Interview information for crew

Please read before you come for interview.

Dress Code

This is an interview, dress accordingly. Hair tied back, no nail polish, no flip flops, no bikinis, no piercings, no iPod, no hoodies, no skateboards etc. Boys should be clean shaven, hair short. This is a multi million dollar industry that you are seeking a position in. Turn off your phone for all interviews, especially this one.

Daywork

If you have no yachting experience, you will need to find daywork and add this to your CV. In some instances you will be able to ask the boat for their contact information reference(they will not write a reference for daywork, it should NOT be expected), if you have done three days plus.

Have your daywork clothes in your bag when you are walking the docks but dress SMARTLY, you will find you have a more positive response. Girls, DO NOT WEAR polo tops/t shirts and shorts you would not interview or work in a 5* hotel in a polo and shorts, so don’t do it here, we are beyond 5*.

Casual clothes are fine for dayworking, but too low key for dock walking or interviewing. If you look as if you are ready for an interview, you are more likely to get one. If you get daywork, turn off your phone and put it away in your bag. You are there to work. References that you earn from your daywork can make or break you finding permanent position, take it seriously.

Do not be late, work hard, show you are dynamic and self motivated. As an industry, we will notice everything about you. Do NOT think it is OK to take photographs/videos of the yacht you are dayworking on. IT IS NOT. It has been a sackable offence for crew to do so, not a good first impression for someone who wants to be considered as a serious candidate.

CVs

We have a certain layout/content for your yachting CV. If we have asked for changes to be made to your CV, please make those changes before you come in to introduce yourself. CV should be in WORD and in ENGLISH. If we have to send you the information 3 times, and you still haven’t made an effort to make the necessary changes, we will no longer continue your registration.

Read more information on how to layout a CV.

Points to remember

  • English is the first language of the yachting industry and unless spoken fluently, you are unlikely to find work. Additional fluent languages are always a plus.
  • The average entry age to yachting is early 20s to late 20s. There are exceptions for various positions, but be aware that for junior positions, a vessel will usually ask for someone junior in age.
  • If you are new to the industry, and you are part of a couple, do not expect to find work on the same boat for your first season. Many boats will not take couples, and you need to learn the ropes as an individual first, although you may be lucky.
  • IF you have need of a visa to come to Europe while searching for a position Recrewt LTD will not be able to assist you. Make sure you know what to do in case your visa expires and you need to renew it. Once you are employed onboard, your employer will assist you with any visa requirements you have.
  • IF you are arriving before May, we are in WINTER. The month of May can still be cold and wet. Bring with you waterproof jacket, warm sweaters and umbrellas!!!!! You will freeze.
  • Bring with you suitable clothing for an interview. We are a formal industry, and board shorts and vests will not impress here you are not on holiday, you are here to seek work in the yachting industry.
  • Always behave with decorum. You will be seen falling out of bars drunk, and you will be overheard swearing and cursing in the street. Do not do it. It will not get you a job here. Networking is dockwalking and dayworking, not socializing in bars until early hours of the morning. By all means do that, but do not register with me.
  • The summer/Mediterranean season is the better season to ‘break into’ the yachting industry, as there are more positions available to junior crew. End of summer there will be a smaller turnaround of crew, therefore fewer jobs. The crew who have just completed a Med season are likely to be considered for those jobs first, as they have some experience under the belt and a reference to show for it.
  • You also need to be in the Mediterranean at some point early in the season, as no one will be able to wait for a crew member to travel for interview, and certainly won’t consider telephone interviews with a ‘new face’ to yachting. Nor will they ‘fly you in’. They like to meet face to face, and hopefully, take you with them to the boat. The season starts approximately in March, and the sooner you can be available and local, the better for you.
  • The current situation with Covid 19 has made crew movement even more challenging. Same with finding work. I have advised crew to dockwalk with lateral flow test kits in their bag, so IF they are offered daywork, but the boat isn’t keen because of Covid risk, you are at least prepared and able to take a test on the spot.