What Does the Cruise Employer Want?

Cruise Job Tips, Cruise Ship Job Interview | Posted by Renee Ruggero
Dec 20 2011

Although a cruise employer looks for job applicants that are qualified, skilled and personable, there is one other aspect that is very important to them. The ability and passion to live and work at sea is an attribute that will determine if the crewmember will actually stick it out longer than just one contract.

The employer doesn’t want to go through the motions of hiring a crewmember only to find out that the crewmember wasn’t prepared mentally for this unique work environment and lifestyle. On paper, a potential job candidate may have all the right skills and experiences. The candidate may even express excitement during an interview about working on a cruise ship.

Keep in mind that the recruitment manager is also looking for that extra knowledge from the candidate for the cruise job. Does the job applicant bring up the fact that they will be sharing a cabin with another crewmember? Does the applicant express understanding that they will work seven days a week for long contracts?

The bottom line is that cruise employers want crewmembers that are serious about working along with a commitment to exceeding the expectations of the passengers. But, recruiters are also looking for potential employees that will embrace ship life and exude a positive behaviour that will be infectious.

WorkOnCruiseShips.com members can also read, Are You Ready to Work Onboard a Cruise Ship?

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Is a Cruise Job a Real Career Choice?

Cruise Job Tips, General | Posted by Renee Ruggero
Dec 18 2011

It’s true that many people are faced with negativity from their family, friends and ex-work colleagues about giving up a perfectly good job on land to pursue working on cruise ships. Beyond your motives for wanting to work onboard, you may also wonder, is a cruise job a real career choice?

Should You Give Up Your Career to Work on Cruise Ships is an article that points out that while a lot of people work on cruise ships for only a couple of fun and adventurous years, many make it a career. Probably one of the hardest things to do is actually make the step of packing in a good career on land to work on a cruise ship. You can read this testimonial.

You need to ask yourself where to you want to be in three of five years from now. Do you want to be doing the same boring job on land or do you want to find a career at sea? Turning a Cruise Ship Job into a Career is an article on the WorkOnCruiseShips.com website that explains how to make working on cruise ships a career choice.

Although you may have to start in an entry level cruise job, it is possible to get promoted quickly if you have the right skills, education and training. In fact many of our members on the Discussion Forum talk about how quickly they’ve been promoted. Don’t get too hung up on the negative criticism that you may face from family and friends. If you want to pursue a career on a cruise ship, go for it!

 

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Facts about the Cruise Industry

Cruise Job Tips | Posted by Renee Ruggero
Dec 16 2011

Working on a cruise ship presents opportunities for travel, making new friends and strengthening your career resume. Although it seems like the cruise industry has some really cool jobs, do you know what the cruise industry is all about?

First of all, you should understand what a cruise is really like. Have you been on a cruise as a passenger? If not, have you seen any documentaries or YouTube videos about cruising? If not, you still need to understand what to expect as a potential crewmember.

When you understand the elements of a cruise, recruiters will interpret that you have done your homework and know what you are getting yourself into. Get to know key parts of a cruise such as embarkation, disembarkation, tender ports, cashless cruising, specialty dining, and onboard entertainment. You could also research the features and amenities available on today’s cruise ships. Further knowledge about USPH and onboard sicknesses will also prepare you for interviews.

Preparedness for cruise job interview is essential since the cruise industry is highly competitive when it comes to landing a job.  WorkOnCruiseShips.com has plenty of resources to help job applicants prepare for cruise interviews. Here are a few articles about the cruise industry itself.

5 Facts You Need to Know About Cruise Lines

Facts About Carnival Cruise Lines

Facts About Royal Caribbean

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Are Cruise Ships Sweat Shops?

General | Posted by Renee Ruggero
Dec 13 2011

The cruise industry has always been under suspicion for having crewmembers that work a ridiculous amount of hours for peanuts. So, the question arises, are cruise ships sweat shops? Why do all nationalities want so badly to work onboard if conditions were so horrible?

The fact is cruise job applicants find that the cruise industry is a highly competitive industry to get hired for. And, crew come from all over the world, considering themselves really lucky when they actually land such a job (check out the WorkOnCruiseShips.com Discussion Forum). It is no secret that cruise lines expect crew members to work a 70-hour work week. It’s also widely known that the salary of a crew member can be as low as $500 US per month.

Crew members are also entitled to all shipboard meals as well as medical care and prescriptions while working onboard. Still, some workers rights groups and lawyers would like to see the cruise lines exploited for what they interpret as unfair wages and compensation as compared to the United States.

Many crew come from India, the Philippines, Indonesia, and Thailand to work for a wage that is much higher than what is paid in their home country. On the other hand, Americans, Canadians and Europeans also work onboard, and consider the compromise in salary worth it considering what they get in return. Experience, travel, new friends, you don’t have to cook (unless that’s your job), and who doesn’t want to say that they worked on a cruise ship and loved it!

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What Type of Person Works on Cruise Ships?

Cruise Job Tips, General | Posted by Renee Ruggero
Dec 11 2011

It’s easy to understand that travel is a motivating factor behind people choosing to work on cruise ships. But, what type of person is willing to leave their family, friends and life behind for a career at sea?

Some people are looking for a complete lifestyle change. Some may have just ended a relationship and want to get away and start fresh. Some think that having cruise ship experience on their resume may further their careers on land. And, some are just looking for a new adventure.

It does take a unique person to work and live on a cruise ship, though. Just because the motivating factors are there, it doesn’t mean that a life on board will work for everyone. It can be a daunting experience to meet, get to know, work and live with a new set of crewmembers each time you join a ship for a contract.

How adaptable and flexible are you? Can you work with multiple nationalities? How easy is it for you to start communication with someone you meet for the first time?  Can you tolerate living with a cabin mate that is completely opposite from you? Will you suffer from homesickness? All of these questions determine the type of person that works onboard.

The WorkOnCruiseShips.com site has many resources to help potential cruise applicants understand if a life at sea is what they want. Members of the site can also read,

Are You Ready to Work Onboard a Cruise Ship?

Overcoming Homesickness

Coughing, Concoctions, and Cabin Sharing

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How Strict are Cruise Ship Rules?

Cruise Job Tips | Posted by Renee Ruggero
Dec 09 2011

Many of us are familiar with companies that have a code of conduct while at work. These policies normally include rules when it comes to sexual harassment, performance related issues, theft, and many other reasons for disciplinary action.

Just as in land-based jobs, all cruise lines also have a code of conduct for the crew and officers that work on their ships. The only difference is that you not only work onboard but you live and play onboard, too. This means that the code of conduct also applies when you are at the crew bar, ashore, hanging out with friends, mealtimes, etc.

Whether you are on duty or off duty, you can be disciplined (or fired) for not abiding by the cruise line’s code of conduct.  A cruise ship’s security department have cameras all over the ship to monitor the safety and security of passengers and crew. In addition, the ship’s security officer has the equipment to breathalize a crewmember or officer.

Here are some basic guidelines that cruise ships follow.

  • Cruise lines do not tolerate violence, harassment, bullying or threatening behaviour.
  • Cruise lines do not tolerate racial or inappropriate language and behaviour.
  • Cruise lines do not tolerate theft, vandalism, drugs, or drunkenness.
  • Cruise lines do not tolerate negligence in your job obligations.
  • Cruise lines do not tolerate when crew arrive back on board late (regardless if you have to work or not).
  • Cruise lines do not tolerate lateness or absenteeism when it comes to safety training and emergency drills.

Will you be able to comply to the code of conduct of a cruise line? For more detailed information, WorkOnCruiseShips.com members can read, Cruise Lines’ Code of Conduct.

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What Your Cruise Resume Doesn’t Say

Cruise Jobs Resumes and Cover Letters | Posted by Renee Ruggero
Dec 06 2011

Most recruiters and hiring managers are specialists when it comes to reading between the lines of a resume, and the cruise industry is no different.

For example, do you have employment gaps on your resume? Are you making the recruiter question why you weren’t working during a period of your employment history? This can raise red flags such as your motivation to work or your lack of skills to find a job. Instead, you need to address any gaps head on. For more info on this topic, WorkOnCruiseShips.com members can read How to Explain Employment Gaps.

When writing about specific skills or personality traits that you have, make sure your resume backs up what you say. For example if you write that you have an “excellent attention to detail” then make grammatical or style errors within the resume it comes off as contradictory.

Additionally, if your resume is lacking certain components your resume may be overlooked for someone that does include such skills.  For instance, a cruise job applicant for a gift associate should include such phrases as “proven ability to exceed sales targets” or “experience in handling difficult customers”.

Hiring managers in the cruise industry are not only reading what you have written in your resume, but they are also keenly aware of what is missing when considering applicants for each specific cruise job. Try to be conscientious of the messages that you are sending when you omit certain information from your resume.

Further reading for WorkOnCruiseShips.com members:

Do I Really Need a Cover Letter?

Cruise Resumes – Using Your Special Interests

10 Biggest Resume Mistakes

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What Not to Write on Your Cruise Resume

Cruise Jobs Resumes and Cover Letters | Posted by Renee Ruggero
Dec 03 2011

When putting together your cruise resume it’s probably easier to list everything rather than omit information. Our instinct is to write all of our experiences and skills and then we expect that the recruiter will filter through it themselves, deciding what is important to them.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t work like that. A recruiter doesn’t have time to read through a bunch of unrelated and irrelevant experiences. They will think that you haven’t taken the time to see how your past experiences relate to the job that you are applying for. Plus, by giving too much information on a resume, you run the risk of the recruiter making other negative assumptions.

There are certain things you should leave off a resume. For starters, leave off all personal info such as age and marital status. You want to be judged on your merits, not on if you are too old or too young to do the job.  Second, it’s not a good idea to write every job that you’ve had in your life. It will end up reading like a laundry list of job descriptions.

Each resume that you write for each cruise job that you apply for should be customized to that particular job. That means filtering through all your past work experiences, skills, training and accomplishments and deciding what is important and relevant.

For more information on writing a resume for a cruise job, WorkOnCruiseShip.com members can read the following articles:

10 Biggest Resume Mistakes

Does Your Resume Need a Makeover

Pros and Cons of Resume Blasting

Resume Tips: Best Format

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Finding Contact Names in the Cruise Industry

Cruise Job Tips | Posted by Renee Ruggero
Dec 01 2011

One of the most important cover letter tips that we give to our members on WorkOnCruiseShips.com is to address their cover letters and resumes to a specific person.

When you don’t send your application package to a specific hiring manager or recruiter, chances are it will not end up on the right person’s desk, lowering your chances of even getting an interview for a cruise job. This is all great in theory, but where does one find this valuable information?

If recruiting manager’s name is not given on the websites of the cruise line or the cruise agency, chances are you’ll have to work for it. Although you may have to do a little bit of your own investigating, it will pay off because the recruiter will see that you’ve done your homework.

This is one reason why our members value the Discussion Forum on the WorkOnCruiseShips.com website. Our members and moderators share email addresses of where to send resumes and there are also numerous threads on who interviewed who for which cruise job.

Finding the contact name of a hiring manager can be a tedious job in itself as many of our members have shared through the forum and one has shared in a feature article on the site. Keep in mind that you could send out dozens of resumes but if they don’t reach the right person, what’s the point?

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Life Onboard Through Crewmember Blogs

General | Posted by Renee Ruggero
Nov 28 2011

Many of our members at WorkOnCruiseShips.com find their dream cruise and then start a blog. It’s great to see their excitement and motivation of wanting to share with the internet world their journey.

Many times the crewmember’s blog starts out with entries about how they got their job. Then there are usually a few more posts about ship life or destinations that they have visited. Unfortunately for the blog viewing public, the frequent entries change to infrequent and then to never. But, that’s the reality of working onboard.

Although many crewmembers have great intentions of posting to their blogs regularly, there just isn’t enough time in the day. Or, the cost and speed of onboard internet becomes a deterrent. There are a few exceptions such the blog, Sasha’s at Sea. It is still one of my favorite crewmember blogs even though the crew member no longer works at sea. Stacy worked as an onboard internet cafe manager in 2008 and during that time posted over 200 blog entries.

One of the most popular crewmember blogs is the award- winning John Heald’s Blog. John works as a cruise director for Carnival Cruise Lines and he often provides funny stories about ship life. Another crew blog that has received recognition is the Princess Cruises blog, 50 Essential Experiences. The blog includes 50 entries written by 50 different Princess Cruises’ officers, crew and shore-side personnel.

For more examples, WorkOnCruiseShips.com provides a list of Crewmember Blogs for their members to link to.

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