The Personal Skills that Tour Operators Look for when Hiring Holiday Reps

There are quite a few attributes which tour operators will look for throughout the whole application process. You will need to demonstrate that you possess all of these qualities, or at least the vast majority of them, if you are going to be successful in your application. Make sure that in every single stage of the recruitment process, you remember exactly what these attributes are and that you tailor the information on your resume, the answers to any application questions and the answers you give at the interview to include these vital qualities.

Communication skills

As a holiday rep you will be responsible for large groups of people. If you cannot make yourself heard and understood in groups, then tour operators will not want to hire you to work for their company. You need to demonstrate that you can communicate exactly what you mean to say and that you don't shy away from speaking in public. There is also a lot of paperwork which will need to be completed by holiday reps. Tour operators will not hire people who they do not think will be able to complete basic administrative tasks to a high standard. Make sure that your written answers are as strong as your spoken ones.

Confidence, energy and enthusiasm

When people are on holiday they will be excited and full of energy. They will not want to be dealing with staff who lack any enthusiasm as this will just put a dampener on their overall experience. You need to be confident in front of people and be able to express as much excitement and energy as the guests do themselves. Groups will probably only stay on the resort for a week or two at a time, so you will be constantly met with new faces to get to know. If you appear to be nervous or uncomfortable around large groups of people, or if you are shy when meeting new people, tour operators will not consider you to be an appropriate candidate for the job.

Stamina

Holiday reps can work long and sometimes unpredictable hours. Tour operators will need to see that you will be able to organize and attend an evening event and still show up to work bright-eyed and bushy-tailed the next morning. If they don't think that you can hack the lifestyle, they will not give you the job. You will not always be able to choose your hours or your days off, so you will need to be able to demonstrate that you can keep going despite being tired; and that you can keep up the enthusiasm even after having had a busy evening the night before.

Fantastic listening skills

As a holiday rep, you will be the first port of call for customer complaints. If you deal with those complaints well by listening to exactly what the customer wants from the situation, you will prevent the complaint from being taken any higher. Listening skills are essential to establish customer expectations and to match those expectations with your behavior and handling of delicate situations.

Customer service

Each and every guest who comes on one of your tours has paid to be where they are. They will be expecting high levels of customer service at all times. If you do your job right, they could come back again the next year, and will recommend the company to all of their friends and family. This is extremely important in terms of securing future business. If a tour operator is going to hire you as a holiday rep, they need to know that you are one hundred per cent committed to delivering the best customer service possible, otherwise you could damage the reputation of their company.

Ability to work in a team

You won't be the only holiday rep working with a particular group of guests. You will need to be able to work with others to create a smooth, well-organized experience for each and every customer. You will need to be able to trust in other people to take the lead on some tasks, whilst also demonstrating that you are dependable enough to be trusted in return.

Planning and organizational skills

As a holiday rep you may be asked to organize trips for large groups of people. Although you will probably be given help, this sort of planning requires an attention to detail and the ability to think ahead. Tour operators will be looking for the demonstration of strong organizational skills throughout the whole recruitment process.

Flexibility

The exact responsibilities of a holiday rep could change from one day to the next. On a Monday you might be filling out stacks of paperwork and then on Tuesday you could be leading a tour group round an historical site as their guide. You will need to be flexible in your approach to working. On a holiday resort there are a huge variety of different jobs which will need to be done every single day and as a rep you could be on call to complete any one of them. Tour operators need to know that you will not be caught off-guard if you are asked to work outside your comfort zone by performing a task which you have never done before. They will also need you to demonstrate that you can cope with change and are very adaptable to be suited to a wide range of different roles.

 A friendly and approachable manner

As a holiday rep, you will be the first person that people meet when they arrive ready for their holiday. You will be the first representative that they meet for the company they booked their holiday with and you are therefore their first impression of the company overall. You will be the first person who they will come to if they have a problem. In order to maximize the enjoyment of each and every person on the trip, tour operators need to know that they will approach you if they have a problem, rather than bottling up any complaints which could then go unresolved.