Professional Identity and Practice

This document discusses the professional development, skills, competencies, and learning strategies in the field of HR. It provides insights into the job roles and responsibilities of a trainee HR officer at the Ned Hotel in London. The document also explores the benefits and importance of working at the Ned Hotel, reviews learning theories, evaluates personal abilities, and suggests the best developmental approaches for enhancing professional development.

Running head: PROFESSIONAL IDENTITY AND PRACTICE
PROFESSIONAL IDENTITY AND PRACTICE
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1PROFESSIONAL IDENTITY AND PRACTICE
Table of Contents
Learning outcome 1 and 2...............................................................................................................2
Professional development: Skills, competencies, learning and development.................................2
Introduction..................................................................................................................................2
Background..............................................................................................................................2
Hotel overview.........................................................................................................................2
Expected skills and competencies...............................................................................................2
Evaluation of benefits and importance........................................................................................3
Review of learning theories.........................................................................................................4
Critical evaluation of personal abilities.......................................................................................5
Best developmental approaches to enhance professional development......................................6
Conclusion...................................................................................................................................6
Learning outcome 3.........................................................................................................................7
Development plan within specific work context.........................................................................7
Development plan for Skill enhancement, strategies and objectives......................................7
Learning and developmental theories......................................................................................8
Expected Outcomes...............................................................................................................10
Learning outcome 4.......................................................................................................................12
Transferable skills for job application.......................................................................................12
Job Interview.........................................................................................................................12

2PROFESSIONAL IDENTITY AND PRACTICE
SWOT analysis......................................................................................................................16
Reflection on Interview.........................................................................................................18
Bibliography..................................................................................................................................19

3PROFESSIONAL IDENTITY AND PRACTICE
Learning outcome 1 and 2
Professional development: Skills, competencies, learning and development
Introduction
Background
The focus of this part of the study is to analyze, evaluate and generate subsequent
findings concerning the various aspects related to the job roles of a trainee HR officer. The study
is being carried out in order to form a written development plan for the enhancement of personal
skills. Subsequently, this can provide a framework for better management of job roles.
Hotel overview
The hotel being considered is the five star Ned Hotel in London. The hotel was started
with the help of Nick Jones, the founder of Soho House and Co. The hotel is owned and
managed by the Soho House and Co with the Sydell group as a partner. The company runs 37
hotels and restaurants across the world along with 18 members club with bedrooms. The hotel
overlooks the St. Paul’s cathedral. The hotel has 250 bedrooms that range from intimate to large
suits (Thened.com 2018). All the rooms of the hotel have access to the Ned’s club that is on the
ground floor. However, only the large, grand heritage and heritage rooms and suites have access
to the clubs both upstairs and downstairs. The hotel offers memberships and is complete with
Gym, Spa, swimming pools and many other important areas.
Expected skills and competencies
The required skills for the job role of an HR coordinator are confidence towards being an
independent worker, flexibility and effective levels of communication. However, these are only
the required skills as the roles and demands of the job are much greater (Ricci 2010). In the Ned

4PROFESSIONAL IDENTITY AND PRACTICE
hotel the requirements for a HR officer are diverse. This is because the Ned hotel in London has
various types of service divisions. They are mainly the spa, restaurants, grooming and bedrooms.
The hotels needs to recruit differently skilled people for its rooms and suits, restaurants,
grooming and spa facilities, events and meetings and clubs. Hence, the roles of the HR
department becomes much more important considering the facilities that are offered by the Ned
hotel.The HR officer need to attend important meetings for the HR manager. The various events
that the Ned hosts throughout the year also needs to be coordinated by the HR officer. It becomes
much important that the HR officer helps in the maintenance of important data. The payroll and
the absence data for the Ned need to be maintained along with the employee statistics. The hotel
also organizes food festivals for the staffs and staff parties at times. The major part of the
responsibility at these times needs to be taken by the HR officer (Lo, Macky and Pio 2015). An
important part of the job of the HR officer at Ned is to resolve the conflict issues that may take
place between the management and the workers. This needs to be done in regards to all the
different divisional areas of the Ned Hotel in London.
Evaluation of benefits and importance
The Ned Hotels in London is one of the most important accommodation organizations in
the city and the country. The benefits that can be derived from being a trainee HR officer in the
organization can greatly influence the future developmental prospects of a person. Being a
trainee HR officer in the Ned means that a person will be exposed to the organizational aspects
that concerns the large accommodation enterprises. The professional aspects will be greatly
enhanced as at the initial stage of the career, the person will get to know all the significant
factors that affect employee management in large enterprises. The Ned is one of the most
significant five star hotels in London and after a certain time working for such an organization

5PROFESSIONAL IDENTITY AND PRACTICE
can greatly increase the confidence required to work independently. The significant criteria for
self-development and organizational perception will be essentially generated through working
for the organization. Working for the Ned will mean that as an HR officer, a large number of
people in significant organizational positions. This will help in the effective acquiring of
knowledge from these people. Working for a large enterprise such as the Ned will mean that as a
professional one is ready for the future endeavors in the HR field (Thened.com 2018). More
importantly, the very foundations for a successful career in the organization itself will be
established if excellent levels of performance can be provided. Personal development requires
much more than simply understanding the work. It requires the better perception of the
organizational processes that an individual has to be a part of to effectively development of
career (Pantho and Tiantong 2015).
Review of learning theories
Learning theories help in the process of personal and professional development.
Throughout the process of the training there can be various theories that can be applied in the
given scenario. The theory given by Kolb, states that knowledge is the result of experience that is
transformed (Kolb 2014). The theory is based on the realistic assumption that learning is best
generated through a process rather than outcomes. It focuses more on the experiences that are
gathered rather than theoretical or perception based knowledge gathering. The knowledge
gathered is hence a crucial aspect of generating adaptation to the environment where people will
engage as professionals. This is the theory that can be greatly applied to this case. This can
greatly explain the holistic process that actually ends in the positive development of individuals.
These learning theories can provide better results for any trainee. In case of the trainee HR
officer this process can bear greater results as the hospitality industry functions largely in

6PROFESSIONAL IDENTITY AND PRACTICE
accordance with real time situations (Jauhari and Bharwani 2017). Along with the various real
time duties that the workers have to manage, the HR also learns the significant functions of the
waiters, housekeepers, attendants, club receptionists, bartenders and all other people that will
work for the hotel. Essential understanding of the job functions will enable the greater
understanding of the organizational processes by the company (Kolb 2014). The training process
will help in the better understanding of the industry, along with the development process. The
use of the theory will be effective towards developing future career.
Critical evaluation of personal abilities
As a person it is very much required to be focused and learning oriented in these kinds of
learning situations. I believe I have developed a significant ability within me that helps me to
become a quick learner. Moreover, one of the most important things that are required for the job
role is communication. Effective levels of communication need to be garnered and utilized
properly for the role of the HR officer (Stariņeca and Voronchuk 2014). From the beginning I
had good communication levels and had participated in many school debates and conferences
where I was able to communicate my opinions clearly. This will essentially provide me with a lot
of confidence while communicating effectively with others while doing my job. I also have
strong self-belief that can help me to confidently approach the roles that will be assigned to me. I
am a good listener from the beginning even in my school and under graduate days. I was able to
grasp the knowledge of the subjects that were taught very clearly. I believe this is a much
required skill in the profession, with the help of which one can essentially maintain good
relationships between the management and the workforces. I am a confident person and I can
approach any given problem with as much confidence that is required to get the job done without
any hassles. My skills will work as the foundation for my growth in the company and the job

7PROFESSIONAL IDENTITY AND PRACTICE
role. As I will be working in a large organization I will need to be an effective learner. I have the
courage to venture into unknown areas of knowledge and explore possibilities.
Best developmental approaches to enhance professional development
The best approaches that can be used are the learning based approaches. This is because
the organization is large and it will require a lot of time to memorize all the work that are done in
the several divisions of the hotel. Proper self-development is required for excelling in the job role
and gain enough experience to construct a strong foundation for future development. The most
important thing to be done primarily is to understand the essential strengths and weaknesses of
an individual. This can be done through the effective usage of the SWOT technique. This will
ensure that I will be aware of my essential strengths and significant weaknesses. Then, I can lay
down the opportunities in front of me and the threats that can affect me in the process of
realizing the opportunities. I will focus on the Kolb’s theory of learning. The theory is based on
the realistic assumption that learning is best generated through a process rather than outcomes. It
focuses more on the experiences that are gathered rather than theoretical or perception based
knowledge gathering. I believe my experiences will guide me through in my endeavor to be the
best.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it can be said that with the job role of the trainee HR officer, there are
many essential opportunities to learn and grow. To work for the Ned hotel will be one of the
most important decisions that an individual can take at the initial phase of his career in the
hospitality industry. Self-development is the key to understanding ones capabilities and
optimizing the same with the type of job responsibilities that one has to undertake.

8PROFESSIONAL IDENTITY AND PRACTICE
Learning outcome 3
Development plan within specific work context
Development plan for Skill enhancement, strategies and objectives
A development plan becomes much necessary in order to enable the quick understanding
of the job role, better development with regards to the opportunities and platforms that are
present in the working environment and develop into an optimally performing HR associate in
the present and the future circumstances that will come in the way. The strategy will utilize the
VARK framework.
The VARK framework is designed to enhance the learning abilities of the individual
trainees. The aspects that are focused in this method can help to implement effective strategies to
enhance individual development process. The VARK stands for Visual, Auditory,
Reading/Writing and Kinesthetic development processes that take place among individual
trainees (Pantho and Tiantong 2015). Using these aspects, firstly I will utilize the pictures and
words displayed in the training program to make complete sense of the processes that are
implemented by the organization. Group discussion could help to utilize the auditory
requirements of the training. Moving forward I will be writing down the things that I have learnt
in order to make better sense of the learnings that have generated from the training and read them
whenever I have doubt in regards to any particular process. Lastly, Kinesthetic learning
techniques would have to be used by me. This means that hands on activities would have to be
conducted. This is a very important phase of the learning process as this will require me to
effectively perform the tasks that will be assigned to me. Here, I have to focus on learning more
than actual productivity in the initial stages. This will help me to develop real time skill in order

9PROFESSIONAL IDENTITY AND PRACTICE
to provide real time solutions to the problems I would face. The VARK strategy can help
towards optimal learning and experience gaining.
Various objectives need to be focused in order to gain better results from the
implementation of the strategies. These objectives will help to garner better outcomes from the
experiences gained.
Firstly, the objective will be to develop better understanding of the job roles concerning
the position in the organization. The second objective will be to enhance the knowledge about
the industry through better training. The third objective will be to gain essential expertise in the
field of hospitality. The fourth objective will be to achieve significant levels of self-development.
This means that significant levels of development of the individual skills need to be made in
accordance with the job functions. The fifth objective will be to develop optimal levels of
communication attributes within the various levels of the organization. This will help in the
building of rapport and will ensure the smooth flow of the duties that are associated with the job
position (Wang, Tsai and Tsai 2014). The sixth objective will be to develop optimal
understanding of the organizational processes that are at play at the Ned Hotel. The essence of
the organizational process is the foundation for the development of an individual. The processes
at play at the Ned hotel are very important towards understanding what needs to be learnt in the
hospitality industry.
Learning and developmental theories
Various theories can be applied to the learning and developmental process of an
individual or separate groups. These theories if implemented can determine the effectiveness of
the learning and development process. The VARK theory of training has been discussed

10PROFESSIONAL IDENTITY AND PRACTICE
previously and is an important part of the learning strategy that is to be implemented at the Ned
Hotel for better understanding of the job role. The model of VARK can also help to enhance the
training process. This in turn can bear positive results in terms of better, more focused
employees. The assumed role is of the trainee HR officer. Hence, the model can be used to
derive better results from the same. VARK encompasses the aspects through which learning can
be effectively enhanced. The aspects are visual, auditory, reading and/or writing and kinesthetic
development. It can be said that in accordance with the role, the visual aspects that need to be
focused are the understanding of the various job roles that people play at the different
departments of the Ned. The visualizations need to be made in terms of the processes that are at
play across the organizational divisions. Auditory factors in case of the present scenario can be
the roles that need to be effectively maintained in the organization. They need to be specifically
communicated to the trainees through audio or audio visual modules. The third factor is reading
and writing. The Ned has a lot of departments like the large restaurants, grooming rooms,
banquet halls, spas, private event and party rooms and meeting rooms. The people that work here
and the specific duties of the workers and the expectations of the management need to be written
down in the initial phases and this can help to recall and better remember these aspects. The last
part is the Kinesthetic in which the individual learns through the process of engaging in the
work. Without engaging in the data management, communication and coordination work the
individual can never understand the significance of the job role. The opportunities that can be
provided more practical experiences in the job can help in the management of the original roles
more effectively. Another learning theory that can be implemented is the Kolb’s learning theory.
This theory states that effective learning can only be done through the process where experience
is transformed into knowledge. Hence, given the scenario in the Ned, experience gathered on a

11PROFESSIONAL IDENTITY AND PRACTICE
real time basis can form the foundation for better learning. The theory further elaborates that
learning is an essentially holistic process. It can be said that both the VARK model can be joined
with the learning theory proposed by Kolb in order to implement an optimally significant
learning process. The theory stresses on the transactional relationship between an individual and
the working environment while trying to establish the fact that this interactive process helps in
the formation of better ideas about a job. The focus of the plan will be towards the effective
individual growth of a person based on the frameworks and theories that are discussed.
Expected Outcomes
The expected outcomes of the strategic plan will be to enhance the learning process of the
trainee HR officer. This should take into consideration not only the organizational learning that
takes plan within an organization but also the learning that can be generated with regards to the
wider hospitality industry. The first expected outcome will be to develop optimal levels of job
understanding. This will help in the better handling of the job roles in the present and the future
scenarios that can affect the roles and responsibilities of the HR officer (Sturman and Park 2016).
The second learning outcome will be to develop the self in accordance with the role that has been
vested on the individual. Here, it becomes very important to realize the future potential for
growth of the individual. This is a primary stage as this requires development of optimal
performing abilities concerned with the job role. This will in the future help towards the easy
understanding and performing of greater job roles in the same organization or the hospitality
industry. The third important learning outcome is to generate enough knowledge of the
hospitality industry in order to create a foundation for the significant handling of any HR
responsibilities in the future. The goal for the individual in the initial stages of organizational life
is to be an engaging person in regards to the job role being handled. However, at the same time

12PROFESSIONAL IDENTITY AND PRACTICE
the person will greatly understand about the significance of the job in the hospitality industry. An
important part of the training in the Ned will be that being a five star hotel, the training will be of
high quality considering the other options that are available. The fourth important learning
outcome will be to develop the ability to interact with people. This is very important as this will
not only ensure that the job roles are equally and properly handled but at the same time also
ensure that the individual will be able to garner skills that can help in the future learning
endeavors. This is because generating effective communicational skills will enable the person to
have better interactions with people that can teach him about the processes and skills required to
handle those processes effectively. The strategies have been devised in order to enhance the
experience gathering functions of the individual. The VARK framework can be used to enhance
the learning process. This is because it will be focused towards increasing the potential for
understanding the major issues through visual, audio, reading and writing and effective
engagement. The fifth learning outcome will be to develop the personal skills for further
development in the future. This will be focused towards the generation of long term implications
from the training and experience gathering process. Effective training needs to be done in order
for the individual to develop skills in a manner that can provide a foundation for all the future
learning processes (Jones, Hillier and Comfort 2016). This will not only make the processes
easier but will instill great levels of confidence within the individual.

13PROFESSIONAL IDENTITY AND PRACTICE
Learning outcome 4
Transferable skills for job application
Job Interview
Curriculum Vitae
Name: (to be filled by student)
Address: _____________
Position Applied: Trainee HR Officer
Education:
Graduated with Bachelor degree in Human Resources
Completed Masters in Human Resources
Personal Skills:
 Very good communication skills
 Effective relationship building skills
 Dedicated teamworker with essential skills to coordinate effectively with people
 Dedicated and loyal person to friends, families and all other close persons
 Confident and self-sustained personality with skills to effectively handle problems
Experience: 2 years of essential internship and associate experience in a large international
luxury brand hotel
Professional Skills:

14PROFESSIONAL IDENTITY AND PRACTICE
 Effective levels of written and oral communication
 Significant ability to work flexibly without having any problems with working as per
business requirements
 Capability to establish good communication with peers, subordinates and Superiors
 Effective in maintaining data and managing the same
 Proven experience of managing HR issues in the previous company
 Trustworthy, loyal and capable of maintaining confidentiality of official information
 Effective coordinator with skills to successfully handle large teams
 Good management skills with the ability to view an issue from various perspectives
 Good people evaluation skills with specific focus on understanding the skill areas of any
given person
 Good ability to estimate behavioral abilities of people
 Very effective generator of understanding between people
Achievements:
 Graduated with distinction marks from a greatly recognized college
 Completed post-graduation with distinction from a well-recognized university
 Was good in sports in school, college and post graduate levels and won many sports
trophies
Job Interview
1. Please tell how the experiences that you garnered makes you a suitable candidate for the
job role?

15PROFESSIONAL IDENTITY AND PRACTICE
The experiences I have garnered can help me to understand my job roles in the organization
better in any company in which I am hired. Moreover, the gathered experiences can help me to
create better foundations for knowledge in the hospitality industry.
2. What are your plans for future growth?
I want to become a senior HR manager in the near future. However, before that I want to
garner enough knowledge in the industry to optimally perform any role that is given to me. In the
distant future I would like to start my own HR consultancy services.
3. What are the knowledge you have been able to garner about the hospitality industry
throughout your experiences?
The experiences that I have been able to garner has helped me to understand the roles and
responsibilities of any HR personnel. I have known that the value of an HR manager does not
end with the hiring of people but continues throughout the productive aspects that comes with
each individual hiring.
4. Can you elaborate about your job role in the previous company?
My job role in the previous company was that of a Junior HR coordinator. I used to
coordinate HR activities with my senior manager. I used to maintain the data and charts of the
various employees. I had to interact with the employees and provide feedbacks to my senior
manager. My role was to coordinate the activities properly.
5. How were you helped by your supervisors and peers in your previous company?

16PROFESSIONAL IDENTITY AND PRACTICE
I was a perfect team worker. I used to work for a team where coordination and bonding
were given much importance. I provided my manager with all the backups he needed. I
helped my peers to know their duties and develop essential skills.
6. What is the experience that you have garnered through managing poor staffs?
Managing poor staffs had helped me to understand the actual challenges that comes with
the HR roles that one has to play. Managing poor staffs helped me to know how they can be
positively helped. I had implemented effective trainings to cater to the poor staffs.
7. How many people did you manage in the previous organization?
As a junior coordinator in the previous company I had to essentially manage around 20
people.
8. Do you think your nonprofessional achievements can help you in the future?
I was an achiever in school and college. This was both concerning my academics and my
extra-curricular activities. I have a holistic approach to my job role and believe that the same
mindset that have helped me to be an achiever in school would help me to excel in
professional life. Moreover, the same skills have become much more developed now.
9. If hired what can you bring with you for the company?
I can bring my hard work, dedication and experience into the company. The company can
improve its performance due to the things that I will bring with me. I will bring a renewed
zeal through which better, more effective people can be hired by the company.

17PROFESSIONAL IDENTITY AND PRACTICE
10. What will be your future plans if you get hired for the company?
Firstly, I would like to excel in the job role. I want to hire and coordinate with
people and communicate effectively. Secondly, I want to develop my skills further in the
process. I want to grow with the company. I want to become a senior HR manager in due
course.
SWOT analysis
Strengths
The strengths that I have shown are confidence, self-belief, effective communication and
dedication. I am a confident person who is flexible with the role of an HR. This is a much
required aspect as this helps to essentially understand the given job role. An HR needs to have
good confidence levels in order to properly undertake work. My self-belief is an essential
strength as this can help me to overcome the challenges that can definitely come in my way of
doing the job. An important element in the role of an HR is communication. I can communicate
effectively and easily with both peers, managers and subordinates. Dedication is required in all
works of life. I am a dedicated person that will help the organization grow.

18PROFESSIONAL IDENTITY AND PRACTICE
Weakness
One of the significant weaknesses that I have is the lack of experience. 2 years of
experience might not be enough to learn the entire industry of hospitality properly. I have some
decision making issues that can affect this job role. This is because being a Junior HR
coordinator in my previous work, most of the important decisions were taken by my manager.
Another of my significant weakness is that lack of experience in managing large number of
people. This can negatively affect some significant aspects of my career.
Opportunity
The opportunity in front of me for growth is huge. I can perform optimally for the
organization and bring effective workforce into the operations. I can help the company to recruit
more and retain more employees at the same time. My career opportunities are great as they can
be enhanced through the bigger job role that I will have to manage. I can grow along with the
organization. I can gain enough experience in the hospitality industry due to working for a larger
organization. The scope for learning and subsequently applying the garnered knowledge is huge
in this field.
Threats
The threats are imminent and are very much connected to the job roles that I have to
manage. I might not be able to properly coordinate with my subordinates. Moreover, the
organization might not find my job to be satisfactory enough to help the company. An outside
threat is the industry facing issues with hiring in general. There is always the threat of low
experience causing failure to effectively manage duties. A significant threat is the inability to

19PROFESSIONAL IDENTITY AND PRACTICE
interact with the right kind of people that might result in improper guidance leading to failure in
job role.
Reflection on Interview
I have been able to understand my effective strengths and crucial weaknesses from the
interview that was given. The job interview was effective towards communicating my strengths
to the interviewer. As an organization the Ned Hotel in London has been a world class five star
accommodation company that provides a brilliant scope for career development. The job
interview was significant because it was based on the line of what I was, what I am now and
what I want to become. According to me these are exactly the kind of questions that I should find
answers to at this point in my career. To develop my skills will not be enough as I need to
become an optimally effective performer who can inspire others. There are however many
obstacles that have to be faced. A significant obstacle is the large stature of the Hotel. Along
with many things to learn, there are many things that can go wrong due to the various
responsibilities that have to be taken. Moving forward, a major challenge will be to hire the right
people for the right jobs as here there will be many different set of jobs in the same
organizations. Coordination of activities in such a large organization will become very difficult
for me due to the lack of experience. My most significant challenge will be to learn the process
as quickly and effectively as possible. My decision making functions will be very strongly tested
in the process of the entire role.

20PROFESSIONAL IDENTITY AND PRACTICE
Bibliography
Huang, T.C., Chen, C.C. and Chou, Y.W., 2016. Animating eco-education: To see, feel, and
discover in an augmented reality-based experiential learning environment. Computers &
Education, 96, pp.72-82.
Jauhari, V. and Bharwani, S., 2017. An exploratory study of competencies required to cocreate
memorable customer experiences in the hospitality industry. In Hospitality Marketing and
Consumer Behavior (pp. 159-185). Apple Academic Press.
Jones, P., Hillier, D. and Comfort, D., 2016. Sustainability in the hospitality industry: Some
personal reflections on corporate challenges and research agendas. International Journal of
Contemporary Hospitality Management, 28(1), pp.36-67.
Kolb, D.A., 2014. Experiential learning: Experience as the source of learning and development.
FT press.
Lo, K., Macky, K. and Pio, E., 2015. The HR competency requirements for strategic and
functional HR practitioners. The international journal of human resource management, 26(18),
pp.2308-2328.
Newman, A., 2016. Communication planning: A template for organizational change.
Pantho, O. and Tiantong, M., 2015. Conceptual Framework of a Synthesized Adaptive e-
Learning and e-Mentoring System Using VARK Learning Styles with Data Mining
Methodology. International Journal of Computer Theory and Engineering, 7(4), p.316.
Peterson, K., DeCato, L. and Kolb, D.A., 2015. Moving and learning: Expanding style and
increasing flexibility. Journal of Experiential Education, 38(3), pp.228-244.

21PROFESSIONAL IDENTITY AND PRACTICE
Ricci, P., 2005. A comparative analysis of job competency expectations for new hires: The
relative value of a hospitality management degree.
Ricci, P., 2010. Do lodging managers expect more from hospitality graduates? A comparison of
job competency expectations. Journal of Human Resources in Hospitality & Tourism, 9(2),
pp.218-232.
Stariņeca, O. and Voronchuk, I., 2014. Employer branding training development for public
organisations. Regional Formation and Development Studies, 14(3), pp.207-219.
Sturman, M.C. and Park, S., 2016. The changing relationship between supervisors and
subordinates: How managing this relationship evolves over time
Thened.com. (2018). The Ned | A 5 Star Hotel in the City of London. [online] Available at:
https://www.thened.com/
Wang, C.J., Tsai, H.T. and Tsai, M.T., 2014. Linking transformational leadership and employee
creativity in the hospitality industry: The influences of creative role identity, creative self-
efficacy, and job complexity. Tourism Management, 40, pp.79-89.