Let's analyze each method of applying for cruise ship jobs so you can choose the best one for you! Directly with the Cruise Line, Recruiters, Concessionaires.
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¿Where Should I Apply?
In the previous article, we saw many websites where we can send our CV to many cruise lines to start our life on board. We learned that we can apply directly with the cruise lines, through local recruiters or with concessionaires.
We will analyze the pros and cons of each method so that you can find the best path for you. We will compare time, complexity of the process, position options and much more.
Read: "¿Is it a Good Time to Apply?"
Directly with the Cruise Line
By applying directly we will have no intermediaries, there should be no risk of being victims of deception or illegitimate extra expenses. But the assistance when applying will surely be a little more distant since the companies' recruitment agents work with many applicants at the same time. The process can take quite a while, due to the large number of applicants that apply, until they review our profile, but we will have the advantage that they will consider all our skills and will consider us for any available vacancy within the fleet that fits our profile, having the possibility to apply for a wide variety of positions at the same time. It is always convenient to apply for published vacancies but most of the shipping companies accept to register your profile for future vacancies.
This even gives us the possibility to start working with a position that is available for, in the future, being able to be transferred to the position we really want. There is that flexibility within the company when we work directly with them.
The process will probably take fewer steps, but the interviews will probably be conducted by a native English speaker, resulting in perhaps higher expectations of our English level.
Elegir la compañía que mejor se adapte a vos, entender todas las compañías de cruceros disponibles y su perfil!
Reclutadoras
Algunas líneas de cruceros utilizan reclutadoras en cada país para hacer la selección de candidatos para ellos (algunas lo hacen de forma exclusiva y otras lo hacen además de la opción de solicitud directa).
El principal beneficio de una reclutadora es poder tratar con agentes locales, que hablan tu idioma. Habrá quizás más instancias de entrevistas si sumamos la pre-selección local con una selección final por parte de la compañía, pero al menos las primeras entrevistas serán con alguien nativo de tu mismo idioma que seguramente tendrá tu mismo acento. Un ambiente un poco más relajado si el inglés nos genera nervios.
Estando en tu ciudad probablemente tengas la posibilidad de conocer a tu reclutador personalmente, como también a otros postulantes. En muchas ocasiones se dan jornadas de preparación sobre la vida a bordo e incluso ejercicios de tu futuro trabajo. Pero es importante estar bien informado sobre la existencia de gastos adicionales que a veces las reclutadoras quieren hacernos pasar por obligatorios cuando no lo son.
Local Recruiters
Generally the assistance provided will be more personalized as they deal with fewer candidates and are fellow countrymen. If your profile is approved it will be sent directly to the cruise line with priority and they will probably call you very soon since they are recruiting for current positions, but on the other hand, they usually work with certain specific positions, and usually only current vacancies if your profile matches it is a good option to stand out from the thousands of applicants that go directly to the cruise line but, on the other hand, they will not inform you or help you of other positions that are not currently active or that they don't hire specifically, and they will not consider your profile if it does not match the current search.
The simple and fast possibility of entering the world of the cruises through a recruiter can serve us to, once within a certain company, to be transferred in the future to another position that we really want.
Remember that recruiters work for specific companies, and sometimes only for specific positions as we said, so do not stop considering applying directly to other cruise lines or other positions, they do not control the entire local market nor are they your only way to get the job.
It can happen that, precisely because they work for several companies, they adhere to the highest standards of the company with more requirements to select all their candidates, while some companies perhaps require less exams or are less strict with some issues such as tattoos or medical studies, it is important to know what is the standard for the company you want to work for so as not to generate extra costs taking exams or courses only needed in the most stric cruise lines. For this reason, sometimes they may reject candidates that generate doubts when perhaps the company would hire you without problems.
Concessions
Some specific positions onboard work through concessionary partners such as: sales, art gallery, spa, personal trainers, casino and sometimes photographers, in this case, you would be hired by these third parties and assigned to one of the cruise lines to which they offer their services to.
It is important to investigate that certain positions can be hired in some cases directly by the company and in other cases are outsourced.
Working for an outsourced company will clearly mean more intermediaries when it comes to bureaucratic issues, and in general the starting salaries tend to be lower, but with a possibility to earn more in commissions later. These companies hire specialized workers, so their vacancies are limited but it is a direct way for those who match the profile sought.
The concessionaires usually work with several cruise lines, it will depend on each one to apply for the line that interests us, also we must consider the possibility of being transferred from one company to another even within the same contract, it can be an interesting experience or also a nuisance to get used to the change.
In some cases your decision will be limited by your area of work or by the company's hiring method since as we saw some positions are only hired by third parties and some lines only use local recruiters as a method of candidate selection, the important thing is that you know what your options are and can choose the one that best suits your needs, knowing that there is always more than one possibility!
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