CREW MATTERS
Erica Lay
(+34) 673 55 76 76
[email protected]
http://www.elcrewco.comGetting the Most out of
Your Crew AgentIn today ́s yachting industry
time is usually of the essence.
Busy programmes and
tight yard periods keep the
pressure on the team; as
yachts increase in size and
complexity so must the crew.
Sometimes a captain simply
doesn’t have the time to
source individuals with the
specialist skills and experience
required – that ́s ok though,
that ́s where people like me,
the humble crew agent,
come in.Each year that passes sees
yachts grow in size and
with the rate of developing
technology so do the systems
on board. As such, new
positions have arisen. For
example we now see Interior
Managers residing above
Pursers and Chief Stews, and
ITOs (Information Technology
Officers) working alongside
the ETOs and Engineering
teams. Quite often with these
specific roles we need to
spread the net a little wider
and actively seek people from
outside the yachting industry.
This takes time and research;
quite often the yacht captain
or manager simply does not
have the time to dedicate to
finding these people.If you want to get the best
service out of your crew agentyou firstly need to consider
exactly what it is you want to
achieve. For example, some
captains would rather do
the leg work themselves and
search through suitable CVs
on a database and check the
references to get feedback
from industry peers. In this
case, a head hunter style
agent probably isn ́t for you- it ́s more expensive and if
you are going to be repeating
their work anyway it ́s a little
pointless. For this reason we
are seeing more and more of
the shopping cart approach
agents popping up. You can
pay an annual fee to search
through an online database
yourself and contact whoever
you like for any position.
Works for a lot of people,
time permitting!
Also social media is a great
and effective way of gathering
CVs for positions. Be warned
though; you will have to
sift through a large number
of applicants in order to
find those crew who are
suitable. Try it – it’s quite an
experience; a captain said to
me in Antigua earlier this year
he had been inundated and it
gave him a new found respect
for what I do. Which was nice!However, if you ́re super
busy, in a rush, or maybe you
just don ́t like sifting through
CVs, that ́s when you get to
call the recruitment agents
like me. These guys (should)
work with you to determine
your exact needs. In my
experience, every client is
different and it takes a little
time to get to know them. A
client usually gives me the
basic information on what
they are seeking, I then drill
down a bit to get some more
details to help me find just the
right fit. On paper it is often
straight forward; e.g. Captain
Bob on the busy travelling
chartering 50m MY Bertha is
seeking a chief mate holding
CM3000gt, with at least a
year ́s experience as mate
on a similar sized vessel.
But it ́s my job to find out
the type of personalities
found on board; my aim
isn ́t just to find a guy with
the right ticket andexperience, it is very
important he fits in with the
captain and existing crew.
So to do this I would ask the
captain various questions that
aren ́t specifically related to
the positions. For example
I might ask about the ages
of the other crew on board,
overall or in the team the new
crew member will be working
in. Also I try to find out what
the crew do in their spare
time to unwind. Are they
party animals? Homebodies?
Are there lots of couples on
board? Do the crew socialize
together out of hours or do
activities together? There
are lots of different factors
to consider in creating the
perfect team.Agencies like mine interview
crew in person wherever
possible; not just to
determine experience levels
but to get to know them a bit
too. Personality goes a long
way. We thoroughly check
references and ask a lot of
questions – again not just
about work ethics, and skills
but about them as individuals,
how they interact in a team
environment and how they
get on with the other crew
members especially when
under pressure. I understand
how demanding it is to work
and live in a tiny space, so it ́s
incredibly important to find
personalities that mesh well.
Sharing a cabin with someone
who is your polar opposite is,
to be frank, a total nightmare.
Having common interests
is important.The way to get the best out of
a crew agent is to help them
build a relationship with you.
Some clients send out emails
to a number of crew agents
which often results in all of
them racing each other and
bombarding the client with
CVs. The client then has the
unenviable task of working
out who sent whom first...
and informing all the agents
during the ensuing bun fight.
Some agents will throw CVs at
the client to cover all bases,
without being sure these
crew really tick all the boxes,
or worse, before confirming
the crew member is evenproperly interested. When
a captain sends out blanket
requests it doesn ́t really give
us agents the opportunity
to really investigate the role.
The emphasis is often on
commissions over the actual
level of service required which
results in the client being
bombarded with unsuitable
CVs and gives us agents a bit
of a bad name. But we do
understand that sometimes
you have what feels like five
minutes’ notice so the only
way to cover yourself is to
contact lots of agents at the
same time. In those situations
it ́s a free for all, and if you
need a crew member that
urgently you ́re probably not
going to be quite as picky as
when you have time on
your side.In an ideal world the client
should take the time to
develop relationships with
a few good crew agents in
different locations. Build
that relationship so the agent
knows you well enough to be
able to judge who you would
like to be working in your
team. Ok, it could be a little
bit arduous at first or a little
hit and miss, but once you
take the time to understand
each other a little you will
reap the long term benefits.
When your lead deckhand
slips and twists his ankle mid
charter and you need another
one to start the same day
you should feel confident
enough in your crew agent to
be able to pick up the phone
and tell them you need a new
one, and now! They should
already have a file on your
vessel and probably on you
too, so they know exactly the
type of people you need.Each yacht has its own
programme and demands,
your crew agent should
understand that, and more
importantly understand
you. Your agent of choice
(or agents) should be on
the ball. You should not be
asked the same questions
every time you call... “is it
private or charter?” “Motor
or sail?” “How many crew?”
etc etc. And if you are?
Give me a call...