If you know of a specific position you want to go after, try to learn as much as possible about the company-its corporate philosophy, its human resources philosophy, its' plans to expand into new products or markets-and weave these concepts into your letter. Example: "Knowing that your company is diversifying into expanding into opening, I wanted to contact you concerning how I might contribute directly to your company's success."
The Interview
Prepare yourself for the interview by learning as much as possible about the company. Prepare questions you might have about the company and the job position for which you are interviewing. This will go far to set you apart from other candidates; it will impress the interviewer that you are serious and committed, as well as demonstrate the skills that you can bring to the job.
There is a great difference in whether the interviewer is a professional personnel officer or the owner or manager of the firm or department head for whom you would be working. Personnel officers are trained to reject; they will pose questions to determine whether you are who you say you are and whether your credentials fit the bill. Frequently, they do not have actual knowledge of the position but only a listing of criteria to match against. They may use open-ended questions, which require straightforward answers. There are no right answers or wrong answers; in fact, it may not be the answer that is important at all, but what is not said or the manner in which you answer.
In contrast, department heads more likely direct questions to gauge your knowledge, experience, and, perhaps even more important, whether you have the right personality to fit into the organization. Many do not even put much stock in prior experience or knowledge but prefer to train people in their own methods. They are more interested in your intelligence, willingness to learn, and energy level.
What people look for is highly subjective. Nonetheless, essentially they look for "people-orientation" (the ability to work with people and serve others), good communications skills (the ability to organize thoughts and express them clearly in speaking or in writing), and willingness to accept responsibility, energy, motivation, commitment, flexibility, and experience. Knowledge of geography and typing skills are very desirable for travel positions. You will probably also be rated on personal appearance, manners, social amenities, leadership potential, and maturity.
Try to counter negatives or objections. One interviewee, un-deterred by her lack of specific product experience, rejoined, "What can I do to change your mind?"
The Follow Up
The follow-up is critical. After an interview, you should follow up with a note, thanking the interviewer for spending the time with you and summarizing the key selling points (your assets) for the job. Example: "Based on how you described the position, I know I have the qualifications you seek. I am skilled at meeting planning, I have a sales background, I have excellent communications skills, and I can represent the company in a professional manner. I am a go-getter who can spot new business opportunities. I very much want to be a part of a people-oriented, growth-oriented leader in the travel industry such as your company."
Such a letter gives you the opportunity to make your last sales pitch, shows that you care about getting the job, helps you stand out from the crowd, refreshes the interviewer's memory (the interviewer might have also seen dozens of other people for the same job), and, perhaps most importantly, corrects any misunderstandings or false impressions. Do not assume that the interviewer heard, understood correctly, or remembered. (One applicant was almost rejected because the interviewer understood him to say that he did not know a particular reservations system when, in fact, he did.)
You should not feel discouraged or rejected if you do not get a job. Frustration is an inevitable part of the process. Timing has much to do with it. Be persistent. (Dick Sundby of Tacks Tours had to try four times before landing a job as a tour escort and that was nearly 20 years ago.) Be creative; be enterprising.
Getting Ahead
You are likely to stay in your first job in the travel industry only two or three years. How far and how fast you progress depend largely on the company or entity you are working for as well as on your own ability and aggressiveness. "Make yourself indispensable," advised Trudy Baron, who started her career in travel as a secretary and rose to become a vice president of a major international hotel company.
Do not just settle for the job description; go beyond it. Grow your own job, or grow yourself into one. (The public relations manager of one prominent New York City hotel began to create packages for the hotel with the aim of working into a position that reflected her expanded role.) Do not be locked into preconceived roles or plans; be flexible. Join trade organizations.
Network
Read the trade press for your own field as well as other travel segments; read beyond the headlines and between the lines. If necessary, take additional training or schooling. (The Institute of Certified Travel Agents' CTC is one of the most coveted designations in the industry.)
In travel, especially, it is impossible to plot out a career path. You should have a plan for yourself-plotting your next move and where you want to be in 5 years and in 15 years-but be ready to change it. There are countless examples of people who began in one area and moved on to another like Robert Coffey, vice president of market planning for Alamo Rent A Car, who started in the airlines; Richard Valerio, president of American Sightseeing International, who also started in the airlines; and Colin Marshall, chief executive of British Airways, who was recruited from Avis Rent A Car before. There are also countless examples of people rising up like Gideon Spitz, president of Golden-Tulip Hotels, who started in public relations; and Pat Foley, chairman of Hyatt Hotels, who started out as a front-office supervisor nearly 30 years ago. The industry lore is full of sensational success stories of people attaining the heights of their profession without great wealth or educational background. There will continue to be such amazing successes because the industry is still growing and innovating. However, it is likely that, in the future, people in the top positions will be required to have more education and professionalism than they did in the past.
Indeed, the whole concept of "career" in the travel industry has changed. Not too long ago, people tended to spend their entire careers in a single segment, such as with airlines or hotels, and even in a single company; their career paths were vertical. Now, there is much greater integration of the elements, and career paths tend to be horizontal and diagonal, from segment to segment.
People frequently attribute their success to "being in the right place at the right time." On closer inspection, however, in most instances success is a matter of perceiving an opportunity or making an opportunity happens.
Where Dreams Come True
You spend most of your waking life in a job; it should be some-thing that is satisfying and fulfilling. So many people fall into a career or fit themselves into some slot where they feel stifled and frustrated because their natural abilities are not given expression. The travel industry utilizes so many different professional skills and personal talents; it offers a dream come true not only for those who seek to travel but also for those who seek other forms of creative or professional expression.
It used to be said that travel was a dream of a lifetime, and people who worked in the industry, when asked what they enjoyed most about their jobs, would frequently reply that they "fulfilled dreams." For all those, however, who seek to work at something that is personally satisfying and for all who started at the lowest rung of a career ladder and rose to top management, being a part of the travel industry has been the means to fulfilling a personal dream. It can be for you.
