Travel Sales Consultant Development Programme - Travelbag
Interview process
First of all i had a telephone interview with the H.R manager of the tour operator, we talked about my C.V. and my degree/time at uni by asking questions such as;
How will your degree help you with this job role?
What group work did you do and how has this helped you to become a great team member?
She also wanted to know how much information i knew about the company so previous research was vital. She also asked what destinations i had traveled to and what activities did i take part in there. She then asked questions such as what motivates me and why i should have the job.
The next step was the assessment centre and during that there was a face to face interview. The questions asked here was more to do with experience so i was asked about my customer service skills and examples i have had which has showed good customer service along with an example of how i have built up a good customer rapport.
Then there were a lot of scenario questions to do with sales such as how would i make a customer buy the holiday from me and not no-one else and i had to describe and sell my favorite holiday destination. After the assessment centre there was an additional interview with the manager of the branch this recapped the questions asked at the assessment centre.
How will your degree help you with this job role?
What group work did you do and how has this helped you to become a great team member?
She also wanted to know how much information i knew about the company so previous research was vital. She also asked what destinations i had traveled to and what activities did i take part in there. She then asked questions such as what motivates me and why i should have the job.
The next step was the assessment centre and during that there was a face to face interview. The questions asked here was more to do with experience so i was asked about my customer service skills and examples i have had which has showed good customer service along with an example of how i have built up a good customer rapport.
Then there were a lot of scenario questions to do with sales such as how would i make a customer buy the holiday from me and not no-one else and i had to describe and sell my favorite holiday destination. After the assessment centre there was an additional interview with the manager of the branch this recapped the questions asked at the assessment centre.
Most difficult question
What motivates you?
Tell me a time where you have experienced a difficult situation with a customer?
If a customer went on holiday and had a bad experience and complained to you what would you do to make them happy and want to book with you again?
Tell me a time where you have experienced a difficult situation with a customer?
If a customer went on holiday and had a bad experience and complained to you what would you do to make them happy and want to book with you again?
Interview tips
For future candidates i would advise for you to have selling skills although it wasn't an essential in the job description the one to one interview definitely focused upon whether you have the experience or not regardless of having a degree. Make sure you know the company well because they like to ask questions on what the candidates know about Travelbag. It is also really helpful if you have traveled long haul as they like first hand knowledge from its staff.
Experiences at the assessment centre
There were ten of us and we were split into two rooms so five in each room. We started off with the group exercise it was a survival game in which the group, crew and the pilot had crashed in the amazon rain forest we needed to get away from the aircraft as it risked setting on fire and there were a list of 15 items we could take with us out of the plane but we had to choose just 6 items. Whilst the group was discussing the HR manager and her assistant were observing our team work skills.
We then had an exam which lasted 30 minutes there were 3 different sections a maths section, grammar and spelling section and a travel section. The maths section was questions working out how much a holiday would cost, the grammar and spelling were simple i.e. circle the correct spelling, and the travel section asked questions such as name a resort in Vietnam, list 3 things you would advise a customer to do in New York.
After the exam we had to present a one on one presentation of two resorts in Phuket. Before the assessment day we was given an email to prepare a presentation for pretend customers in which there were a family of four and a group of 20-25's we had to chose two separate resorts, a hotel and give information on beaches, activities, tours, nightlife and restaurants. This was to mainly show our selling skills. Then the one on one interview was conducted.
We then had an exam which lasted 30 minutes there were 3 different sections a maths section, grammar and spelling section and a travel section. The maths section was questions working out how much a holiday would cost, the grammar and spelling were simple i.e. circle the correct spelling, and the travel section asked questions such as name a resort in Vietnam, list 3 things you would advise a customer to do in New York.
After the exam we had to present a one on one presentation of two resorts in Phuket. Before the assessment day we was given an email to prepare a presentation for pretend customers in which there were a family of four and a group of 20-25's we had to chose two separate resorts, a hotel and give information on beaches, activities, tours, nightlife and restaurants. This was to mainly show our selling skills. Then the one on one interview was conducted.
Interview steps
Interviews:
- Phone
- 1:1
- Group / Panel
- Senior Management
- Video
Tests:
- Numerical
- Personality
- Verbal reasoning
- Psychometric
Other:
- Assessment centre
- Group exercise
- Background check
- Presentation
- Competency based questions