Finding Maritime Jobs

It doesn’t matter if you’re looking for a summer job while school’s out or if you have 50 years of experience and are interested in a management position – if you don’t know where to look for a maritime job, you won’t find one!

Okay, common sense tells us that you’ll have better luck in Florida than in Oklahoma, but beyond heading to the coast, where can you find maritime jobs? We answer that question below and more:

This section covers:

Maritime Jobs are out there you Just Need to Know Where to Look

Before diving into those pages, here are a few ideas to help you start your search:

Workboat jobs on lakes and rivers. Maritime jobs are available on larger lakes and rivers, not just on the ocean. In the United States, the Great Lakes region does a lot of shipping, and you can also consider traveling down the Mississippi River. If you simply want to work on a smaller ship, like a small ferry, you can find a job almost anywhere in the country, or the world for that matter, even if you’re far from the coast. Don’t forget about these jobs on smaller vessels, which can still be quite rewarding.

Search Maritime Job Opportunities

On the Internet. Our database often has maritime jobs, especially Alaska fishing jobs and cruise ship jobs, but you can also go beyond traditional job board to read about maritime companies in your area. Do a search for keywords like “fishing” or “shipping” to see what corporations are near you. Often, larger corporations won’t advertise jobs – they’ll simply post the opening on their website. In some cases, they won’t announce at all, so you can even try calling human resources to see if any jobs are available.

Start at the port. Most ports have a management team that takes care of scheduling and other port-related tasks, kind of like you’ll find in an airport.
These will be the first people who hear about job openings, and they might even maintain a job board. Visit the ports and ask around to find out more information.

Network. Make it known that you’re looking for a job. As you become immersed in the workboat industry, you’ll begin to meet people who are also jumping from shop to ship or port to port. These people may have job leads for you, or may think of you when they’re in a management position and looking for a new crewmember. Don’t be afraid to talk to people and build business relationships.

Think about “land” jobs. Don’t forget that there is a whole sector of jobs for people in the shipping industry that requires work on land instead of actually on a ship. You can consider jobs at ports, in maritime education, and more.

Join the Navy. The Navy provides a number of great career options for those who volunteer. You can talk to a recruiter about the jobs you’ll be doing and the requirements and demands made of you if you join the military. Don’t forget, however, that you can often get funding to go to school if you enlist, and having Navy experience is huge on your resume in the future.

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