A crewing manager spends seconds on each CV. Yours has to show the essentials instantly: your rank, your certificates and your sea service. Here is how to build a maritime CV that gets a reply.
Put the essentials at the top
The first thing a recruiter must see: your rank, nationality, date of birth, available-from date and contact details. Add a small professional photo. Do not bury this under a long personal statement.
List your sea service clearly
This is the heart of a seafarer CV. For every contract, give:
Vessel name and type (bulk, tanker, container, etc.) and its size (GT / DWT).
Your rank on board and the company / manager.
Sign-on and sign-off dates.
Engine type or main particulars for engineers.
List the most recent contract first and leave no unexplained gaps.
Show your documents
Recruiters need to know your certificates are valid. List your CoC / licence, STCW courses, medical and any vessel-specific endorsements with their expiry dates. A vacancy on a tanker or gas carrier is filled by whoever's documents are ready.
Keep it clean and honest
One to two pages, no more.
Simple layout, readable font, saved as PDF.
Never invent sea time or certificates — it is checked, and it ends careers.
Good working English matters; a clear CV is itself proof of it.
Let SeaJobs.pro build it for you
Instead of formatting a document by hand, upload your existing CV to SeaJobs.pro and it auto-fills your profile — contacts, documents, certificates and sea service. Every application then carries a complete, consistent CV straight to the crewing manager. Keep your readiness date current and you stay at the top of the list.