1. Telephone interview- questions were: why do you want to work for us? What do you think the role entails? etc, nothing too frightening.
2. An online psychological/personality test with Launchpad, to be completed before the group assessment.
3. Group assessment: held here on the Gold Coast, I was UNsuccessful.. however I will try to share with you as many details as I can remember.
- we all sit around a table (there will be 10-15 people in the group) and listen to the introduction given by the recruitment team which basically just summarises the information available on their website.
-we are then asked to have a 10 minute conversation with the person sitting next to us. We then have to both stand up and present the person to the rest of the group, saying why they'd make a great travel consultant.
-We are then given an exam, with a numeracy, geography and customer service component. The numeracy exam is very simple with a calculator provided, for example: A couple and their 3 and 1 year old children are searching the cheapest airfares for their trip to Thailand. They are comparing Malaysia Airlines and Thai Airways. With Malaysia airlines, an adult ticket is $2000, while a child ticket (age 2-11) is 75% that of the adult price, and an infant ticket (>2) is 10% of the adult ticket. If the travel consultant commission is 8% of the airfare, what is the total cost of airfares for the family with Malaysia Airlines?
There was one long numeracy question like this (you need to show all working), which included taxes on the airfares, and having to calculate the commission (which is of the airfare, without taxes).
-the geography component requires knowledge of capital cities, landmarks/attractions and airlines.
GO TO THE FLIGHT CENTRE WEBSITE, CLICK "DESTINATIONS" AND MEMORISE THE CAPITAL CITIES OF ALL COUNTRIES LISTED. For example, there was Egypt (Cairo), Fiji (Suva), Germany (Berlin), England (London), UAE (Abu Dhabi), Indonesia (Jakarta), etc etc. Pretty touristy and well known countries, so you won't get stuck. There is a question with a list of landmarks, you need to be able to say in what country you'd find these landmarks. Ones that come to mind: Phi Phi Island (Thailand), Kruger National Park (South Africa), Machu Picchu (Peru), Statue of Christ the Redeemer (Brazil), Grand Canyon (United States), Waikiki Beach (Hawaii), Great Pyramids of Giza (Egypt), Taj Mahal (India), Bayon Temple (Cambodia), Church of Our Savior in Spilled Blood (Russia)- just memorise as many landmarks and attractions as you can.
Another question: where would you recommend someone go skiing in Australia? You need to select two from the list, I selected Perisher and Aspen.
You also need to know the national carriers/airlines of a number of countries/places, such as:
England: British Airways
Thailand: Thai Airways
Dubai: Emirates
Germany: Lufthansa
Hong Kong: Cathay Pacific
Australia: Qantas
New Zealand: Air New Zealand
Turkey: Turkish Airlines
Russia: Aeroflot
Others I don't remember?
You also need to know exactly where Italy, France and England are on an unlabeled map.
There is a question asking for three things you'd recommend someone see/do when travelling to Thailand, and three things you'd recommend to someone travelling to the West Coast of the USA.
There is also a question about which country you have to be in and leave from to enter Alcatraz Island.
There is a question asking which airport you would recommend someone travelling to Port Douglas?? Something like that. Just research Port Douglas to be safe.
I think there was also something about Canada, but I forget.
you also had to know where to find a lake.. I think somewhere in the South Pacific (Oceania)?? I can't remember the name though :( Sorry that's unhelpful. You really need to know South Pacific Islands.
CUSTOMER SERVICE SECTION OF EXAM: It's just one question, which is: Sarah's Europe tour had been cancelled, and she had booked with full awareness that the departure of this tour was not yet confirmed. She was very upset because all of her other plans had been made around the itinerary of this tour. Write what you would email to Sarah, as the travel consultant (our customers are always expecting the best customer service). This must be answered in email format.
During the exam you will all be interrupted one by one to go into another room and do a sales role play. Our role play was a trip to Fiji. Basically the lady was pretending to be a customer entering the travel agent, she sat herself down and said she wants to go on a trip to fiji and she doesn't want to spend too much. You need to ask qualifying questions, such as if she's going alone or with her family, what she's looking to get out of her trip, how much she's willing to spend, where the last place was she traveled to etc etc. Then advise accordingly. So you really need to RESEARCH FIJI.