Using Your Personality To Get A Cruise Ship Job

You may perhaps have all the correct skills and plenty of experience for the cruise job you are applying for. But, it may cost you the job if you don't have the suitable personality. Employers are looking for that exceptional combination of skills and values.

How do you convey in your cover letter and CV/resume that you have the proper personality?

Showcasing your skills and experience is equally as important as constructing your resume and cover letter to reflect your personality. Cruise lines want crew members that are active, outgoing, approachable, charismatic and can get along with others. They also want employees that are easily trainable, with good listening skills, adaptable to change and are goal-driven. Soft skills is what this set of skills are commonly referred to as.

It is one thing to establish these qualities during an interview, but your primary objective should be to land that interview!

You won't stand out enough to get an interview if the cover letter is boring or if the resume looks like all the other applications. The soft skills stated above are important to use throughout the work experience and skills section.

Give exceptional examples in your resume of sales goals that you exceeded. Show how you cross-trained and learned additional skills or how you adapted to a change after a relocation.

Next, show your enthusiasm by stating your readiness to start working on cruise ships. For example, "My passport is valid until March 2018" is what your cover letter should say something like.

Also, if you're looking for a career on a cruise ship, bear in mind that it's not enough just to say you have good communication skills. For all positions, cruise applicants can benefit from understanding what it means to be a good communicator. Employees who will be a positive voice for their company is what the cruise industry, like many land-based industries, want.

How well will you represent the cruise line when faced with an unhappy passenger? How well will you communicate with other employees and managers? "Good communication skills" is what many job applicants write on their resume. How you will interact with their passengers and crew members is what cruise line employers want to know, and that's the bottom line. You have to be able to answer questions briefly, correctly and rapidly. Finding common ground with a dissatisfied passenger or crew member is what you will need to do. And, with all passengers and crew in order to be able to diffuse awkward situations you need to be able to establish a rapport Staying calm and professional under pressure requires an applicant with patience.

Consider that a cruise ship takes on new passengers at the end of every cruise. On the job, will you be able to make a good impression through your communication skills? A relevant part is listening skills in the communication process. Good communicators are also excellent listeners. Behind the scenes, understand that each cruise will experience turnover in crew within each department. Crew members come from all over the world representing different cultures.

People that may not have the same first language as you, how adaptable are you at communicating with them? Of course, having a second language is also bonus. Being able to have your resume and cover letter stand apart from other applicants is the key to landing an interview and a cruise ship career. It goes a whole lot further than just saying you are a good communicator when you are able to actually express how well you communicate. Even your emails during the application process will highlight your communication skills.


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Neil Maxwell-Keys is an ex-crewmember, hiring expert and best-selling author of "Get a Cruise Ship Job!" Claim Neil's popular free book TODAY which shows you how to get cruise ship jobs, quickly & easily. Available at: => http://www.workoncruiseships.com/free