Get Hired for Hotel Department Jobs on Cruise Ships

They are a leading manning agent for the cruise industry: Employment POWER / U Spinjaca POSAO. Their clients include Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Celebrity, Oceania, Regent, Disney Cruise Lines, Image Photo Service, Crystal Cruises, Cunard, Yachts of Seabourn, and other cruise lines.

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What types of jobs do you recruit for? Is there a particular department or role?

Mainly the Hotel department, but we recruit for all positions.

What services do you offer the people who apply through your company?

It depends as every cruise line is unique, but usually we provide services to first time employees and offer help with the employment process, which includes orientation and training, necessary paperwork, medicals, and visas. The orientation process runs over two days and we have professional trainers and tools to show candidates how to be successful at the final job interview.

How can someone best make a great first impression with you and your agency?

A polite, bubbly personality with excellent English skills and decent work history is what we look for. It is normally easy to tell right away if we have a potential candidate just by their demeanor and personality. The more outgoing you are, the better, as this is a customer service industry where you have to be comfortable and good with people.front desk staff photo

What advice would you give people to help them prepare for interviews with your company and with cruise lines?

Well, the main piece of advice I can offer is that the candidates attend our orientation which gives you all the tips and advice that you will need to interview confidently with the cruise lines. What I recommend is that you prepare and prepare and prepare some more. Understand what the cruise lines want and need, and be honest and real when you meet the representatives.

How long does it take from the time someone contacts your organization to getting a job?

Between 2 weeks and 2 months.

Does your company provide any pre-hire training?

We have specialized pre employment training for three major service areas we are employing (Bar, Dining Room and Housekeeping) three days and free of charge. We also have specialized training for Sommeliers in partnership with the U.S. Sommelier association, with their fee structure charged.

If you had to guess, what percentage of employees on cruise ships were hired through staffing agencies like yours?

I would say about 90%.

Can you describe some fundamental differences between the cruise lines, in terms of what they're looking for, their recruitment policies, and so forth?

Although everyone looks for the same things, the variations in policy and procedure are tremendous and differences do exist. Certain things are the same for what we all look for in candidates, such as personality, appearance, good English and job skills.

What are some common misperceptions people have about working on cruise ships?

Many people don't think that this kind of work is hard, that it is just a holiday where you get paid to work for a few hours and then sit around the rest of the time sipping on cocktails and going on shore outings, but it is quite the contrary. There is also a misconception about the earnings. You should research this properly and ask exactly how the salary structure and commission works for each job before you apply to see if it is what you accept and can live with earning.

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