Or are you just dipping your toe in the pool to see if there is something that might interest you or maybe even just being nosey?
It’s an important question to ask yourself before you start putting yourself out there and making yourself available to both agencies and yachts. Recruitment is a timely and costly process and with so many crew available, it is worth seriously evaluating whether you are in fact looking to secure a new role and that you are ready to leave your current yacht/home.
We are fully aware that finding a new role is time consuming, especially with numerous agencies wanting you to sign up, add certificates etc but ultimately for your dream job, it is worthwhile!
At Quay Crew, we don’t just accept your online application for a job and send your CV to the client. We want to talk to you, get a feel for both your personality and exactly what you are looking for. We brief you on our available jobs and the yacht in detail. We appreciate honesty and in return we will be honest with you about your expectations and the opportunities we have available to you. This does of course mean, we expect a bit more of your time than other agencies, however, I can assure you it is worth it.
You’ve decided it’s definitely the right time to start looking… so what next?
- Update your file with us at Quay Crew – ensure not only your CV is up to date but also ALL of your certificates too – we will only be chasing you for them if they aren’t and this could be the difference between us sending you to a role and not!
- Touch base with your recruiter – details are on the website if you haven’t used us before. Each department has their own recruiter/s so touch base with the right one. Sending a bulk email to all of us does you no favours!
- Allow and make time for interviews and for potential yachts to be able to interview you. Same goes for any additional info yachts may require from you. A few of our yachts require questionnaires to be filled in. Usually takes no more than an hour and could be the difference in success or not. Just this week, I have had a candidate ignore a few of my whatsapps requesting a questionnaire be filled in (for a rotational role) and in the end I have withdrawn their application because of the lack of commitment. (A simple reply to my whatsapp would have sufficed)
- Be open! You probably have a fairly good idea of what you are looking for in your next role but don’t be blinkered by this. We have some incredible private yachts with amazing owners/packages etc that are far superior to some charter yachts! Hear us out and let us help guide you too. Believe it or not, we know the industry well and might just land you your dream job you didn’t know you were looking for.
- Be honest with us and yourself! Don’t tell us what you think we want to hear, this only results in you being flaky with yachts or flaky with us and not being fully committed.
If you are a Chief Stew/Chief Officer/Captain reading this and you’re having issues getting hold of a candidate or they haven’t replied to your last whatsapp or they haven’t supplied the docs you have asked for etc etc…. the likelihood is they just aren’t that interested – Remember the movie/book ‘He’s just not that into you’…. Same applies here!
If you are getting the vibe that the candidate isn’t 100% sold on your opportunity listen to your gut feeling. If you employ them anyway then get a contract out to them ASAP and get them to sign it and get it back to you. If after a few days, you haven’t got it back I would have a slight concern.
I would also be upfront with crew when interviewing them and explicitly ask them if they are committed to this job and will they stop applying for others if they get offered the role. Are you still interviewing with other yachts? Is there anything going on that could prevent you joining us in 4 weeks? All of these little things up the ante a little on crew and remove potential excuses.
Great crew are responsive, proactive, available day and night, keen and motivated to find their dream job! Be one of these crew members!
