Our Yacht Crew Recruiters Team receive a formidable number of applications. It is therefore important to take the necessary time to prepare and present a professional Curriculum Vitae when you are on the market for a new crew position. Whether it is updating an older version or creating a totally new one you may be confronted with a chronological gap or event and wonder how to explain it.

The best advice from our YPI CREW Recruiters Team is to be open and honest. Everyone is entitled to a career break and most people at some point, including the Recruiters, has had a gap in their employment. Being transparent will avoid being considered as a candidate who has something to hide.

Be Transparent About Gaps

To assist in best presenting those gaps you can:

• List your voluntary or charity work and describe what skills you developed and how the experience could be beneficial for the role you are applying for. For example, if you participated in a sailing school that welcomes children from inner cities or worked in a soup kitchen for the homeless. Highlight your contributions to the success of the programme and describe any individual accomplishments.

  
  

• Add an internship if you are junior crew and consider the role as if it was a paid position. Illustrate the skills you learnt and how they could be transferable to the current role: teamwork, working with little or no supervision or working to tight deadlines for example.

Combine Freelance Roles

Combine several temporary assignments under a single title. For example, you were freelancing as a Stew for a season. Use the role description to elaborate on your general duties and responsibilities onboard. Then highlight the work you did for that particular yacht: a special themed evening or party organised for a guest; a specific role (laundry, bar service, ...) or an onboard experience during an international event (Monaco F1 Grand Prix, the Cannes Film Festival, ...). By combining the freelance experience under one title your CV will be clearer and appear less choppy.

Explain Personal Development Breaks

If you took time away from yachting for an extended period for personal development or a sabbatical then don’t hesitate to include it in your CV. Although your time away may have little to do with your current career goals it is well accepted by all recruiters that you can take a break from yachting!

If you took time away to gain further education, explain what courses you attended and what you hoped to achieve, especially if the qualification can benefit the current role. A business diploma can highlight your commercial and negotiation skills with a shipyard or supplier and a management course can emphasis your abilities for a leadership role onboard.

Travelling and Its Relevance

It is not unusual for yacht crew to also take time away to go travelling. It is a good idea to give details about where you travelled to and your motivations for the trip. An extended holiday to remote places on the globe can always be of interest to a potential yacht employer. You may have gained valuable first-hand information that can be useful in organising a future excursion with the yacht to the same region. However, don’t forget to add why you now feel keen to get back on a yacht, event though you had such incredible time travelling, but be open and honest, as if the journey was so fabulous it may be hard to believe you’re ready to come back.

Build Trust with Recruiters

Ultimately, it is recommended to remain honest as this will not only help you find a job that truly matches your skills and values but also to build a trusting relationship with your recruiter, which is essential for your long-term career.