Seafarer Curriculum Vitae (CV)

A curriculum vitae is a tool that is used to summarize a job seeker’s attributes and qualifications to a recruiter. A proper CV takes you a step closer to getting your dream job as a seafarer. It shows the recruiter a summary of the applicant’s work experience, skills and educational achievements as well as milestones achieved. Hence, it is crucial in a recruitment process.

Think of a CV as a complete account of everything that qualifies you as an expert in your niche or as an eligible candidate in a recruitment process.

A curriculum vitae (Latin for “course of life”, often shortened to CV) is a short written summary of a person’s career, qualifications, and education. The term résumé (also spelled resume) is a common synonym for CV in the sense of a short career summary- Wikipedia.

• Swamp rig “Majestic” capsize near ovhor Delta state, 1 dead, 3 missing
• Maritech Industrial & Management Training Academy
• Nigerian Seafarer in dire need of kidney Transplant
• Seafarer Curriculum Vitae (CV)
• The Maritime and Offshore Award- The OMIS

It is important to note that a seafarer’s CV is not always similar to that of a conventional applicant. The voyage records, ship details, acquired IMO approved courses (issuing authority, issue and expiry dates)and other key notes are required unlike the conventional CV which doesn’t require the afore mentioned entries.

The Structure of a Curriculum Vitae (CV)

A CV has component parts that form it’s structure. Each part is relevant and required.

The components include;

1. The Header: The Header contains the applicant’s name and contact information such as telephone number, email, residential address, LinkedIn and other relevant social media handles.
2. Career Objective: This section is used to present an introductory and concise summary of the applicant’s personal goals, objectives and drive.
3. Personal Information/profile: This section contains information such as;
   • Date of Birth
   • State of Origin and Local Government Area (optional)
   • Nationality
   • Current rank/role applied
   • Marital status
   • PPE size and profile.
4. Work Experience: The work experience section highlights all the applicant’s relevant work experiences in reverse chronological order. Note that for cadets or seafarers with no experience at sea, the sea service records are not required. Although, other experiences from relevant roles is an added advantage. Hence, this section can further be divided into;
   • Sea Service Records which contains all offshore based experiences in different capacities onboard merchant ships. For each sea service record, it must include;
     • Ship Name
     • Owner of ship/ managing company
     • Ship type (AHTS, DSV, MPSV, FSV, security boat, OSV, PSV etc.).
     • Gross tonnage (GRT) and dead-weight (DWT)
     • Engine type/Power produced (in KW- kilowatt or BHP-Break Horse Power)
     • Rank (captain, Chief Engineer, ETO, Cook etc.)
     • Sailing Duration
   • Other Experiences (Shore Based) showing all relevant onshore experiences such as workshop experience, previous dockyard service etc.
5. Educational Qualification(s): In this section, each school you attended is recorded. It must include the school name, location, what degree you received, and the dates you were there. If you have more than one school or degree, list them in reverse chronological order. That is, the most recent educational qualification goes top of the list.
6. Certification/Documentation: This section maybe subdivided into Maritime Licenses, travel documents /medicals and Maritime Courses/certifications. Also, professional affiliations and memberships can be highlighted in this section (CILT, IMarEST and their likes)
   • Maritime Licenses: The maritime Licenses include the officer level certificate of Competency (COC) qualification and the ables seaman certificate of competency (watchkeeping).
   • Travel Documents/medicals: Travel Documents includes international passport, Seaman Discharge book (CDC), seafarer medicals, certificate of vaccination or prophylaxis (yellow fever), Seafarer identification document (SID).
   • Maritime Courses/Certification: There are numerous maritime courses and certification to be highlighted depending on the department (deck, engineering, electrical, diving or catering). Some of these certification and courses include; Medical first aid, GMDSS, Dynamic positioning (maintenance or operator), High voltage certification, Advanced Fire fighting, proficiency in survival craft (other than fast rescue boats), Human Element and Leadership Management (HELM), ECDIS certification, BOSIET etc.
7. Referees: This section highlights at least two (2) referees. A referee is a person willing to testify in writing about the character or ability of someone, especially an applicant for a job. Summarily, citing referees helps the recruiter in background checks regarding an eligible applicant.

“Referee will be presented upon request” is a phrase usually used by job seekers in place of the actual referee. It is important to note that citing referees is crucial in securing your dream job.

Download an editable CV format below that can be modified to suit your individual usage as well as serve as a guide in drafting your personal Curriculum Vitae (CV).