‘A Breath of Fresh Air’: Agencies Hire Young Rookies and Reap the Rewards

by Marilee Crocker February 02, 2016

In an environment that’s long on retirees and short on trained agents looking to move, a growing number of agencies are turning to rookies as a solution to their staffing woes.

Faced with an unusually large hiring spurt, Conlin Travel, Inc., for example, filled more than a third of its 18 new positions with young newcomers, most of whom didn’t have a shred of experience.

“We thought now is the time to bring some new blood into the industry,” said Chris Conlin, owner and president of the $140 million travel-management company in Ann Arbor, MI. So he formed a relationship with nearby Grand Valley State University, went to a recruiting fair and hired seven students graduating with degrees in tourism and hospitality, choosing the mainly based on their personalities.

Conlin offered his “Freshmen 7” an enticing proposition: he would put them up in college dorms in Ann Arbor for eight weeks of training in a “boot-camp environment.” Then he would place them in one of the agency’s three locations across the state.

Even though they had studied hospitality and tourism management for four years, “they didn’t know what a TMC was; a travel agency was something their grandparents used,” Conlin said. “We had to tell them, ‘Hey, you can have a terrific career.’”

Hiring for attitude
That’s similar to the way Damian McCabe, CEO of $40-million leisure agency McCabe World Travel in McLean, VA, interviewed inexperienced candidates.

McCabe first began hiring young newcomers about 12 years ago, when she “realized there was a generation of travel agents and clients that were just going to die out, and there was no replacement for them.” She has hired eight novices, some of whom responded to an ad on Craigslist.

“We hired for attitude and the ability to talk to clients. They had a professional demeanor, and they were quick learners,” she said. “The profile is college graduate, generally one to three years out of university. They’re well-traveled, for the most part. They’re often involved in helping their friends plan trips and they have a passion for travel.”

Newcomers spend about two years as travel associates, assisting one of the agency’s top salespeople in research, administration, and some selling, before moving up to full-fledged travel advisors. The best part? “They do things the way we want them to do it.”

Breath of fresh air
Both McCabe and Conlin said the new entrants are working out just fine, injecting a spark of energy into an aging industry where burnout is a reality. “They have so much enthusiasm, so much character and personality. It’s amazing how much they have lifted the morale of our other agents. It’s a breath of fresh air,” Conlin said.

And they’re fast learners too, especially when it comes to technology, and have taught their older colleagues a few shortcuts on Worldspan’s Smartpoint app. (Conlin doesn’t bother to train them on Worldspan’s blue screen.)

Customers are happy, too. “Since we put them on the phone in July, I would say that 70% of the clients’ complimentary letters I get have to do with the new people,” Conlin said.

Hardworking and productive
At McCabe, five of the newcomers are among the agency’s most productive employees, selling in excess of $3 million annually each.

“The young people working for me bring in other young people as clients. And often these young people have parents who travel, and the parents have friends who travel. So it’s definitely a source for new clients,” McCabe said. They’re also “incredibly smart and capable, able to teach themselves technology very quickly, and they’re hardworking. I would have thought I’d have a problem with tardiness or calling in sick a lot, but not once have I ever had to deal with that.”

Costly but worthwhile
Hiring and training newcomers is costly, so the strategy is not without risk.

“I can’t think of a more expensive way to go about this than taking absolute rookies and bringing them into the business,” Conlin acknowledged. “But I wouldn’t hesitate at all to do it again when we need to.”

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Pic: Flazingo Photos