Dockwalking Tips

Dockwalking Tips for Beginners

If you have dreams of making a career working aboard a yacht, then you should consider dock walking in order to get hired. This is an old and effective way to find a job by simply walking up and down docks and marinas talking to crew members or the captains of boats. Here are some dockwalking tips to begin your path to employment:

Before you start networking yourself on the marinas, make sure you dress for success. To have the chance of getting hired, you need to look professional and wear comfortable shoes as you will be walking all day. Place your CV and any other contact information in a sealed envelope for the attention of the captain.

Perhaps one of the biggest dockwalking tips is to walk down wharves, marinas, waterfront restaurants and wherever there are boats, in the company of an experienced dockwalker. There may be some restricted places that you won’t be able to enter so it would be useful to go with someone who knows the area well.

One of the most important dockwalking tips is to try and keep the conversation going, that way the crew will remember you better. Let your personality shine and use the opportunity to network yourself. Although spending all day walking up and down the docks looking for a job may be exhausting, your efforts will pay off eventually. The best time of the year to land yourself that dream job on a boat is in the summer months so make sure you start dockwalking from a few weeks before the start of the tourist season.

In most cases, crew members can relate to your situation as they would have done their share of dockwalking in the past. But in the event that you are turned down due to no vacancies, leave your business card or CV in case a job opening comes up in the future.  Preferably try to leave it with the captain or in an envelope for the captain.

If you get rejected, don’t take it personally. Try to keep your sense of humour and move on to another yacht. By acting confident, you will give yourself the strength to continue with your job search.

Make sure you keep a notebook handy to write down the names of the yachts that you have checked out. Whenever possible, get the name of the captain or the crew that you talked with, and even better, get the email address of the boat for a follow-up.

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