It’s no secret that we are in the midst of the busiest hiring season of the year. Hundreds of jobs are popping up weekly & as usual, the competition is tough! When I last posted about a Junior Stewardess position, I received 400 CV’s in 24 hours. And that’s only the beginning! Once CV’s are critiqued & reviewed, it’s time for the all important interview. I reached out to several Chief Stewardess to ask them to share their top tips to help you have an AWESOME Interview! P.S. Curious as too what should be on your CV? Click HERE!
Cantleigh ~ Chief Stewardess of 1 Year
My name is Cantleigh and I am a Chief stew with a serious addiction to Sephora and instagram makeover videos. I would consider the last Med 2018 season as my first Chief stew role. Sure I have had boats before where I have stepped up to the leading role but this was my first ever hire as Chief Stewardess. When I’m not working, you can find me cuddled up by a fire, seasons deep into Gilmore Girls wondering how Lorelai has not aged a day whilst trying Sephora’s newest face, hand, feet and eye masks.
My top tips for stewardesses are…
1) Dress appropriately! I cannot stress this enough. I had a girl rock up to an interview not only late but in a little black number that barely covered her special places. Modesty, clean, ironed clothes is all you need something smart, neutral and well fitted.
2) Come prepared. Have a printed copy of your CV and References. Come with smart questions that will allow you to get all the information you need in making the decision if this is a good fit and do not feel shy to ask them.
3) Be polite and respectful, it is an interview after all. There is a fine line here where of course we want to see some of your personality come out and get a sense of who you are. Smile, laugh and be as relaxes as you can. If you have a nervous, restrained energy it will create tension in the room. If you are a nervous person practice practice practice! If you are staying in a crew house practice with one another with the questions that have come up on previous interviews.
Remember it is only an interview and the person interviewing you was in your shoes too. We are all in this together. Deep breathes.
Alex ~ Chief Stewardess of
My name is Alex and I’m from Poland. I’ve been in the yachting industry for the past 6 years and prior that I worked on a luxury cruise liners. My background is tourism and hospitality and I believe that yachting is an extension of what I have been doing since I left the school. I’m a travel junkie, so far visited more than 70 countries and still filling up the list. I’m happily married to American guy whom I met while doing Atlantic crossing. Sometimes we work as a Captain and Chief team, sometimes we are miles apart. We are based in Antibes , but next near will be moving to Palma when we are planning to settle and start new journey.
My top tips for stewardesses are…
1. Dress confidently(there is nothing worst to wear something you hate it and then sit in the interview and feel uncomfortable).
2. Be Confident. Although it could be hard as level of stress can be hight, be confident of who you are. Don’t be afraid to show your fun personality, even if your accent is different or you might not have enough experience. You are starting your journey in yachting and there is time to learn everything.
3. Be Prepared. Read about the boat. You can find most of the info in the internet. The build, itinerary, try to learn as much as possible about your potential floating home.
Megan, Chief Stewardess of 2 Years
My name is Meg and I’m 27 years old. Half Aussie, half South African.. now living in Spain. I’ve got 2 different coloured eyes, and no middle name. Nothing stock standard about me I suppose! I love the ocean and have huge travel goals, so Yachting seemed the obvious for me. I’ve been in the industry for 5 years, and chief for 2 of them.
My top tips for stewardesses are…
1. Be yourself. Stop trying to think about what the “right answer” to a question is. It is always so apparent when someone is trying to tell you what they think you want to hear, rather than answering a question honestly and with some thought behind it. Often, I find green/junior candidates are (understandably) so nervous on the phone or in person that they do not actually listen to the question properly. Instead, they rattle off about something completely irrelevant or off topic.
When asked a question, take a minute to think about your answer, and reply with confidence and intellect.
2. Preparation is key! If I am hiring for a green/junior stew position, chances are you do not have much, if any, yachting experience…. and we know that! So rather than talk about how you grew up on the ocean and have been sailing since a young age, I much prefer it when a candidate stream lines their response to this question and chats about relevant land based experience. Experience in hostessing, waitressing, au pairing etc. can be very relevant to getting the position. When you relate your roles, responsibilities and skills you may have learnt during your time in this position back to yachting, and how you see this as beneficial, it gives me the impression that yachting is a well thought out career choice for you, and not just another gap year opportunity or an idea your friend told you about.
3. Be Punctual. Now I´m sure there are more important tips than this third one, but this is an absolute pet peeve of mine, so I will share it. When a chief stew, captain or recruitment agent allocates a time to interview you, show some professionalism from the very beginning and ensure you are ready and on time for the interview. Ensure you dress appropriately (the typical white collar etc is unnecessary, but something neat and presentable is perfect) and most importantly, ensure you can find a space that it quiet and where you will not be disrupted during the interview.
I unfortunately have to conduct most of my interviews over the phone or on Skype, but I always ensure the video camera is on, and I make sure candidates know this before hand. Despite this, it has happened on so many occasions when we are halfway through the interview, and a dog comes running into the background and starts barking, their laptop battery dies, or they fall into a no wifi area. While I do love dogs, having one interrupt the interview, or bark so loudly that we cannot continue with our chat, is very inappropriate and gives off the impression that you may have not been ready or prepared for the interview.
I know you asked for 3 tips, but I feel this one is so important and has been so relevant to my most recent recruitment venture, so I just have to include it:
4. Be aware of time zone differences. This is a bit of a tricky one, as I know we, as employers, have to be realistic about it, but I have recently found junior candidates to be quite unaccommodating or unaware of this. For example, my boat has just been in Thailand for the past 5 months. This is 6 hours ahead of the UK, which makes setting up telephonic interviews very tricky. I had a number of candidates who were not prepared to wake up at 8am their time (2pm my time) to be ready for a call. In my opinion, candidates looking for work can show great initiative by pre-empting a time difference by asking or researching where the boat is located. Sometimes you may have to cancel dinner plans with friends, or skip your early morning Zumba class, or hell, maybe you might even need to wake up at 6am to be ready for an interview at 6.30am, but all of these actions screams commitment to the job and a determination to succeed in the industry.
I hope these tips will help you go into your next interview with confidence! Part TWO will be live later this week!
Thank you to these lovely ladies for their wisdom & taking the time to help create this post!
Big hugs,
Gem xo
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