Professional development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

Professional development - Essay Example Part 2 (1) Reflection on the nature of professionalism required in chosen career The chosen career is related to the management consultancy; the nature of professionalism required in the specific career will be depended on the following criteria: a) the personal skills and capabilities – as revealed through appropriately customized self-assessment questionnaires and through the feedback of colleagues and friends; b) the conditions of the target market, meaning the requirements set by employers for the specific job position, as these requirements have been identified though job adverts and the websites of organizations supporting the professional development of employees in the particular industry and c) the responses of the environment, as they have been estimated by reviewing relevant literature. In any case, reference should be made primarily to professionalism, as a framework that can influence the performance on the chosen career. In accordance with a definition published by the Oxford Dictionary online, the term professionalism is used in order to show â€Å"the competence or skill expected of a professional: the key to quality and efficiency is professionalism† (Oxford Dictionary online, 2011). In the chosen career, professionalism is expected to have certain form, which will be related to a series of different criteria, such as values, ethics, attitude, knowledge and so on. These criteria/ elements of professionalism can be identified primarily through the literature published in the particular field. Then, additional evidence can be used in order to verify the effectiveness of the literature findings – referring to the studies focusing on the examination and the evaluation of professionalism as a key element for the successful performance of individuals in the workplace. It should be noted that the term ‘professionalism’ in consultancy might include different elements and respond to different needs compared to other car eer paths (Rhoton et al. 2001). In any case, the professional development cannot be completed before the entrance in the workplace; this means, that the period of study and training – as a preparatory phase before applying for a particular position – cannot fully support the professional development of an individual (Hristozova, 2006). Through another approach Scott (2000) made clear that professional development is continuous, being similar to the self-development which is likely to be continuous; thus, professional development, as an aspect of self-development, need also to be continuous securing the improvement of the employee’s position within his organization. The skills of consultants, which would help them to develop a high level of professionalism, can be retrieved through the literature published on the specific field. In accordance with Margerison (2011, p.31) the key advantage of consultants would be the self-organizing, i.e. their ability to categori ze and appropriately evaluated the material related to a specific social/ scientific area (see Table 1, Appendix). On the other hand, Niewiem (2005) noted that the most important skill of consultants would be their interaction ability (meaning the ability to communicate with others and use appropriate evidence for