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Skye Mayring // (c) 2012 Skye Mayring
Skye MayringContributing Writer

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The Young Agents of Altour

Jun 18, 2014
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Altour’s Los Angeles office has had much success recruiting and training young talent. When it comes to hiring new travel agents, Jenny Cook, director of Altour, has found a proven formula.

“You have to be specific about what you are looking for,” she explained. “My formula is a four-year college degree — with graduation within two to four years of the interview — some current work experience that required attention to detail, good writing skills and perhaps some interest in the arts.” 

Cook has been impressed by her new hires’ interest in learning and their ease in taking on new challenges.

“I remember early on that I looked at [one of my new hires] and said, 'You are so young.' And then I recalled that I started in travel in 1980, about 34 years ago,” said Cook. “Travel agency owners need to remember that they started without any knowledge at one point and, although it was easier and potentially more fun back then, we owe it to others to find a career in an industry that can still offer up a challenge and be a dream for someone who has their life before them.”

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Altour_melissa
1/6Young Agents of Altour

A member of the Altour entertainment team for two months, Melissa Vasquez has the fun responsibility of booking travel for musicians. She handles their air and ground travel, hotel stays, billing and other requests. // © 2014 Patrick Bastien

Altour_stephanie
2/6Young Agents of Altour

Stephanie Doughty has been a travel consultant for three months and has been interested in a career in travel since the age of five. Her mother was a travel agent in England, and Doughty would spend hours looking through travel brochures, dreaming of a job in the travel industry one day. // © 2014 Patrick Bastien

Altour_aurielle
3/6Young Agents of Altour

Aurielle Hall has been a travel consultant with Altour since late March 2014. She found out about the opportunity through a friend who is also in the travel industry. // © 2014 Patrick Bastien

Altour_shannon
4/6Young Agents of Altour

Shannon Boyd has been an agent at Altour since 2008 and is a member of Millennials in Travel, a career development organization for young people in the travel industry. // © 2014 Patrick Bastien

Altour_noel
5/6Young Agents of Altour

Noel Coleman has worked as an entertainment account manager for Altour for approximately nine months. Coleman enjoys the fast-paced and unpredictable nature of entertainment and music touring as well as the fun personalities he gets to interact with on a daily basis. // © 2014 Patrick Bastien

Altour_pim
6/6Young Agents of Altour

Pim Ruig, formerly of LuxeSiam, joined Altour about a month ago and has already expanded her business significantly. She enjoys arranging trips for her clients all over the world. // © 2014 Patrick Bastien

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www.altour.com

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