The internet has made it easy to apply for cruise ship jobs online. On the other hand, it has also made it easier for criminals to trick you into the latest employment scam.

Unknowingly, job seekers respond to newspaper ads and online cruise job postings while scam artists (disguised as cruise hiring agencies) promise jobs in return for payment.

Or worse yet, the fake agencies take your personal information and drain your bank accounts by stealing your identity.

One typical scam involves fake

(more...)

This past week, a member of WorkOnCruiseShip.com, wrote on the Main Discussion Forum:

“I started my 2nd contract with Harding Brothers on the Royal Caribbean’s Independence of the Seas in March of this year as a Trainee Assistant Manager...I was about 2 months away from the end of my contract when I was asked to transfer to Azamara Quest as an Assistant Manager....Last cruise was the Manager’s last cruise...Guess who the new Manager is?  Me!!”

This crew member is not alone in finding that the cruise industry is a great way to enjoy a fast career,

(more...)

Last week, Carnival Cruise Lines launched Carnival Dream, their biggest cruise ship to date and Royal Caribbean is set to launch their largest vessel ever, in December of this year. 

Those two ships alone will have generated more than 3,000 cruise ship jobs.

In fact, by the end of the year, an extra 10,000 jobs will have been created by the launching of new ships during 2009.  

But don't worry you haven't missed the boat (ship) yet!  The building boom is continuing for 2010 with another 12,000 jobs needing to be filled - positions such

(more...)

Although there is no wrong time to apply for a cruise ship job, there are a few months during the year that cruise lines increase their hiring efforts.  The best months to apply are those that are leading up to prime holiday periods, such as summer vacation and Christmas holidays.

Therefore getting your resume out in time, in order for you to be interviewed, hired and placed on a ship is all about timing.  September and October are the best months to apply if you want to try to get hired to work during the busy Christmas vacation.

(more...)

Here's a short but crucial tip:

When you are applying to work for a cruise line company, whether that's a large line or a smaller specialty line, be very specific about what position you would like to do on board their ships.

It sounds obvious and yes, I've mentioned this many times before, but still we see far too many resumes going out that are just not clear enough about which cruise jobs are being applied for.

And that's a big mistake I don't want you to make.

If you're applying to be an Assistant

(more...)

(more...)

How long should your CV / resume be when applying for jobs on cruise ships?

This is an important topic and one that's been the subject of some discussion on our forum recently.

As a former recruiter, my opinion is that your CV/resume should never be longer than 1 or 2 pages, particularly in an industry where you're often competing against hundreds, even thousands of other applicants for the same positions.

I've seen applications sent through with as many as 6 pages!

Let me tell you, there is NO WAY a recruiter will bother to

(more...)