I’m getting real close to getting things underway…I have made up a resume, with much help from friends and have a cover letter 3/4 of the way completed…My question is .How important is a cover letter…?.I see that it’s the “in” thing now a days ,but seriously , shouldn’t the resume stand on it’s own…?
Since I’m on the subject of silly questions I’ll ask a couple more…When you guys go into interview or are applying for a position,what do you wear?I’m gonna take a stab here and say that suits and ties are probably not an option…
What are the best work boots and where do you get them…??? Thanks guys…
“How important is a cover letter…?” Depends on how well you write.
“what do you wear?” Depends on the company but you’ll be safe with nice pants, a collared suit, sports coat and tie. Then you can always dress down a bit by removing the tie and leaving the sports coat in the car.
i don’t believe in interviewing for a job in anything less than a suit and tie. that’s just how i was raised. it doesn’t matter the type of job. i once showed up for an interview for a ferry job. i expected the interview to take place in the managers office. instead, i was directed down to the vessel and located the person i was looking for in the wheelhouse. he was wearing shorts and a t shirt and smoking a cigarette. i was in a freshly pressed suit, freshly pressed shirt and polished shoes. i had a resume and cover letter along with a list of references and their contact information, all on high quality paper and stored in a leather portfolio. maybe it was overkill for the job, but its better to be over dressed than under. its a professional meeting.
at the very least, pressed slacks and a collared shirt and tie. polishes shoes and a clean shave/neatly trimmed facial hair as well.
while I’m not currently in a position that has me hiring people, i can say that if i were and somebody showed up to an interview in less than professional clothes, i wouldn’t think of them on the same level as someone with the same quals who made the effort to dress for the occasion. again, that’s just how i was raised. maybe its an antiquated viewpoint but i was taught to dress appropriately for the occasion.
I had a pair of Cat Titanium toed boots that were super comfortable and light. I just looked online but they aren’t selling them anymore I guess. The only problem is that they had a molded sole so when I wore through the sole I couldn’t get it replaced. I sure was sad to see them go. Since then I’ve always gotten shoes that I can take to a shoe shop and get the sole replaced. You’ll know which ones because they have a little bit of the sole sticking out horizontally with stitching on the top.
Shellback - My answer to you on the Cover Letter is yes; it gives the person reading the Resume/CV an idea of the person behind the experience without having even read the resume yet. Write it in your own words, have someone proof it for grammar and errors, and attach it. DO NOT let anyone write it for you, as it will be a dead giveaway at the interview if you get that far. Following John’s train of thought though, if the best you can do is “I wants me a job”, don’t bother.
Interview Dress: A minimum of a well pressed dress shirt with tie, dress slacks, dress shoes with a <strong>matching belt</strong>, dress socks, well groomed and manicured. If you impress the receptionist, you’re off to a good start as they’re the one’s announcing you. If you look like a nebbish when you show up at the desk, it won’t take long for the word to get back to the personnel office. Most office staff even down the bayou dress smartly, with a golf shirt and dress slacks and/or a blouse and slacks/skirt being the norm. Dress up, and you won’t go wrong. You never know when the owner is going to be walking by either.
John has the right idea with the Wellington’s, as it allows you to quickly slip them off if you go in the drink, or get in a situation where you have to get them off in a hurry. The Wolverine’s are good, so are Red Wings, and my recent favorite was a pair od Dr. Maartens as they have some ankle protection/padding. If you need ankle support, opt for a boondocker height lace up, and always bring a pack or two of spare laces.
Good Luck…
I’d always go to an interview in a suit and tie, and as John says, you can always dress it down. As for boots, I always worn Timberland Pro Pit Boss boots. (http://www.timberland.com/product/index.jsp?productId=1774619) They make them in Steel Toe but also in what they call Safety Toe - it’s some plastic composite that works just as well as Steel Toes, but they can go through metal detectors. They’ve got some on their website, but I’ve seen more varieties in stores.
Red Wing worx boots are really comfortable. I personally like the “Romeo” style (no laces, ankle height). They have the best gripping soles I’ve experienced to date, no matter how slick the surface.
This is the first time that I have had to apply for a job, in 13 years. I really want to thank you for the responses…I admit, I was surprised…The suit and tie threw me…Most of you are very professional and I should have realized that would carry over to all areas…Including interviews.
The cover letter came out well and I’m glad I did one…I needed to explain away the 21 years of trucking and why someone should let me on their boat…
“John, I 'm gonna be on deck…Will those be suitable there…?“
I take offense! <img alt=”” src=“http://gcaptain.com/maritime/forum/js/FCKeditor/editor/images/smiley/msn/wink_smile.gif” />
Actually, the motivation to create this site came in part from 7 years as chief mate walking 200-300 meter decks and wear thru many pairs of boots. I usually carried 3 pairs. 1 pair of lace up Wolverines with custom insoles (by brother the bootfitter got them for me) which I’d wear anytime I thought I’d be on deck more than 1hr. A pair of Wellington style slip ons for everyday use and a pair of steal toed sneakers I’d keep with the extraction coveralls hanging in my stateroom just in case a fire broke out.
Actually that’s a good tip for newbies… always keep boots and a pair of coveralls with a flashlight, gloves and safetyglasses hanging up in your stateroom. When the bells start rining you don’t want to be digging through your laundry bag!!! If you’re job is to run towards the fire when everyone else is running away, be sure to get some fire resistant coveralls or (prefferably) extraction coveralls.
What I meant was that most of the particpants here are large tonnage Capt’s and mates…I’m going to be starting out at the bottom and just wanted to be sure that we were looking at the same thing…I see the advantage of the slip ons and I think I will do what you done and have a few different pair…
Nice tip on the extraction coveralls too…I take it these will not be supplied by the boat? This brings up another question…Safety gear…Flotation vests,safety glasses hard hats…Buy your own? The vests really have my interest…as to which brand, for comfort and the particular layout of the pockets…Also what type of flash lights do you guys find that are the best???
Shoot ,…that should have been another poll question…Probably could have won the coveted g captain T shirt with that one…<img alt="" src=“http://gcaptain.com/maritime/forum/js/FCKeditor/editor/images/smiley/msn/shades_smile.gif” />
A lot of people like Pelican flashlights, and I’ve found a liking to the Pelican Stealthlite 2400 - small, bright as hell, and goes for a while on 4 AA batteries. Pretty reasonable too - if you search around diving sites you can find them for about $20 + shipping. http://www.pelican.com/lights_detail.php?recordID=2400
Pelicans are nice flashlights and very reasonably priced.
But if you need a real flashlight…one your life might depend on… and can afford it, Surefire makes the best in the world. They are high dollar and they use camera (lithium) batteries, but if you need to see whats happening in (or outsideof) a dark wheelhouse or on a dark, rainy deck there’s nothing like them. And if you buy one you’ll never have to buy another…unless you want a bigger one. The “M-6” is a handheld spotlight that’s the size of a 2 D-cell flashlight.
Ask a cop.
Nemo
I’ve always liked my maglights, I’ll lose them before they break. I keep a two D cell in my back pack just in case. They’re relatively cheap and the bulbs are easy to find.
Shellback- I recently had all these same questions. I was in a similar situation where I had not interviewed for a job in 10 years. Cover letter, no cover letter. Suit no suit. I personally kept my resume down to a page and a half with no cover letter. I had an objective, experience, job skills, education (mainly certs), license milestones, and a summary. What I could bring to the table. How I could positively impact their company. I kept it very basic, but by no means pre-packaged statements. When I finally started getting responses I tried to get information over the phone and online right away about the company. Pay benefits, 401K, schedules, just to see if there were any upfront deal breakers. I did not want to waste any of their time or mine. I was in a position to be picky which is not always the case. When I was finally offered and accepted a face to face interview I only chose one out of 4 so it was all or nothing to impress these guys. What do I wear? I asked several people, but eventually went with my wife’s advice and wore a suit. Even though I do not think my position is a suit and tie kind of job. I was glad I did. There was more than one person applying for the position and this was the last position that they were hiring for at that time. Luckily I guess the grey chin hairs paid off for once. My wife wanted me to just for men the goat, but I refused! I went online before the interview and googled frequently asked interview questions and drilled myself on how I would honestly answer them. I looked up some don’t’s at interviews including past employer bashing. No one wants to hear that garbage at an interview. I did a pretty extensive read of their website and online newsletters so I would be informed about their company prior to the interview. Which helped being able to comment about newbuilds that were coming, when they were coming and where they were being built. I am mid ways through my second hitch and I am really loving it so far. Being on a drilling rig is a lot different than being on an anchorboat, but I like it a lot.
