So I just finished reading a captain’s blog on a yachting website, basically giving crew agents a good pasting.  His complaint was that he receives emails and calls about former crew, i.e. checking references (a rather important part of our job, and one thing that we absolutely have to do…) and this inconveniences him.

Ok, now the first point to note is that if someone receives a call or mail from an agent about crew, it´s because they have specifically put their name on their CV under “people you may contact for references”.  I would hope that being contacted for a reference for a person previously under your direct supervision would not come as a huge surprise.

Secondly, in general we don’t ask personal questions, usually they are fairly professional…  However if the referee wishes to impart a lovely touching tale of the time their chief engineer stripped naked and did a circuit of the boat yard with a banana protruding from the holiest of holies after his rugby team lost a championship match, I for one wouldn´t stop them.  The reference can be as personal as the referee wishes to make it.  References I receive vary from one-liners to full-on mini novels regaling enchanting tales and divulging naughty facts.

I´ve seen a variety of references in recent months, obviously the most entertaining ones are the bad ones. It’s nice to get a bit of juice in the job, keeps things colorful.  What amazes me is that crew actually put these references on their CVs and invite us to contact them.  I´ve seen one girl register with me twice – in my old agency and again in my new agency, and twice she´s put down the same reference on the website … and twice he´s recounted a delightful story of how she was asked to leave the boat because her partiality for more than just the odd drinky-poo spiraled out of control, and on her final night she vandalized her own cabin and left it covered in vomit.  Yummy!  I guess there´s a time and a place for vomit but this wasn´t it.  The yacht décor was not lacking a hint of carrot/jagermeister/kebab so this addition was not as well received as perhaps it could have been.  But I bet she´s a riot on a night out.

I talked to an owner about a deckhand and he told me the boy was good at his job but “creepy” with the guests.  Eww!  Now wash your hands.  I spoke to two captains on one young lady´s CV and both told me she would have been fine if she stopped trying to sleep with all the boys on board.  Worst part about that one was that on the first yacht she worked alongside her boyfriend.  I´m sure he was impressed and not at all humiliated by her trying to cheat on him with his bunkmates.  I wonder if they stayed together for long,  poor guy.  The most thought provoking (in an unpleasant way) reference I ever received, had to be the “ask her about the trick with the banana she does, it´s great”.  I didn´t think it was appropriate to ask… she was a hefty lass and quite frankly she scared the bejaysus out of me.

When someone doesn´t want to put a reference on their CV for their last job or jobs, I have to ask why… don´t lie because I will find out.  Whatever you say, I will probably check it; someone, somewhere will have a contact on the boat you were on and by hook or crook I´ll get to the captain or chief stew or whoever, and get the nitty gritty from their side too – if you had a terrible time and the whole crew left then tell me.  I´m sympathetic.  Really.  If you got bullied or victimized then be honest.  Your mates might call you a wuss but I won´t.  Well not to your face.  Kidding!  Just be honest – it´s the best thing, but don´t be too honest.  What I mean by this, is don´t sit in front of me saying the captain´s a sexist, rascist pig firstly because I might know him, but secondly because it´s not professional, even if it is true.  Say you left because you didn´t see eye to eye on a number of issues and you felt that in order to progress your career in the industry you needed to be in a more positive environment that allowed you to develop.  We call this “blagging it”.  Are you onboard here?

Okay, so the point I am making is that we do check your references. We ask you to put them on your CV for a reason, not just for a laugh.  This industry is surprisingly small; you´ll be surprised at how many captains will look at a CV and think “Ah, that´s Bob´s boat, I´ll give him a call…” and before you know it, not only are two old friends re-united (it´s a beautiful thing), but your previous captain is giving a warts and all description of you.  So behave yourselves out there.  No naughties or we´ll tell your mums.