Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Applying for more than one position at the same time

Always read older postings first for pertinent information.

Had this question again recently and it makes sense. What to do if you have an interest in more than one shipboard job.

Once you are onboard, you will see alot of other onboard jobs you never considered. I found the Port Shopping Lecturer job to be interesting albeit hard work, so I did one contract, made a ton of cash - SHOULD have returned but said no. (what did I say about saying no? - never say it)
Anyway, because you are already onboard, you will have an instant contact with say, the Casino Manager, Cruise Director, First Purser etc, as well as other crew in those departments who can give you the low down on what the job is like etc. Having said that, many cruise lines forbid departments from poaching each other, and in most cases there is a protocol for moving departments within the same cruise ship.

Back to the question. If you are interested in 2 different jobs, then approach it no different than applying for 2 different jobs on land. While your resumes all still get screened initially through HR, they do pass them onto the various managers responsible for that specific department/job.

But don't sound wishy washy - each application needs to be clear and focused on a particular department and position. By doing this, you create a better opportunity to getting onboard because the cruise line has a clear idea of who you are, what you want - makes it easy for them to match you to their needs. If you say you are willing to do anything, you just want to get any job onboard, you love cruising and want to see the world? - you will never hear back. Of course its a no-brainer those are some of the reasons we work on ships, so don't regurgitate the painfully obvious. Stay focused on the position you want, and what you bring to the job.

Where was I - oh yeah, so....if you wish to apply for more than one job, make the same effort for each position you apply - but here's what I would suggest. Apply for these different positions with different cruise lines. For example, apply for Cruise Staff with Princess, Youth Staff with Carnival, Shore Excursions with NCL etc. Don't go over board with applications to same cruise line, eventually it will raise a red flag that you are simply spamming in hopes a getting something. (I know from experience)

Use the same professional and tenacious process - be ready, prepare resume/photos - perfect; use express post AND email for submitting your application and don't be afraid to call.

1) Express post - you can track when it was received - wait 2 weeks then,

2) Email - mention you have sent your information via express Post - wait 1 week then,

3) Phone call - your best voice and remember don't call until you have a specific name to call. All you say is that you are following up on available positions. - wait 1 week then,

4) Email - re-iterate your interest - ask if they require any additional information - always let them know your available date - helps them with the bigger picture to know who is ready to go and when. - wait 1 week then

5) Express post again - follow up with any additional information you can think of, to justify another letter (and a $5.00 Starbucks card to say thank you for their consideration of your application)

I tend to go overboard (pardon the pun), but for me it works - its about selling your ability to "hustle."

And it's called schmoozing people - its what the whole industry is all about! Remember, they get hundreds of emails and hundreds of resumes each week - you need to be remembered for ANYTHING!