Experience isn’t necessary when applying to Vancouver TL Network agency Travel Best Bets.

In fact, agency president Claire Newell says she doesn’t insist upon it at all.

“It has been tough to recruit experienced staff post-pandemic,” Newell reports. “The pandemic was a rough time for the travel industry and because so many were either let go or furloughed for a long time we saw people leave the travel industry completely by taking early retirement or finding employment in a totally different field.”

And Newell says that has led to Travel Best Bets rethinking what it looks for in potential employees. 

“We have certainly changed how we hire,” she says.  “We are now looking to hire new to industry and train in-house, rather than looking for experienced staff. We have also increased our salaries and become more flexible so our staff can work from home in certain cases.”

Meanwhile, Newell says the new Travel Best Bets philosophy has paid dividends.

“We are grateful to have survived the pandemic and learned to embrace change as a result,” she states. “Hiring new-to-industry [people] is time consuming and expensive, but so far it has paid off in us finding some amazing, keen new staff who are excited about their career in travel.”