A lot has been written recently about the severe shortage of decent superyacht crew candidates, which is why we have started sending out our star candidate CVs on spec to the right yachts.
Normally, we don’t advocate crew agencies randomly sending CVs to boats, because it’s often done on a whim with no thought to whether the candidate actually meets that yacht’s requirements.
But right now, great crew are not hanging around for long – less than 48 hours in most cases – and sometimes they are simply too good a fit for a specific yacht that we feel we should at least give well-matched clients first refusal.
In one instance, I had three amazing beauty stews who were offered an interview within hours of sending through the CVs and subsequently offered a job, even though those yachts were not actively looking.
Basically, if we send you a CV on spec, we mean business, and yachts should be open to at least considering a speculatively sent CV.
Of course, a lot of it is about timing. It could be that crew recruitment has been on your to-do list for a while, but keeps being pushed further down that list as other things take priority.
But by being reactive to our proactiveness, you could potentially get one of the best candidates in the market handed to you on a silver platter.
Benefits of recruiting when you have no vacancies
No vacancies, no problem, right? Wrong.
There are many challenges with not starting the recruitment process until there is a need, and that’s often an urgent one too.
Suddenly, even if you use the services of a crew agency, you still need to dedicate time to reviewing shortlisted candidates and conduct interviews and be in a position to make a quick decision.
Secondly, you’ll be at the mercy of the candidates who are available at that exact time, who may also be interviewing for multiple roles in such a candidate-led market.
So there’s definitely a case for considering candidates who are sent on spec.
If you’re a larger vessel, having an additional crew member to cover rotations, holidays or busy charter seasons is a good strategy to follow. And if recruitment is on the horizon or in your peripheral vision, then even better.
It’s better to pay extra salary for two or three months then potentially not fill the role with the right person when you suddenly need crew ASAP.
The difference with the Quay Crew approach is that the candidates we send you are not POTENTIALLY relevant, they ARE.
We have carefully considered these candidates, their skills and overall cultural suitability for your yacht as well as already completed verbal referencing and received personal recommendations.
Watch this space for an incoming email from Quay Crew – because it could contain details of your next crew member.
