Upgrade Your Yacht Resume
by Craig NortonI have worked my way up the proverbial ladder on the same charter yacht for the past five years and earned the trust of my employer, the captain and owner, in the position of first mate. I found myself running many aspects of the business which gave me a unique insight into the industry from the view of both crew and employer.
One of my tasks was sifting through the resumes that would come in from our advertisements and selecting crew that would fit with our operation. Many, and by that I mean most, of the resumes received were sorrowfully lacking in the ability to catch the attention of my employer and myself—and that is why I chose to list some of the key topics important to make your resume catchy, informative, and, most important, worthy of the job you are applying for.
Writing the resume or CV is often considered a tedious and routine chore and more of a formality than anything else. It is important however, to invest more time and effort into a resume for charter yachts than many other fields because most applicants applying for work on charter boats are abroad and not within easy reach of a personal interview. Most employers are forced to hire crew on little more than this resume and a phone interview. In turn, your personal charm and wit need to come out in an honest and thorough resume.
With any kind of a computer background, most employers will notice right off when you’ve used the resume templates in Microsoft Office. If you use these templates, take them as guidelines more than as your layout. An employer is not concerned with a fancy page style or how long you spent choosing a font; rather, focus on your content. The attention in layout should be in neatness and readability. Also take some time to research the yacht you are applying for work on as this will better help you in understanding what type of crew member they would be looking for.
If you have all the right qualifications and your resume has been picked out of the pile for a second look, the dates of past employment will be scrutinized and blanks questioned. Be thorough and don’t leave things out because you think of them as not pertaining to the job; you would be surprised how many employers would hire a dive instructor with a past in video editing or a stew with knowledge of photography.
Many charter yachts require a large diversity from their crew which usually means you’ll be doing a lot of other nasty jobs unless you show an array of useful skills that might keep you from scrubbing bilges. Some such skills could be seen in accounting, computers, and kite-board or windsurf instruction. Showing these skills, although possibly not applicable to the position you are applying for, could just be what tip the scales when an employer pages through possible applicants.
Attach reference letters or numbers when first sending the resume—instead of writing, for example, ‘references on request,’ use ‘more references on request.’ This depicts confidence in your abilities and enhances your sellable value, giving the employer more options at hand to further confirm you are right for the position.
A cover letter attached with your resume helps a prospective employer judge your character, enthusiasm, and ability to work with and contribute to a charter crew. This is not effectively done with a short trite paragraph, ‘…your advertisement with available position, please find attached…’ A short background history of yourself and why you are now looking for new employment helps an employer better understand you—and why he/she should take further interest in hiring you.
Remember that when it comes to the job hunting and resumes you are selling a commodity—yourself—and you want to show your value as quickly and effectively as possible.