Often cruise line companies simply cannot cope with the volume of job enquiries they receive - on top of having to manage existing and returning crewmembers. A humungous task in itself is sifting through the vast piles of resumes they receive on a daily basis! It is sometimes far easier to farm the hiring out to specialist agencies who will do the screening, interviewing and hiring on their behalf.

But the main benefit of going through a recruitment agency for you, is that an agency has a real, vested interest in seeing you get a job, because they only get paid by the cruise line if you do!

A good agency will do it's upmost to get you the job so that they get paid. They are generally 'in' with the HR staff of the cruise lines and will have a good working relationship with the personnel staff who work there.

They can put your case across very strongly. Whereas with a cruise line, you are often just another piece of paper in a very large stack! And it's so easy to be overlooked.

Agencies tend to be run by ex-crewmembers so they can also advise you on what to do and how to get organized. As well as helping you avoid the pit-falls along the way. Whereas a cruise line company generally wouldn't have the time to give you much of a personal service. Cruise lines use agencies because they are very convenient and save them a lot of time, hassle and saved money in hiring extra staff themselves.

Best of all they can also overcome certain 'weaknesses' you might have (that could normally scupper your chances) by presenting you in the very best possible light to the cruise line. Far better than any resume could! Indeed an agency can get you the job based on your personality and work ethic alone without you even having had any prior experience.

Try and find an agency that doesn't charge a fee to its applicants. Most agencies get paid a commission by the cruise line company they are hiring for - but there are a few out there who will try to charge you a 'registration' fee. Avoid these. There are plenty of agencies who work solely on commission and these are the ones who will be the most motivated to get you the job of your dreams!

Getting a professional on your side could be the quick and easy route to a cruise ship job!