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The travel and tourism industry offers a whole range of career opportunities – from working as a travel agent in a single location to always being on the go as a tour guide or flight attendant. Whatever your disposition or preference, the travel industry can definitely deliver.
Working in this industry does come with its demands, though, not least the many skills it requires. Think soft skills such as interpersonal skills, problem solving, and time management, through to technical skills such as travel logistics, analytics, and industry software.
A tourism CV – especially a well-written one – is an important first step in getting to where you want to be in your tourism career. And whether you’re an entry-level applicant with little to no experience, or a senior-level highflier, your tourism CV must clearly demonstrate you have what it takes to excel in the role. Get this step wrong, and you might not even make it past the Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) companies use to weed out the right keywords.
Do not despair, though – we’re here for this very reason. The following guide will walk you through all the stages involved in creating a tourism CV that really does what it’s supposed to do. To make things even easier, we’ve also included curriculum vitae examples for extra guidance and inspiration.
Take a look at our extensive library of CV templates to find inspiration for your own job application.
Tourism CV Examples by Experience
You should know that there’s no one-size-fits-all tourism CV. Apart from the fact that you should always tailor to the role and job description, your CV will look different depending on your level of experience. To clarify how these differences play out, we’ve created tourism CV templates for three different experience ranks: newbies with little to no experience, mid-career up-and-comers, and senior-level grandmasters. Take some time to study and compare these tourism CVs to get an idea of how to go about creating your own. Make note of the content, structure and language in all three.
Tourism CV with no experience
Entry-level tourism CVs may seem a bit intimidating given that you have little or no experience to speak of. Don’t dwell on the experience part too much, as there’s more to what makes a good employee than past experience, i.e. your transferable skills, work ethic, attitude, initiative, and personality. Of course, to get these across in your tourism CV, you need to be smart and mindful in how you approach writing it.
Using the job description as a reference, try to match the things you have done to the kinds of duties and skills required for the role. Any volunteering or other extracurricular activities you have undertaken in the past can be a real mine of gold in terms of transferable skills. Describe the duties and responsibilities you’ve had, how you’ve handled them, and the competencies you’ve honed as a result.
Your educational background can also be of value here, depending on the field of study. What has it taught you? What have you done and learned as a result? Have a good think here and mention anything relevant to the role you are applying for.
Don’t underestimate your hobbies and interests either – after all they’re skills you’ve developed, by exercising soft skills such as time management, attention to detail, organisation, and problem solving. Mentioning them also helps paint a fully rounded picture of you as an individual, adding a more personal touch that could help you win over employers.
And if you’re wondering about the kinds of words to use in your CV, don’t be afraid to borrow some from the job description, and don’t go for boring, overused and very general adjectives when describing yourself. Use those that are more impactful to convey your drive and character.
Tourism CV for a mid-career level
As some with relevant experience in the tourism industry, writing your CV shouldn’t be a huge challenge. You know the ropes, and it’s important to show that to hiring managers. This starts with seemingly minor details such as formatting, structure, and language.
Start with listing your work experience in reverse chronological order (most recent first), using headings when stating where you worked and how long. These headings should remain consistent throughout, of course.
Using bullet points (or dashes, if that’s your preference), detail four to five responsibilities for each position you’ve held. Be concise when describing your duties and be sure to opt for powerful words in your CV, especially strong verbs.
Remember to always use the job description as your reference point and look out for keywords and industry specific phrases to convince employers you understand what’s expected of you.
If possible, try to quantify your accomplishments and responsibilities to demonstrate your value in a concrete and measurable way. Examples include people metrics (the number of people you managed, for instance), operational metrics (time saved or efficiency gained), or performance metrics (customer satisfaction scores, for one).
Tourism CV for a senior level
Having worked your way up the tourism industry career ladder, your CV needs to reflect more than just a change in job titles. It’s vital that the leadership roles you’ve had, the value you’ve contributed, and the specialised skills you refined come across in your CV. Your very first opportunity to do so is in your personal statement, the job of which is to summarise the above things.
How you describe your past roles and contributions is extremely important. The expectations are a bit higher now that you’re a senior-level employee. Finding a happy medium between detailed and concise, try to paint a vivid picture of your leadership style and show that it aligns with the company’s vision. Again, the job description along with your own independent research into the company you are applying to can be hugely helpful when crafting your work experience section.
Highlight your leadership and management skills, e.g. strategic planning, delegation, and problem solving, by using specific examples from your past roles. Demonstrate how you have managed or led teams and projects, as well as what results you achieved. Steer clear of general statements that don’t paint a clear picture of you as a leader. Instead, use numbers, percentages, and industry-specific terms to drive home the value you have brought and can bring in the role you are applying for.
And if you’ve completed any certifications relevant to your role, don’t think twice about including them. These demonstrate not just your knowledge and specialised skills, but also soft skills such as initiative and drive.
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Get Started On Your Travel and Tourism CV
Now that you have reached the end of this guide, you should feel a lot more at ease about getting started on your travel and tourism CV. Be sure to take advantage of the tips we have provided and the many travel and tourism CV examples we have prepared for you. Don’t settle for anything less than what you truly aspire to and get started right away.
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