University HRM Career Plan Essay: Skills and Competencies Analysis

This essay provides a detailed analysis of a student's career plan to become a human resource manager in the hospitality sector. The essay begins with an introduction to the role of an HR manager in this industry, highlighting the need for a broad range of skills. The student outlines their post-graduation career plans, focusing on the first 12 months, which include gaining theoretical knowledge and practical skills. The essay analyzes key competencies such as communication, critical thinking, decision-making, and customer service, contrasting them with existing theories and literature. The student reflects on their current skill levels, identifying strengths and areas for improvement, and proposes career development activities to enhance communication and decision-making skills, including attending seminars and seeking feedback. The essay concludes by emphasizing the importance of aligning career development with market demands and the rapid changes in technology, especially in the hospitality sector.

Running head: DEVELOPING PEOPLE AND HIGH PERFORMANCE ORGANISATION
Developing People and High Performance Organisation
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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Introduction
This is essay is a detailed analysis of the career plans on human resource manager in
the hospitality sector. Hospitality sector is a variety of business starting from hotels and
restaurants to membership clubs and tourism based enterprise that solely rely on multitude of
jobs and conditions of employment. This means that jobs that mostly require a long series of
skills. Therefore, the role of a human resource manager in this context is significantly broad.
Human resource managers in the hospitality sector play the role of recruiting, training,
managing employee data as well as taking steps to retain people. Thus, to be successful in
this role, one has to have a good knowledge of labour legislation as well as experience with
respect to hiring for different roles and levels of management. Major purpose of this essay is
to analyse and discuss a suitable career plan as the human resource managing focussing
fundamentally on skills and competencies required which are, in the discussion, contrasted
with existing theories and literature.
Career plans post-graduation
As a future human resource manager, I have set both long-term and short-term plans.
Firstly, I would complete my academic studies on human resource manager and functions in
the hospitality sector. When pursuing post-graduation in human resource manager, first 12
months would be learning and gaining theoretical skills and knowledge regarding the
managerial roles and activities in human resource. Since my idea job is human resource
manager in the hospitality sector, I would focus on an extended roles of manager in stated
area. I would focus on designing about the hiring plans for the hotels departments on the
basis of seasonal needs. I would pay attention to the skills of taking interviews and assessing
job candidates, managing compensation as well as the benefits plan. However, my major

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primary focus would be on communication, decision-making skills and customer service
skills.
Analysis
According to Hoque (2013), human resource management responsibilities in the
hospitality sector requires an overlapping set of skills and competencies including both
technical and specific employability. It is worth stating that communication is one such skill
highly required to become a HR manager. Nieves and Quintana (2018) opined that primary
functions of typical HR professional’s job could incorporate facilitating discussion between
employee and employers. Riley (2014) arguably stated that if a human resource manager is
not able to communicate properly they are less likely to be successful. This means that the
candidate should focus on both oral and written skills needed to effectively transmit
information.
Conversely, when it comes to employability skill required in a human resource
manager, critical thinking skill is another significant skill. Sheehan, Ellinger and Ellinger,
(2014) mentioned that crucial thinking is known as the ‘sweet spot’ of more desired
employed traits. Solnet, Kralj and Baum (2015) stated that HR manager should frequently
balance complex situation as well as take their time to consider with a set-in-stone technique
as well as outside the box thinking. Thereby, I also believe in the fact that HR professional
should strategically cultivate an environment in which all can work together towards the
enhancement of business.Likewise, decision-making skill is another skill that an HR
manager must be aware, as there is a lot of decision-making involved in human resource.
According to Davids (2013), the most significant example during the recruitment technique,
where the managers have to decide whether an applicant is an appropriate choice for position
or not. DeCenzo, Robbins and Verhulst (2016) argued that identifying effective talent is not

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something one could gain easily. This means it could require appropriate strategy, experience
as well as the intuition. So, such areas need to be enhanced especially when dealing with the
dilemma of downsizing.
Customer service is another significant skill that every professional in the hospitality
sector should be know because the entire hospitality sector is based on the quality of
customer services that organizations provide. Human resource manager when designing skills
and competencies of employees, should consider customer service skill (Debortoli, Müller
and vom Brocke 2014). Each level of employees in the business should know the value of
their customers. Since, I have not worked in a service industry, my skills regarding managing
customers are not adequate and moreover, needs and demands of customers in service
industry have become are changing. Thus, customer service skills need to be enhanced.
Nonetheless, employability skills are not the only area that HR professionals should
focus on when becoming HR manager in the hospitality sector should also focus on technical
skills. Noe Hollenbeck et al. (2017) mentioned that HR professional should have knowledge
about social media handling. For example, I must have to have basic knowledge of how
social media tool or platform actually works as it could help me to screen different potential
job candidates and give them cold calls. Debortoli, Müller and vom Brocke (2014) argued
that use of software is the most basic element that every individual in the field sh0uld know;
for instance human resource information software is a significant example of the juncture IT
and HR function via software. On the contrary, Bratton and Gold (2017) mentioned about
having knowledge of cloud technology is more of a skill that HR professional requires to run
the employee based operation. In response to this statement, Bakker and Demerouti (2014)
argued that due to increased mobility, anytime, anywhere access could soon be the
requirement of hour for most systems. This could include HR system.

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When reflecting on my own skills of communication and decision making, I have
realized the fact that my communication skills need to be enhanced. I sometimes find it
difficult to communicate with people in a group but a one to one communication has yet not
been a challenge for me. Baum (2015) mentioned the fact that human resource field often
requires a lot of thinking because the team remains in charge of recruitment such as series of
interview. However, for example, when I am supposed to take a group interview, it could be
challenging. On the other side, I presently have few limitations in decision-making. Due to
my uncontrollable impulsion, I often end up taking wrong decision in dilemma. So, I believe
that to support critical organizational functions, I need to enhance my decision-making skill.
Conversely, I secured a good position in technical skill. I must state the fact that I have run a
bunch of marketing pages in Facebook and Intagram to understand the views of people
regarding the dynamics of management. I am experienced in using the Google drive as all my
study materials are neatly saved in my own Google drive. It will not take me long to grab the
emerging technical skills when performing the role of a human resource manager.
Identification
When reviewing the existing theories, I found that my analytical skill is effective
enough to analyse any situation. When analysing particular situation I seek both the negative
and positive sides. When making judgment about the situation, I prefer to listen to both the
sides of the story and use my past experience to make the final call. On the other side,
technology is something that always inspires. I tend to take follow-up of the technology
advances and especially understanding the importance of social media, I go through all
marketing pages to learn how products, services and people are managed by organizations
today. Nevertheless, I find my growing weakness in communication and decision-making
school. During the group presentation, for example, in my high school, I was the team lead
and I was supposed to give presentation on behalf of every other member in the group in the

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class. However, I was failed to speak properly and during the speech I forgot my lines. In
addition to this, the project was delayed due to the decision I took about modifying the least
moment.
In order to work in weak areas as stated above, I have developed few career development
goals in which I have particularly focussed on two major areas such as communication and
decision making.
Activities Current
performance
Things need to
improve
Feedback
from
others
Time required
Communication
skills
Presently, I have
a very poor level
of
communication I
get stuck when I
communicate
with people
I need to focus
on the areas of
group
communication,
public
communication
by attending
seminars,
conference, etc
I would
take
feedback
from my
teachers ,
supervisors
and senior
colleagues
To achieve a
good level of
communication,
I may take at
least year
Decision-making My existing
competencies in
decision making
needs care, as I
am not good at
handling
challenging
I need to
enhance my
decision-
making skill by
taking the lead
of all sort of
critical situation
I would
collect
feedback
from my
supervisors
after the
This will take 6
months

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situation, or any
sort of urgent
event
both in the
academy and in
workplace
event
Customer Service Existing skills of
managing
customers in
relatively poor as
I have not
communicated
with consumers
before under a
real world
situation
I need to
enhance my
customer
services skills
by doing an
internship in a
hospitality
organization
where I can
directly
communicate
with consumers
I will
collect
feedback
from the
supervisors
of proposed
hospitality
setting
This might take
almost a year
Identify the milestones or indicators of success
In order to identify the success, I would go by the pre-set milestone and based on the
milestones I would prepare my career development activities. The milestone of achieving a
good communication skill is, taking the lead of 5 public events in which I will deliver the
speech on behalf of team at the event. After achieving the number of events, I would collect
feedback from my supervisors and during the journey I would measure successes received in
the first event and then in the third event. Likewise, to deal my analytical skill, I would take
the hold of all stressful situation during my academic course to overcome my weak areas. I
would take up three different situation based on the urgency.

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Conclusion
This is essay was an analysis of the career plans on human resource manager in the
hospitality sector. Purpose of this essay was to analyse and discuss a suitable career plan as
the human resource managing focussing fundamentally on skills and competencies required
during the real world operation. It is worth stating that career development plan of human
resource manager should be aligned with the external mare needs and demands because the
market environment especially in the hospitality sectors have been changing rapidly. Statics
approach towards managing human resource in the sector may not be effective. In addition,
technology is another area that every manager in the field should be aware because changes
in the use of technology is rapid. Use of technology should be incorporated in every
department of hospitality services.

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References
Bakker, A.B. and Demerouti, E., 2014. Job demands–resources theory. Wellbeing: A
complete reference guide, pp.1-28.
Baum, T., 2015. Human resources in tourism: Still waiting for change?–A 2015
reprise. Tourism Management, 50, pp.204-212.
Bratton, J. and Gold, J., 2017. Human resource management: theory and practice. Palgrave.
Davids, K., Araújo, D., Correia, V. and Vilar, L., 2013. How small-sided and conditioned
games enhance acquisition of movement and decision-making skills. Exercise and sport
sciences reviews, 41(3), pp.154-161.
Debortoli, S., Müller, O. and vom Brocke, J., 2014. Comparing business intelligence and big
data skills. Business & Information Systems Engineering, 6(5), pp.289-300.
DeCenzo, D.A., Robbins, S.P. and Verhulst, S.L., 2016. Fundamentals of Human Resource
Management, Binder Ready Version. John Wiley & Sons.
Hoque, K., 2013. Human resource management in the hotel industry: Strategy, innovation
and performance. Routledge.
Nieves, J. and Quintana, A., 2018. Human resource practices and innovation in the hotel
industry: The mediating role of human capital. Tourism and Hospitality Research, 18(1),
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Noe, R.A., Hollenbeck, J.R., Gerhart, B. and Wright, P.M., 2017. Human resource
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Riley, M., 2014. Human resource management in the hospitality and tourism industry.
Routledge.

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