When applying for a cruise job, potential employers will try to evaluate how flexible of an employee you will be. They want crew members that can adapt to change, think on their feet and solve problems quickly. How, as a cruise applicant, can you portray yourself with those qualities? In cruise ship life, crew members need to be flexible about their schedule and rotations. You may not get put on the ship or itinerary that they originally scheduled you for. The date you start or finish your contract is hardly ever the same from what was originally discussed. Onboard, crew members need to be flexible with their work hours and their job description. Schedules are ever-changing based on passenger demand, itinerary changes, weather and many other factors. How will you cope and will you react positively? The cruise line hiring managers are scouring your resume for clues. Instead of making it difficult for them to figure out how flexible you are � tell them. By using accomplishments rather than just describing how flexible you are, you excite the hiring manager to contact you for an interview to find out more. Here are a few phrases that show your "flexible" accomplishments. "Implemented and trained five employees on new office phone systems" "Relocated to new xxCity to take advantage of promotion to Sous Chef" "Planned and organized a 150-guest reception, where the customer's budget changed and therefore many elements of the party needed to change, too" Once you get to the interview process, you can shine by expanding on your flexibility as a potential crew member.
Archive for August, 2010
It's not enough to say you have good communication skills if you're looking for careers on cruise ships. Cruise applicants for all positions can benefit from knowing what it means to be a good communicator. The cruise industry, like many land-based industries want employees that will be a positive voice for their company. How well will you represent the cruise line when faced with an unhappy passenger? How well will you communicate with other employees and managers? Many job applicants write on their resume, "good communication skills". The bottom line is that cruise line employers want to know how you will interact with their passengers and crew members. You need to be able to answer questions concisely, accurately and quickly. You will need to find common ground with a disgruntled passenger or crew member. And, you need to be able to establish a rapport with all passengers and crew in order to be able to diffuse difficult situations. Staying calm and professional under pressure requires an applicant with patience. Consider that a cruise ship embarks new passengers at the end of every cruise. Will you be able to make a positive impression through your communication skills on the job? Listening skills are an important part of the communication process. Good listeners make good communicators. Behind the scenes, understand that each department will experience a turnover in crew each cruise. Crew members come from all over the world representing different cultures. How adaptable are you to communicating with people that may not have the same first language as you? Of course, having a second language is also bonus. Being able to have your resume and cover letter stand apart from other applicants is the key to landing an interview and a cruise ship career. Being able to verbalize how well you communicate goes a whole lot further than just saying you are a good communicator. Even your emails during the application process will highlight your communication skills.
Earlier this week one of our members reported that she was hired by MTN for the position of Internet Cafe Manager on a cruise ship and starts her training in Florida next week.
She writes on the forum,
“For anyone out there still frustrated with how long the cruise ship job application process takes, trust me. Keep fighting ’cause it’s worth it. I first applied for this job at the beginning of April, and didn’t hear anything from them until about 6 weeks ago. Then I sent several emails before I managed to get the first interview, which was 2 weeks ago.”
Lori explains…
“I kept applying, even sent a thank you note after my first interview. It all worked.”
She further points out…
“I’m proof that you can get the job without any ship experience (or any job related experience in my case…), and based almost solely on my personality. You can do it, it takes a lot of time and patience though, so just don’t give up!”
On June 17th she received an email from MTN with a pre-interview questionnaire…and the rest is history.
She’s expecting to join the Carnival Elation cruising from Mobile, Alabama on a Western Caribbean itinerary shortly!