Someone who has experience as a travel agent evaluates current vacation packages and helps clients find the best deal for their preferred destination. A good agent can present products to clients effectively and persuade them to book packages quickly. You want a candidate who knows how to create vacation packages that meet your customers’ needs and who has a history of closing sales. What to look for in an answer:

• Closes sales effectively
• Superior customer service skills
• Experience as a travel agent

Someone who has valuable experience as a travel agent knows how to create tour packages for corporate trips and events. The applicant should know all the requirements for a corporate trip, including airline tickets and transportation. You want a candidate who anticipates what your client needs and puts together packages accordingly. What to look for in an answer:

• Experience creating business excursion packages
• Knowledgeable about managing travel requirements for groups
• Ability to coordinate with other service providers to give clients the best tour packages

An agent who has worked in different sectors of travel knows how to identify consumers who are interested in traveling. You want to hire someone who knows how to follow a script, presenting your company’s current travel options professionally while keeping the consumer’s attention. A good agent collects information and sets up travel arrangements with ease. You want an applicant who has a proven, steady history of closing sales. What to look for in an answer:

• Telemarketing or call center experience
• Proven sales record
• Positive attitude about calling potential leads

A good travel agent understands the importance of meeting the requirements of all travelers. You want a candidate who has experience catering to couples who want to plan a romantic getaway for a week or a weekend. You also want to hire an agent with exceptional customer service skills who knows how to get customers to commit to packages that suit their wants and needs. What to look for in an answer:

• Experience setting up travel arrangements in exotic locations
• Comfortable suggesting upgrades for standard travel packages
• Takes customer satisfaction seriously

Experienced travel agents will have booked cruises for popular cruise lines. They know exactly what to say to customers to close sales and fill up each cruise. You want someone who has superior sales skills and persuades customers to book cruises via phone or in person. Whoever you hire must also meet your monthly sales objectives. What to look for in an answer:

• Experience with cruise packages
• Meets sales quotas for cruise packages
• Works toward sales targets

Many travel agents will arrange trips for families. Impressive travel agents typically have a set process for how they gain information regarding the family's activity preferences, targeted destinations and vacation budgets. To stay efficient, travel agents should follow a set routine to determine the right vacation for customers. The candidate's answer should show that they have great customer service skills and experience working with families to plan their ideal vacations.

The candidate's answer should emphasize:

• Clear strategy for planning family vacations
• Ability to meet the client's needs while staying within budget
• Communication and customer service skills

An example answer could look like this: