How to Write a Crew Resume or CV

How to Write a Crew Resume or CV.

You can send your resume/CV to every crew agent on the planet, it doesn't mean they are going to read or even open them.

This section covers how to write a resume that Crew Agents will actually open.
Section 2 covers what your resume/CV should include


We get 100’s of resumes each year and it’s fair to say that we have learnt what we like, don’t like and actively dread. Writing a resume in this field plays a critical part in getting you noticed. Your resume is your foot in the door, one that might be 8’000 miles away. It is going to take something pretty impressive to open that door.


Getting Your Resume/CV Email Read


Your Subject Line
‘Yact jobs’ won’t help your cause. Get your spelling right.
It is a good idea to state the position you are looking for in the subject line of your email.
For example: Experienced Stewardess Seeking Motor Yacht position 50m plus


Your Cover Email
Always send a cover email. It is an important way of introducing yourself. Email may be a more informal approach but that doesn’t mean you should forget every grammar lesson and skip the spell check. A blank email with an attachment does not impress or inspire confidence and can be very annoying.


Attachments
A blank email with an attachment will almost certainly never be opened. Don’t waste your time sending it. Write the cover letter.


Don’t send your resume in fancy attachments. For example we get a number of resumes sent for some reason in excel. We can’t open these. If you are unsure simply send it as an .rtf or .doc file.


Say what job you are looking for
It is astonishing how many people actually leave this out. Being female doesn’t necessarily mean you are looking for a stewardess job, you could be one of a growing number of female engineers or Captains.


Desperation
Even if you are experienced at interior and exterior having worked as deckhand, stew and crew chef, don’t be tempted to say you are looking for any of those positions. State the position you would like most.


Keep it short
Bear in mind that your resume is frequently being read on screen so be short, sweet and succinct. Don’t waffle but equally don’t leave out anything relevant. Your resume should be no more than two or three pages.


Fonts and Colours
Use a sans serif type font like Verdana or Arial as these are much easier to read on screen. Don’t change from font to font.
Do not use different font colours and table cell colours. Black with Bold is fine


Proofread x 100
Then ask someone to read your resume. Ideally someone who wont be shy to tell you your grammar is lousy and your spelling is even worse.


White space counts
Readers like clean open spaces. If you have a lot to say use bullet points and keep sentences short but also remember your resume must express your character so don’t be overly abrupt.


What if your name is Suchta Norbert?
I don’t know if Suchta is a male or female name, equally I am not sure if it a first name or second. I do know a man with Norbert as a first name. Make your gender clear. This also pertains to names like Alex, Lee, Robin, Nicky, Cameron, Kim etc.


Don’t include massive scans of documents. Scanned references not to mention scans of all your seamanship papers from when you were 16, 17, 21 etc. Seriously, I am sure if anyone wants to see them they will ask you to send them in.


Photos
PLEASE! No shots of you at the pub clutching a beer with a mates arm slung around your neck. Save those for Facebook. Your photo should present a professional image; a head and shoulders shot with you neatly dressed and well presented with a simple or blank background.

Keep your image size small. No one will thank you for a photo so big that only your nostril fits on the screen.
Equally please don’t send images that are so small that one can only see eyebrows and chin.

Any further advice and comments appreciated.

Next article we will tackle what your CV should and should not include
.