We chat with Paayal Chandra, owner & operator, Travel Counsellors on working from home, why experience is necessary and how women are a force to be reckoned with, in conjunction with the inaugural Women in Travel Awards in November.
I migrated from New Zealand when I was 17 and went straight into AFTA Travel College. I started off my placement at TATS, then moved to American Express, then HRG, and then Travelport. After two and a half years at Travelport I moved on to a role as operations manager at Travel Concierge at Sydney Airport. Finally I have settled in my own business working from home as a Travel Counsellor, which means I am only accountable to myself.
At the time I applied for my first job I attended an interview and the feedback I got really hit me hard. I was told I was unsuccessful for the role because I was very reserved, and too shy and I didn’t ask enough questions. I was so depressed by this that I decided to cancel the other interviews I had lined up. But the recruitment agent encouraged me to go to the other interviews to gain experience. As a 19-year-old, that was the best advice that could have been given to me.
Your first role may not sound or feel like the dream, but experience is everything. The industry heavily relies on experience, and getting your foot in the door is a great step towards working out where you want to be.
I have always run my own race and never looked up to see who was around, male or female. The barriers are only there if you choose to have them there, so just keep striving as though there’s nothing that can stop you. Women are a force to be reckoned with.
Travel Weekly is proud to present the inaugural Women in Travel Awards in Sydney on 17 November.
Award entries are now closed, and finalists will be announced on Travel Weekly only 1 November.
Winners will be announced at a gala awards ceremony on 17 November in Sydney. Earlybird tickets are on sale.
Any questions, contact Daisy Melwani on 0401216294 or drop her a line here.
Read other Women in Travel interviews in this series:
Simla Sooboodoo, Hands On Journeys
Eliza Woodward, SmartFlyer Australia
Jennifer Vandekreeke, Carnival Cruise Line
Bella Tipping, Airline Activist
Ainslie Hunt, TMS Asia Pacific
