How to Attract the Next Generation in Maritime Recruitment

Maritime recruitment can be hard but as a shipowner or manager are you doing everything you can to attract the latest generation of seafarers?

It can be tempting to think that you don’t really need to do anything other than place adverts for your seafarer jobs and sit back and wait for the applications to roll in, but these days maritime recruitment can be a tougher nut to crack.

Why maritime recruiters need to focus on attracting younger seafarers 

The good news is, Martide is here to help. But before we tell you how, let’s take a look at what the new seafarers on the block expect from today’s recruitment process.

Are we suffering from a shallow talent pool?

It’s possible that if you don’t fall into the millennial age bracket (i.e. you weren’t born between 1980 and 1994) you might be rolling your eyes at the mention of the media’s most maligned demographic.

But the fact is, candidates who were born from the mid 90’s onward are demanding more from the recruitment and working experience.

Meet Generation Z: the next wave of bright, tech-savvy young things who are coming up behind the millennials, ready to  graduate and enter the world of work at sea.

Read more: How to Use Social Media to Up Your Maritime Recruitment Game

Maritime is just one of the industries that is currently experiencing a market where the talent pools could be described as barely deep enough to paddle in. In particular the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) sectors are also suffering from a lack of new talent.

The root of the issue may lie in education, with many schools or universities being accused of not doing enough to encourage studies in these areas - particularly among young women.

But is there anything that shipping companies and maritime recruitment agencies can do to attract younger mariners to the profession?

Read more: The Ultimate Guide to Growing Your Candidate Database

It’s true: Generation Z really DO demand more!

Unlike older generations of seafarers, Gen Z expect their working lives to be made easier by technology. Automation and Artificial Intelligence aren’t seen as something to be afraid of as they are by many older seafarers or shipowners.

This isn’t about ‘the robots taking over’ - it’s about making repetitive tasks easier and people more productive.

Having said that, it’s unrealistic to assume that just because AI is the latest buzzword, your average shipping company is equipped with, or even willing to embrace, the latest tech innovations.  

Next up: improving the maritime recruitment process

When using more traditional recruitment strategies, there appears to be a disconnect with younger candidates, with many of them dropping out of the recruitment process or rejecting job offers as par for the course.

Applicants who have fallen by the wayside - through their own choice - have cited everything from uninspiring recruitment experiences to the reality of what the company can offer in terms of technology as reasons for them backing off.

Read More: What Your Shipping or Manning Company Needs to Know About Branding

While these may seem like feeble excuses for rejecting an interview or even a job offer to many of us - surely this is the epitome of the so-called younger generation’s sense of entitlement? - bear in mind that recent mainstream recruitment research found that only one in 20 people in the UK are employed in the role they’d envisaged themselves doing.

Compare that to 60% plus of millennials being expected to achieve their dream job within six years from now. It’s a different generation and a different workforce with different aspirations and expectations.

Clearly, to attract new blood, the recruitment process is crying out for an injection of innovation - especially in an industry such as shipping which has often faced accusations of conservatism when it comes to adopting new processes and technology.

The up and coming new generation of workers is hyper switched on. Therefore the relationship between job hunter, recruiter and employer needs to be established across a number of platforms to offer the excellent candidate experience they expect.

What exactly does that mean? It means:

• Communications must be responsive
• Websites and online platforms should be user-friendly
• Job adverts should be easily found online
• Social media should be used to its full potential
• Recruitment apps should be streamlined, appealing and fast

Ready to level up? Here's how Martide can help

If all of this sounds a little daunting, this is where Martide can help you take your maritime recruitment game to the next level. Our platform has been developed to match your shipping company or manning agency with talented and qualified crew members.

Our unique solution for fulfilling your seafarer jobs vacancies allows you to create your own unique recruitment process - or pipeline in Martide speak. You specify what attributes, experience and documents you want candidates to hold, create your job advert, and we’ll post it on our website right away.

Even better, because of the way your pipeline is built, our system will automatically filter out candidates that aren’t suitable for the position.

That means no more sorting through hundreds of applications from seafarers who don’t have the right qualifications You’ll be able to see the candidates who do meet your requirements right away and then move your recruitment process quickly and easily on to the next stage.

And because this is Generation Z, generation ultra-connected, you’ll be able to communicate with them via our in-platform messaging feature.

Plus we’ll also be busy behind the scenes posting and promoting your seafarer jobs on our social media channels.

PS, why not follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter / X!?

Seamen will be able to search for seafarer jobs using the Martide app too - meaning they’ll have your vacancy at their fingertips no matter where they are.  

Related: How Martide's App Helps Solve Maritime Recruitment Challenges

Because, let’s face it - to attract this new generation of tech savvy seafarers, an employer needs to lead by example! What are you waiting for?

Talk to Martide today about driving your maritime recruitment forward and getting YOUR vacancies in front of the right candidates, and get your positions filled and your crew onboard sooner rather than later!