December 3, 2011
Yacht crew get creative when searching for jobs these days. With more candidates than boats, each potential crew member has to stand out from the crowd of Polo shirts and deck shoes to get that first chance. And each one has his or her own idea of how best to outshine the competition.
In hopes of getting hired, Deckhand Ben Reid gives out business cards like they're candy.
“You hand them out to everybody,” Reid said. “Sometimes they just end up in their pocket in the washer, but you never know which one will work.”
Reid has been in Florida since the Ft. Lauderdale International Boat Show when he flew from his home near Leaper's Fork, Tenn., and took a cab straight to an STCW class. He has rented a motorbike to more efficiently hand out resumes.
"I'm trying to squeeze more in a day, that's why I rented the scooter," Reid said, "I'm going to ride it 'til the wheels fall off."
His plan is to be polite and unassuming, as he was taught when he was young.
“I'm not sure what makes someone hire someone like me,” he said. “But there's asking for a job and then there's first asking how someone's day is going.”
Deckhand/Medic Jeremy Smith began his search after college graduation in 2006. Smith attributes his success to several factors, including his work on two boats for no pay. One of those jobs even left him in the Bahamas.
“I was back at square one again,” Smith said after getting off that boat and searching for a new job several years ago.
During that time, Smith took dock walking as seriously as a full-time job. His efforts paid off. He's now working on a large sailing yacht that can't be named due to privacy policies.
Another skill that sets his resume ahead of the crowd is his volunteering experience during high school with his mother, an emergency room doctor, and as an emergency medical technician in ambulances during high school.
“It is definitely part of the reason I have my job now,” Smith said of his medical experience. “My strong sailing background helps me. I didn't know it would.”
Smith also intentionally increased his odds.
“It was five minutes with a broker at the boat show and five months later I was on the boat,” Smith said of his current position.
But at the time, Smith didn't know which of the 20 brokers he fostered relationships with during his job search that would lead him to his goal.
“I kept in touch, gently, every few weeks with calls and e-mails,” he said. “I was playing the numbers.”
Capt. Vareek Breaden started his career dockwalking in Antibes. Visible to the captains early in the morning, he thinks what set him apart was keeping himself in front of those who could hire him. After weeks, his plan worked.
"They said, ‘if you work half as hard as you look for work, we'll give you a chance’," Breaden said.
Deckhand Tim Chaning-Pearce created an entire Web site for his CV, experience and documentation. He also used a marker to write the site, www.deckhand.org, onto a crisp white shirt to wear to networking events.
"I may only speak to a few captains," Chaning-Pearce said. "So maybe one will see it and check it later on.
"Why not try something totally different," he said. "And it's not too crazy."
The New Zealander said it must be working because he's been dayworking solidly since he arrived in Ft. Lauderdale in September.
Deckhand Ricardo Pires employed a similar idea in the spring. He advertised his job request on a T-shirt with the words "Take me to the Med." He wore it to an industry networking event that resulted in daywork with Capt. Zach Paap and his wife, Chief Stew Alana Paap, of M/Y Northlander.
That temporary job led to a position on the delivery crew and then to his current full-time work onboard.
Capt. John Fleckenstein of M/Y Apogee hired Chef Rachel Hargrove through a Triton classified ad. Hargrove said a lot has changed in the industry since the economic crisis when she was featured in 2009 Triton article about crew out of work.
At that time Hargrove diligently networked in-person and used social media on the Internet.
"I learned how to stay with a job longer by looking at it as a career," she said. "I was a sushi chef before I started in the industry and realized my strengths. It was crucial for me to reinvent myself to succeed and fall back on my forged skills."
Some veterans in the yachting industry can still conjure memories of their first days touting their own potential in hopes of work. Some of them, like Fleckenstein, see reflections of themselves in the crew looking for work.
"Every boat I day worked on, I was hired as full-time crew," Fleckenstein said. "Hustle, respect, good manners and pride in my appearance opened more doors than skill."
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