Open Days

[HarmlessWeasel]

I'm an aspiring deck cadet going to the Warsash Open Day in January, and I was wondering what I should wear. I hear that some companies will interview likely candidates there and then, so I want to be prepared. If I was knowingly going to an interview I would definitely wear a suit, but otherwise I tend to be most comfortable in jeans and a t-shirt. Will the companies be expecting people to be in casual, smart casual or smart clothing?

Is there anything specific I should take with me just in case I find a sponsor company? I was thinking of taking my CV, should I also take references, a personal statement, and copies of my qualification certificates?

Any other advice of what to expect or how to make the most of the day would be appreciated. I don't have any Merchant Sailors in the family who can advise me on all of this, so I'm turning to you lovely people!

Thanks

Fergus

[noworries182]

Hi Fergus,

I'm not the best person to give advice on this because i never went to an open day, i have represented my company when I was a cadet but thats all. I wouldn't worry too much about what too wear on an open day, smart casual may be a good idea, it is an open day after all and not a formal interview, if someone came to an open day in a suit i'd wonder if they were going to a dinner party afterwards.

maybe taking a few copies of your CV would be a good idea, normally thought i would have a short personnel statement at the top of this along with reference's at the end, mine is 2 pages of A4. As long as they have your contact details and little bit about you then they can contact you to arrange a formal interview (with a suit!).

speak to all the companies whether your interested in them or not and see what they can offer you!! just ask them things you don't know, at this stage you don't have to know a lot about the industry, thats why you are at an open day after all to get more information. also, listen to what they say to other people. if there is current cadets there which most of the time there is, ask them for some 'honest' opinions on what its like to work for the company etc. the company rep is always going to try and make there company sound the best, its there job.

take bits of advice from everyone on here and decide on what to do then, i'm sure there's people on here who have more experience of open days than me, good luck! =]

[HarmlessWeasel]

thanks, very useful. I think you're right in that I'd look a bit of a plonker in a suit at an open day. I'll stick with smart-casual. Quite glad to hear I don't need to know too much about the industry yet, as I know sod all really, but I'll keep researching

Is there anyone out there who did go to an open day with any tips or ideas of what to expect, and how to make the most of it?

[jackdb1996]

Hi Fergus

I too will be attending the open day at Warsash in January (that is aslong as my exams don't interfere with that date)!
I went this January too, and it was packed so they were saying to people it is unlikely there will be people interviewing because of the amount of people who attended. However they did hand out lots of brochures, contact details, bags, and pens! It's always good to write in an application form that you have met with them at an open day... it shows you are keen and interested!

Most people did attend in smart casual.

Good luck with everything by the way, when do you want to be part of the intake - next September is when I hope to get a place... just got to apply soon and hope for the best!


Jack

[HarmlessWeasel]

Hi Jack,

Well I look forward to seeing you there, maybe! Let's hope that not many people turn up and we can get interviews on the day...
Sounds like quite a normal open day then, lots of freebies and pieces of paper with an unrealistically good looking representative of people in the industry?

Well I've only just really come across the idea of joining the Merchant Navy, but I'm extremely taken with it and very keen. So I would hope to be part of the September intake. Is there any particular reason why you weren't part of this year's intake after going to the open day last year? Were you unsure, missed deadlines or still studying or something like that? Out of curiosity, when is the best time to apply? All the websites seem to say April to Juneish or 'all year round'. Is April what you mean by apply soon, or am I about to 'miss the boat'?

Fergus

[TomB]

Hi to the both of you,

I am in a similar situation and look forward to possibly seeing you guys at Warsash so thanks for starting this thread Fergus! Its good to know not to turn up in a full suit looking a bit overdressed.

Tom

[Drewber]

I went to 2 open days at Warsash, they are very busy, get in there as soon as the doors open and you will have more time to speak to people. I have seen 30/40 people queuing to see one person at a stand, and they all talk for at least 5 mins so you can easily be stood there for a while in the afternoon.

Take copies of your CV, there should be a list of attending companies on the website but approx 10 or 12 copies should be enough for one to each.

Try and get the representatives name, or the training managers name, someone like that and email your application directly to them explaining the openday, who you met etc as well as the online application form. The reason i say this is my online application form was refused however i still got an interview via the email i sent.

Hope this helps and good luck to you all.

[HarmlessWeasel]

Thanks for the info. I wasn't sure how busy it was going to be, but it seems very! I'll be there ready and waiting at 9:55
Good to know that actually meeting people still counts for something though