Finding a Cruise Job in a Poor Economy

Cruise Job Tips | Posted by Renee
Apr 18 2011
Although many people looking for a cruise job may be looking at way to change careers or move up with their present career, others may be unemployed and looking for any job.

 

The statistics are troubling. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 13.5 million unemployed persons in the United States during March 2011. In the UK, a similar story, with almost 2.5 million unemployed persons.

 

The good news is that cruise travel has not slowed down. In fact cruise lines continue to build new ships while their current fleet sails with a maximum capacity of passengers. Consider that Carnival Cruise Lines and Royal Caribbean employ about 110,000 employees between them, and that’s just two cruise lines!

 

No matter what company you look at in the world there is always an element of turnover of employees same with cruise lines. The cruise lines are always hiring, always looking for qualified applicants. Browse our A-Z Directories to see just how many cruise lines, agencies and concessions that are looking for people just like you!

 

Get your resume package together and send it to one of the cruise jobs listed in the WorkOnCruiseShips.com Latest Vacancies. There’s no reason to sit at home being unemployed when there are so many jobs looking for the right person to fill it.

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The Right Qualifications for Cruise Ship Employment

Cruise Job Tips | Posted by Renee
Apr 05 2011
Do I have the right qualifications to apply for a cruise job?  This is a common question that we read on the WorkOnCruiseShips.com discussion forum.  The fact is that qualifications and experience needed for cruise ship employment are not set in stone.


The best thing to do if you want to get hired is to take a good look at yourself and decide what you want to do. Second, look through our Job Descriptions section to get an idea of what the employers are looking for in an ideal candidate. Next, check out our Latest Vacancies for current job openings.


Cruise employers are always looking for that perfect candidate, but even they know that perfection does not exist  job requirements are mainly wish lists. Now is the time to be confident in your own skills to be able to sell yourself in a well-crafted resume and cover letter. Highlight your combination of experience, skills and personality that make YOU perfect for the job.


You need to deliver the WOW factor rather than just saying that you have X number of years of such and such experience. What makes you shine? Describe your story through your accomplishments. Why are you the best candidate for the job? What makes you stand out from the crowd?


Although most jobs require some related experience and training, the right qualifications may equate more to personality and other intangible traits.


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Do You Know Who You Are Applying To?

Cruise Job Tips | Posted by Renee
Mar 28 2011
Many applicants make one common mistake when applying for a cruise job. They don’t really know the cruise line that they are applying to. This lack of knowledge translates into a resume and cover letter that appears to be generic and mass produced.


If you want your cover letter and resume to stand out from others, a little research will help your chances. At www.WorkOnCruiseShips.com we have some great resources to get you started in your quest for information.


First, the article, 5 Facts You Need to Know about a Cruise Line to Get Hired highlights the information you should find out about a cruise line BEFORE sending out your application. More specific articles such as Facts about Royal Caribbean International and Facts about Carnival Cruise Lines give detailed info about the two largest cruise companies in the industry.


Cruise line specific information such as fleet size, new ships, and guest service mottos (Cruise Lines Guest Service Promises) can then be incorporated into your cover letter. Consider that the majority of cruise applicants send out a similar cover letter for each company they apply to.


A customized cover letters get more attention because it shows that you have done your homework and you actually know who you are applying to.

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Phishing Scams and Online Cruise Ship Applications

Cruise Job Tips | Posted by Renee
Mar 13 2011
Do you really know where your personal information goes when you enter it into an online cruise ship applications?


A rule of thumb for cruise applicants is to only share their personal data with the official cruise line websites, official hiring partners for the cruise lines and concessions that you are positive represent a particular cruise job.


Other than that, job applicants must be super careful. Many websites promise to post your resume into their data base for cruise line hiring managers to access. Yet, the cruise lines do not look at any of these data bases. So what happens with your information?


Since personal data is routinely sold to “spammers”, you could be setting yourself up for some new unwanted emails.


A couple of great articles on WorkOnCruiseShips.com that cover this topic are, Avoid These Cruise Ship Employment Scams and Guidelines for Online Applications.


Since Google searches aren’t entirely reliable when it comes to finding the correct official sites. How do you know which sites are legit and which ones are frauds.


For reliable contact information for cruise lines, agencies and concessions, WorkOnCruiseShip.com offers its members the A-Z Directories of extensive cruise job contact information.

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Why You Haven’t Been Hired for a Cruise Job

Cruise Job Tips | Posted by Renee
Mar 07 2011
So you’ve sent out a ton of resumes. You’ve followed our advice about sending out customized cover letters and targeted resumes to the right hiring manager. Yet, you are still looking for a cruise job.


One of the biggest mistakes cruise applicants make during the application process is that they fail to follow-up or follow up correctly. The fact is those that consistently and persistently follow up are the applicants that get the cruise jobs.


WorkOnCruiseShips.com has plenty of resources that will assist you with follow-up techniques that work! The bottom line is that you need to be proactive and have a follow up plan ready to go. Don’t wait around expecting hiring managers to contact you.


Once you have determined that you have sent your resume to the right person, you need to reapply every three or four weeks until you get a response. Change the cover letter slightly and with each follow-up email, list the dates that you previously applied.


Even if you get a negative response, don’t give up. Send a thank you email, thanking the person for considering your resume. Always take note of any person you speak with or that emails you. Above all, don’t let your frustrations and impatience come out in your follow up emails.


Keeping your name in front of who you are applying to through effective follow up will definitely increase your chances of landing your dream job on a cruise ship!

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How to Stay Organised When Applying for Cruise Ship Vacancies

Cruise Job Tips | Posted by Renee
Mar 01 2011
As soon as you start sending out your cruise resumes, cover letters and online applications, it’ll hit you. Wow, how do you keep track of all the cruise ship vacancies you’ve applied to?


And, it doesn’t stop there. How do you not get confused about who you have been following up with?


This is the time to put your organisation skills to the test. Keep a spreadsheet, a binder or folders that track all of the important information. Make notes of all the dates that you sent resumes along with each company and each position that you applied for.


For example, you could make a folder for each cruise line and each cruise job. In it have all the necessary info including contact names, email addresses and phone numbers. Also in each folder make a log of dates when you sent your first resume package and online application.


Next, using the follow-up tips in the www.WorkOnCruiseShips.com Getting Hired section, keep track of all follow-up correspondence including all subsequent resume packages sent out.


Unfortunately, the application process can take time. Keep excellent notes as you go and stay persistent, consistent and professional with your follow up.

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Should You Trust All Cruise Jobs Websites?

Cruise Job Tips | Posted by Renee
Feb 22 2011

As many of you start your search for a cruise job, you will encounter all cruise jobs websites. There are also a number of “how-to-get-a-cruise-job” articles. But, how can you be sure of what you read is reliable and helpful?

You will soon see that many of the free cruise job websites lack substance and are filled with just basic information. Their writers and site owners may not be so concerned about providing in depth content as they are with making money from readers clicking the ads on their web pages. That is how their sites generate income.

Additionally, whenever you read an article online, consider the source and when it was written.  Who has written the article? Has the writer worked in the cruise industry? Do the writer’s credentials seem legit or exaggerated?

For example, one free cruise job website has a writer that claims to have been an Assistant Purser, Chief Purser, Hotel Manager and Maitre D’! These credentials seem a little fishy since now this person is a freelance writer.

At WorkOnCruiseShips.com, our team of cruise industry insiders are committed to providing quality content for our members. With our Weekly Training Program, A-Z Directories, Members Forum and latest cruise job vacancies, our members can feel confident about applying for cruise jobs and landing their dream job.

We know your time is valuable and we want to arm our members with the best resources as possible. Learn how to choose the best cruise job. Get help with writing your cruise resume and cover letter. And, find out where exactly to send your resume package…..and that’s just the beginning of the process!

At WorkOnCruiseShips.com we will help you each step of the way until you land your dream cruise job!

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Is Resume Blasting a Good Idea for Cruise Jobs?

Cruise Job Tips, Cruise Jobs Resumes and Cover Letters | Posted by Renee
Feb 16 2011
As you’ll soon figure out, there are so many cruise lines to apply to.

 

Wouldn’t it be great if you could just pay a small fee and have your resume sent to all of them and then get a whole bunch of job offers?

 

Actually, there are resume distribution services that will do just that, promising to send your resume to over 100 cruise lines. The reality is that it is highly unlikely that you will get a job offer from this resume blasting tactic.

 

Why? Many recruiters actually opt out of junk mail which is where the bulk resume mailers end up.  In fact, blasting your untargeted resume out to 100+ cruise lines may even get your email address blacklisted by their email filters (aka: SPAM).

 

More information can be found in one of our recent articles, The Pros and Cons of Resume Blasting.

 

Unfortunately when it comes to finding a cruise job, it’s not so simple. It takes time and persistence. Yes, the cruise application process can be long, tedious and frustrating, but the last thing you want to do is to get your email address blocked by SPAM filters.

 

With so much competition for cruise jobs, applicants must take every safeguard to put them on the top of the pile.

 

Sell yourself with a customized cover letter and resume targeted to a specific cruise job and address it to one cruise line at a time. Consistently and persistently follow up and reapply until you get an interview.

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Get Your Cruise Job Questions Answered

Cruise Job Tips | Posted by Renee
Feb 10 2011
The process of applying and getting hired for a cruise job presents many questions for the cruise applicant. At first one thinks, how hard can it be. I’ll just send out my resume to all the cruise lines and someone should get back to me, right?


Wrong! Especially in an economy of high joblessness, there is so much competition for jobs in the cruise industry.  Without the right resources and tips, your quest for a cruise job will seem like an impossible task. Yet, the more you read and learn about working onboard, the more questions you are apt to have.


Although there are plenty of cruise job websites on the web, WorkOnCruiseShips.com is quite different. Our members’ discussion forum provides a community of cruise ship crew members, cruise industry insiders, resume experts and cruise applicants.


Whether you want to just read through past threads that answer many common questions or you want to post a question of your own, our members’ forum provides tons of advice. Questions such as, which cruise job am I most suitable for, am I too old for a job as a …., or how long should I wait to follow-up?


Take advantage of the cruise job Discussion Forum today and get some answers to the questions that you have about finding a job on board.


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Be the Next Cruise Job Success Story

Cruise Job Tips | Posted by Renee
Feb 03 2011

It’s always positive when we read on the WorkOnCruiseShips.com forums about our members that have been hired. It can be a short process or it can be a long drawn out journey.  Either way, it makes us feel proud when we read the good news.

You can have all the right work experience, education and skills, but if you can’t market yourself to potential employers then you won’t get noticed. And, you probably won’t get hired.


The WorkOnCruiseShips.com website has lots of useful tips to get your cover letter and resume in front of the right hiring manager. Then, when it comes to the interview with a cruise line.  Éwe have many tips on what to say and what not say to get you that one step further.


Additionally, following up throughout the application process and after interviews is also crucial in order to put yourself in front of other competing applicants. Get to know what works and what doesn’t.


For example, our new 16-module Weekly Training Program for new members is perfect for those that are just starting their quest to find a cruise job. Yet, those that have been actively pursuing a job on board, but have not yet been successful can learn what they may be doing wrong.


Get started today….you just might be our next success story!

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