"WHERE HAVE ALL THE TRAVEL AGENTS GONE?
(Article created for Release to Travel Trade Press as result of Interviews with Travel Weekly & Travel Agent Magazines)

(USA), Corporate and Leisure Agents Abound!!! "Every day my staff and I are asked the same Question: 'Where are all the travel agents?' While Owners and Managers are puzzled (due to the fact that they need people), they run an advertisement, receive résumés, but no one is qualified for the job they have open," Jason King, President of Yours In Travel Personnel, says. "As the nation's largest source of recruitment for the Travel Industry, our statistics are different from others. Every day we receive 'tons' of web applications from every state in the US, as well as overseas. From travel agents (both corporate and leisure), group, FIT, and everything else. Our web site pulls between 15,000 - 20,000 new applications per month. In the last several months we pulled our highest numbers - 38,000 applications."

"Why can we have such a strong database when Owners and Managers can't find even one qualified agent? Because the Owners and Managers are not recruiting properly", says Jason King. "No matter how many seminars or workshops I provide, NO ONE IS LISTENING!!! They give me accolades and standing ovations. Comments such as 'what a great speaker' are made, but when it comes right down to it, if they took my advice, they wouldn't be experiencing a problem."

Jason's Quick Tips:

• Write the copy for your Ad to include the true salary range of the job.

• Write the perks or benefits one receives working for you.

• State Your Company Name in the Ad.

• Provide your phone number, not just your fax or e-mail address.

• Choose your publication carefully.

Jason says, "If you follow my 5 Pointers, you may not receive as many pieces of correspondence, but the ones who answer will be qualified. If you want to play a numbers game to see who can get the most résumés or responses, you lose and I win!!!

"We are fortunate. Even though I have now revealed our 'Secret', many companies will still call us. Let's face it, it is much easier to pick up a phone, dial one of our 10 Offices located nationwide, place the order, and, usually within a maximum of 48 hours, receive highly qualified résumés.

"Can you believe some companies actually complain that they have to pay our fee!!! Hey, ya think advertising weekly in every major and secondary market is cheap? Wrong!!!

"Our database is over 1 million strong and growing daily. Our new automation system allows us to search on up to 500 skills at one time, at a rate of 10,000 searches in 10 seconds. Although we are currently automated, we have been in R&D for over 2 years, and our soon to be completed software will probably be one of the most sophisticated computer systems in our field", says King. "We anticipate a smooth transition from our old system to our new one, with the start date of August 30, 1999. Our new system can search on anything, including; city, state, zip code, colleges, grade point averages, 57 different languages, plus over 500 skills per candidate. It will read, scan, and place over 100,000 documents (résumés) all within 30 seconds, thus allowing us to sort and ultimately place that many more candidates whether they are coming to us via our web site, fax, e-mail, or snail mail", said King.

"One of the new services which will be provided will allow us to Search all relevant aspects and report to our client (while still on the initial phone call), how many people we have in the system who qualify according to their specs and location", King added.

"Relocation is stronger than it's ever been". In our 27-1/2 years in business, we have never seen so many Relocations take place", King said. "Yes, it can be expensive, but the availability of candidates is endless.

"My final tips to Owners and Managers are; you must pay the going rate for your region, you must provide company benefits, you should have an incentive plan for all employees, and, if you don't follow my steps above and my tips, you'd better start preparing your résumé, because soon, very soon, YOU, too, will be the unemployed!!!

© Copyright by Yours In Travel Personnel Agency, Inc. June 1999. No part of this article my be Reprinted without the consent of the author.

P. Jason King is founder and president of Yours In Travel Personnel Agency, Inc. For more information visit their web site at www.yoursintravel.com