Why video? 

Employers are very used to finding candidates for crews online but they still need to be 100% sure you're right for them. You might be perfect for the job but thousands of miles away from the captain's location so there's no chance of meeting face to face.

A written resume and a photo are not necessarily enough to inspire confidence. Which is why making your own video gives you the edge.

It's your opportunity to show an employer what you look like - appearance is often very important - but it's also your chance of to express your personality and individual style.

 

Making a video resume

Your video doesn't need to be a Hollywood blockbuster - your digital camera, webcam phone is fine - but it does speaks volumes about you. So:

• Be confident and be yourself
• Dress appropriately - first impressions count
• Look directly at the camera
• Be aware of your body language
• Make sure you showcase your skills and achievements
• Talk about what you're looking for
• Keep your video to one minute or near enough - write a rough script and allow for three words every second
• Make sure you answer these questions - who you are, what you're doing right  now, the work you're looking for, why you're good at it and why you like it.
• Watch your video before you upload it and make sure you sound clear.

 

How to post a video resume

Once you've made your video, you need to get it online. It's a really easy process, especially as YachtForce recommends usingYoutube to host and display your video.

1. To post your video resume on your YachtForce profile page, you'll need to register with YouTube and create a user account. Then you can upload your video file to their servers.

2. Click on 'Upload'. Fill in the 'title' description, and Video category fields. Add some relevant descriptive tags - 'stewardess', for instance.

3. Click on 'Upload a video' and the file will begin to upload from your computer to the YouTube server. This can take a few minutes, so be patient. Remember, this is the only time you'll need to upload the video.

4. Once the video has finished uploading, you'll receive a confirmation message. Next, click on 'my videos' and select the video. It will appear on a page like this.

5. You now need to get the link code to add the video to your Yachtforce page.

To get the link code, click on 'more share options' in the share area of the YouTube page. This will display a box with the heading 'Copy and paste this link into an email or instant message'. This is the link code you need to copy. Use Ctrl>C (Windows) or Cmd>C (Mac) to copy the code and paste it somewhere safe, such as a notepad or textedit doc.

You can now close YouTube.

6. Log in and open your YachtForce 'Edit you resume' page.

7. Find the box labelled 'YouTube Video - Enter the URL to your video on Youtube.com:'.  Paste the code into this box.

8. At the bottom of the page, click 'Save'. Your video should now be displayed on your page!

 

Privacy

If you are concerned about privacy, and letting a video of yourself go on the web, don't worry, you can make your video private, which means no-one except registered yachtforce authorised employers can view it. To make a video private, after posting your video on YachtForce, go back to YouTube, login to your video page and select 'private' under 'privacy options'. Be sure to do the AFTER linking to YachtForce, as once you make the video private, a link code will not be offered.