Professional Identity and Practice

This report explores the concept of professional identity and its importance in personal and professional development. It discusses the benefits of ongoing personal and professional development, general skills and competences, and learning theories and approaches. It also includes a personal development plan to enhance skills and competences. The report focuses on the context of Hilton Hotel's expansion in Warrington and the need for a floor supervisor.

Professional Identity and
Practice

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
PART A...........................................................................................................................................3
1) Key benefits of on-going personal and professional development....................................3
2) General skills & competences............................................................................................4
3) Own skills and competences..............................................................................................5
4) Learning theories and approaches......................................................................................6
5) Development plan..............................................................................................................8
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................8
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................9

INTRODUCTION
Professional identity is one's self as perceived in relation to a profession which define
their beliefs, values, motives and experiences so that they can define themselves in their current
or expected professional life. In order to achieve a desired job position in company it is
important that the professional skills and knowledge regarding the work related to a particular
jobs are developed so that they can perform their work in an efficient manner and use their
efforts in achieving company goals (Baker and et. al., 2015). In this report Hilton Hotel is
considered which is expanding in Warrington and is in a need of a floor supervisor. This report
discusses about the benefits of personal and professional development, general skills and
competences in relation to own skills and competences. Further learning theories and approaches
and development plan will also be discussed in this report.
PART A
1) Key benefits of on-going personal and professional development
Hilton Hotels and resorts is a globally recognised brand of hotel services which is
headquartered in Virginia, US and is located in about 85 countries having 586 number of hotels
around the world. Hilton hotels is one of the largest hotel brands and provide luxurious hotel
services to its customers so that their vacations can be made memorable and relaxing.
Ongoing personal and professional development is important in any organisation so that
the performance of employees of company can be continuously improved which help in
enhancing their work efficiency so that company goals are efficiently achieved (Basturkmen,
2014). In the service industry it is important that high quality of services are given to customers
so that their experiences can be enhanced and maximum customer satisfaction can be achieved.
Following are the benefits of these development exercises for the stakeholders of Hilton:
For employers:
 The ongoing developments can help in saving the cost of employers in training their
employees on regular basis so that they can acquire the required skills as the employees
can be continuously made to learn through on-going developments.
 As the employees learn continuously it help in making them efficient in performing their
work so that they can direct their efforts in achieving company goals in an efficient
manner.

 The improved employee efficiency to perform their work also help in improving the
brand image of hotel which is essential in attracting more number of customers so that
sales of company can also be increased.
For employees:
 Ongoing development help in enhancing the skills and competences of employees on a
regular basis which is important for them in improving their job satisfaction and also they
can efficiently achieve their goals on time (Clarke and et. al., 2015).
 Their personal and professional development give them future growth opportunities so
that they can enhance their career options and get better job options.
 With their improved performance sales of company can increase which also help in
increasing the profits of company that will ultimately hike their salaries thereby satisfying
customers with their jobs.
2) General skills & competences
The employers in an organisation expect that their employees possess certain skills and
competences which can help the company in accomplishing their goals and objectives in a
certain period of time. Some of these skills which must be possessed in employees of Hilton are
mentioned as follows:
Professional standards
 It is important that employees in Hilton work ethically so that they can use their efforts,
skills and knowledge in providing best quality of services to customers and maximise the
interest of all stakeholders.
 The employees must be able to project the brand image of company by making their
services high in quality so that the brand image of company can be improved by
maximising customer satisfaction (Cruess, and et. al., 2015). The employees must be able to present themselves professionally in front of customers so
that highly efficient professional services can be given to the customers.
Common skills
 The employees must be able to work in teams so that they can together help in achieving
the goals of company by efficiently collaborating the work of all employees and integrate
their work to complete the team goals on time and within stipulated budget.

 It is also important that they possess both hard and soft skills so that they can perform
their task effectively through continuous learning and building good relations with all the
stakeholders thereby enhancing working environment.
 The employees must have the skills of building strong relations with customers so that
they can provide efficient solutions to customer problems and enhance the quality of
services received by them.
3) Own skills and competences
I have capabilities of becoming an efficient floor supervisor and also have the skills and
knowledge on how the problems of floor can be supervised so that best possible services can be
provided to customers. I also know how to maintain hygiene and safety which can help me in
doing my duties in an efficient manner. As Hilton Hotel is expanding in Warrington gives me an
opportunity to work as a floor supervisor in the company so that i can use my skills effectively. I
have also worked as a floor supervisor in the local hotel at Warrington so that i can do a self
evaluation of skills.
Self-evaluation models: I can use various models so that my self evaluation can be done
which will help in auditing my skills and competences and finding the areas of my strengths and
weaknesses so that necessary improvements can be made and I can refine my skills and
competences:
Learning Skills Target Proficiency Existing Proficiency
Skills:
Positive Attitude
Willingness to learn
Cooperation
10 9
10 8
10 7
Competencies
Cleanliness
Leadership
Problem Solving
Target Proficiency Existing Proficiency
10 9
10 6
10 8

From the above analysis of my own skills and competences it can be said that there are
various skills which are good in me whereas some skills need to be improved so that I can
develop my skills and become better both personally and professionally. Following are my
strengths and weaknesses which will give me an overall self assessment and help me in
developing the areas:
Skills: Positive attitude: I have rated myself 9 out of 10 as I have an optimistic attitude which
help me in remaining positive in my work so that difficult situations can be positively
handled and effective solutions for problems can be found out. Willingness to learn: In this skill I rate myself 8 out of 10 as I am always willing to learn
and enhance my knowledge related to various aspects so that I can become more learned
and efficient in performing my work (Hadar and Brody, 2013).
 Cooperation: In this skill I have rated myself 7 on 10 which means that I am cooperative
but sometimes I loose my patience which affect my cooperation level in company that
can affect the way in which I can collaborate the work of my team members so that work
can be finished in a desired manner.
Competencies: Cleanliness: I have rated myself 9 on 10 which mean that i am highly competent in
maintaining cleanliness so that floor can be effectively supervised and proper hygiene can
be maintained which can enable in providing customers with high quality of services. Leadership: In leadership I have rated myself 6 out of 10 which means that I need to
improve this skill so that the staff members can be efficiently managed and directed
through their work that can help in completion of work on time and with efficiency
(Mwalongo, 2011).
 Problem solving: For this I have rated myself 8 on 10 which mean that I can efficiently
solve problems related to supervising the floor and take effective measures so that
customers face no problems during their stay.
4) Learning theories and approaches
In order to become an efficient floor supervisor in Hilton it is important that certain
learning theories and approaches are studied so that the job can be performed in an efficient

manner. These theories and approaches can help in determining the best way in which i can
acquire knowledge on becoming better at my service:
Learning theories: Cognitivism: This theory focuses on learning rather than on observed behaviour so that
the mental abilities of people can be applied in solving problems, building memory and
knowledge so that better execution of work can be done. In service industry this theory
plays an important role in solving the customer problems so that better quality of services
can be provided to customers (Olsen, 2015).
 Constructivism: This theory focuses on learning through experience so that meaningful
knowledge can be developed which can help in making people better in their skills and
competences. This method can help the employees in learning through their experiences
so that they can become better in dealing with situations and also their work performance
can improve.
Learning approaches: Kolb's learning cycle: This is a learning approach which involves four stages: concrete
learning, reflective observation, abstract conceptualization and active experimentation.
This approach focuses mainly on learning through experiences that are acquired while
performing their work so that they can enhance their learning and become efficient in
their work. This approach help in learning process while encountering a new experience
so that they can learn better.
 VARK learning style: This learning style focuses on four ways through which learning of
person can be processed and enhanced like visual-audio learning, reading/writing
learning and kinetics (Wald and et. al., 2015). A questionnaire is formed in this method
and are answered so that according to its score the best style of learning can be adopted
which can help the person in enhancing their learning process. This help the learner in
grasping new concepts and methods so that their learning can be enhanced and they can
increase their knowledge.
All the methods and approaches of learning mentioned above help learners in increasing
their knowledge and acquiring skills that can help them in becoming better in their skills and
competences. The best method which can be used by me so that my learning can be enhanced is
through constructivism so that I can enhance my learning through experiences which are gained

by meanwhile performing my job role. This will help me in effectively working as a floor
supervisor in Hilton as with my experience I will be able to deal better with each situation so that
efficient results can be reached. Kolb's learning cycle is the best learning approach which can
help me in enhancing my learning with each experience along with self reflection so that I can
become a better learner and work on my weak areas (Webb, 2017).
5) Development plan
This plan helps the person in analysing their weak areas and also determining the way in
which they can be improved so that a person can become better and develop the required skills
and competences that are required to perform their work. A PDP plan for my personal
development is given below:
What are my
development
objectives?
What activities
do I need to
undertake to
achieve my
objectives?
What
support/resource
s do I need to
achieve my
objectives?
Target dates for
achieving my
objectives
Actual dates of
achieving my
objectives
Leadership I need to lead
team members
so that my
leadership skills
can be improved
and I can
effectively
manage the
work within
team.
I need to gain
support from my
team members so
that I will be able
to efficiently
lead them.
1 month 25/04/20
Cooperation I need to
participate in
group activities
and also
assemble
meeting with
employees.
I need to increase
employee
engagement and
implement
policies so that
collaboration can
be done.
2 months 25/05/20
CONCLUSION
From this report it can be said that in order to grow and develop efficiently in career it is
important that the skills and competences of people are continuously improved. This help in the
personal and professional growth of person and also the self audit can help in achieving overall

personal improvement. This help in improving the growth options of person so that they can
build their career.

REFERENCES
Books and journals
Baker, C. N. and et. al., 2015. Teacher (mis) perceptions of preschoolers’ academic skills:
Predictors and associations with longitudinal outcomes. Journal of educational psychology.
107(3). p.805.
Basturkmen, H., 2014. Ideas and options in English for specific purposes. Routledge.
Clarke, C., and et. al., 2015. Sustaining professional identity in practice following role-emerging
placements: Opportunities and challenges for occupational therapists. British Journal of
Occupational Therapy. 78(1). pp.42-50.
Cruess, R.L., and et. al., 2015. A schematic representation of the professional identity formation
and socialization of medical students and residents: a guide for medical educators.
Academic Medicine. 90(6). pp.718-725.
Flores, N., Kleyn, T. and Menken, K., 2015. Looking holistically in a climate of partiality:
Identities of students labeled long-term English language learners. Journal of Language,
Identity & Education. 14(2). pp.113-132.
Hadar, L.L. and Brody, D.L., 2013. The interaction between group processes and personal
professional trajectories in a professional development community for teacher
educators.Journal of Teacher Education. 64(2). pp.145-161.
Mwalongo, A., 2011. Teachers' perceptions about ICT for teaching, professional development,
administration and personal use. International Journal of Education and development
using information and communication Technology. 7(3). p.36.
Olsen, B., 2015.Teaching what they learn, learning what they live: How teachers' personal
histories shape their professional development. Routledge.
Wald, H. S. and et. al., 2015. Professional identity formation in medical education for
humanistic, resilient physicians: pedagogic strategies for bridging theory to practice.
Academic Medicine. 90(6). pp.753-760.
Webb, S.A. ed., 2017. Professional identity and social work. Taylor & Francis.