Guide to Creating a Resume for Seafarers
The article offers a step-by-step guide to creating a resume specifically tailored for seafarers. This comprehensive guide will teach you how to correctly fill out all the necessary fields so that your resume looks professional and attracts the attention of employers. After reading the article, anyone will be able to independently and for free create a seafarer's profile/application/resume/Application Form. The time required is 10-30 minutes (depending on experience and the number of documents).
๐ Basic Information
๐ค Personal
- Photo as in documents. This is the first thing employers will see. It should be clear and professional / selfies are not suitable. The photo should only include you, without other people or animals. If there is no separate photo file, you can use a photo from any document, cropping it to the size of a photo.
- Date of readiness when you are guaranteed to be ready to start work, to fly to the vessel.
- Main position on the vessel you are applying for.
- Secondary/reserve position, which you are willing to apply for in case there are no vacancies for the main position.
- Salary: Indicate the minimum salary you are willing to accept.
- Payment period: Indicate for what period you want to receive your salary (per month or per day of work). A month is the standard option for most seafarers. A day is for those who work on a 1/1 or 1/2 rotation on drilling platforms or offshore.
- First name: Indicate your first name.
- Last name: Indicate your last name.
- Date of birth: Indicate your date of birth.
- Gender: Indicate your gender (male/female).
- Level of English: proficiency in the language according to the desired position (fluent - for those who are ready to work in a fully foreign crew, intermediate - for those who can perform their duties in English but may not pass complex tests, poor - if you do not understand English at all).
- Citizenship: country of your primary citizenship.
- Place of residence: country where you currently reside.
- Address: your residential address.
๐ Contacts
- Mobile: main phone number.
- Phone: additional contact number, if available.
- Viber: phone number associated with your Viber account, if available.
- WhatsApp: phone number associated with your WhatsApp account, if available.
- Telegram: nickname or phone number associated with your Telegram account, if available.
- LinkedIn: link to your main LinkedIn profile, if available.
๐งฌ Biometric Data
- Hair color: your hair color.
- Eye color: your eye color.
- Height, cm: your height in centimeters.
- Weight, kg: your weight in kilograms.
- Clothing size: your clothing size.
- Shoe size: your shoe size.
๐ฅ Next of Kin / Relative
This is a mandatory field required by international standards.
- Next of kin: Name, contact phone number, and address of the nearest person for emergency contact if necessary.
๐ณ๏ธ Work Experience ๐ข
- Position on the vessel: position held on the vessel.
- Type of vessel: type of vessel (cargo, passenger, offshore, tanker, or fishing).
- Vessel name: official name of the vessel.
- Vessel flag: country under whose flag the vessel you worked on sailed.
- IMO: official identifier/IMO number of the vessel (7 digits).
- Vessel owner: name of the company that owns the vessel.
- DWT: deadweight tonnage of the vessel in tons.
- Main engine name: name/model of the main engine of the vessel.
- Main engine model: exact name of the main engine model of the vessel.
- Main engine power: power of the main engine of the vessel in kilowatts.
- Auxiliary engine: all information about the auxiliary power units of the vessel (power, model, brand).
- Contract start date: date of starting work on the vessel (day, month, year) recorded in the seafarer's passport.
- Contract end date: date of actual completion of work on the vessel (day, month, year) recorded in the seafarer's passport.
๐ Documents
In this section, provide details of all valid documents.
- Number document number.
- Issued by country where the document was issued.
- Date of issue date the document was issued.
- Date of expiration date the document expires.
๐ Passports
Seafarer's passport and international passport.
๐ Visas
If you have visas, be sure to indicate them.
๐ STCW Certificates
List all STCW certificates you have that may be required for work in the maritime industry. For example, STCW, OOW, GMDSS, ECDIS, H2S, BOSIET, etc.
๐ Work Diplomas
A seafarer's work diploma is the main document that confirms that the seafarer has all the necessary skills and permission to work on a ship in a specific position. This document is regulated by international rules, such as the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW), and may vary depending on the country.
๐ Documents
In this section, list any other documents that may be useful for work in the maritime industry. For example, completion of advanced training courses, vaccinations, medical certificates, etc.
โ Additions
๐ Cover Letter
A text document that you can attach to your resume to further tell about yourself and your experience. It is recommended to use it to explain long gaps in employment, career changes, or other non-standard situations.
๐ ๏ธ Hide Engine Fields
In the Experience section, fields related to engines can be hidden for all seafarers except engineers and electricians, as they are not mandatory for others.