Professional Development and Skills Assessment Report for Hilton Hotel

This report delves into the realm of professional development, focusing on the hospitality industry with the Hilton Hotel as a case study. It begins with an overview of the organization, outlining expected skills and competencies for roles such as customer service relationship manager and front office manager, emphasizing the importance of verbal and non-verbal communication, empathy, attentiveness, and presentation skills. The report then evaluates the benefits of ongoing professional and personal development, highlighting increased employee retention, easier planning, and maximized confidence. It explores learning theories like Kolb’s learning cycle and self-directed learning approaches. A critical self-evaluation, utilizing models like Gibb’s reflective cycle and VARK learning styles, assesses abilities in time management, verbal communication, and attentiveness. Finally, the report includes a personal development plan and a critical reflection of the interview process.

PROFESSIONAL IDENTITY
AND PRACTICE

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
PART A...........................................................................................................................................3
Overview of organisation.............................................................................................................3
Expected skills and competencies for different role....................................................................3
Evaluation of benefits and importance of ongoing professional and personal development.....5
Learning theories and approaches................................................................................................6
Critical evaluation of own abilities, skills and competences.......................................................7
Best development approach.........................................................................................................8
PART B ...........................................................................................................................................9
Learning and development theory...............................................................................................9
Personal development plan........................................................................................................10
PART C..........................................................................................................................................13
Critical reflection of interview process......................................................................................13
CONCLUSION .............................................................................................................................15
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................16

INTRODUCTION
Professional development refers to a process of observing skills on regular basis either by
participating in activities and events or by taking experience from the past work. Both Formal
and informal means are connected to professional development. It is a skills tracking process
where skills are evaluated before any training procedure. It can be overcome through self
directed learning or by a means of external training. Hospitality industry deals with providing
full services to customers either in terms of rooms hotels or resorts. Present study laid emphases
on Hotel Hilton. It is a multinational hospitality industry where it provides full services from
lodging to food and beverage sector. Its headquartered is in McLean, U.S. This report discuss
about skills and competencies that are found in a specified job role. Then it will include a
personal development plan where lacking skills are planned to develop.
PART A
Overview of organisation
Hilton hotel and resort is an American multinational hospitality industry. It is categorised
under one of the best global brands which has a service to provide hotels and resort services. It
was founded by Conrad Hilton on May 31, 1919. There are around more than 570 hotels present
in all over the world. It has existence in 85 countries including territories. These whole branches
of hotel Hilton are managed by independent operators.
Generally hotel Hilton is present near famous locations like airport, tourist destination
place or region and any other convention centres. Hilton provide exclusive discount for those
customers who are booking directly through Hilton website. Even mobile applications are also
available where customer has facility to choose a specific room. First hotel was founded in 1925
in Dallas, Texas. Its name is given as Dallas Hilton. Latest, Hilton plan to start its new first
branch in Bangladesh architected by Mustapha khalid Palash.
Expected skills and competencies for different role.
A customer service relationship manager has a responsibility to handle customers from
initial level to final end till then they get satisfied. A customer raises queries against facilities in
provided service. To handle customers is not an easy task, it requires so many skills and
competencies to get attention of customers and to convince them for avail services (Neimeyer,
Taylor and Cox, 2012). Solving queries of customers relate to booking is also a role of customer
service relationship manager. Another role is of front office manager where different skills are
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required. Although some skills can be same for both the roles of customer relationship manager
and front office manager. Hence, some skills and competencies which need to be found in
employees of customer service are described below:
skills for customer relationship manager
Verbal and non verbal communication
This is a skill which is very essential for an employee who deals with customers. Non
verbal communication is based on written communication where they communicate thorough
written chats. It can be even in form of written contracts on legal basis. Written communication
can be done either through mails or chats, or by a legal contract signed (Richardson and et. al.,
2015). Now, verbal communication is oral communication and this is the fastest way to solve
queries regarding the services of Hotel Hilton.
Empathy
This is a skill which is required in employee to handle every type of customer.
Satisfaction of customer is must for every industry. Hotel Hilton has also same criteria, therefore
a role of customer service relationship manager will be fully govern by those who has high
patience level and high empathy feature in their nature. A customer can raise any type of
questions to Hotel Hilton customer service employees, but to handle with patience and good will
is in hand of a manager.
Skills for front office manager
Attentive
This can be categorised under competencies where a manager has responsibility to be
attentive for every aspect which is running inside hotel or outside (Jackson, 2015). It can be
related to any economical news or any competitive news. This helped to make customer satisfied
and also to provide them a new service for winning competition. Therefore, Hotel Hilton front
office manager manager is concentrated and focussed on their work which makes them attentive.
Presentation skills
This skill is important for front office manager. When a customer enter hotel\,than its
only a front office manager who explains all the facilities. So, its important to have presentation
skills in attitude and behaviour of manager.
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Evaluation of benefits and importance of ongoing professional and personal development
Ongoing professional development refers to a consistent development in skills and
competencies to get higher growth and success in career. But fist is need of identification of
weaker areas where development is required. Benefits and importance of continuous professional
development are discussed below:
Increase in retentivity
This benefit is for organisation where development in skills will increase retention of
employees. they organise some training activities for employees to improve their skills (Jackson,
2016). It helps them for achieving business objectives within specified time. It makes employees
interested towards hotel Hilton and to work with same organisation for longer time (5 BENEFITS
OF PROFEESIONAL DEVELOPMENT 2018)
Planning easier
it is an importance of professional development where professional career makes an
employee confident towards their knowledge. It makes them greedy to expand their network in
other places too. Same is with hotel Hilton managers, when they are full confident in achieving
success through learning and development; they plan to open a new branch of hotel at any other
place or country (Heller, 2017). It makes the process of making decisions easier.
Benefits and importance of ongoing personal development
Maximize confidence
This is a benefit for an individual employee. Enhanced skills makes employee confident
for their work. It can be observed and recorded through achieved goals and targets. A unique
behaviour is gained in employee of hotel Hilton after attaining raining and seminar programs. It
makes them confident to make decisions easily
Career growth
This is an importance of ongoing personal development where an individual improves
their attitude and behaviours for career growth. Improvement is necessary for growth only.
Employees who work in Hotel Hilton ate more subjected to hard work. They are doing for
getting promotions and rewards.
Career prospect is dependent on learning and growth of an individual. Learning is
essential for making improvement in work performance for achieving business objectives. It is
not an easy task for everyone to identify their lacking areas and develop them. It takes time and
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need concentration towards overcoming skills and competencies in their behaviour and attitude.
Ongoing professional development and personal development enhances the opportunities for an
employee to reach to a higher position by gaining experience and learning.
Learning theories and approaches
Ongoing professional development is not an easy task; therefore some theories are there
which helps an individual to develop their skills for improvement in their work process. Even
some approaches are also their which support individual to make learning efficient:
theory and approach for professional development:
Kolb’s learning cycle:
This learning cycle comprised of four steps which help in procedure of learning and
making it efficient. It depends on physiological aspects that an individual faced during their
career. Four steps of Kolb’s learning cycle are as follows:
Concrete experience:
This step refers to an experience which an employee gains during their work process. It
can be in both terms positive and negative. But in process of learning, an individual need to
focus on negative experience where it can identify the weaker areas. These experiences teach a
person a lot and give them a chance to overcome these negativities so that whenever same
situation occurs, positive outcomes will get.
Reflective observation:
This step is to understand the things that are gained during experience. While having
negative experience, an individual has a responsibility to understand the areas between
experience and learning. Development needs identification first, and this step is to identify only
and to separate the positive and negative outcomes (Bolden, 2016).
Abstract conceptualisation:
This step is to make modification in existing process after learning. Only identification is
not enough for an individual for having growth in their career. Implementation is must.
Employees can go through a training process for their improvement in skills. After proper
learning, they can apply in their existing process for improve their work performance.
Active experimentation:
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This step is to check the effectiveness of implied step in existing process. Past
experience makes learning while active experience refers to enhance career chances for getting a
higher position or promoted in organisation. This is to evaluate the outcomes of learning made.
Theory and approach for personal development:
Self- directed learning approach
This is an approach where individual do not be dependent on others for making
improvement in their work process. A person who is doing regular work stuck at a position
where they see others having more improved skills as compared to self. But if this is taken as
positive sense, then it gives a chance to learn from them (DiPaola and Wagner, 2018). This is a
process of self directed learning where individual learns for observing others. It is an easier
approach where employee can directs them in experienced person routine and adopts their
qualities in self work process. This helps to improve their skills in less time.
Critical evaluation of own abilities, skills and competences
Two self evaluations models are used to evaluate abilities, skills and competences for a
customer relationship manager. Models are Gibb’s reflective cycle and VARK learning where
identification of a particular skill is done. Under that skill, what are the stronger and weaker
areas identified and understood. Based on these two models, a skill audit is made for customer
relationship manager which is as follows:
TIME MANAGEMENT COMPLETE PARTIAL NULL
I manage time very efficiently and achieve
targets on time.

I schedule time table and follows regularly. 
I reach at hotel on time and do not delay any
process.

I am good in time managing for delivering
services to customer.

VERBAL COMMUNICATION COMPLETE PARTIAL NULL
I effectively communicate with customers and
make them satisfied.

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I am good in attracting customers with my
verbal skills.

I can communicate with customers from
different regions as well in their own
language.

I am fluent speaker and good in present skills. 
ATTENTIVE COMPLETE PARTIAL NULL
I am active about competitive environment. 
I know about the economical news regarding
fare price of customers for solving queries of
customers.

I am good in fulfil customer demands and
remember their demands for long time.

I am active towards new services and new
changes in hotel.

Above stated models like Gibb's and VARK model which is used for self evaluation has
benefited to make this personal skill audit. Gobb's model is based on reflection where individual
get to know the process of self evaluation. VARK model represents the learning techniques that
helps an individual for evaluating self weaknesses. Hence, these two models are useful in
presenting this skill audit.
Best development approach
Self directed learning is analysed as best development approach for an individual to
enhance their skills and competences. It is a reflection process where one identifies their weaker
areas more efficiently as compared to other trainers. If weaker areas are identified then it
becomes easier for an individual to improve their skills. Self directed learning is good in a role of
customer relationship manager for identifying the skills in self which needs improvement. A
trainer doesn’t know individual skills where they can focus but self person knows their area.
They can learn from seniors by observing them and implementing them in work process (Perry,
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2017). It does not take any cost while a trainer takes. It also consumes less time as compared to
trainer.
PART B
Learning and development theory
Learning and development refers to a process where an individual focus on weaker areas,
take training or take advice from seniors to make improvement in their skills. It is a learning and
development process. Beside this, there are some theories which support an individual fro
developing their skills:
Goal setting theory:
This theory is beneficial for those employees who are bothered about achieving goals on
time. This theory explains that initial level of setting goals benefits to employees. Hilton Hotel
manager give advice to employees to apply goal setting theory in their work process. It helps
them to achieve targets within specified time. In this theory, step wise process is adopted for
achieving goals. It is beneficial to know the goals at advance step so that employees can prepare
their mind in advance which supports them to make strategies (Lewis and et.al., 2016). These
strategies make their process easier. This theory wants to stated that time managing is important.
For setting goals also needs time scheduling where individual follows that time table and achieve
targets.
Social learning theory:
This theory says about the observation of social impacts that can influence development
of an individual career. Surrounding environment affects skills of employees so much.
Employees who observe things from environment imply those in their profession career. A good
talented environment makes their performance better other vice-versa. It is based on observing
power. This theory is about learning and developing through observation and then implementing
in their work procedure. A positive mind can observe positivity in their surrounding while a
negative mind observe negativity only. So, it’s essential to have positive mind and learning from
experienced one. Employees in Hotel Hilton who are getting rewards and appraisal of their work
are best examples of trainers from whom other employees can learn. Even it motivates the
employees and makes their mind towards positivity to learn and develop their skills for getting
achievements (Osborne, Watson and Eaton, 2018).
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Personal development plan
Personal development plan is made by individual for developing their skills and
competences. In this an objective is set by individual for learning and developing. This plan
consists of time period at which employees makes their learning procedure for achieving set
objectives.
Objectiv
e
Prior
ity
Actions that
are need to be
taken
Time
perio
d
Sources What
support and
resources
will you
need
How will
you
measure
success
Time
manage
ment
HIGH  I will
manage
time by
making
time
table
regularly
and on
each day.
 I will
mange
time and
set
remainde
r for
deliver
services
to
customer
s on
Within
4
months
From
seniors and
trainers who
make me
learn and
develop my
skills.
I will need
advice from
seniors for
making a
time
schedule
which will
set my
behaviour
for
achieving
business
objectives.
When I
achieve
business
objectives
on time and
there will be
no pending
work.
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time.
Verbal
commu
nication
LOW  I will
take
training
from
English
professio
nals for
making
my
verbal
commun
icating
power
fluent.
 I will
practice
more and
more for
attractin
g more
customer
s with
my
innovati
ve ideas.
 I will try
to give
more
presentat
Within
6 to 8
months
.
 Fro
m
book
s and
jour
nals.
 Fro
m
seni
ors
and
man
ager
s.
I need a
trainer who
develops my
presentation
skill.
When I start
attracting
customers
towards my
skills.
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ion and
take a
habit of
speak
English
and other
language
s so that
i will be
able to
commun
icate
with
other
region
customer
s.
Attentiv
e
HIGH  I will
start
seeing
news to
know the
economi
cal news
so that
their
queries
regardin
g this, I
easily
solve.
Within
2
months
.
From
seniors and
trainers.
I need a
channel
which show
me and alert
me about
new
economical
changes.
When
anyone
asked me
about any
current
affair and I
am able to
answer that.
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 I will
start
noting in
my
record
and file
about
upcomin
g
customer
s and
their
demands
. So that
habit of
memory
loss will
be
overcom
e.
PART C
Critical reflection of interview process
I went to Hotel Hilton for interview procedure for the post of front office manager. I was
totally nervous that time because it was my first interview. At that time, i motivate myself and
then entered human resource(HR) office. When I entered, they asked me to introduce myself
first. I confidently answered that and says about all the achievements that I achieving during my
course work. There I grown a ability of presenting my self. Then they are asking some questions
related to my resume and my qualifications (Shamburg and et.al., 2016). there I feel some
lacking area in my attitude to say about my qualification percentage because it is not as much as
high as they are looking for. But then also, I said this with my confident abilities to make tem
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trusted towards my knowledge. Then at last they asked me about the roles and responsibilities of
front office manager. I was so happy to answer that because before coming in interview, I totally
gone through job description, which helps me a lot to answer that question. This shows me an
attentive ability of mine where I an active towards description to read that efficiently. This was
my experiences in interview of Hotel Hilton.
Strength and weaknesses
While giving interview, I feel some strength and weaknesses in my skills for front office
manager which are discussed below:
Strengths
 I feel that i am good in verbal communication. I can easily attract the persons who
interact with me.
 I have a confident personality because when i entered in HR office i am not in hesitate
condition. I was answering their questions very frankly and confidently.
Weaknesses
 I am very weak in current affairs sections. Interviewer asked me about some current
affair situations but even i don’t know about such any conditions. I have a habit of more thinking and then giving answers. It delayed my speed and create a
question in mind of interviewers.
Obstacles and challenges
During the job interview process, there are some barriers which makes my confident weak.
Even I face challenges to win that competition of interview. These are described below:
 I face a challenge of giving a example of front office manager to interviewer. I was doing
that first time and I don’t know the outcomes of doing that. Then I remember roles and
responsibilities of a front office manager then made such a case where these roles are
matched up.
 Then I face another obstacle of going late to HR office. Before coming of me to Hotel
Hilton, there are other candidates who are already in waiting list, it little afraid me of get
selected. But i motivate myself to give my 100 percent to interview and to attract them
towards my skills.
 An another challenge is found in my knowledge. I was an average student. They asked
me about some technical questions related to my field; there i feel that i have a little
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knowledge. I also realised that there is a big difference between practical concepts and
theoretical concepts.
CONCLUSION
This report summarised about ongoing professional development in career of an employee
in hospitality industry. Kolb’s learning cycle and self directed learning approaches are explained
which support learning and development process. Self directed learning is analysed as best
approach for learning because it consumes less time and give outcomes instantly with proper
implementation. A personal skill audit is made for customer relationship manager post where
different skills are observed by an individual one. Time management, verbal communication and
attentiveness are evaluated as skills that are needed in customer service relationship manager. A
personal development plan is made which has objective to overcome weaker areas within
specified time. This report concludes learning and development process which is needed for an
individual to get promotion and to improve their work performance consistently.
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Online
5 BENEFITS OF PROFEESIONAL DEVELOPMENT. 2018. [Online]. Available
through:<https://www.kaplanfinancial.com/resources/pdc/5-benefits-of-professional-
development/>.
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