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FREE Winning CV Template to Get a Job on Cruise Ships.

Download your FREE Cruise Ship Job CV template below:

I recruit thousands of staff a month to work in the Boutiques on Cruise Ships, I meet so many candidates with talent, drive, skill, personality and motivation who all want to work on ships.  The first thing you need is a winning CV see below some free templates.   Here are five top things I come across every week.  

  1. Be specific about the job you want to show you are dedicated to the position you are applying for.  

  2. Be honest about your experience and level of skill – find more advice below.

  3. Make sure your English is good – I’ll explain more below.

  4. Create a winning CV – see several FREE CV templates below.  

  5. Be Positive, Polite and Persistent.

Be specific about the job you want.

I see so many candidates that apply for more than one position with the company I recruit for.  I can see that the same candidate has applied up to 10, 15 or 30 times.  Firstly it is a lot of work for you and the recruiter to sift through each application.  My advice is to stay true to your skill set, read below how you can get that one application noticed.  Apply for the role you are the most qualified for and stay on course and focused on that application.   Many candidates get impatient, remember these cruise lines and concessionaire companies get thousands of applications and they have to work their way through each one.  So if you keep piling up the applications then they will never get to your one true application.

If you are going for several positions at least change the job you are looking for in your Introduction.

 

Be honest about your experience and level of skill.

There are so many times we as recruiters get excited about an application, we see oh my goodness this candidate has exactly the skill and experience we are looking for.  We take time to invite that candidate to an interview, the candidate may take the day off work and get ready for their video interview.  Then as we ask the questions it becomes obvious (and we always know) that something isn’t right.  We know that if this candidate had this skill set they would instinctively know the answers but they don’t.  Or worse still they have someone else there in the room during their video interview trying to give them the answers.  This is an absolute no-no try to stay on course with the skill set and experience you have.  For example:  If you want to get a job in the retail shops onboard ship but have never worked in retail.  Before you apply try to get a job on land in a retail shop and gain that crucial experience that you will need. 

If you haven’t been honest about your experience and level of skill.  The worst thing that can happen to you is that you actually get the job.  You invest all that time and money to get to the ship thousands of miles from home.  Then if you can’t do the job, guess what they will send you packing and that is your chance of working on ships over I am afraid. 

So my advice is stay true to your level of skill.  If you don’t have that skill for the job you want then get the experience you need on land, update your CV and then apply.

Make sure your English is good.

It’s always a marvel to me when I interview so many amazing candidates from all corners of the globe about how good their English is.  I think to myself how dedicated they are to studying and nailing a 2nd language.  So bravo to all you amazing candidates out there who can speak, understand and write perfectly good English.  From time to time I meet amazing candidates who can’t understand my questions and when they do understand me they struggle to find the words to answer me.  Now don’t get me wrong your English doesn’t need to be perfect but our conversation shouldn’t be painful where we have to repeat the question.  Most Cruise ships have guests from countries where their first language is English, and then you’re dealing with accents from the US and UK so English needs to be of a good standard.   Take an English test and if you’re not confident enough then keep practising and learning English until you are very confident then you will pass your interview and you have gotten your dream job on Cruiseships.

Create a winning CV – here are 10 FREE CV templates.

Choose from the free CV templates below, make sure you add the month/year you started and finish each job or contract.  
  1. This is a great CV, it is so important to add your picture  Blue grey CV (office.com)
  2. If you prefer a short and punchy CV then go for this one.  Some recruiters will love it because it is to the point.  But some recruiters might feel there isn’t enough info on it.   I will leave this up to you to decide if you want to use this template Sticky note CV (office.com)
  3. This is a great modern CV and it is to the point Modern initials CV (office.com)
  4. If you are going for a more senior position then choose this template Resume (Professional) (office.com)
  5. What if you don’t want to add a photo then this one will work Modern initials CV (office.com)
  6. Eye Catching CV to gain the edge Green cube CV (office.com)
  7. Sometimes a face says a thousand words check out this template Photo resume (office.com)
  8. This one is in Powerpoint format but I thought I would include it if you are familiar with Powerpoint you could create a splash with this design Timeline infographic resume (office.com)
  9. Make an impression with a colour block CV Colour block resume (office.com)
  10. This one is a favourite with recruiters all we want to see is your experience in chronological order as long as you have this on any of these CV’s then your in good shape Chronological CV (Modern design) (office.com)

Be Positive, Polite and Persistent.

So many times I interview a candidate who is stern, serious and stiff.  You’re going to work on a cruise ship for goodness sake.  It is so important to show your positive, energetic happy self.  Guests who are on a cruise don’t want to see sad, stern faces and hear wooden answers to their questions.  Try to overcome nerves just smile and show those pearly white teeth.  Connect with the interviewer in a friendly way.  Be relaxed but not too laid back of course.  Try not to take it too seriously.  I know it is important to you but you want to show your friendly, warm and happy side. 

Always be positive, and polite when communicating either via email, phone or video chat.  Be persistent.  I don’t mean email every single day and sometimes twice a day.  But do follow up within a reasonable time frame to follow up on your application.  Always be very polite and courteous.   As I said earlier recruiters get 1,000 applications a week and it does take time to go through each application so do be patient.    I recommend following up every 2 weeks.  

Want to know more?

Here is an interview I did with Emma Cruises at the beginning of the year, this will be updated in 2023.

For more information follow me on LinkedIn