Transcription
The only thing you need to do to get your dream job is be a little bit cocky for a minute. Get cocky.
Hey sailors, welcome back to Cruising as Crew. We have a new addition, which I'm very excited about. Today, we are going to go through some interview questions, um, that I would advise nailing an answer to if you want to nail getting a job on a cruise ship. Now, of course, depending on the job that you actually go for, there are going to be some questions that are specific to that job. It would take me too long to go through every single job and every single question, so I am just going to keep it generalized. But if you want some more personalized help, then you can send me an email at lucy@cruisingascrew.com or a message on Instagram at Cruising as Crew. I'm Cruising as Crew absolutely everywhere, but email or Instagram is definitely the best place to get me.
So, pretty much whatever job that you interview for on a cruise ship, you are going to get the question, "So, why do you want to work on a cruise ship?" And the reason 99% of people actually want to work on a cruise ship is because they want to travel. Working on a cruise ship is hands-down the best way to work and travel. It's better than a yacht. It's better than working as an air hostess. It's better than anything you can think of if you actually want to see the places that you're visiting. But that is not the answer that I would recommend giving to this question. And that's not because traveling is a bad reason, but you have to appreciate that these recruiters hear that answer all the time. The whole point of an interview is to sell yourself and make yourself stand out amongst the crowd. So, if you are going to give a generic answer, you're probably not going to stand out.
When someone gives the answer, "I want to work on cruise ships because I want to travel the world," what the recruiter sometimes hears is, "Okay, this person is more interested about the travel than the job. Is this person going to treat this like a big vacation? Or is this person actually going to be a good team member and do the job that they're hired to do?" So, when you get this question, it's so important that you lead with your career. For an example, let's pretend that someone is interviewing for a reception job. A much better answer to this would be, "I'm excited about the possibility of working on cruise ships because I love ensuring that people have the best vacation ever. I enjoy working in fast-paced environments, and I enjoy working amongst big teams, and that is exactly what working on a cruise ship is going to offer me. And because it's a brand new environment, it's going to give me the opportunity to develop professionally and, of course, personally because it's going to be a whole new experience. And of course, the travel is a huge bonus as well." So, you can add the travel aspect in there, but it shouldn't be your main answer. So, now the recruiter is going to hear that answer and be like, "Oh, okay. This person's applying for cruise ships 'cause they actually want the job. They're not like, the lifestyle is a benefit, of course, but they're coming to work. They're not coming because they think it's a working holiday."
The next question is going to be, "Why do you want this role?" So, why do you want to be a chef on board a cruise ship? Why do you want to be a housekeeper on board a cruise ship? Why do you want to do this job? Now, for some of you, you might already have a great answer prepared for this because you actually know why you want to do that job. For a lot of people, however, they don't have a good answer for this question because the main priority is to get a job on board cruise ships, and they don't really mind what job, which is absolutely fine. But again, in the interview, we want to make it seem like you are just so excited about this particular job. 'Cause after speaking to many recruiters, they all say nothing beats enthusiasm. Like, we can teach pretty much anyone to do anything, but we can't teach someone to be enthusiastic and excited about the prospect of doing this job. So, we want to get across that you're really excited about getting to do this particular job on board. So, let's say you are applying for a retail job. You love sales. You have a passion for sales, a passion for customer service, helping people find exactly the right product, helping people find a souvenir that's going to help them remember their time on board. And because that is a massive reason why people shop on board cruise ships. Finding that thing that's going to, you know, when they hold it when they're back at home, it just takes them back to when they were on board the cruise ship. If you're applying for a housekeeping role, you want to talk about consistency, attention to detail, what you enjoy about making up a room. Even if you don't, we want to, you know, we're going to fake it till we make it. If you're applying for a job in the spa, you can talk about how you enjoy making people feel relaxed and calm and making them feel looked after and creating a great experience. So, while I am fully aware that you might be applying for this job because you just want to work on a cruise ship because you just want to travel. I get it. That's not what we're going to say in the interview. Think about the job you're applying for and think about really why you would want to do it. If you're really struggling, you can ask ChatGPT or send me a message.
The third question and very, very common in all interviews is actually the one that's like most dreaded by a lot of people, and that is "Tell me about yourself." And this is not an invitation for you to tell the recruiter about your life story. This is where you give a clear, professional summary of who you are and why you are going to fit into this environment. So, the simple structure for this question is who you are, name, age, where you're from, relevant experience that you have for this job that you are applying for, and why that experience makes you suitable. So, you want to keep it focused, keep it relevant, don't ramble because if you give this structured answer and the recruiter still wants to know more, they will ask, you know? Or what town specifically? Like, they'll ask you the questions, but you don't want to waste your time. You don't want to waste the recruiter's time. You should have an answer for this question prepared and in your back pocket before you go into this interview.
Now, if you are applying for a guest-facing role, a question that you will for sure be asked is, "How would you deal with a difficult guest?" And they just want to know that you can remain calm, professional, and solution-focused in a difficult situation. So, something simple like, "I would stay calm. I would listen. I wouldn't take it personally. You know, maybe that guest has had a really difficult day leading up to this specific event. I would acknowledge their concern while working towards a solution while following company procedures." Like, something like that. Now, if you actually have a real example from a previous experience, this is great.
And then moving on to the next question, "Can you handle long hours and pressure?" Because if you've been on this channel for any length of time, I've spoke extensively about the fact that you're going to work long hours. It doesn't matter what job you do on board a cruise ship. They're going to be longer hours than you've been used to working on land. If for no other reason than you don't get weekends on a cruise ship. So, anyway, all I would say is as much as fake it till you make it is relevant for some of the questions, please do not answer this with something ridiculous like, "I love working overtime. I love working every hour God sends." It's not necessary. The recruiter is going to see right through it, and yeah, you're instantly just going to look a bit silly 'cause no one, no one wants to work long hours. And they don't need you to love working long hours. But they just need to know that you are aware you will be working long hours and you can handle it. So, you want to say something like, "I understand that working on board a cruise ship can be long hours and it can be demanding. But in previous roles, I've worked long hours and in high-pressure situations, and from that, I've learned that it's really important to stay organized and stay on top of all of my tasks. And most importantly, have a good attitude to either maintain or improve the morale of the team." Because they are looking for a team player in all of this. They're probably not going to ask you, "Are you a team player?" 'Cause obviously, everyone's going to be like, "Yes, of course I am." But one way that you can demonstrate that you are, in fact, a team player is by giving an answer like that. I'm going to keep my attitude good so I can improve morale. Negativity can spread so fast within a team, and it's happened before where we've had a really good team, and then we've had two new people join who are negative, and it's changed the whole dynamic. And it's incredible, really, how just like two people can change a dynamic between 20. But it really makes a difference. So, they always want to hire people who aren't going to be Debbie Downers, basically, because they know how infectious that attitude is. Anywhere that you can fit this in and say you want to keep your attitude right so you can boost morale in the team is going to be a massive tick.
So, they're most likely not going to ask you, "Are you a team player?" But what they might ask you is, "How well do you think you will work with different nationalities?" Or how well do you work with different nationalities? Obviously, the way you answer this will depend on if you have had previous experience working with different nationalities, and it's okay if you haven't. And the thing is, when you're on a cruise ship, you're not just working with an international team, you're living with them, too. So, they're looking for patience, self-awareness, flexibility, respect. So, this is a really good time to talk about any experience you have had having to adapt to different personalities or any difficulties you've faced in the past and how you've overcome them. But I've had people in the past answer this question with like, "Yeah, it's fine. I love everyone." And while that's really nice, what the recruiter is looking for is that you understand while it's great that you love everyone, there are going to be times where you're not going to love everyone. And maybe there's a bit of a language barrier, like, or an accent barrier because everyone speaks English on the cruise ship, but accents get in the way. So, when you answer this question, they just want to know that you understand there's going to be times where it is a little bit tough, but you're always going to be respectful, you are going to employ patience, and you understand that every culture, every country, everyone does things slightly differently. Two people from the same country could do things differently, but especially two people from two completely different countries, completely different backgrounds, yeah, they're probably going to do things differently. But as I said, it's really important to maintain a good attitude when working in a big team on a cruise ship. So, if the recruiter can sense that any difficulty you do have with someone of a different nationality, you're going to handle it with grace and maturity, then that's a massive plus.
"Why should we hire you?" This is where you get to sell yourself. Not in a weird way, but this is where you need to be braggadocious. Tell them about yourself. Tell them how great you are. This is not the time to shy away and say, "Oh, you know, but someone else might be able to do it better." No, no, no, no, no. You are the person for the job. They would be lucky to have you. Talk about your work ethic, your professionalism, your self-awareness, your ability to work well under pressure, your ability to enhance the team environment, any experience that's relevant. If you genuinely believe that you would be good at this job, then you're actually doing the recruiter a favor by selling yourself. If you don't sell yourself, someone else is going to sell themselves who is not the right fit for the job. So, the recruiter is going to hire them and find out later down the line that actually they weren't the right fit. Whereas if you just put your braggy pants on and sold yourself, the recruiter is going to make the right choice the first time. So, you're doing the recruiter a favor by selling yourself, by being a little bit braggadocious, and being like, "Yeah, I am great." And if this is your dream job, and the only thing you need to do to get your dream job is be a little bit cocky for a minute, get cocky. Do it.
Now, I'm going to go through a few mistakes that you want to avoid making, and then we'll close it off. Sounds simple, but make a big difference. If it's a Zoom interview, which it most likely will be because, you know, cruises are international, so it's very rare that you'll have an in-person interview. So, Zoom interview, for God's sake, make sure that your camera works and it's clean. Make sure that you've got some light. The amount of interviews I've seen where people are sat in what looks like a really dark room, and it looks a bit creepy. It looks like a ransom video. Like, that's not what you want it to look like. Sit in front of a window. Also, make sure your sound is working. You know, set up a Zoom call with your friend beforehand and check that the sound works because you either have to reschedule the interview or the interview doesn't happen because, yeah. So, make sure the technology is working correctly. Also, make sure that you look presentable 'cause you're going to be sat in front of a window. You're going to be sat in a well-lit room, so you want to make sure that you look good. Don't wear your pajamas. Don't wear a tracksuit. Believe me, I've seen it all before. Wear a shirt at least. Comb your hair. Put a bit of makeup on. Make an effort. Just because you're sat on your couch, this is still a job interview, so treat it as such.
I know I mentioned it in the beginning of the video, but I do want to reiterate it because it is so important. Please do not make travel the main focus of this. Yes, everyone understands that the travel aspect of working on a cruise ship is the main appeal, but the interview is not for travel. The interview is so you get the job so you can travel. Pretend that travel isn't even a factor of why you want to work on a cruise ship. Pretend it's not even going to happen, the travel portion, and just focus on the job that you are actually interviewing for.
So, those are some key cruise ship interview questions that you need to be ready to answer. If you have an interview coming up, congratulations 'cause not everyone gets to the interview stage, so well done. But please do not think, "I'll just wing it on the day." All of the questions I've told you about in this video, I want you to have answers prepared for them. Practice saying them in the mirror. Practice saying them to your friends and families because also, when you get into the interview, you're going to be nervous, right? So, your delivery isn't going to be as good as usual. Therefore, it's good if you practice these answers. So, even when the nerves take over, you can still get the answer out rather than fumbling over your words and accidentally saying, "I want to work on cruise ship because I want to travel." Which could completely change the outcome of your interview.
Now, if you want help with not just interviews, but choosing the right role to do on cruise ships, finding the right recruiter path, and sorting out your CV so you actually get an interview, then make sure you send me an email at lucy@cruisingiscru.com, or you can send me a DM on Instagram, and I will get back to you. Always happy to help anyone who wants to get a job on board a cruise ship 'cause as I said, I've been doing this for a long time. So, yeah, if you need any help, just reach out. And if this video helped you, then please give it a like and consider pressing subscribe if you have not already and join our amazing community of people. But thank you so, so, so much for watching. I really, really hope you have found this video helpful. And as always, guys, I will see you in the next video. Bye.