Travel businesses should hire now for ‘cream of crop’, says recruitment boss

C&M Travel Recruitment co-owner and managing director Barbara Kolosinska has urged small and medium-sized travel businesses to start their candidate search immediately if they are aiming to take on staff in the autumn.

 

Kolosinska said the summer is always among the quieter periods for recruitment activity, alongside Christmas and Easter, but candidates remain available.

 

“Now is the best time to look – you will have the cream of the crop,” she said, adding that there will be greater competition for candidates when the summer ends.

 

Describing the overall state of the jobs market at the moment, she said there had been a slowdown recently. 

 

“This mirrors the wider world in the UK – it’s not just the travel sector,” she said, adding that a number of factors, including the state of the economy, had contributed to the recent drop in activity.

 

She said she was not worried about the travel sector’s performance, though.

 

“It’s not a concern. It always falls in the summer when people are away. January, May and September are the busiest times,” she added.

 

Yet she said businesses aiming to recruit in September should act now if they want to get an advantage over other firms. 

 

“There is a lot of talent out there that will be available for interview,” she said, adding that not everybody goes on holiday in the summer and, even if one of the parties is overseas, technology allows interviews to take place regardless.

 

Kolosinska was giving a presentation to small and medium-sized businesses on a webcast organised in partnership with SEO Travel.