Professional Identity Development

This assignment requires you to critically analyze a collection of scholarly articles that delve into the multifaceted concept of professional identity development. The readings explore how individuals in different professions construct their sense of self within their chosen fields, highlighting key influences, challenges, and stages involved in this process. Your analysis should demonstrate a deep understanding of the complexities surrounding professional identity formation and its implications for individual practitioners and the broader professional landscape.

Professional identity
and practices

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
Task1 ...............................................................................................................................................3
P1 Benefits of on-going professional development for stakeholders .........................................3
P2 Skills and competency that is expected by employer to perform specific role in Thomas
group............................................................................................................................................4
Task2................................................................................................................................................6
P3 Assessment of skills, abilities and competencies for a specific roles ....................................6
P4 Review of learning theory and approaches which is used in professional and personal
development ................................................................................................................................7
Task3................................................................................................................................................8
P5 Development plan to increase skills and competencies in a organisation..............................8
Task4................................................................................................................................................9
P6 Job interview for suitable enterprise.......................................................................................9
P7 Strength and weakness of interview process........................................................................10
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................10
REFERENCE.................................................................................................................................11

INTRODUCTION
Professional identity shows individual's quality that makes different from others in a
organisation or other place. Professional means a person who works smartly and having extra
degrees and other certificates that defines ability, capacity and motive to complete the task where
as identity defines a traditional characteristics and views that a person have and become easy to
recognise about persons quality (Barbour and Lammers, 2015). To know about ongoing
development and tourism services Thomas cook group travel services has been chosen that UK
based company and operates tourism market at United kingdom by providing tour packages for
family holidays. The main aim of this report is to understand the benefits of ongoing professional
development for stakeholders, employer expectation for hiring skills and competent person, what
are own skills and capabilities are posses a person and range of learning theories and approaches
which is used in professional and personal development. Besides this, report will contain a
development plan, job interview for suitable company and strength and weakness of interview
process.
Task1
P1 Benefits of on-going professional development for stakeholders
Overview of company: Thomas cook group is a global travel company that was established in
19 June 2007 by the consolidation of Thomas group. This is well known tourism and travel
company that operates tour services and airlines services based on United kingdom. This
company was listed on London stock exchange and Frankfurt stock exchange. It focuses on
customer demand and fill their expectation by providing travelling services. Additionally, it
provides restaurant meal and overnight hotel stay services that helsp to increase customer
loyalty. It main aim is to increase number of customer by providing services and expand its
market all over the world (Beddoe and Davys, 2016).
Key benefits for stakeholders
On going professional development means a continuous process to keeping records of
skills, knowledge and qualities which a person learns from workplace. Moreover, ongoing
professional development involves a systematic procedure to enhance knowledge and skills
through working at a work place. It give different types of benefits to stakeholders such as-

Increase retention: Ongoing professional development helps to increase retention power
of employees by recording of employee's performance and awarding them for their good
performance. Thomas cook group is well known travel company who prepare performance
report and take feedback from employees that helps to retain employees.
Build confidence: This means if employees are skill full and well experienced they can
solve problems which has chances to occur in an organisation and providing a solution of
problems helps to build a confidence among employees and other stakeholders. In Thomas cook
group manager give guidance to employees in order to solve problems that helps to increase
confidence among employees and managers.
Helps to develop successful plans: On going professional development shows a path to
make future plans by using knowledge and experience for the welfare of employees as well as
organisation. Manager of Thomas cook group uses own skills and experienced in context to
develop future plans that gives benefits to employees and enterprise as result employees
performs well (Brat and et.al., 2016).
Increase Trust: It provides a benefits such as increase trust of workers towards the
industry. If company will focus on employee's skills and capability and records their
performance that helps to increase belief as well trust among employees that helps to be work
continue in that organisation. Such as Thomas cook travel company provide training how to
communicate with customer and how should be response that helps to increase trust for workers
and organisation that show employees are capable to handle difficult situation.
Better and fast decision: This is essential benefit which comes from on going
professional development. It helps to make better and instant decision by using professional
skills. Such as marketing manager of Thomas cook group have rights to take effective and
correct decision that helps to maintain profitability as well as productivity.
P2 Skills and competency that is expected by employer to perform specific role in Thomas group
The main purpose of Thomas cook group is to offer suitable and affordable tour and
tourism services to its customer also provide hotel and staying services that helps to influence
customers. Thus, manager have expectation from employees who plays valuable role in such
industry such as cleaned rooms, fresh and tasty food, carry luggage facility, amenities and proper
responds to customer which increases number of customer. Employer has more expectation in

industry such as to perform operation function such as administration, back office, front office
etc. who can perform well in an organisation.
Thomas cook group provides training and development programme to its staff who has
required to expand knowledge and skills like as-
Positive behaviour: This is a big assets of employees that is required in Thomas cook
group organisation to influence employer as well customer. If employee's behaviour will be
positive is will be able to accept challenges easily and will react as a positive person. It creates a
positive and perfect work culture environment (Clavelle and et.al., 2016).
Problem solution skills: This is required in all industry that helps to attract employer.
Such as if Thomas cook group is facing low profit margin situation because lack of customer.
Then it need to hire highly experienced and qualitative person who has market's knowledge and
their choices that will help to improve in number of customer by solving this problems such as
new services, reasonable package, able to solve customer problem etc.
Proper communication: In order to run a business effectively in Thomas cook group
travel organisation a proper communication of employees with employer and customer is most
needed. Employees should be more knowledgeable and skilful who could communicate and give
proper response to customer, hence this skills helps to increase number of passenger in Thomas
cook group travel organisation.
Importance of on going professional development within organisation
Ongoing professional development is basic requirement in any organisation because it
helps to solve business problems and its related issues which is solved by experienced person .
Organisation includes professional skills and knowledge of employees according to job profile.
The roles and responsibility of employees are differ from size and type of organisation that
decides what roles and and designation are required to fulfil through employees. Thomas cook
group performs its business activities world wide and train their employees to perform their role
such as travelling services, room cleaning, house keeping, receptionist and cashier services that
helps to increase customer loyalty. By using professional development ans professional skills
organisation can increase productivity (Cope and et.al., 2017).

Task2
P3 Assessment of skills, abilities and competencies for a specific roles
It is very essential for every to assess own abilities, skills and competencies that helps to
provide a good job profile as they want. Skills are the qualities and characteristics that should
have in a person to perform a job role and what makes a person capable to complete the
requirement of the organisation. Such as Thomas cook group needs a influencing marketing
manager who advertise its services and increase number of passenger by using its skills. For
performing marketing role there should be different skills like specialist degree in marketing,
handle team members, motivation to employee, proper coordination with customer and
employees (Hedman, 2015). Assessment of abilities shows ability to perform specific job roles
such as marketing manager who has above mention skills is able to perform that kind of job role
or not. The hiring manager of Thomas cook group assess the ability of applicant who has applied
for marketing post is capable to influence customer towards its organisation. Moreover,
assessment of competencies shows creativity and competent to complete the task on given time.
It helps to develop a appropriate thought that defines goals and how it can be achieved through
competent person.
Skill audit is a technique that shows what skills a person have and how it can be
improved in order to increase profits. Such as manager of Thomas cook group used skill audit
tool to improve skills, management of company and improve company's profitability situation by
conducting training programme. It can be assess through a table such as-
No. I have these skills,
competencies and ability
Marks Marks from other people
1 Communication skills 9 8
2 Interpersonal skills 7 8
3 Competent to manage time 8 9
4 Able to solve problems 10 8
5 Presentation skills 8 8

P4 Review of learning theory and approaches which is used in professional and personal
development
There are number of approaches and theories that is used to improve professional and
personal development by developing knowledge and skills. Learning theories and approaches for
personal and professional development process are follows by Thomas cook group which is
discussed as below-
Social learning theory: It means an individual can increase its professional and personal
skills by observing others. It is the way of professional learning that helps to solve problems by
observant to other person. Employees of Thomas cook group observe manager and follows that
helps to learn new thing and increase professional as well as personal development.
Cognitive approach: This is known as psychology theory that contains study of human
mind and their thinking. Such as manager of Thomas travel studies customer minds and get
information what needs to improve in travelling services which can fulfil passenger demands.
Humanistic learning approach: This approach is contrast to Behaviourist theory that
emphasizes on stress and fellow feeling on individual's behaviour. Moreover, this approach helps
to improve individual's image and self actualization that make feel better (Mockler and
Groundwater-Smith, 2015).
Behaviourist approach: This theory involve thoughts and ideas of an individual and
quickly responds of learners that helps to solve problems in an industry. Additionally, this
approach shows how a person respond in a difficult situation in order to accept the changes. Such
as Thomas cook group's manager want to bring new strategy through new technology that will
helps to attract passenger. In this case employees will responds quickly by adopting behaviourist
approach that will give stimuli answer to customer and manager.
From above mentioned theories and approaches it has been reviewed that learning
approaches are helpful to improve or develop personal and professional development. By
focusing on behaviourist and cognitive approach it can accept the challenges and can respond
quickly. Moreover, social learning theory helps to face and solve problems by observing other
people (Shuler and Keller-Dupree, 2015).

Task3
P5 Development plan to increase skills and competencies in a organisation
Development plan means a strategy or planning which is prepared by the manager of an
organisation. This is an effective way to define personnel skills and resources which is required
to accomplish industry's goals. Therefore, development plan is a tool that states strategy and
objectives of company and provide training to employees in order to attain organisation's
objectives. Manager of Thomas cook group provides training to its employees to reduce the
weakness such as conflict among members, time consuming, problems, new technology etc.
Therefore, development plans helps to overcome the problems and maintain profits in a
organisation by optimum utilisation of available resources (Salim and Elgizoli, 2016). For
solving problems a development plan is designed below-
Skills Activities that is
required to
undertake
Resources Time Desire changes
Conflicts The assistant
manager should keep
proper records of
employee's activities
and performance and
need to rewarded
them for their good
performance that
helps to reduce
conflict among
employer and
employees.
The main resources
includes
participation in
team work,
coordination,
cooperation and
presentation that
gives clean and
clear information.
Monthly basis There is need to
build good
relations and
sharing ideas that
helps to coordinate
with employees
and they will
perform better.
Time
managemen
t
To mange time and
work effectively in a
given period
manager need to
Training, list of
priority, schedule
and review work
on time.
Weekly basis Manager should
make a list of work
and decide a
priority of work.

decide priority of
work and assign
work between staff
according to
specialisation that
will helps to save
time.
Problem
solving
Manager enhance
interpersonal skills
and maintain
flexibility that helps
to solve problems. It
also need to accept
new technology by
providing training to
employees.
Formal training,
simulation, solving
reasoning, case
study and aptitude
test to solve
problems.
1.5 month Manager need to
take effective and
corrective decision
on time and need to
make sure by
following
resources it
organisation will
be able to solve
problems.
Task4
P6 Job interview for suitable enterprise
Job interview means hiring of right employees for right industry through interview
process. In interview process number of questions are asked by the manager that relates to a job.
After the evaluation process I faced interview round and I was shortlisted as an assistant manager
in Thomas cook group. Interviewer has asked number of questions for this post and assessed my
skills and competency for this role (Spehar, Frich and Kjekshus, 2015). A part from my two year
experience and done internship from well known industry that helped to provide this job. A
person should have ample of knowledge regarding job profile, responsibility and other
information that helps to make influencing in front of interviewer. As I got information about
vacancy in Thomas cook group, collected information regarding job profile, experience required,

knowledge and what are industry's expectation. These all information helped me to crack the
interview in a effective manner and cleared all rounds (Weiner and Torres, 2016).
P7 Strength and weakness of interview process
Interview process contains following strength and weakness like as-
Strength: Interview process helped me to enhance knowledge, skills and self confidence
and showed how smartly I answered the interviewer's questions. Therefore this interview process
gave a valuable experience in my life. I also noticed that internship experience also helped me to
improve groom my personality as well as experienced. Interview round also helps to show work
environment and expectation of employer through face to face (Wosket, 2016).
Weakness: While in interview process I noticed that weakness in reasoning and and lack
of information about general knowledge that might be a reason of loosing job. In interview
process some times candidates got panic and they do not give proper response which includes in
weakness of interview round (Zhang and et.al., 2015).
CONCLUSION
From above report it has been concluded that personal and professional development are
essential aspects of all industry that helps to run a business effective by solving problems.
Different approaches like behaviourism, social learning and humanistic helps to increase skills,
competency and ability to complete the task on certain time. Moreover, interview process helps
to select right candidates for right job. Development programme helps to manage time, solve
conflict and problem solving in an organisation.