When applying for cruise ship jobs, should you email your resume or send it through the post?

This is a question I’ve replied to so often, it’s starting wear a groove in my hard-drive!

If you’re SERIOUS about working on cruise ships, then here’s my advice:

1. You can make a much more impressive and powerful IMPACT by applying through the post. A nicely presented package consisting of a cover letter, resume, a photo and copies of certificates and references tells the employer a LOT about you.

With an email, you’re competing on the same level as every other applicant on the planet.

2. Sending a physical application package through the post commands MUCH greater attention than applying by email. A physical application package is… well, physical.

It’s something an employer can hold in his or her hands, flip through and read away from the distraction of their computer and therefore it gets a lot more attention.

You see, a recruiter will actually READ something that has been sent through the post, but will only spend half a second (if that) skimming over an email a before hitting the delete key (especially when there’s another 500 to go through!)

Think about how quickly you read and sort through your own emails.

3. None (or very few) of your competitors will bother to post their resume, because it takes a bit of extra time and effort to do so. Most people are lazy and will always opt for the easy email option if given a choice - and that’s why most people don’t get the cruise ship jobs they deserve.

Take advantage of their laziness and send yours through the post!

That said, my advice is to do BOTH. There’s no point in NOT applying through e-mail because it’s quick, easy and gives you another shot at landing the interview. But don’t rely solely on email to get you the job.

In my mind, if you’re SERIOUS about getting a job that pays you to travel the world, meet new people and enjoy some amazing life experiences, then isn’t is worth putting in that little bit of extra time and effort?

To prove you’re a suitable candidate you should also assure the employer that you at least have some kind of understanding of what life aboard a cruise ship is really all about (visit: => http://www.CruiseShipDiploma.com for in-depth training on this subject).

You see, even with all it’s attractive benefits and perks; going from land-based to ship- based can be a total shock to the system for a lot of people.

After all, you’ve been plunged into this crazy, hectic environment thousands of miles from home. None of the familiar faces are around you anymore. And you’ll probably never experience cultural diversity like it again in your life!

All of your homely comforts have gone. You’re living with all of your possessions in what’s effectively a 6′ x 6′ "box" (your cabin)… and to top it all off, you’re sharing it with another person you’ve never even met before!

You’re homesick. You’re working varied shift patterns. And for some people, this is all simply too much to cope with - but a cruise employer still wants to know whether you can really cut it before they offer you the job…

And this is why at least half of the questions you’ll be asked at the interview are designed to find out whether or not you could really cope with the "cruise ship lifestyle". 

Working on cruise ships is fun, but it can also be hard work. The pace is quick, the hours are varied, and you can’t go home at the end of the day. But everyday, when you wake up, and get out on deck, you’re reminded just how far away you are from a mundane life on land.

If you’re looking for a unique life adventure and world travel… and are flexible about close living quarters, enjoy meeting new people and just want to get away from all the negativity we’re being bombarded with right now, then this could be the job for you.

With the worlds financial markets in turmoil and the "credit crunch" the talk of every news channel around the world, many people looking for cruise ship jobs are wondering how badly this industry has been affected - and whether the opportunities are even still there.

Well, according to figures just released by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), the cruise industry generated a record $38 billion last year creating 354,700 jobs. 

Experts predict this will increase 3 percent by 2009.

You see, regardless of whatever "turmoil" is happening around the world, people will always find the time, the money and the reason to take a vacation!

What’s more, the all-inclusive nature of a cruise vacation makes it great value for money - which means a constant supply of new crew is always needed to meet passenger demand.

To prove the strength of the industry; next year, fourteen brand new ships will be launched, including Royal Caribbean’s 5,400 passenger Oasis of the Seas - the largest cruise ship in the world (see right)!
 
Make no mistake, these are exciting times for crewmembers and the people who are getting hired are those who have not allowed the current economic climate to stand in their way of getting cruise ship jobs that pay them to travel the world. 

In fact, more people than ever are getting hired and taking advantage of all the great opportunities that are available right now. On the work on cruise ships discussion forum you’ll read a ton of success stories from excited members all over the world who have just been hired to work in this industry.

Go for it.  You’ll find all the step-by-step tutorials, information and support you need inside the members pages of work on cruise ships.

Want to work on a cruise ship?  

Which cruise lines should you apply to?

This is a popular question.

While it’s a good idea to apply to as many cruise lines as you can, your chances of finding work on a cruise ship are much greater if you really focus your efforts on applying for positions with the "Big 10", which include:

Carnival Cruise Lines 
Celebrity Cruises
Costa Cruises
Crystal Cruises
Cunard Line
Holland America Line
Norwegian Cruise Line
Princess Cruises
P&O Cruises
Royal Caribbean Cruises
 

Here’s why:

1. They employ 85% of all the people who work on a cruise ship right now…

2. They are constantly adding bigger, better, more extravagant ships to their fleet - with many innovative facilities onboard (one even has its own Surf Park!)

3. They visit more destinations than any other cruise line (so you can get a job that pays you to visit more exciting places than you thought possible!)

4. They have the most crew working aboard each ship (so you get to meet and enjoy friendships with more people from every corner of the globe!)

5. There are more positions onboard each ship, which means there are more chances for you to get hired - and more opportunities to build a long-term career onboard.

There’s no doubt, getting a job on a cruise ship can be one of the toughest types of jobs to get. If a job on a cruise ship was easy, then you would not be reading this newsletter right now - instead you’d be getting paid to cruise around exotic islands like the Caribbean, the Bahamas or perhaps the whole world - and having a blast at the same time!

It takes the ability to shrug-off rejection
It takes the ability to pick yourself up from disappointment
It takes the ability to correct your course from time to time
It takes the ability to just keep on going until you finally land the job you really want.

Sure, she knows the the lifestyle, the varied working hours and the enclosed living and work environment might sometimes be difficult and will certainly take a bit of getting used to … but she also knows it will be an amazing, life-changing adventure and she will get paid to see the world. 

Her refusal to give in (long after most people would have thrown in the towel) has finally paid off!