5 Mistakes to Avoid While Looking for a Yacht Job

So you've put together your yacht CV, applied to jobs, and still nothing! What gives? You could be making some common mistakes that could jeopardize your chances of getting hired. Here are a few common mistakes to avoid during the job hunt. Are you guilty of any of them?

1. Bad CV Photo

Your photo is the first thing captains and hiring managers look at when reviewing candidates. Both your profile photo on Meridian crew portal and your CV should have a professional, well-lit photograph, taken from the waist or shoulders up, with a clear view of your face from the front. It's worthwhile to have a friend take a proper photo at a marina or on a yacht, or better yet, hire a professional! Avoid selfies, dark lighting, wearing sunglasses, wearing hats, squinting with too much sun, wearing too much makeup, being too provocative (ie, wearing a swimsuit), too far away where you cannot see your face. If you claim to be professional, make sure your profile photo reflects your professionalism!

2. Inappropriate Social Media Photos

With the use of social media as a recruitment and vetting tool, captains and managers WILL look at your social media profile. Make sure you set up appropriate privacy settings and ensure your public profile photo is not offensive or inappropriate. We understand that you may use Facebook for personal use, but when commenting on public job boards, everyone will be able to click on your personal profile and see what you've posted on your timeline. You can either create a "professional" account to use for job applications or edit your personal profile to be captain-friendly. Remember: if you're posting things on social media you wouldn't want your mother to see, you probably don't want potential hiring managers and captains seeing it either!

3. Lying on your CV

Only driven an inflatable tender once, and claiming you can dock a center console? Claiming you're fluent in French when you can only say "bonjour"? Yachting is a small world, and lies on your CV will certainly be found out. Captains know other captains and will ask about your true experience. Once you lie on your CV, word will spread that you are not trustworthy and will come back to haunt you long after you progress in your career. It's ok if you don't have certain skills or experiences yet, play up the ones you do have now and list only certificates and licenses you actually possess.

4. Bad References

It's important to list at least the last 3 job references on your CV. If you left on bad terms, your references may not speak kindly of you. A bad reference or lack of references will definitely hurt your chances of finding a new job.

5. Applying for Jobs You're Not Qualified For

Nothing annoys a captain or hiring manager more than when unqualified candidates apply for their job posting. If the captain is looking for a mate with licenses, a junior deckhand shouldn't be applying for the job. Or if a captain is looking for an American chief stew, they don't want to see CVs from non-American crew members. If you continue to blindly apply to jobs without reading the job descriptions, it demonstrates your lack of "attention to detail" and your chances of getting hired are slim. Not only that, the captain will remember you for all the wrong reasons! Be sure you read the job description carefully and only apply if it fits your qualifications.

If you avoid these common pitfalls, it will increase your chances of getting an interview for your perfect job. Best of luck to all crew!

Ready to continue the job search? Create a free CREW account to get hired now.

Are you looking for crew or day workers? Create an EMPLOYER account and find someone in minutes!