Unemployed

[EH75]

Yeah a good cv is key. Hatchorder helped me to re write mine and I got offered a job shortly afterwards. Whether that was coincidental or not I have no idea but it was certainly a damn sight better after he'd looked at it than before hand.

[Dosedmonkey]

Recieved your CV, check your private messages, sent some tips on how to change it and a copy of an old CV of mine.

CVs need to leap out the page at me, and make me think, yes this man has good experiences. Not just give me names of certificates and names of ships which don't make you any different to the next man. Explain to me your previous experiences and responsibilities and the exact bits of kit it was with.

Sometimes they might read you had a certain type of propulsion, or you were responsible for a type of crane or engine. And they have the same type on their ship, they will immediately employ you over someone with out this experience, chances are you won before even the interview.

[IFHP]

Valid points for an engineer however this chap is a deck officer, the point is still valid it just needs tweaked.

Put on your CV types of ship, cargo operations, types of Nav Equipment (ECDIS/RADAR). Beef up the cargo part and try and make it as generic as possible, remember back to your orals (watch keeping in port).

[Hatchorder]

Yeah a good cv is key. Hatchorder helped me to re write mine and I got offered a job shortly afterwards. Whether that was coincidental or not I have no idea but it was certainly a damn sight better after he'd looked at it than before hand.

That is two bits of good news today... Another potential cadet told me he had got an interview after my help with his CV. I am 10 from 10 now with a possible two others in the pipeline.

As you say, the right CV will get you in front of the right person. This is the single most important thing to get right at this stage.

Ian

[EH75]

That is two bits of good news today... Another potential cadet told me he had got an interview after my help with his CV. I am 10 from 10 now with a possible two others in the pipeline.

Good to hear, and cheers once again!

[Pilot Chris]

Good on you Hatchhorder for that, and I hope for the OP's sake he gives you a bell and asks nicely for you to have a look at it.

I totally agree a CV will make or break having just gone through several hundred (highly qualified Class 1 CV's) its incredible how bad some can be!

[Dosedmonkey]

Valid points for an engineer however this chap is a deck officer, the point is still valid it just needs tweaked.

Put on your CV types of ship, cargo operations, types of Nav Equipment (ECDIS/RADAR). Beef up the cargo part and try and make it as generic as possible, remember back to your orals (watch keeping in port).

Obviously types of Nav equipment for a deck officer. I'm obviously not going to go in to detailed stuff for a deck officer, being an engineer. Cheers for the additional information though, I hope it helps him.

[Hatchorder]

Well.....

Just had an email from a French cadet I helped. He had done the usual European system - study first and then tried to find seatime. He had tried all the usual avenues and decided to give his CV an update and try again so he asked for my help.

GM helped me by giving me some European contacts for him and he has just emailed me to say he is signing on tomorrow morning for a 3 month voyage on a tanker!

.....and I don't even speak a word of French.... LOL!

The one quote I did give him was Antoine de Saint-Exupery's quote "It seems that perfection is reached not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away" when I was talking about the perfect CV - he told me it was "La perfection est atteinte, non pas lorsqu'il n'y a plus rien ? ajouter, main lorsqu'il n'y a plus rien ? retirer"in French.....

[Lewis]

Maybe this would be a good article? How to right nautical CVs as most of us will leave college without a clue. Especially for the first one. How much from your past life before sea is relevant? Maybe somebody could up load one for all to see(blanking out personal stuff).

[Hatchorder]

Maybe this would be a good article? How to right nautical CVs as most of us will leave college without a clue. Especially for the first one. How much from your past life before sea is relevant? Maybe somebody could up load one for all to see(blanking out personal stuff).

Lewis,

I have already decided to write a full article about it - just need to get the time to do it. Currently rewriting 2 CV's at the moment and a new request today!

I will do it - only because it will save me so much work!

Ian

[Steve]

With regards to working as a deckhand do I actually need a AB certificate or is that covered by my COC?

You should have picked up an EDH certificate as part of your cadetship. You need a further 12 months sea time with EDH before applying to MCA for an AB certificate.

[Lewis]

In mean time you can work as a deck hand or OS.

[antijanner]

When I first got my Class 4......9 years ago now I went agency whilst applying for jobs. Anything to not be inexperienced, & have that stamp in the DB with a ticket.

[YoungMariner]

You really do have to put the effort in, sometimes a few half hearted emails isn't enough (not implying that's the case with the op). I've actually seen threads on here of people complaining they can't get a trip, but then refusing agency jobs for various silly reasons (it's too short notice, it's crap money etc).

[Blondie]

Have you applied to the RFA? They're recruiting qualified officers.