Firstly, let me say that you are great at what you do and most of you are experts (or progressing to be) in your field! Some of your common traits to be the best in the business are: Curiosity, Logical Thinking, Teamwork and Communication, Attention to Detail and Critical Thinking. You apply these traits amongst others to your everyday life on board as 2nd nature as you are constantly solving problems and thinking outside the box.

So let me ask a question: Do you take the necessary time to think things through when it comes to self-promotion? After 17+ years in the industry, I can confidently say, not often enough.

You go above and beyond every day to make sure the crew and guests are safe and have the owner's best interest at heart but when the time comes to progress with your career, it's time to apply your logical thinking and attention to detail to know the market, know your competition and understand how best to promote yourself. When a client asks me "who are your best 3 candidates and why? " Ask yourself, how are you going to make my top 3?

The amazing team of Engineer Specialists here at YPI CREW are only a phone call away to give you the best advice but here are a few top tips to help you be prepared.

Crafting a strong CV

Before you say it, yes, I know we have written numerous articles and posts on CV advice but that's because we cannot stress the importance of a strong CV to make a strong first impression. Stop to think, have you ever considered your audience?

Not only is it the captain or chief engineer (if applicable) whom you need to impress, it could also include the yacht manager or technical manager and it is highly likely it will be the owner too. You don't have to know who the owner is but given they are a high net worth individual, they could be the leader of a multi-billion corporation so appreciate the standards they expect for CVs and their employees in the corporate world. Why would they accept less for crew whom they will trust their life with at sea?

Include a presentable, personable photo and don't just list the names of yachts and dates. Even at Y1/Class I chief engineer level, it is important to give details of your experience and sell yourself as there is tough competition at all levels. Also, provide details and refer to AV/IT/electrical skills, team leadership/management skills – everything is relevant to what you can bring to the team. See Engineer CV example (link: ).

The Importance of Written References

Strong references are vital in this industry. Whilst I'm sure you will all agree, verbal references are key and we can glean so much information from speaking to referees to ask the right questions which could tailor our selection of the best candidates to present to clients and to help champion our candidates to promote their key selling points. However, you also need to understand the importance of written references, especially when working with larger yachts/fleets.

Some management companies will insist on 3 written references to support your application in addition to the background checks that we make as standard, so make sure you ask your captain and head of department (if applicable) for a written reference before you leave the yacht. As recruiters, our job is to champion you to get an interview but there can be several layers to get to the decision maker.

You could be in the top 3 presented to the owner a week or two from the initial interviews so your recruiter isn't there to make the final push. However, if you have excellent written references which we have presented with your CV, it can help at this stage with the final decision.

Your attitude can set you apart

Attitude is key too. You can be a great engineer but equally as important, you have to be the right team fit for the yacht and owner. AVIT officers in particular, remember you have to be well-presented and articulate as you have a lot of owner and guest interaction.

Engineers should also have positive interactions with the crew, captains, heads of department, guests, contractors, suppliers, management etc. Your network is huge. Never underestimate the importance of this as clients will discuss your attitude and interaction style with your referees and their network. A crew-member may have worked on your previous yacht or you may use the same suppliers or yard for refit work so what will they say about you when asked?

Longevity and Commitment

Longevity and commitment are also the key to success. Ask yourself, what do you think clients are looking for and why should they choose you for the top 5 interviews? Are there numerous yachts on your CV as you have been motivated by better terms/higher salaries? Most likely not but this may be a client's first impression as we have seen it countless times. We understand engineers need to progress with licences and therefore need to work on larger yachts with a specific tech spec but it is how and when you move that is important and this is always discussed in detail with clients. If your recruiter knows you or has placed you on your previous yachts, it's an easy explanation. If you are 1 of 100 CVs applying for a job online, what first impression are you making?

Building a relationship of Trust and Partnership with your Recruiter

Partnership and Trust. These are our core values at YPI Crew so make sure you build a relationship with your recruitment specialist. They are the ones who will champion you above others to get the ideal job – how can they do this if they don't know you?

We have built long-standing relationships with our clients over 20 years, many of whom have started their career with us as candidates and have become key clients over the years so very loyal. They value and trust our judgement so we only need to present a small selection of the best candidates to interview.

We continue to build strong relationships with our candidates too as we are here to guide your career every step of the way. We want you to make our shortlist so hopefully these top tips will do the trick!