How many hours have you spent creating your vacation schedule by looking through tens of websites? Or, in order to save time, asked a friend for an itinerary that was ready to go? Even though vacations are meant to be soothing, there is actual travel stress brought on by the preparation and organisation of a trip.
TourHQ exactly solves for this to make travellers take the plunge and gleefully book their next getaway.
About the company
In an age where travel has become both a deeply personal pursuit and a statement of identity, TourHQ emerges as a quintessential guide for the modern explorer.
This global travel marketplace deftly bridges the gap between wanderlust-driven travelers and seasoned tour guides, offering a platform that promises not just convenience but also authenticity. With the click of a button, travelers can curate their adventures, ensuring that no corner is left unexplored and no cultural nuance is missed.
As the travel industry pivots in response to a world reshaped by the pandemic and propelled by technology, TourHQ stands as a beacon, navigating the complexities of a transformed landscape while ensuring that the essence of travel—the discovery, the experience, the connection—remains undiluted.
Company Size: 11-50 employees
Headquarters: Hong Kong
Industry: Technology, Information and Internet
Locations: London, Delhi, Hong Kong
The Hiring Process
Gaurav, Founder at TourHQ, hires for many roles: Developers to build the product, Relationship Managers and Customer Support Associates to coordinate with travel agencies, Product Managers to maintain the product, Content Marketing Executives for blogs and social media, and Human Resources.
Akin to any business that's thriving, his objective is simple—hire smart people as quickly as possible.
The travel industry has seen a dramatic transition over the last ten years towards digital and contactless experiences; in 2019, global spending on guest-facing technology was estimated to be over $293 million. Domestic travel has led the recovery post-COVID, with India seeing a resurgence in tourism, as over 200 million domestic trips were recorded during the peak travel seasons in 2021.
Companies urgently need to hire more workers as the global industry recovers because there is a severe labour shortage in the travel and hospitality sectors globally, which forces businesses to step up recruitment efforts to keep up with demand.
As the business needs change, so do the skill sets required for the job. While the company started off with a B2C model, they gradually shifted to B2B sales by partnering with travel agencies. The skill set and approach required for B2B customer relations is different than that of B2C.
"We have tried various approaches for candidate sourcing such as headhunters, Naukri and LinkedIn," mentions Gaurav.
"Our job posts on LinkedIn job post get 1000+ applicants each. Managing them is a full-time job and sifting through CVs takes a lot of effort."
Challenges
1. Constraints on number of candidates interviewed: Without an assessment tool, it was difficult to shortlist candidates.
2. Lack of standardized tests: It was hard to accurately gauge aptitude, technical and communication skills based on resumes.
They were on the lookout for a solution to shortlist candidates before interviews. They tried assessments from TestGorilla but found them prohibitively expensive with the money-guzzling, recurring subscription costs and annual upfront payment. It was time to look for a TestGorilla alternative and they chanced upon Equip during their search.
What made TourHQ switch to Equip from TestGorilla?
- Role-specific test types: Aptitude, English Communication and Typing Tests for Relationship Managers and Programming Tests and Technical quizzes on Laravel, SQL, JavaScript, PHP and CodeIgnitor for Web Developers.
- No expiry for assessments created: They created a general purpose assessment on aptitude and language skills to hire smart candidates which was used for many hiring drives. Since questions are randomly drawn from Equip's vast Question Banks, this hack worked very well for them to repurpose assessments and save time.
- The best pricing deals: Pay as you go pricing model with $1 per candidate with bulk discounts on high volume hiring. No subscriptions involved.
Read what makes Equip affordable.
Reaching the Destination: Top 5% Talent
"For developers, the Question Banks were amazing to create standardized tests. I feel that I'm able to effectively gauge a candidate's aptitude for certain (programming) languages upfront even before we shortlist them for interviews," claims Gaurav.
1. Set up a hiring process to assess more than 500 candidates.
2. Cut down on the number of interviews conducted and subsequently the time spent on them.
3. Utilized reusable assessments using Question Banks for both tech and non-tech skills to make many offers.
TourHQ has democratized their hiring process based on skill proficiency instead of relying on pedigree. This provides an excellent, levelled playing field for all candidates—women on a career break, candidates who haven't had the chance to gain skills with formal education—and empowers them to build diverse and inclusive teams.
Continue Reading: How Practo uses Equip for Tech Hiring