 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
The Interview
You've done your homework. You've found the positions in the maritime industry that
seem like reasonable matches for your skills… and a salary you’d be comfortable
working for. If they’ve called you in for an interview, that means the company is
interested in you. Remember that you’ll be closely observed in what you say, how
you say it, how you make eye contact, how you carry yourself, and how you dress.
This is a test in many ways. So handle it the way you would any test.
If you have to take a math final, you don’t want to burst into the room after the rest of
the class has started to write their answers, do you? Of course not. Same thing here.
Get to the office, or vessel early. If your interview is in the morning, get up early
enough to shower, shave and whatever else you need to do to be in top form,
looking your best. Just as with the math final, you don’t want to run into a busy
manager’s office looking like you made a mad leap to jump aboard a commuter
train pulling out of a station. Give yourself enough time for a traffic jam, or a small
crisis, like discovering the shirt you ironed the night before has an ink stain from a
pen in the pocket.
Be confident and polite in the way you conduct yourself with your prospective
employer. You may interview with more than one person. The first person who
meets you might be a personnel manager. Well, not in a small mom and pop towing
company on an inland river. But in a large organization, the first people you meet
may be from human resources. When he or she greets you, make eye contact and
shake hands. Smile and say “good morning…or hello, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Don’t turn the eye contact into a staring contest…a brief contact that shows you have
the confidence to look your interviewer in the eye when you meet. And don’t try to
impress the interviewer with how strong you are. A firm and polite handshake
means that, not a vice-grip hold.
Dress for the occasion. Select clean and conservative clothing. If you work as a
dispatcher for a tugboat company, you may spend your workdays in a flannel shirt
and jeans. But if you're interviewing for the position of dispatcher, you don’t arrive for
an interview dressed as if you’ve already been working for the company for five
years. No one ever made a mistake in wearing a shirt and tie with a jacket to an
interview. Appearances matter. The appearance of a job candidate tells the
interviewer how they feel about themselves. A person who doesn’t seem to care
about they way he or she looks will not be given the benefit of the doubt here. Even if
they would have been a good employee, the employer might feel that if that’s how
they feel about their appearance, that’s how they might feel about the job.
Before the interview, do your homework. Know what the position entails. And come
with questions for the things you didn’t find answers to on the company’s website. If
the company operates ferries, you would do well to learn about the types of vessel,
the size of the fleet, the powerplants, the controls, the navigation equipment… and if
you can’t learn those beforehand, you’ll at least know the things you want to inquire
about. If you are going for the job of ferry pilot, be prepared to say what you know
about the particular body of water in which you’ll operate. If you’re going for a job as a
welder in a shipyard, be prepared to speak with authority about the latest welding
technologies.
A productive interview won’t just be questions and answers. Oh, you’ll be asked
where you went to school, what kind of discharge you received from the service, how
much sea time you amassed since you took the second engineer’s license, etc. But
you have be hit with some more difficult questions in which your answer shouldn’t
be a one word “yes” or “no”, but rather a mini-capsule that says something about
you. Interviewers seems to like… “Tell me about yourself”, “Who is your hero in
life…your role model.”, “What are some of your faults?”, “What are your strengths?”
“Tell me about your last job.”
In answering questions, be to the point, be honest, and be confident. Give
straightforward answers. Interviewers don’t like evasive answers. An interviewer can
ask you questions to which he or she already knows the answer…just to see if you’
re honest. Don’t say negative things, or don’t disparage your previous supervisor. Be
sure to speak about your skills, experience, and willingness to work hard and learn
new things. At the end of the interview, make sure to thank the interviewer for his or
her time, and don’t be shy about letting them know you want the job. It can’t hurt to
say something like, “Thank you for your time in calling me in Mr. Smith. It was a
pleasure to meet you and I’m very interested in this job.”
Good luck
Copyright 2006 - Copyright Warning
Rights reserved - U.S. Copyright Law Carries Criminal & Civil Penalties for
Infringement - 17 U.S.C. § 506 and 18 U.S.C. § 2319
You've done your homework. You've found the positions in the maritime industry that
seem like reasonable matches for your skills… and a salary you’d be comfortable
working for. If they’ve called you in for an interview, that means the company is
interested in you. Remember that you’ll be closely observed in what you say, how
you say it, how you make eye contact, how you carry yourself, and how you dress.
This is a test in many ways. So handle it the way you would any test.
If you have to take a math final, you don’t want to burst into the room after the rest of
the class has started to write their answers, do you? Of course not. Same thing here.
Get to the office, or vessel early. If your interview is in the morning, get up early
enough to shower, shave and whatever else you need to do to be in top form,
looking your best. Just as with the math final, you don’t want to run into a busy
manager’s office looking like you made a mad leap to jump aboard a commuter
train pulling out of a station. Give yourself enough time for a traffic jam, or a small
crisis, like discovering the shirt you ironed the night before has an ink stain from a
pen in the pocket.
Be confident and polite in the way you conduct yourself with your prospective
employer. You may interview with more than one person. The first person who
meets you might be a personnel manager. Well, not in a small mom and pop towing
company on an inland river. But in a large organization, the first people you meet
may be from human resources. When he or she greets you, make eye contact and
shake hands. Smile and say “good morning…or hello, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Don’t turn the eye contact into a staring contest…a brief contact that shows you have
the confidence to look your interviewer in the eye when you meet. And don’t try to
impress the interviewer with how strong you are. A firm and polite handshake
means that, not a vice-grip hold.
Dress for the occasion. Select clean and conservative clothing. If you work as a
dispatcher for a tugboat company, you may spend your workdays in a flannel shirt
and jeans. But if you're interviewing for the position of dispatcher, you don’t arrive for
an interview dressed as if you’ve already been working for the company for five
years. No one ever made a mistake in wearing a shirt and tie with a jacket to an
interview. Appearances matter. The appearance of a job candidate tells the
interviewer how they feel about themselves. A person who doesn’t seem to care
about they way he or she looks will not be given the benefit of the doubt here. Even if
they would have been a good employee, the employer might feel that if that’s how
they feel about their appearance, that’s how they might feel about the job.
Before the interview, do your homework. Know what the position entails. And come
with questions for the things you didn’t find answers to on the company’s website. If
the company operates ferries, you would do well to learn about the types of vessel,
the size of the fleet, the powerplants, the controls, the navigation equipment… and if
you can’t learn those beforehand, you’ll at least know the things you want to inquire
about. If you are going for the job of ferry pilot, be prepared to say what you know
about the particular body of water in which you’ll operate. If you’re going for a job as a
welder in a shipyard, be prepared to speak with authority about the latest welding
technologies.
A productive interview won’t just be questions and answers. Oh, you’ll be asked
where you went to school, what kind of discharge you received from the service, how
much sea time you amassed since you took the second engineer’s license, etc. But
you have be hit with some more difficult questions in which your answer shouldn’t
be a one word “yes” or “no”, but rather a mini-capsule that says something about
you. Interviewers seems to like… “Tell me about yourself”, “Who is your hero in
life…your role model.”, “What are some of your faults?”, “What are your strengths?”
“Tell me about your last job.”
In answering questions, be to the point, be honest, and be confident. Give
straightforward answers. Interviewers don’t like evasive answers. An interviewer can
ask you questions to which he or she already knows the answer…just to see if you’
re honest. Don’t say negative things, or don’t disparage your previous supervisor. Be
sure to speak about your skills, experience, and willingness to work hard and learn
new things. At the end of the interview, make sure to thank the interviewer for his or
her time, and don’t be shy about letting them know you want the job. It can’t hurt to
say something like, “Thank you for your time in calling me in Mr. Smith. It was a
pleasure to meet you and I’m very interested in this job.”
Good luck
Copyright 2006 - Copyright Warning
Rights reserved - U.S. Copyright Law Carries Criminal & Civil Penalties for
Infringement - 17 U.S.C. § 506 and 18 U.S.C. § 2319
| NEW HAMPSHIRE - Concord, NH - (603) 228-4123 NEW JERSEY - Trenton, NJ 08625 - 609 292-0099 NEW MEXICO - Albuquerque, NM - (505) 222-4683 NEW YORK - Albany, NY - (518) 457-6369 NORTH CAROLINA - Raleigh, NC - (919) 733-2936 NORTH DAKOTA - Bismarck, ND - (701) 328-2868 OHIO - Columbus, OH - (614) 752-9494 OKLAHOMA - Oklahoma City, OK - (405) 557-7265 OREGON - Salem, OR - (503) 947-1212 PENNSYLVANIA - Harrisburg, PA - (717) 787-3266 PUERTO RICO Hato Rey, PR - (787) 754-5340 RHODE ISLAND - Cranston, RI - (401) 462-8767 SOUTH CAROLINA - Columbia, SC (803) 737-2660SOUTH DAKOTA - Aberdeen, SD - (605) 626-2314 TENNESSEE - Nashville, TN - (615) 741-2284 TEXAS - Austin, TX - UTAH - Salt Lake City, UT - (801) 526-9401 VERMONT - Montpelier, VT - (802) 828-4153 VIRGIN ISLANDS-Charlotte Aml, VI -340 776-3700 VIRGINIA - Richmond, VA - (804) 786-7496 WASHINGTON - Lacey, WA - (360) 438-4804 WEST VIRGINIA - Charleston, WV - (304) 558-2660 WISCONSIN - Madison, WI - (608) 267-2393 WYOMING - Casper, WY - (307) 473-3807 |
| The Interview |
| Maritime Jobs - Marine Jobs - Deckhands - Tankermen - Able Seaman - Maritime Jobs - Deck Engine - Employment in the Maritime Industry - Work on Ships - Yachts - Tugboats - Cruise Ships |
The Alvin has explored
many famous
shipwrecks. Woods
Hole is seeking an
engineering tech for
her. See Jobs In
Other Places (at left)
many famous
shipwrecks. Woods
Hole is seeking an
engineering tech for
her. See Jobs In
Other Places (at left)
Trivia: Cruise lines only
hire medical personnel
licensed in the country
where their cruise ships
are registered?
True or False?
hire medical personnel
licensed in the country
where their cruise ships
are registered?
True or False?
| Deck Question Which of the Great Lakes generally has the shortest navigation season? a. Lake Erie b. Lake Huron c. Lake Michigan d. Lake Superior |
| We don't see many legal opportunities in the maritime law sector for maritime attorneys, paralegals or legal assistants. However, this did catch our attention... an supervisory attorney advisor with Customs & Border Protection under the Dept. of Homeland Security. Go to Maritime Law. |