-want-2062481, (assessed 28 March
2020).

Personal professional development 14
HSE, ‘Why is health and safety important?’, HSE, 2020, p. 1,
https://www.hse.gov.uk/treework/training-is-important.htm, (assessed 3 April 2020).
Hwang, Bon-Gang, and Ng, Wei Jian, ‘Project management knowledge and skills’,
International journal of project management, 2013, pp. 272-284.
Laskaris, John, ‘7 essential skills and training tools for trainers’, Talentlms, 2018,
https://www.talentlms.com/blog/essential-skills-training-tools-for-trainers/, (assessed 2 April
2020).
Lu, Eva, ‘Personal development plan’, Mind of winner, 2015,
http://www.mindofwinner.com/create-personal-development-plan/, (assessed 2 April 2020).
Mittendorff, Kariene, Jochems , Wim, Meijers, Frans , and den Brok, Perry, ‘Differences and
similarities in the use of the portfolio and personal development plan for career guidance in
various vocational schools in The Netherlands’, Journal of Vocational Education and
Training, 2011, pp. 75-91.
MSG, ‘Employee training’, management study guide, 2020, p. 1,
https://www.managementstudyguide.com/360-degree-feedback-advantages.htm, (accessed 2
April 2020).
Rubens, Arthur, Schoenfeld, Gerald A., Schaffer, Bryan S., and Leah, Joseph S., ‘Self-
awareness and leadership’, The International Journal of Management Education, 2018, pp. 1-
13.
Sedikides, Constantine, and Hepper, E.G., ‘Self‐improvement’, Social and Personality
Psychology Compass, 2009, pp. 899-917.
Skills you need, ‘What is personal development?’, Skills you need, 2020,
https://www.skillsyouneed.com/ps/personal-development.html, (assessed 27 March 2020).
Stringer, R. A., & Cheloha, R. S., ‘The power of a development plan’, People and Strategy,
2013, p.10.

Personal professional development 15
UCAS, ‘What are employers looking for’, UCAS, 2020,
https://www.ucas.com/careers/getting-job/what-are-employers-looking, (assessed 3 April
2020).

Personal professional development 16
Appendices
Appendix 1

Personal professional development 17
Appendix 2

Personal professional development 18

Personal professional development 19

Personal professional development 20

Personal professional development 21

Personal professional development 22

Personal professional development 23

Personal professional development 24

Personal professional development 25