Professional Identity and Practice

This report discusses professional identification and development, key benefits of professional development, and different skills required for different roles in Flight Centre. It emphasizes the importance of ongoing development for employees and organizations. It also explores various learning theories and provides guidance on creating a professional development plan.

Professional Identity and
Practice

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................1
Personal and Professional Development Definition...................................................................1
Key Benefits of going through professional Development.........................................................1
Importance of ongoing development for employee and organization........................................2
Different type of Professional Skill require for different role in Flight Centre..........................3
PART 2............................................................................................................................................6
PART 3............................................................................................................................................8
Application and interview process for Travel consultant role....................................................8
Critical evaluation of interview process....................................................................................10
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................11
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................12

INTRODUCTION
Professional identification refers to one's identity in relation to a profession. It is created
based on the person's beliefs, attitude, objectives and experiences. In order to make a
professional identity it is essential to acquire a relevant skill which will add value in the
professional career. In this report, Flight Centre is taken as an organization which is the world's
largest independent travel retailer, located on UK. It has over 1300 stores all across the globe. It
is liked by its employees because it considers its employees as an asset and gives them value.
This report covers the key benefits and importance of ongoing professional development, types
of skills required with respect to different job profile. It also includes application of different
learning theories which will helps in gaining knowledge and skills in relation to different
operation of the business. At last, a professional skill development plan is formulated which
helps in building skills.
PART 1
Personal and Professional Development Definition
Personal Development is the type of the development which looks at improving the
activities like talent development, facilitate employ-ability and at the same time improving the
quality of the life to procure different challenges which will be faced by the individual in the
future.
Professional development is the different type of the learning which is gained to
maintain a good sort of professional ability of the individual (Hildebrand, 2018). Generally
activities which used to include in professional development are achieving the academic degree
to forms a good course work or to develop different professional skill with the help of different
opportunity available at a workplace.
Key Benefits of going through professional Development
Employee: Professional development used to help the stake holder like employee in an
organization to continuously develop the different professional skill set in Flight Centre. This
help employee in satisfying the customer in more efficient ways. As Professional development
also make sure that knowledge of individual is relevant and up-to date.
Senior Management: Senior management at Flight Center are also benefited by
professional development, as with the help of the same senior management in an organization
1

used to lead and manage the organization in better way (Sangster, 2017). As they are having
better workplace knowledge and different activity which they have to perform.
Investor: Professional Development in Flight Centre will help the investor in the
organization in getting better return from the business. As Professional Development in an
organization used to help company in developing good resources in the organization. This
eventually help company in bringing out good sort of return out of the business.
Importance of ongoing development for employee and organization
There are many types of benefit which is brought by ongoing development in the
organization for the employee and organization. As it help both of them in improving the level
of efficiency in an organization (Davies, Curtin and Robson, 2017). Some benefit of ongoing
development are as follows:
Employees
Knowledge Sharpen: Ongoing development in an organization used to help employee in
sharping up there knowledge of about different sort of skill in the organization. This eventually
used to help employee in feeling less rusty in the organization at the time of performing different
activity in an organization. Also, this help organization in feeling rusty. As development also
help organization in keeping the knowledge fresh in Flight Centre.
Development opportunity: Ongoing development in an organization used to provide
good sort of opportunity for the employee to develop variety of different activity in an
organization (Ryan and Bhattacharyya, 2016). As ongoing development help employee in
building good sort of skill and knowledge which may help they in growing in the future.
Flight Centre
Business reputation: Ongoing development in an organization will help Flight Centre in
building good reputation of the company in the market. As all the employee in the organization
used to strive the organization which used to provide good growing opportunity. This eventually
help company in getting good sort of talent in an organization.
Help in planning: Ongoing development in an organization used to make the succession
planning very easy in an organization. As ongoing development help employee in having better
idea about current operation of business and future aim of organization (Heller, 2017).
2

Different type of Professional Skill required for different role in Flight Centre
Travel Consultant
Communication : It is very important for travel consultant to have a communication skill, as they
have to communicate with the client on the regular basis, so it is very important that travel
consultant is having good communication skill to drive the expectation of client.
Technical skill: It is another important skill which will be required by travel consultant, as they
have to pass on different knowledge to the customer with the help of technical software. So it is
very important to have technological skill.
Business development Manager
Organizational skill: Business development manager need to have a variety of different
type of organizational skill to carry out different operation in an organization. As they have to
look and supervise all the operation of the business internal and external as well.
Communication and negotiation skill: It is also very important for the business
development manager to have good communication and negotiation skill as they need to be in
touch with different professional in an organization on regular basis (Kahou and et.al., 2016).
Commercial Air Manager
Decision making skill: This skill is very important skill to have for a commercial air
manager in an organization. As they have to assist different authority in an organization to make
different plan in an organization. This eventually drive manager to make different decision in an
organization.
Technical skill: As this role requires performing variety of technical activity in the
organization. It is very important for Commercial manager to have a technical skill to carry out
different operation.
Formal Communication skill: It is the first skill which has been find out from my side
that it will help me in carrying out the different operation of Travel Consultant role. The
attached questionnaire shows that I am good at my oral communication, this will eventually help
me in building good relationship within the organization and also will help me in building good
relationship with the customer outside in the market. As this role will ask me to communicate
with variety of the customer and I have to satisfy there need. From the questionnaire it has been
also seen that I am good at written communication as well, but I am not that proficient in that
skill. This may create some sort of issue for me at the time of consulting with the senior
3

authority in the organization (Alom And et.al., 2018). As written communication skill will help
me in communicating with the other senior management at the time of passing on different
outcome from the market and also will help me in finding out different decision which
organization is looking to pass on in the organization.
Decision Making: It is the another skill which has been find, it may help me in pursuing
the role in more effective and efficient way. As in the market, there will be many consumers
who will be facing variety of the different issue in the market. At that time as a Travel consultant
I have to mold the different issue of the consumer in a way that they find the good solution of
different issue which is faced by a consumer in the market (Heller, 2017). As the questionnaire
shows that I am very good at my listening skill it will eventually help me in understanding the
different issue which is faced by the consumer more efficiently and make different decision to
help them in an organization. At the same time questionnaire shows that sometime I become
frustrate of sometime in the organization. This eventually used to create difficulty for me to
make different decision in an organization.
There are many types of learning theory with the help of the same I can gain a good
amount of knowledge and skillet to carryout different operation of the business. Some learning
theory which can be used by me are as follows:
Behaviorism: It is the first theory of learning this theory of learning used to look at the
objectively observably behaviors and independent activities of the mind (Ryan and
Bhattacharyya, 2016). In simple words this theory used to define that learning is not any big
think it is just an acquisition of new behavior in the organization on the basis of the different
environmental conditions. In this type of the learning the learner used to view the learning as a
passive absorption of predefined body of different knowledge by the learner. In this learning
learner used to correctly response to the different behavioral response which are transmitted by
the one who is providing teaching to the learner.
Constructivism: It is the type of the learning theory which explains that the human
being does not used to learn with the help of the theory or information. Learner used to learn
with the help of the different experience through which learner used to go through. In this type
of the learning it has been seen that the learner in real used to set up the own goal and used to
make different efforts to motivate them to achieve the same in real (Kahou and et.al., 2016). In
4

this learning teacher in real used to provide the environment in which learner can perform
different activity and can learn variety of different things from the same.
Social: It is the another learning theory through which learner used to learn different
knowledge. It is the type of the learning theory in which learner used to learn the different thing
with the help of observing other in the organization and try to adopt the same in themselves as
well. The only issue with this approach is that it is not that easy for the individual to copy
everything which they used to see (Alom And et.al., 2018).
Based on the above discussed learning theory, it can be said that both behaviorism and
constructivism theory would be the best approach for developing personal and professional
skills. With respect to behaviorism theory, it will help me in developing my personal skills.
Acquisition of new behaviour based on the changing conditions, trends and culture will help me
in facing the changing environment. The behaviour varies from person to person or activity to
activity. It is not fixed. I need to analyse my behaviour in different situation or condition and
identify the area of improvement and start working on it. Also, I can join some personality
development course which will be very effective in skill development and help me in moving
forward and attain my objective. So, this learning theory will help me in acquiring additional
skills that will be helpful in my overall personal development. The constructivism theory, will
help me in gaining professional skills that is required in travel consultant role. This theory is
based on the concept that professional skills are acquired through experiences. Professional
skills that are very important for me is effective communication and technical skills. For
achieving or grabbing these skills require setting goals and targets to work and improve my
skills. I need to properly evaluate my skills on a regular basis. To be effective and quick, I will
undergo some courses which will help me to attain my goals. These courses may include
communication classes, different activity classes, technology related classes etc. All these will
help me in gaining insights about it and working regularly on these skills will help me in
developing effective professional skills. So, both these learning theories will be beneficial for
the development of personal and professional skills.
PART 2
Professional development plan
Professional development plan is also known as career development plan which provides
direction and helps in excel in the professional life (Professional Development Plan: What It Is
5

and Why You Need One. 2020). It is forward thinking process that includes or shows the
complete plan related to what, when, how and where of development plan. This plan highlights
the person's strength and weaknesses and also provides the area of improvement. The
development plan helps in figuring out what are the aims, why these aims are important, the
current situation of the person, what are the skills required to get to the next step and what are
the resources that can be helpful in attaining the aims (Professional Development Plan
Examples. 2020). So, based on my self assessment a professional development plan is
formulated below which will help me in up grading and acquiring new skills.
Objective Plan Resources Measure Tenure
Effective
Communication
skills especially
writing skills
To undergo
training and
courses.
Training centers
and coaching
institutes, reading
books and
magazines.
Working on
rewriting articles
already written.
Completing the
training, course
assessment, self
appraisal.
4 weeks
Getting in-depth
knowledge of
technical skills
Identifying the
best training
institute for
gaining technical
knowledge.
I need to discuss
it with the person
in the same field
to know the
priorities and key
essential skills.
Achieving the
targets set,
ensuring that I
have attended all
the agreed high
priority training.
8 weeks
Developing
leadership skill
To analyze the
surrounding and
my changing
behavior.
To work more on
problem solving
projects, learn to
follow,
developing
situational
awareness,
My reputation
among others,
serve as role
model, achieving
set goals, meeting
the deadlines.
4 weeks
6

empowering and
guiding others,
resolve conflict.
Multi tasking Engaging into
multiple activities
and tasks at the
same time.
Need guidance
and proper
motivation to
manage all the
task together.
By comparing my
initial
performance with
the recent
performance and
analyzing the
difference.
6 weeks
Teamwork and
conflict handling
To engage in
some group
activities.
Working in teams
for project
completion.
By analyzing my
behavior towards
the other team
members.
12 weeks
Time
management
To be punctual,
self starting,
meeting
deadlines.
Systematically
organizing the
tasks and
activities, to be
highly motivated
and stress free.
By asking
reviews from the
colleagues, self
evaluating the
change occurred.
Completion of
work on time and
the positive effect
of it.
3 weeks
Creative and
innovative
thinking skills
To think
something unique
and out of the
box.
To engage in
activities that
requires
application of
mind in a unique
and
differentiating
Engaging and
offering creative
ideas and its
application in the
business, getting
appreciation from
other for unique
4 weeks
7

way. ideas.
Self awareness To increase the
awareness about
the surrounding
and within the
industry.
To read
magazines,
newspaper,
analyzing the
changing
environment,
coming trends
etc.
By initiating self
assessment will
help in
identifying my
knowledge.
2 weeks
These are the skills that are required to be good travel consultant. The above
development plan will help me in acquiring all the required skills which are essential for my
career. The most important is to be highly motivated in achieving the objectives as it is not an
easy task. These are helpful in both personal and professional development and after obtaining
these skills will build self confidence in myself and which will motivate me to achieve more and
get the travel consultant role.
PART 3
Application and interview process for Travel consultant role
Name:
Address:
Contact number:
Email address:
Career Overview
A talented corporate travel consultant, having an impressive record of supervising all
travel arrangements and building a strong customer base. Hard working and energetic
professional dedicated towards delivering high quality services.
Area of expertise
 Perform well in fast paced environment
 Strong customer service skills
8

 Basis knowledge of computers
Professional Experience
Corporate Travel Consultant 11/1/2018 – 6/1/2020
Personal Holiday Advisors Banbury, UK
 Consulted with clients and provided appropriate information regarding travel.
 Managed clients inquires
 Managed daily office correspondence
 Complying with the corporate travel policies
Education
High School Diploma 2015 - 2018
Cover Letter
To Human Resource
Flight Centre, UK
Me Name, come to know through your daily newsletter that you are looking for Travel
consultant which is efficient in client handling for UK people. So, I feel honour to work for you
as I am having a 2 years experience as corporate travel consultant. I can deal in changing
environment, have strong customer handling skills and has basis computer knowledge. So,
keeping in mind my skills that are relevant for this job, I can hope that you will give me a
chance to prove myself.
Kind Regards
Name
Key things to be kept in mind while preparing for interview
The most important thing is conducting the complete research about the company, Flight
Centre. It is an organization in UK, that provides travel consultancy services, launched in 1995.
It is a well known holiday specialist offering amazing travel experiences (Olatunbosun
Margaret, 2019). They have consultants with a positive and can do attitude. It provides variety of
travel experience with attractive rates and deals around the world within our budget. It has more
9

than 1300 stores around the globe such as Australia, USA, New Zealand, Canada and more. It
provides different types of holidays like adults only, beach holidays, city breaks, family
holidays, fly drive holidays, cultural holidays, rail holidays, seasonal holidays, spa holidays and
many more. It also provides attractive deals on booking flight tickets. Also, it has been
nominated in the 'Best Tour Operator' category for Times travel Awards in 2019.
Apart from the company overview, it is equally important to demonstrate the skills that
are required in the particular job. This job profile requires effective customer handling skills,
negotiation skills, adhering to all the legal requirement and complete knowledge of it. The key
skill required is the confidence which I am good at. I am good at public speaking, interactive,
identifying the customer needs, basic computer skills which can prove that I am the best fit for
this job role.
Critical evaluation of interview process
After giving interview, I got to know some of my strength and weaknesses on which I
need to work upon.
Strengths: I am very confident, knows what to answer and the way of answering. I have the
ability to answer the question in such a way that makes the interviewer interested and involved. I
have the capability to tackle the situation as and when arise and my immense experience in
dealing with customers is the value added point in my whole interview. Also, I have a good
travel experience which is my biggest strength.
Weaknesses: I am very talkative, I used to answer very long for the question which requires a
short and simple explanation. Digging into the same thing again and again, made me nervous
and hesitant in answering the questions even when I know the answer. I am lacking behind in
technical aspect which is my biggest weakness.
My overall interview went good and had a very good experience as sitting in front of top-
notch people of the organisation. This interview has helped me in identifying my strength and
weaknesses. In order to overcome my weaknesses I need to take proper training, convert my
weakness into my strength. Also, I need to evaluate myself based on the skills acquired and
identifying the ways through which I can further enhance my skills.
CONCLUSION
From the above it can be concluded that to enter into any profession, the most vital thing
is the skills required to perform that particular task. This report discuss about the difference
10

between personal and professional development, the key benefits of ongoing professional
development for stakeholders in the Flight Centre company. The importance of professional
development for the employees of the organization has helped in improving the performance in
terms of sales. It analysed the key skills required for different job profile in Flight Centre
organization such as travel consultant, business development manager and commercial air
manager. The key point that are required to undergo the interview process and the identifying
the strengths and weaknesses which can affect my career and methods to work on weaknesses,
for which a detailed professional development plan is carried out.
11

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Alom, M. Z. And et.al., 2018. The history began from alexnet: A comprehensive survey on deep
learning approaches. arXiv preprint arXiv:1803.01164.
Davies, K., Curtin, M. and Robson, K., 2017. Impact of an international workplace learning
placement on personal and professional development. Australian occupational therapy
journal. 64(2). pp.121-128.
Heller, M., 2017. Real-time, ongoing employee feedback: The perk that actually retains.
Strategic HR Review.
Hildebrand, J., 2018. Bridging the gap: A training module in personal and professional
development. Routledge.
Kahou, S. E and et.al., 2016. Emonets: Multimodal deep learning approaches for emotion
recognition in video. Journal on Multimodal User Interfaces. 10(2). pp.99-111.
Ryan, S. and Bhattacharyya, A., 2016. Barriers to professional development among contingent
academic employees: An Australian case study. The International Journal of Learning,
Forthcoming.
Sangster, C., 2017. Planning and organizing personal and professional development. Routledge.
Online
Olatunbosun Margaret, 2019. 23 Things to Keep in Mind When Preparing for an Interview.
[Online]. Available Through:<https://www.lifehack.org/820223/preparing-for-an-
interview>.
Professional Development Plan Examples. 2020. [Online]. Available
Through:<https://aese.psu.edu/teachag/workshops/diy-professional-development/diy/
professional-development-plan-examples>.
Professional Development Plan: What It Is and Why You Need One. 2020. [Online]. Available
Through:<https://www.scienceofpeople.com/professional-development-plan/>.
12