Have you made these common mistakes on your resume for a cruise job? Cruise line recruiters may only spend a few seconds glancing at your resume before deciding to read it further or move on to the next resume in the pile. How do you make your resume stand apart from the hundreds of others applying for the same cruise ship job? Keep your resume out of the rejected stack, by not making one of these common resume mistakes.
Cruise Ship Resume Mistake 1:
Not Focused
Cruise ship applicants need to have a clear idea of which position they are applying for and state it at the top of the resume in the Career Objective. The rest of your resume should focus on your skills and experiences matching the details of the job requirements. Don’t list everything that you’ve done in your entire life. Stick to your relevant experience that pertains to the job you are applying for.
Understand the needs of the cruise lines and the job requirements when prioritizing the contents of your resume. Try not to bury important skills and experience. Instead list the most significant experience and education in a separate section near the top called Summary of Qualifications.
Also, be careful not to provide too much information on your resume because this could actually prevent you from getting an interview. Although it is illegal for employers to discriminate, it is better to not list your age, sex, or marital status on your resume. Age requirements for cruise ship jobs vary, and unless it’s stated in the job requirements, its best not to put it on your resume. On the other hand, there are some types of additional information that add value to the resume such as stating the expiry date of your passport.
Cruise Ship Resume Mistake 2:
Absence of Resume Customization
A customized cruise ship resume is one that is unique to the cruise line and the cruise job you are applying for. Don’t use the same resume for each job application. Educate yourself about each cruise line you are applying to. What are the job requirements as stated by the cruise line? You need to use titles and headings that match the position you are applying for. Also, use the same verbiage that the cruise line uses in the requirements of their job posting.
Keep in mind to avoid using the same words and phrases over and over again in your resume. For example, don’t keep writing, “Responsible for…”. Use a variety of verbs to describe what you have accomplished in your previous experiences. Recruiters are also looking for specific keywords that are in the job requirements. Make sure you incorporate them in your resume.
Rather than detailing past job descriptions, applicants should detail their own accomplishments. Instead of explaining the duties you did or the responsibilities that you had, discuss how you performed. Don’t use expressions like “duties included” and “responsibilities included”. For example, if you have cashier experience you might say, “Always maintained an accurate cash float balance of $10,000”, instead of “Responsible for managing a cash float of $10,000”. One demonstrates performance, while the other only describes the job description.
Cruise Ship Resume Mistake 3:
Lack of Visual Impact
Cruise line recruiters see hundreds of resumes for the same cruise job, so making a resume stand out visually is also very important. How do you grab the attention of the person reading it? Resumes with visual impact have the right amount of white space, some bulleted points, no large paragraphs, and with an organized and consistent layout.
Typographical and grammatical errors will also turn off a recruiter. Errors like this may indicate to a potential cruise line recruiter that you do not have a great attention to detail. Proof read and proof read again. Finally, try to keep the resume to one page, or two pages maximum.