STEP ABOARD

Working Abroad Magazine's cruise ship editor Lucian Reed-Drake reveals the stark truths about how to apply to the sought-after jobs onboard cruise liners….

Sailing on an azure blue ocean into a Caribbean island with sunshine and white sandy beaches. Working alongside an international crew, in luxurious surroundings and travelling the world's most exotic locations. Not to mention free boarding and food along the way. Sounds like a dream job doesn't it?

Well, let us tell you, yes it is, and yes it is possible. Even for you. Working onboard a cruise ship is becoming more real than ever, with 10's of new ships cutting the ribbon every year and 100s of willing crewmembers required every month. More jobs are available, but of course competition is stiff. Cruise lines still only want to hire the best staff and receive thousands of applications every week. How do you get yourself noticed? How do you make yourself stand out from the crowd? How do you make sure your application goes to the right tray? Don't be put off as Working Abroad Magazine has found a new resource that will show you just how to set you on your way to working onboard.

We interviewed the Managing Director of Digital Sea Ltd, Neil Maxwell-Keys, who has been there, done that, and got the lifejacket. After travelling the world and spending 3 years at sea working for Carnival Cruises in the retail department. Neil spotted a gap in the market after his own frustrating experience to land a cruise ship job in the first place. He describes working on cruise ships as one of the best experiences in his life, but it did take 12 months for Neil to get hired! It was the familiar story of scouring for contacts, CV after CV, rejection letter after rejection letter, and often lucky if any response was given at all.

Neil's own painful application process and an eagerness to inspire other people to work and travel as a crewmember, was what led him to become so determined and passionate about helping other candidates.  As Neil explains, "I would hate anyone to go through what I went through, which is why I wanted to create all of the convenient tools and resources to help people shortcut their way to a job on a cruise ship."

After returning to land, Neil began building up a large cruise recruitment agency, hiring thousands of staff for over 100 luxury cruise ships before launching an international book, showcased at www.GetaCruiseShipJob.com. The book details a step-by-step guide, with extensive advice and plenty of insider's tips and techniques on how to secure cruise employment.

It proved to be very popular, selling over 9,000 copies in over 50 countries! And with further TV and radio appearances across the UK and US, as well as being a regular keynote speaker at numerous industry events, Neil built a reliable range of contacts in the industry. Soon after Neil released a new website, aptly titled, www.WorkOnCruiseShips.com, which now sees over 65,000 visits a month.

Working Abroad Magazine got our mitts on these resources to find out what the fuss was all about.

First off, the ebook, we found it to be extremely useful, with a wealth of information on the cruise world. It is an encyclopaedic volume of everything you would need to know about working on a cruise ship; the positions available, the lifestyle, the techniques when applying, and all of the questions which applicants want to know and are probably too afraid to ask. It's obvious Neil is very experienced in the entire cruise ship recruitment process; from getting hired right through to stepping onboard.

There are many positives, but also many negatives to working on a cruise ship, and the ebook isn't frightened to bare all. Not all aspects of cruise life are glamorous, and the book is what Neil defines as "a candid, honest and often humorous insight of what it's REALLY like to live and work onboard a cruise ship - warts and all!". Whilst the positives always outweigh the negatives, the appeal with this particular publication is that it offers an objective account of the real-life factors that are involved when working on a cruise ship. Neil even admits that, "if people read my book and decide that working on a cruise ship is not for them after all, then I consider that I've done a great job." There are certainly a few sacrifices that come with working on a cruise ship.

In the ever-growing age of the Internet, it is the website that impresses us the most. www.WorkOnCruiseShips.com is an interactive membership site which slices open the cruise recruitment industry and reveals all of its juicy insides. As well as articles and a widespread contact list, the latest vacancies are continually updated, with an online forum to liaise with fellow applicants and experts. What's more is that there is additional downloads which all aim to improve your application process, including basic French, Spanish and Italian language lessons, example cover letters, CV templates and much more!

The costs don't burn a hole in your pocket either. The website starts as cheap as chips, at only US$1 (£0.70) to 'test drive' the site for 10 days and remains low at only US$12.95 a month (£7). You aren't tied in and you can cancel at any time and re-join as you choose.

The ebook is slighty more expensive, at US$49 (£35) a pop - so we asked Neil what do readers get for their purchase? "People get a ton of information that they won't read anywhere else all in one convenient book." Neil tells us, "they're getting 10+ years experience from a former crewmember and hiring expert. You can get all of this information instantly… or people can go and spend 12 months wandering around the internet trying to figure it all out for themselves." There is no doubt that these resources will save you countless hours applying to the wrong route. Whilst it does cost, it does also save a great deal of another precious commodity, time.

If you are still having trouble with getting hired, the Cruise Ship Diploma is another recently launched product that is offered to enhance your application. http://www.CruiseShipDiploma.com refers to an online, 18 module e-learning course which trains candidates to become effective crewmembers and indeed more attractive to cruise employers. The course came about from frustrations heard from cruise line companies about not being happy with the calibre of candidates applying to them.

At the end of the course, students receive a real diploma certificate that can be added to your CV/resume to make you stand out.  The course is now also being introduced to colleges around the world who are running it as an add-on to their classroom based Travel and Tourism courses to introduce students to the cruise industry. With the unique CV/Resume builder and the one-click job application system built into the course, you can also submit your application and course results directly to the people responsible for hiring. 

This is one of the most competitive industries in the world, and for that you will need an 'edge', and it appears that cruise lines are impressed that applicants have taken it upon themselves to obtain a cruise ship specific qualification. After assessing the course we also note another major benefit, the certificate in itself is attention grabbing could certainly give candidates the extra confidence they need in their applications and at interviews.

There is clearly a plethora of aides that Neil's company provides. If you are wondering which one to go for, then we recommend the following:

Buy the book especially if you are a newcomer to the cruise industry, and use it as a starting point to get to grips with the different types of jobs and lifestyle you are signing up to. If there were a bestseller list for cruise industry books this one would certainly be top of the shelf as it is so comprehensive and well-informed.

Virgin cruisers or experienced sailors, we say definitely sign up to www.WorkOnCruiseShips.com. For just a few pennies, applicants get a sweeping database of contacts and information that will have you prepared for any application process. ("I wish I had this resource when I was applying for cruise jobs!!" [Working Abroad Magazine Ed. Lucian]) 

The Cruise Ship Diploma is splashing out more at US$249 (£170), yet it is an invaluable lifetime addition to your CV/Resume, and ideal for those that want to be separated from the crowd and have a direct passport to all of the major liners and their recruitment inboxes.

To the sceptics, paying for info to find a job might seem a bit unusual, although we have to remember this is not your normal job. Neil puts it into an interesting perspective, "some people think nothing about blowing a couple of grand on a 2 week vacation, yet tell them to invest US$50 in a step by step guidebook that gives them everything they need to get a job that pays them to travel the world for 6 months and they'll look at you like you're stark raving mad!"

It is refreshing to see a legitimate service that has been set up to provide all necessary means for candidates to actually realise aspirations of working abroad. The allure of the dream cruise ship job is strong, and Neil attests that "there are scam artists out there who have found ways to make money off unwitting job seekers by promising them a guarantee of positions that do not actually exist."

The difference with Neil's products is that they never promise a job, but give all of the essential information for the applicant to know the cruise employment industry inside and out. If it's genuine motivation and accurate facts and figures you need, then look no further. There are testimonials on the website from other crewmembers that have used Neil's products to successfully land a contract, and are still working at sea as you read this!

Of course, whilst Neil's resources will give you a gentle push a long way down the gangway, you will always need to put in a considerable amount of your own effort to land the job.

So any final words of wisdom from Neil? "To work on a cruise ship, you need to be someone who is flexible, hardworking, a team player, easy going, and professional, reliable, adaptable, customer focused, and well presented. Don't apply for "any" job, make sure that everything on your CV and cover letter is targeted to that one position and nothing else. Then go after your desired job with enthusiasm, determination and persistence. The people who get hired are usually the people who did not give up at the first sign of rejection and instead just kept on applying until you get the job that pays you to travel the world."
     
The cruise industry is as vast as the ocean, but with the help of Neil and his companies, you can find a job and jump right on board, and embark on the trip of a lifetime. It has our approval, so it's up to you to walk the plank. We promise you won't be left stranded at sea and it will be oh so worth it when that Caribbean shoreline appears outside your porthole.

GOOD LUCK!

Working Abroad Magazine