How Maritime Crewing Software Helps You Retain Candidates

In the competitive world of maritime recruitment, where skilled seafarers and qualified personnel are crucial for success, maintaining clear and consistent communication with candidates is a must. Yet, one common pitfall you may have faced as a recruitment officer or manning agent is "ghosting" your candidates — in other words, failing to follow up or reply after an application or interview. 

This lapse not only tarnishes the candidate's experience but can also damage the reputation of your manning agency or shipping company. And if you’re a long time reader of the Martide blog, you’ll know we’ve talked about candidate engagement on several occasions.

However, don’t panic, as if you’re a maritime recruitment officer or manning agent, there are ways that you can avoid this by adopting strategies and tools, including advanced maritime crewing software, to stay organized, streamline your processes, and foster a professional and respectful candidate experience. 

In this blog post, we’re going to explore actionable steps anyone working in maritime recruitment can take to ensure every candidate receives proper communication, whether they’re successful or not.

And yes, we do know that this can work both ways and seafarers and other candidates can be just as guilty of disappearing without a trace when they’re halfway through your hiring process. Looking for some tips on how to stop that happening? We’ve got you covered with this blog post: 3 Ways to Stop Candidates Ghosting You.

Why avoiding ghosting matters in maritime recruitment

Ghosting candidates may seem harmless, especially when you’re swamped with applications or juggling multiple positions, ranks, vessels and crew change dates, but it has serious implications:

1. Reputation risk: Word spreads fast in the tight-knit maritime community. Poor candidate experiences can harm a company's or manning agent’s reputation.
2. Missed opportunities: Candidates, especially higher ranking seafarers, who feel disrespected may avoid reapplying in the future, even if they’re ideal for another position.
3. Negative branding: A company's brand isn't just about customers or clients - how you treat prospective (and current!) employees also plays a role. Ghosting undermines trust and professionalism.
4. Compliance concerns: In some regions, employment regulations may require timely communication with candidates, making ghosting a legal risk.

Actionable strategies to help you retain candidates

Create a communication policy

Develop a structured communication framework outlining how and when candidates will be updated. This ensures consistency across the recruitment process. For instance:

• Application acknowledgment: Send an automated acknowledgment immediately after receiving an application.
• Progress updates: Inform candidates at set intervals (e.g., post-screening, after interviews).
• Rejection notifications: Notify unsuccessful candidates promptly and professionally.

Having a clear policy not only helps recruitment officers and manning agents stay on top of tasks but also assures candidates they’re not left in the dark.

Read more: How to Write Candidate Rejection Emails in Maritime Recruitment

Leverage maritime-specific crewing software

Modern recruitment tools - such as Martide’s maritime crew management software solution - are game-changers, particularly in the shipping industry where managing a global workforce can be challenging. Crewing software solutions streamline applicant tracking, communication, and onboarding processes.

Key features to look for:

• Automated communication: Many software solutions can send automated updates at different stages of the recruitment process, ensuring every candidate hears back, even if they’re not shortlisted.
• Centralized candidate database: Store resumes, track application statuses, and manage correspondence all in one place.
• Customized templates: Use templates for emails like interview invitations, follow-ups, or rejections to save time while maintaining professionalism.
• Reminders and alerts: Set up reminders to follow up with candidates at crucial stages.

Popular maritime crewing software solutions like Martide’s maritime recruitment and crew management software offer many of these functionalities and more, helping you manage high volumes of applications without missing a beat.

Read more: What is an Applicant Tracking System in Maritime Recruitment?

Prioritize transparency

Transparency builds trust and prevents misunderstandings. Be upfront about the recruitment timeline and process in job postings and during initial interactions. For example:

• Clearly state when candidates can expect updates.
• Outline the number of interview rounds and expected hiring timeframe.
• If delays occur, communicate promptly to keep candidates informed.

A simple email such as, “We are still in the process of reviewing applications and will provide an update by [date],” can go a long way in showing respect for a candidate’s time.

Read more: How Transparency Can Improve Your Crew Retention Rates

Use technology for scheduled updates

Maritime recruitment pipelines can become chaotic, especially when managing multiple positions. To stay organized, use scheduling tools or built-in email features in crewing software.

• Automated rejection emails: When a candidate doesn’t meet the requirements, an automated but personalized email can let them know they’re no longer being considered, freeing recruiters from manual follow-ups.
• Mass updates: For bulk applications, tools like Mailchimp or the email functionality within a maritime crewing software solution such as Martide can update candidates efficiently. Our Broadcasts function allows employers to send mass emails to both seafarers and manning agents.

Personalize communication

While automation is essential for scalability, adding a personal touch makes candidates feel valued. For instance:

• Use the candidate’s name and refer to the specific rank and vessel they applied for.
• Offer constructive feedback when possible, especially for candidates who reached later stages of the process.

An email like, “While your qualifications are impressive, we have chosen another candidate for this position. However, we’d love to keep your profile on file for future opportunities,” can leave a positive impression.

Did you know that within Martide, our seafarer database contains a global collection of profiles of seamen and women of all different nationalities, ranks, experience and ages. 

You can create profiles for the seafarers you work with and seafarers can also add themselves to the system and set their profile to public, allowing you as a recruitment officer or manning agent to reach out to them regarding a vacancy. 

Track applications effectively

Recruiters in the maritime industry often deal with high volumes of applications across multiple ranks, ratings and vessels. Tracking each candidate’s progress through the pipeline is crucial to avoid losing track of individuals.

Here’s how to do it effectively:

• Use Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS): Tools like ATS software integrated with maritime crewing platforms ensure candidates don’t fall through the cracks.
• Label candidates by status: Categorize applications (e.g., “Under Review,” “Shortlisted,” “Rejected”) to quickly identify where each individual stands.
• Set deadlines for responses: Assign deadlines for responding to candidates at each stage to maintain accountability.

Read more: Crew Manager's Guide to Martide's Applicant Tracking System

Train your maritime recruitment team

For larger maritime recruitment teams, training staff on communication best practices is essential. Topics to cover include:

• Writing professional rejection emails.
• Managing expectations and providing updates.
• Using software tools effectively.

Regular training ensures consistency and professionalism across the team. Bonus: if you use Martide’s maritime crew management system, you’ll have 24/7 access to our straightforward, step-by-step support guides to every facet of our software solution.

Establish a feedback loop

Gathering feedback from candidates can help identify gaps in your recruitment process and improve future interactions. You can achieve this by:

• Sending short surveys after the recruitment process concludes.
• Reviewing feedback to identify trends, such as complaints about delayed communication.
• Using insights to refine your approach and tools.

Good to know: Martide’s crewing system includes a feature called Forms, which allows you to quickly and easily create both interviews and questionnaires that you can ask seafarers to complete, giving you an insider look at how they feel about everything from your hiring process to what it’s like to work onboard your, or your clients’, vessels.

Prepare for high-volume recruiting periods

Recruitment peaks are common in the maritime industry, especially during crewing cycles or when launching new vessels. To manage these busy times effectively:

• Plan recruitment workflows in advance - preferably using Martide’s Crew Changes and Planning features with their highly visual calendar!
• Delegate tasks or use additional temporary staff to handle candidate communications.
• Rely on technology to scale operations and maintain consistency.

Another tool in Martide’s maritime crew management software that can help with delegation and collaboration is our User Accounts and User Groups features, which allows you to add coworkers to the system so that you can assign tasks within your recruitment pipelines to them.

Read more: Why You Need to Learn to Let Go & Start Delegating

Always close the loop

Never leave a candidate wondering about their status. Whether they’re rejected at the application stage or after an interview, closing the loop ensures they’re not left in limbo.

For example:

• Send rejection emails promptly for applicants who don’t meet basic criteria.
• Follow up with interviewees to inform them of outcomes, regardless of success.

Even when candidates are unsuccessful, clear communication helps maintain goodwill and leaves the door open for future opportunities - both for you and for them.

Benefits of a candidate-centric approach in maritime recruitment

By avoiding ghosting and prioritizing respectful communication, maritime recruiters can:

• Build a positive employer brand.
• Foster trust within the maritime community.
• Encourage skilled and hard working candidates to reapply for future positions.
• Retain a well-stocked seafarer candidate database of qualified officers and ratings.
• Streamline recruitment operations, saving time and resources.

In the fast-paced maritime industry, where the right crew can make or break a voyage, effective communication with candidates is non-negotiable.

By leveraging maritime crewing software, implementing structured communication policies, and adopting a candidate-centric approach, as a recruitment officer or manning agent, you can ensure you retain the right seafarer candidates for your company and/or clients.

Respectful communication not only enhances the recruitment process but also helps you build a reputation as a professional and trustworthy recruiter in the maritime sector. After all, a well-handled rejection today could lead to the right hire tomorrow - be it a Chief Officer or a Messman.

How can Martide help you retain great candidates

At Martide we’re firm believers in the power of technology when used to help you streamline your maritime recruitment and crew management operations.

Our end-to-end maritime crew planning software solution is designed to help small to medium sized crew managers and manning agents run a tighter ship! If you’d like to find out more about how our crewing system can help with your recruitment and crew planning process, schedule your free, no-strings attached demo now.