Here’s a great ‘Follow Up’ tip a former recruiting colleague of mine shared on our forums recently, that you can use today:
When you apply for cruise jobs with several different companies, create a simple spreadsheet listing the cruise lines you applied to in a column going down the page. Then, make three additional columns labeled “Recommendations,” “Call,” “TY Card”.
Here’s what these mean:
Recommendation: Two days after you send in your application, send three letters of recommendation in to the HR department.
If you don’t have any letters like this, then simply ask people for them!
Even better, write the letters yourself and get some prestigious people and/or ex-employers to sign and print them on their letterhead. When you send these letters in, your application will be pushed to the front of the stack since the cruise line must go through and dig out your original application to match these letters along with your resume.
Call: Call or email the cruise line a week later asking if they have everything they need to make a hiring decision. This is not the time to beg for a job. You’re simply calling to ask if they have everything they need from you in order to offer you a job. Take the name of the person you speak with.
TY Card: Immediately after getting off the phone, send a Thank You card addressed to the person you just spoke with.
From the perspective of someone who has hired many people to work on cruise ships, it’s little tips like these that can make all the difference and make you stand head and shoulders above your competition and ultimately land your “dream job”.