Self-assessment of skills and competences

This report discusses the importance of continuous professional development, employer expectations of skills and competencies, self-assessment of skills and abilities, learning theories for professional development, and more. It also provides a detailed professional development plan and tips for a job interview. Suitable for students studying HR or related subjects.

Self-assessment of skills
and competences

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
L O 1................................................................................................................................................3
Key benefits of continuous professional development for various stakeholders.........................3
Employer expectation of skills and competencies within the organisation.................................4
L O 2................................................................................................................................................5
Assessment of own skills, abilities and competencies in relation with managerial position.......5
Review of learning theories for professional development process............................................6
Critical evaluation of own skills and competencies to meet expectation of employer................7
Conclusion...................................................................................................................................7
L O 3................................................................................................................................................8
Appropriate format of professional development plan................................................................8
Detailed development plan by applying learning and development theory.................................9
L O 4................................................................................................................................................2
Job interview for managerial position..........................................................................................2
Critical reflection of interview process........................................................................................2
Concluding statement...................................................................................................................3
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................4

INTRODUCTION
Skills means the ability to perform a particular task within a given time period. For
example – time management, leadership etc. Whereas, competency refers to sufficiency of skills
and knowledge that assist individual to act in different types of situations (Mendes and Machado,
2015). The Report is based on Travelodge Hotel Limited. The company operates in hospitality
industry. It was founded in year 1985. Headquarter of the hotel is located in England, UK. The
Report will outline value of on-going professional development for various stakeholders,
expectation of employer in respect of key skills and competencies, assessment of own skills and
abilities, different learning theories for professional development. It will also describe
comprehensive professional development plan, job interview, own strengths and weaknesses
during interview process.
L O 1
Key benefits of continuous professional development for various stakeholders.
On-going professional development refers to the procedure of providing training and
development of professional skills and knowledge through interactive, participation based and
independent learning.
There are various advantages of continuous professional development for stakeholders of
Travelodge Hotel. These are as follows -
For employees :
Management of the company should make efforts for continuous professional
development of employees as it will offer various benefits. The programmes for on-going
development will help to improve skills and knowledge that are required in workers for overall
development. These programmes will show that employees are being valued by the company that
helps to improve the level of job satisfaction. Moreover, professional development programmes
also helps to build confidence in workers. It will help Travelodge Hotel to retain talented
employees in the organisation for long period of time.
For management :
Professional development of workers greatly influences the practices of management in
relation with human resource. Continuous professional development of employees helps to

improve employee skills and abilities due to which supervisors of Travelodge will have to
exercise less supervision and control over workers.
For organisation :
Continuous professional development offers various advantages for the company.
Improvement in skills and abilities of employees will help business to improve productivity of
work that helps to increase the profits of company (Nguyen, Bevis and Lamborn, 2018).
For society :
Continuous professional development of the employees also offers various advantages to
the society. Talented and skilled workforce of Travelodge will help in optimum utilization of the
resources and they will also help to create positive impact of the activities of the firm on
environment and society.
Employer expectation of skills and competencies within the organisation.
The expectations of professional employer from human resource manager is as follows -
Employee relations -
It is one of the major competency that human resource manager must have in order to
perform different roles of HR Manager in the organisation. Employer of Travelodge Hotel
expects that employee should have ability to develop better working environment for all other
employees. They must have ability to manage conflicts among individuals or group.
Human Resource Information Software -
According to HR Payroll Systems the term Human Resource Information System refers
to the intersection of information technology and human resource through HR software.
Employer of Travelodge Hotel expects that person applying to the post of human resource
manager should have knowledge of operating HR software. They must know tools that are used
in maintaining HR payroll etc. (Jackson, 2015).
Communication skills -
Most of the jobs requires the ability to communicate effectively with insiders as well as
outsiders. Employer of Travelodge Hotel expects that manager of human resource department
should have excellent communication skills like understanding of proper grammar along with
legible handwriting is also essential.
Interpersonal skills -

Mostly, employers expects manager should get along while performing their duties.
Therefore, it is expected that Human Resource Manager should have the competency to
determine ways for dealing with employees. So that, workers will perform duties as a team.
Further, this skill is also required for resolving disputes between employees.
Problem solving skills -
The employer of Travelodge expects that to fill the post of Human Resource Manager,
employee should have the skill of solving difficult problems in effective manner. It includes skill
such as researching skill, emotional intelligence, risk management, decision-making skill etc.
L O 2
Assessment of own skills, abilities and competencies in relation with managerial position.
The assessment of self skills, abilities and competencies for the post of Human Resource
Manager with the help of SWOT analysis is as follows -
SWOT analysis -
It refers to the tool that helps to analyse internal strengths and weaknesses as well as
threats and opportunities that are present in external environment (Ortiz, Region-Sebest and
MacDermott, 2016). Own SWOT analysis is as follows -
Strengths :
 One of the major strength is that I am having excellent interpersonal skills.
 I am possessing good communication skills. Competent for working as a team member.
Weaknesses :
 One of my major weakness is that I am lacking the skill of time management.
 I am lacking problem solving skills. Lack of competency of delegating tasks.
Threats : Does not have all the required skills and competencies therefore, I am feeling insecure
that other candidates may get employment on the post of Human Resource Manager.
Opportunities :
 I am having opportunity to develop the skills that are lacking in me. This will help me to
get employment as HR Manager.
Belbin team roles -

According to Belbin team roles there are various characteristics of the team. Every
member of the team possesses certain pattern of behaviour that defines the behaviour of
individual with another that supports the progress of team. All group members share their ideas,
opinion with each other. It helps to promote transparency in communication (Phadermrod,
Crowder and Wills, 2019).
Further, I possess the characteristics of team worker such as helps to cooperate with
others, listen to the opinion of others, perceptive etc. Moreover, I also possess the characteristics
of implementer. I help to develop an effective strategy for better group performance, organizes
work in proper manner , reliable, practical in difficult situations, efficient etc. (Lynch and et.al,
2018).
Review of learning theories for professional development process.
Learning theories can be defined as arranged set of principles that defines how the
individuals recall, acquire and retain knowledge. There are different types of learning theories
that helps to understand the process in which learning happens. Principles of these theories can
be applied as a guidelines that help to choose techniques and strategies that promote learning
(Walker, 2017).
Behaviourism -
The theory is developed by B.F. Skinner. It is one of the major learning theory that
focuses only on the behaviour which is objectively observable and discounts any self-centred
activities of the mind. The theory believes that, knowledge of the person exists independently
and outside of the people. As per this theory, new type of behaviour or changes in the behaviour
is achieved through association between response and stimuli (Bada and Olusegun, 2015).
Therefore, association between stimuli and response leads to change in the behaviour of person.
The theory can be applied to rote work, repetitive practice, providing incentive to perform more,
establishing rules etc. Learner is only prepared for recalling automatic responses, basic facts and
performing tasks etc.
Cognitivism -
This theory was developed by Jean Piaget. The theory of cognitive information
processing is based upon the process of thought behind the behaviour. This theory is dependent
upon the idea that people processes the information they collect rather than only responding
towards the stimuli. The theory is used when the assimilator plays a major role in generating

ways to understand and process the information that was received by the learner and relate the
details to what is already stored within the memory (Koonce and et.al, 2019). It believes that, the
process of learning happens with the help of internal processing of the information. Cognitivism
is governed by internal process and not by external situations. There are various applications of
the theory of cognitive learning. Such as classifying information, providing structure,
discussions, problem solving, linking concepts etc. The learning includes revision of the
experience either through new vision or by modifying existing vision.
Constructivism -
The theory believes that in the process of learning individuals develop new concepts and
ideas on the basis of prior experience and/or knowledge. This theory is used by organisation for
preparing individuals to solve complex problems. Therefore, learners require a significant base
of knowledge to create and interpret ideas. According to the theory, results are not always
predictable because assimilator develops own knowledge. Therefore, the theory does not work
when outcomes are required to be consistent (Mazzotti and et.al, 2018).
Critical evaluation of own skills and competencies to meet expectation of employer.
There are various skills that are present in me and there are also some skills and abilities
that are lacking in me. I analyse that, I am possessing interpersonal skills. I have the ability to
use different strategies and tactics to effectively interact with other people. During group
presentation in my college I have demonstrated interpersonal skills by interacting with other
team members. Further, I am also having good skill of communicating with others. I possess the
ability to observe, listen, speak and communicate new ideas to other people.
I have analysed that, I do not possess time management skills. I don't have ability to
prioritize different activities. Therefore, I have to make efforts for improving the skill of
managing time in effective manner. Moreover, I am lacking the skill of problem solving. I often
face difficulties in researching on a new topic, managing risk and difficulty in solving complex
problems.
Conclusion
The above Report has outlined that, continuous professional development helps to
provide various advantages for different stakeholders. It helps to improve job satisfaction level of
employees and also help customers to buy better quality products. Further, it has been concluded
that behaviourism theory believes that the knowledge of the person exists independently.

L O 3
Appropriate format of professional development plan.
Professional development plan -
It can be described as an individual development plan that helps to carry out strategy and
goals related with the career. It requires effective planning and time to create a PDP. It helps
individual to determine and develop professional skills that are required to achieve the goals and
keep on track for gaining success. The appropriate format for developing professional
development plan is as follows -
Skill Objective Action Resources Target
First step is to determine current position – Firstly, individual will have to assess the
things they are performing over the past year.
Identification of specific goals related with career – It is important to determine what
success is mean to the person. Whether the individual would like to be in 5 years time.
Collect information – Now, short term and long term goals will be identified. What
steps will be required to attain the position etc.
Evaluating own professional skills - Now, it will be determined that what type of
professional skills are desirable for taking ideal career path.
Deciding strategy – After determining the areas that should be focussed on, now it the
solution will be decided. It includes action and resources that are required to achieve the target.
Developing a timeline – Now, it is decided that when to achieve the desired goals and
developing time frame is a major factor.
Evaluating the plan - At this stage, plan will be evaluated to ensure that the individual
can achieve the targets on time.
Measuring the progress – At last, progress will be measured on regular basis.

Detailed development plan by applying learning and development theory.
Skill Audit -
Quality of work to improve Not confident 100% 100% confident
TIME MANAGEMENT
I manage to finish my work before the deadline by organising my work.
I'm facing troubles with work I know where to get help.
I can organise myself when it comes to time management if I have a lot of
pending work.
To remind myself of lectures, seminars and meeting I keep a diary for this
purpose.
PROBLEM SOLVING
I have the ability to work with a team without any disputes or fights when the
task is allotted.
I always think of different options I could solve a problem from. I can solve
non-academic and academic problems from different solutions of an issue.
I can find out result from any given task.
I can break down an issue into simpler parts.
COMMUNICATION

Professional development plan -
Long term objective:
To get employment in Travelodge Hotel on the post of Human Resource Manager.
Short term objective: To develop the required skills.
Skill Objective Action/Strategies Resources Target
Time
management skill
To prioritize
different types of
activities on the
basis of their
importance.
I will attend classes
after attending
main classes in the
University.
I will read
books related
with time
management
such as getting
things done etc.
2 months
Problem solving
skill
To develop the
skill of dividing
complex problem
into smaller parts.
I will approach my
tutor to support me
in developing
necessary skill of
solving complex
problems.
I will read
books on
problem solving
like The Art of
problem solving
etc.
1 month
Communication
skill
To improve my
presentation skills
and ability to
effectively
communicate with
others.
I will join English
coaching classes to
develop my
communication
skills.
I will read
magazine and
newspaper on
daily basis.
Such as
business
standard.
3 months
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Giving a presentation there is an ability in the people of confidence.
People are explained new things by the power of confidence.

Outcome of learning and training – The outcome of learning and training is that it will help to
improve the skills that are not effective or which are lacking. Further, it will help to perform job
role of human resource manager in proper manner.
Learning and development theories – The theory used for learning and development is
behavioural theory. As per behavioural theory, new type of behaviour or changes in the
behaviour is attained through association between response and stimuli. This has help to develop
necessary skills.
L O 4
Job interview for managerial position.
Interviewer- Why should we hire you and why you intend to leave your current job.
Interviewee- I do enjoy the current job because the working place have range of employers who
belongs to different culture and they support me as well. But now I am looking for more
responsibility with new and fresh challenges so that I grow my abilities in better way. Even I
also completed variety of project from starting to end but currently the advancement
opportunities are scarce at my current job and that is why, I want to leave my job and grab some
new option as well.
Interviewer: Do you prefer working with others?
Interviewee: it depends upon the situation such that I enjoy working alone when necessary as I
don't need to be constantly reassured of my work. But on the other side, I would also like to
prefer work with others in a group as I believe that working together will help to attain the
defined goals in better way and we all share our own experience which is somehow help us to
prevent from wrong decision. Thus, I easily mould myself into the work wherever it is necessary.
Interviewer: How did you get along with different types of people?
Interviewee: As I know that the work place is completely filled with variety of people and they
all are able to handle different situation as well. I work well with anyone who delivers exactly
what they promises. So, majority of the cases, I will try to work with those are experienced so
that I may easily enhance current skills so that it will be help in my future as well.
Interviewer - Whether you possess necessary skills for the job of human resource manager.
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Interviewee: As per interview, I think that I possess good communication and presentation skills
that is why, I present myself in better way. This will help me to perform job in effective way.
Critical reflection of interview process.
Initially I feel so nervous related to interview but when the interviewer greets me and ask
question in very calm and polite way that is quite impressive and the overall interview process is
so good. I think that I possess strong communication skills because I answered all question
without any hesitation and that reflect that I have a strong confidence to present my views to
others. But on the other side, I critically evaluated that I am lacking numeracy skills and IT skills
which may affect my future career. It is so because, when I said during an interview that
currently the advancement opportunities are scarce at my current job which reflect that I lack
skills related to IT and that is why, I want to switch my job. As per my view, I think presenting
myself in clear way during an interview will definitely leave a positive impression upon the
interviewer because it help them to identify whether the candidate is actually deserve the vacant
position or not.
In the same way, I also analysed that I possess good presentation skills because I
answered all the question promptly that is actually a interviewer is expected. The same I did
during an interview and I also think that the whole process shows that I prefer to work in any
situation because when the question is asked How did you get along with different types of
people, I explained them in very clear manner that I am actually looking those opportunities
where I easily enhance my current experience as well as knowledge and the same I did.
Moreover, I also analysed that having good communication and presentation skills is not
sufficient to be a good HR Manager which I want to be (van Esch, Wei and Chiang, 2018). But
for that, I actually enhance my current knowledge and also raise my critical thinking abilities as
well. Because it helps to be there where I want to be. Lastly, I also realize that HR Manager post
I must have good negotiation skills so that I may easily convince other wherever it needed. Also,
I think that I should start working to learn financial skills so that it will help me to be a good HR
manager in near future.
Concluding statement.
By summing up above, it has been concluded that I possess good communication and
presentation skills that helps to face interview in better manner. Such that I realize that there is a
need to improve my negotiation and IT skills and that is why, personal development plan is used
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so that it will help them to improve the skills and which can be used in near future as well
(Shabbir, Shariff and Shahzad, 2016).
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals -
Bada, S.O. and Olusegun, S., 2015. Constructivism learning theory: A paradigm for teaching and
learning. Journal of Research & Method in Education. 5(6). pp.66-70.
Jackson, D., 2015. Employability skill development in work-integrated learning: Barriers and
best practice. Studies in Higher Education. 40(2). pp.350-367.
Koonce, M., and et.al, 2019. Principal Engagement in the Professional Development Process.
NASSP Bulletin. 103(3). pp.229-252.
Lynch, D.S., and et.al, 2018. Belbin Team Roles. The Handbook of Communication Training: A
Best Practices Framework for Assessing and Developing Competence.
Mazzotti, V.L., and et.al, 2018. Steps for implementing a state-level professional development
plan for secondary transition. Career Development and Transition for Exceptional
Individuals. 41(1). pp.56-62.
Mendes, L. and Machado, J., 2015. Employees’ skills, manufacturing flexibility and
performance: a structural equation modelling applied to the automotive industry.
International Journal of Production Research. 53 (13). pp.4087-4101.
Nguyen, T., Bevis, M. and Lamborn, J., 2018. Reflective practice in continuous professional
development. In 29th Australasian Association for Engineering Education Conference
2018 (AAEE 2018) (p. 513). Engineers Australia.
Ortiz, L.A., Region-Sebest, M. and MacDermott, C., 2016. Employer perceptions of oral
communication competencies most valued in new hires as a factor in company
success. Business and Professional Communication Quarterly. 79(3). pp.317-330.
Phadermrod, B., Crowder, R.M. and Wills, G.B., 2019. Importance-performance analysis based
SWOT analysis. International Journal of Information Management. 44. pp.194-203.
Shabbir, M.S., Shariff, M.N.M. and Shahzad, A., 2016. A conceptual development of
entrepreneurial skills and entrepreneurial intentions: A case of IT employees in Pakistan.
International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences. 6(3),
pp.65-78.
van Esch, E., Wei, L.Q. and Chiang, F.F., 2018. High-performance human resource practices and
firm performance: The mediating role of employees’ competencies and the moderating
role of climate for creativity. The International Journal of Human Resource
Management. 29(10). pp.1683-1708.
Walker, S., 2017. Learning theory and behaviour modification. Routledge.
Online -
Learning theories. 2017. Online Available Through :
<http://thepeakperformancecenter.com/educational-learning/learning/theories/>
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