Advice from our Recruitment Team for the newly qualified on National Careers Week!

You need experience to get a job at sea but, to get a job at sea you need experience, it’s a bit of a vicious cycle isn’t it!

In preparation for National Careers week we’ve been talking to the Recruitment Team gathering some advice for the newly qualified on how to get your foot in the door and start building valuable experience. Here’s what they had to say…

KEEP AN OPEN MIND. Don’t narrow your ideas from the start – if you dream of living it up on Superyachts, travelling the world visiting glamorous destinations that’s great… but don’t expect to get your dream job without experience. You will need to build your sea time to be considered for more glamorous jobs so it’s best to start out ready to take on any role.

BE PREPARED TO GO TO SEA AT A LOWER RANK – taking a few trips as a motorman or an AB will get you out to sea and build your sea service. It also gets you known amongst the companies, the harder you work and the more willing you are to get stuck in, the more likely you will be asked to return.

PLAY THE LONG GAME. Set a goal and work towards it, knowing each step you take is getting you closer. Take the opportunities that are presented, it might not be your dream job straight away but remember, you’re playing the long game.

DON’T BE AFRAID TO TAKE A JOB ON SHORE. We have some newly qualified who are currently working on shore but heading out on sea trials which counts towards their sea time.

BE AWARE OF TIME PASSING. Don’t sit around waiting for the right job to land in your inbox. The less time you spend at sea the less relevant your training and experience becomes! Which leads us nicely on to the next point…

BE PROACTIVE! You must be proactive in seeking out the experience, don’t rely solely on an agency. Agencies are expected to provide experienced crew though we do our best to find positions to get you experience! It’s up to you to get in touch with all the major companies and see if they are taking on newly qualified crew. Some companies will do cross training but will only recruit for these directly and not via an agency. Create your CV and start knocking on doors!

POLISH YOUR CV. While we are chatting about CV’s, the recruitment team had a couple of really good points!

DO: Make sure it is relevant and keep it up to date! Check that your contact details are correct, your experience is clearly laid out and contains dates, details of your trip, cargoes and any other information you feel is relevant.

DON’T: Fluff it up or pad it out! Spend your time making sure you have all the relevant information down, then you won’t need to pad it out!

THINK ABOUT YOUR REP.

Do you want to be known as the person we can rely on to fill a job? If we call at any time will you be ready to go? Are your bags packed? Or is there always a reason why you can’t go to sea this time?

At this early stage in your career it really is a case of building a good reputation, be known as the go-to guy, the one who is always ready!  Going to sea on a lower rank shows you’re keen and willing to work hard, it will also get you known in the industry and help build your reputation. We may well be a global industry but it’s more like a small town where reputations will always precede you, make sure it’s for the right reasons!

SERVE YOUR TIME BEFORE INVESTING IN FANCY CERTIFICATES! It’s all fine and dandy getting your DP Certification, Crowd Management or Crisis Management certificates but without the experience to back it up these certificates will lapse before you’ve built up the relevant sea time. So our best advice is to serve your time and put in the ground work before you invest in the next level.

MOST IMPORTANTLY, DON’T LOSE HEART. It’s tough starting your career but if you persevere you will be given an opportunity! We will always try to help place you wherever we can so please keep in touch with us.

Huge thanks to our recruitment team for giving us some insight, we hope it’s helpful for you.

How can Clyde Marine Recruitment help you?

If you’re a candidate that would like to register with Clyde Marine Recruitment please email your CV to register@clyderecuit.com or head to vacancy section of our website by clicking here now.

If you’re an employer and would like to find out more about the service Clyde Marine Recruitment can provide please click here or email your enquiry to recruitment@clyderecruit.com