Jenny Cook (middle) with Cortney Ramirez (left) and Mark Dorenfast // © 2014 Patrick Bastien
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.”
