Archive for December, 2007
In our opinion, there’s no right or wrong answer to how many pages your resume should be, but bear in mind that cruise lines receive thousands upon thousands of applications every week of the year. So, if your resume is filled with ‘useless’ information, pointless ‘waffle’ or simply looks like it’s going to be too much like hard work to read it…then it’ll be thrown in the trash can or deleted faster than it took you to click the send button!
For this reason, we strongly suggest that you produce a really clear, concise and powerful 1 – 2 page (max) resume with all of your experience, skills and accomplishments TAILORED to the the job you’re going after.
By getting rid of the ‘junk’ and by getting the important stuff up front, you’ll grab their interest, FORCE them to read your resume and put yourself way ahead of the crowd.
9 times out of 10, a resume like this will beat a 3 page ‘traditional’ resume hands down. And we’ve seen it happen time and time again in the cruise line industry.
So your tip for this week is to review your resume through the ‘eye’ of a cruise line employer before you consider applying for any jobs onboard.
If you need help with this, check out all of the great articles in our Getting Hired by a Cruise Line department.
Neil Maxwell-Keys
Author – "Get a Cruise Ship Job!"
Founder – www.WorkOnCruiseShips.com
When it comes to getting jobs on cruise ships, almost everybody takes the easy option – and that’s firing out a load ‘hopeful’ emails to prospective cruise line employers and in the hope that one actually gets through and gets looked at.
I’ve mentioned this before, but it’s so important that it’s worth mentioning again here.
Because so many people find emailing a resume a heck of a lot easier than physically posting one out – it means that cruise lines are continuously bombarded by thousands upon thousands of completely untargeted, unqualified applications from hopeful cruise ship job seekers.
What chance do you think YOUR resume has of getting looked at if it’s lumped in with this lot?
Very little, if any chance at all, is the correct answer.
What’s more, because there are so many anti-SPAM, anti- virus, anti-junk mail, anti-phising, anti-EVERYTHING filters in place these days, that it’s a wonder that anything ever gets through at all!
So, my advice to you is to try and be a little different…
As well as emailing your resume, also prepare a nice clear and concise resume ‘package’ targeted to the position that you’re interested in. It should consist of a cover letter and resume (on good quality paper), along with a nice, cheerful photo and ideally some copies of related certificates and references, then send it via “snail mail” to the head office of the cruise line company that you’d like to work for.
Trust me, a nicely presented resume package sent through the mail will ALWAYS get more attention than a resume sent by email and it will vastly increase your chances of landing a job on a cruise ship.
Sure, it takes a little more effort, but I think you’ll find the results and potential rewards are definitely worth it.
Neil Maxwell-Keys
Author – "Get a Cruise Ship Job!"
Founder – www.WorkOnCruiseShips.com
You MUST follow up on your initial cruise ship job applications with a letter or an email.
Doing this can be an effective way of getting your name to the top of the pile of resumes that are undoubtedly sitting on the desk of all prospective cruise line employers!
The purpose of the “follow up” letter is to politely inquire about the status of your application. A polite inquiry shows that you are very keen in working for the cruise line and can prompt the employer to find your original application and send you a response.
In your inquiry, be sure to mention the following:
- Your full name
- The date you sent your application
- The position you applied for
- And of course ask about the "status of your application".
It’s also a good idea to include another copy of your resume (click here to see an example of the cruise ship job follow up letter you should send).
The people who are successful in getting jobs on cruise ships are almost always the people who followed up consistently on their applications - FORCING the cruise lines to sit up and take notice of them.
If you haven’t started applying for cruise ship jobs yet, then now is definitely the time to get going. Many cruise lines are now ramping up their recruiting massively in preparation for the busy new year months ahead.
Neil Maxwell-Keys
Author – "Get a Cruise Ship Job!"
Founder – www.WorkOnCruiseShips.com
Here’s a little secret…
December and January are the very BEST months of the year for you to get a job on a cruise ship!
In fact, those in the industry know that right now it’s a hiring FRENZY!
Why?
Because Christmas and New Year is traditionally the busiest time of the year for the cruise line industry – and no cruise line can afford to have a ship full of paying passengers and not enough staff to service them!
Best of all, the "World Cruise" season starts in January – which means that your chances of getting a job on a cruise ship that cruises around the entire world are better than ever!
Can you tell me of another job that actually pays YOU to visit the Caribbean, Europe, the US, Australia, the Far East – even the Artic in one go?
These are exciting times, but if you aspire to a job on a cruise ship in 2008 then you need to get moving quickly, because…
1. You’ll NEVER get a better opportunity to get hired by a cruise line than right now.
2. You’ll NEVER get a better opportunity to get a job that pays you to travel right around the world than right now.
What’s more, there are 11 major cruise ship launches happening in 2008, and those who start the ball-rolling right now will be the ones who get to work aboard the biggest and most exciting ships on the planet when they launch.
WorkOnCruiseShips.com gave me the tools that got me hired in less than 2 weeks!"
Shelly got hired THIS week for a job on the QM2 – which is probably THE most luxurious cruise ship on the planet (and to say she’s excited would be the understatement of 2007!)
You can read her original comments on our forum by going here.
Many of our members are already taking advantage of the tremendous cruise ship job opportunities that are available right now. And not a day goes by without us receiving a "thank you" email or a comment in our forum from an excited member like Shelly who just got hired (you can read lots more comments like Shelly’s by going here).
But whether you join WorkOnCruiseShips.com or not is entirely up to you.
You can spend another 12 months wandering around the internet trying to figure all this out for yourself (and in the meantime miss out on some tremendous, life-changing opportunities that are available to you immediately).
Or, you can be applying for jobs on luxury cruise liners within 5 minutes from now (using a convenient service such as WorkOnCruiseShips.com) - and get paid to travel to some of the most exciting destinations on the planet within weeks or months from now.
2008 could be exactly the same as 2007. Or 2008 could be the most exciting year of your life!
The choice is yours.
Neil Maxwell-Keys
Author – "Get a Cruise Ship Job!"
Founder – www.WorkOnCruiseShips.com
There has never been a better time to get cruise ship jobs. A recent report prepared by Cruise Line International Association (CLIA) highlights the fact that cruise lines are going stronger than ever. According to the study, in 2006, 12 million people worldwide took a cruise vacation – an increase of 7% over the previous year. This generated a staggering $35.7 billion and supported 348,000 jobs, paying $14.7 billion in wages.
This is great news for those looking for jobs on cruise ships and other cruise line employment because each of these cruise ships employ between 500 and 1,500 crew members and support staff. This will create a demand for an additional 10,000+ new crewmembers!
Knowing that cruise lines have a tendency to build larger ships where more crew are needed, you can be sure that jobs in the cruise line industry are secure for the foreseeable future.
However, this is not the only compelling reason to start your career on a cruise line. Cruise lines are looking to offer cruises to new destinations that may have been neglected over the years, giving more crew the chance to visit new and exciting places they may never get to see otherwise.
It is estimated that over 11 million North Americans will go on a cruise vacation next year.
Neil Maxwell-Keys
Author – "Get a Cruise Ship Job!"
Founder – www.WorkOnCruiseShips.com
Certain types of cruise ship jobs can require specialized experience, skills or qualifications, including: fitness instructors, disc jockeys, dancers and youth counselors. Others, including retail and casino positions and general cruise staff don’t because training is often provided. All, however, demand excellent customer service skills. Your best bet to break into this industry is to use the experience that you already have – no matter how little – and market it to your advantage.
This is how many successful crewmembers started.You should also be prepared to accept any position on a cruise ship for which you qualify. You see, once you’ve got your foot in the door, you can use your inside cruise line contacts onboard and your newly acquired cruise ship experience to move into the areas you really want to work in.
This is how many successful crewmembers started.
Neil Maxwell-Keys
Author – "Get a Cruise Ship Job!"
Founder – www.WorkOnCruiseShips.com
This tip is short and sweet – but very effective!
Getting a simple certification in CPR or water safety instruction or anything along these lines can really give you the edge over the other cruise job applicants. Mention these certifications on your application form or resume when applying – and be sure to include a copy of the certificate if mailing out your resume.
The classes tend to be inexpensive and typically require a one- or two-day time commitment but can go along way with cruise line companies. Contact your local Red Cross for CPR or water safety classes.
These resources will help get you started:
http://www.americanheart.org
http://www.redcross.org/services/hss/courses
Always mention the “status” of your passport on your cruise ship resume.
This is something that very few cruise ship job seekers ever do, but this one little tip can go a long way with a potential cruise line employer. What’s more, it can give you the upper-hand over other job seekers.
A GREAT looking applicant without a valid passport is of no use to a cruise line company looking to hire staff rightaway. After all, they would not be able to legally travel at short notice, and waiting for a passport to be processed would not be an option!
On the other hand, an applicant with a valid passport in place, is a much more attractive proposition to a potential cruise line employer!
A valid passport is something that ALL cruise ship job seekers should already have in place. So if you don’t have one yet, then get one! And let the cruise line know that you’re ready by mentioning it at the very bottom of your resume, like this:
“Current passport valid until [insert date]”.
Simple, but VERY powerful!
Neil Maxwell-Keys
Author – "Get a Cruise Ship Job!"
Founder – www.WorkOnCruiseShips.com