Cruise Job Directory is a comprehensive guide for cruise ship job seekers, providing the facts and guidance you need to navigate the recruitment process and successfully find your dream job! Get to know all the cruise lines, what types of cruise jobs there are, what qualifications are required and how to apply for them. Plus, info on cruise ship resumes and career advice. Let’s get started!
FAQ About Working on Cruise Ships
Working on cruise ships isn’t for everyone, yet to get hired it is very competitive because so many people want to work onboard. The hours are long and you live where you work, yet the life onboard can be very rewarding through relationships made, but also financially and of course the travelling. So, once you decide that you want to work on cruise ships, next you need to know how to make that happen.
There are over 300 types of cruise ship jobs, but which one is best for you? There are nearly 100 different cruise lines that sail on the world’s oceans and rivers, but who do you want to work for? Cruise ships vary in size from some expedition and river cruise ships carrying less than 100 passengers to mega cruise ships that carry over 6,000 people, including 2,000 crew. What does it take to become crew?
Requirements to Work on Cruise Ships
At the very least, there are age and medical requirements to work on cruise ships. Crewmembers must pass a marine medical and prove to an employer that they are physically, medically, and mentally fit to work at sea. Cruise ships are a different environment than working on land. Will you suffer from homesickness or seasickness? Do you have the stamina to work 10-hour days, seven days a week?
Of course, each cruise ship job requires the applicant to have the experience, qualifications, and skills related to the job. In addition, fluency in English is generally required as well as knowledge of another language. But, if you think you might not have the exact criteria that an employer is looking for, you should still apply. Job postings typically detail the employer’s wish list of an ideal candidate, a well-written customized cruise ship resume can often persuade a recruiter.
Cruise Ship Resumes
Will your resume persuade a recruiter to contact you for an interview? A cruise line recruiter or a hiring manager may spend less than 10 seconds scanning over a resume and if yours doesn’t catch his or her attention in that time, it may not even get a second look. With hundreds of resumes applying for the same position, how do you add the wow factor and impress a recruiter?
Most importantly, your resume needs to be customized for a specific cruise ship job and cruise line, using cruise job specific keywords and verbiage. This will make your resume stand out among other applicants. A properly organized resume needs to highlight your experience, skills, and qualifications that mimics the description of the job you are applying for. A customized resume will optimize your chances of being offered an interview with a cruise line.
How to Apply for Cruise Jobs
Once you have a customized resume, you are ready to apply for cruise ship jobs. Some cruise lines have job openings on their company websites and you can apply online while other companies may provide an email address where to send your resume and cover letter. Most of the larger cruise lines use a global network of hiring partners to assist with their recruitment needs as well.
Hiring partners or recruitment agencies screen, interview, or audition potential candidates for the cruise line. They also assist crew with airline tickets and visas. Beware of fraudulent agencies or employment scams that are not affiliated with any cruise line. Authorized agencies and cruise lines will not ask you for money. Only work with authorized hiring partners, which are listed on this website, so that you may avoid falling prey to a cruise ship employment scam.
Cruise lines also work with concessionaires and crew management companies that work as a third-party vendor to the cruise line. Cruise line concessionaires sell services and products on board some cruise ships in such departments as the Casino, Gift Shops, Spa, Photo, and Medical. Alternatively, some smaller cruise lines use crew management companies to recruit and place crew onboard, independent of the cruise line.
Please note that CruiseJobDirectory.com does not recruit for cruise ships and it is not associated with any cruise lines or recruitment agencies. The purpose of this website is to provide accessible information for cruise ship job seekers.
Updated: July 5, 2024