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Hunting for a Superyacht Job, looking for a candidate, or ready to make a change? Then you need to have a read of our yacht job tips before you start.
Marc Anthony once said:
“If you do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life”
And that pretty much sums it up for a lot of us in the yachting industry. Getting there, on the other hand, is a different story, which is why we’ve constructed a list of yacht job tips from professionals themselves.
Long gone are the days of a casual stroll down the dock to get a spot on a busy charter yacht. We’ve all heard many versions of that story from the veteran crew, reminiscing about their first position on board. Today though, things are different. The world is different and the Superyacht job market is different, add in the joys and complications the internet presents and it seems like being better connected doesn’t always result in necessarily getting together the right candidate with the right yacht.
Here are our top 3 yacht job tips for the seekers and the finders:
If you’re seeking your first Superyacht job or planning a career change, here’s what you need to do…
1. Find yourself an agency you love
Whether you are a captain or a deckhand, a kite surfing instructor, or anyone looking to “move up” onto a bigger boat, the first thought you have when embarking on a job search should not be getting headshots done. From the basics of getting your CV together to help you to address any potential shortcomings or gaps in your experience, the best recruitment agencies will want to get to know YOU. It’s in their best interests to get you on a boat you’re going to love so get a reference, do some searching online and meet them in person to get organised.
2. Discover your special skill
Maybe working in yachting has been a dream of yours, or you want to see if your talents and experience shoreside could be valuable in starting a career in yachting? If you are a first-time yachting job seeker, especially if you have a particular profile, you need to get some expert advice on how to proceed. Crew that has special technical skills from videographers to drone handlers, kite surfing instructors to carpenters, are in hot demand. (I won’t even mention the severe shortage of really good masseuses and hairdressers right now). You may be a more valuable candidate than you think, but only with the right training, tickets, and professional guidance to get you ready.
3. Don’t cut corners
More isn’t always better in yachting. I feel bad when I see those pesky LinkedIn posts that invade my newsfeed from time to time from potential candidates practically begging for a job onboard. It doesn’t often work in other industries and apart from the occasional lucky strike it doesn’t in yachting either. This is your career and doing it right can mean the difference between building up your bank account, or being stuck shoreside for the rest of your life. Get a professional to put you in front of the right captains and on the right boat.
If you’re a captain or a yacht manager looking to fill a position on board, here are our top 3 yacht job tips:
1. Don’t be a CV trawler
Give me the name of a fellow captain anywhere that has time to sift through dozens of CVs and we’ll give send you a lifetime supply of Superyacht Content pens right now (am I right?)… Quality, not quantity, is the key here because after all, time is money. Many crew agencies execute database mining with a clever keyword search and send you all the candidates who come up straight to your inbox. A great crew agency will actually search for Superyacht jobs, vet, and present you with a small number of fantastic people for your open position.
2. Agency networks will find the unfindable
Often those with the most specialised skill set aren’t looking for the Superyacht jobs. And these positions (particularly when you consider they will have dual responsibilities onboard) are tricky to fill, to say the least. The Jet Ski instructor is also the engineer; the chief stew who also has experience as a seamstress; the deckhand who is also a certified pilates/yoga professional. You need to be creative to keep the boss happy so the recruitment team you partner with, shouldn’t be any different. You may get lucky with a suggestion from a fellow captain, but this is akin to a needle in a haystack. The best recruitment professionals think out of the box and network in other complementary industries to find you the right person.
3. Make sure candidates get a real vetting before they meet you
Job hunting statistics tell us that about half of job seekers are outright lying or embellishing their skill set on a CV, yet so very few potential employers vet their candidates. Would you ever put a person in charge of the health and safety of your owner not having done so? Make sure whoever is sending you candidates is calling every single reference (and then some) before you even see them for an interview.
Visit the yacht crew training and careers section on our website for more yacht job tips and tricks by clicking here.
For the latest yacht crew vacancies, click here and register on the Superyacht Content Jobs Board.
