Who, except a tropical island caretaker, would pass up the chance to work on a cruise ship? Imagine being paid to travel and see the world on a luxury vessel called, say, Starship, or how about Utopia?
That lucky cuss could be you. According to www.Cruiseshipjob.com, in the past four years all leading cruise lines have doubled their fleets and staff contingent. So prospects are good!
Sure, the job has some blips: like the potential cold sweat sensation of sea sickness. Then there is the inevitable presence of at least one toxic stranger, under cramped conditions, plus (shudder) the work aspect.
But cruise liner work sure beats operating as an airborne glorified catering assistant in drag queen-style uniform, aka as a flight attendant. Picture the bountiful variety of cruise food, supplied around the clock. Picture the potentially vast range of talent — with luck the clientele will consist of more than just cougars or whatever their male equivalent might be as you winter in the Caribbean and spend your summers in Alaska.
Read on to learn the secrets of landing a job on a floating resort.
1. Get mission-critical skills
Cruise job applicants can easily come across as airheads brazenly looking to coast along. Become an indispensable hire by acquiring key cruising industry skills.
Practise public speaking, learn a language like Chinese, and get your CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) or lifesaving certification (in case the good ship Floating City enters Titanic mode.
Experience working in a casino is handy, too, because cruises are all about entertainment and persuading tipsy gadabouts to part with their money.
2. Grasp the market
Establish which firms are adding ships to their fleets and try them first.
Meanwhile, identify the cruise industry's heavy hitters. Princess, Royal Caribbean International and Carnival are the Big Three. Because each has more ships than Columbus and Cortes combined, try them in the first instance.
But scout around; explore the one-off vacancies offered by a streamlined operator with a tailor-made slant. Research the companies that catch your eye.
Get a feel for the clientele that they lure and show that you know their markets. Persistently counter any suspicion that you are a freeloader.
3. Punch up that CV
Few cruise ship jobs demand formidable technical skills. But, unless irresistibly attractive, you must avoid coming across as just another passenger with visions of sipping umbrella cocktails on-deck at sunset and getting paid for it.
Be accountable. As with any CV, ensure it is packed with facts. Show, don't tell.
If you airily claim to be a "detail-oriented self-starter", your e-mail application and dreams may evaporate at the stroke of a delete key.
4. Prepare to be scared
Thanks to its dream job vibe, cruise work is competitive. So recruiters set out to reduce the number of applicants and avoid being flooded. How?
Through low-level intimidation. Brace for an ad that reads something like this:
"You must have extensive cruise industry experience. You must also hold a university degree and be fluent in at least seven languages, including the Ket language spoken in Central Siberia. You must also be positive and high-energy all the time and boast an address book that contains the names of at least three Hollywood A-list celebrities. Only former Mr Universe and Miss World winners need apply."
Hardly anyone can tick all the boxes. If cruise ship hirers were as strict as they claim, they would have skeleton crews. Take the requirements longlist with a pinch of salt. The recruiter is testing your tenacity.
5. Seize the moment
Time your application shrewdly. Cruise lines often hire a month to two weeks before a ship sets sail. So apply for positions during that period.
E-mail or snail mail? Some sources tell you to post a big fat flashy package. True, that tactic makes you look committed, but reeks of the '80s and could make you seem five times the age that your CV claims.
Worse, snail mail has an associational problem — paper post is often junk mail or bills.
6. Ooze drive
Contrary to how brochures make cruise life look, sustaining a job on a liner takes grit and discipline. Just like in Sydney's CBD, you may work a seven-day 14-hour-a-day week.
So, instead of inanely repeating how much you love travel, cite your experience of gruelling long-hours culture that has turned you into a machine with a smile. You're sooo damn keen.
If you have a weakness, it is just that you work too hard.
7. Flaunt your social skills
You must be able to get on with anyone, from your cabin mate to a cougar or AFL player, in a tight space. So, at any interview, strive to appear impeccably charming.
Listen. Smile, until you start to feel like a rictus-faced Butlins redcoat or Magic Kingdom greeter. Ooze "EI" (emotional intelligence) — the ability to negotiate dilemmas with grace (another good subject to study).
If you act like you can calm a punch-drunk bogan at twenty paces, that could seal the deal. With luck, soon you will be ready to pump your fist in the air and sing the Lonely Island hit, 'I'm on a Boat'.
Got any more tips for scoring a job on a cruise ship? Have your say using the comments form below:
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