HOW TO PREPARE A SCUBA RESUME

Even though agencies promote professional careers in the scuba industry as a dream job, this is still a business and most of the diving centers and schools are profit oriented. Needless to say, even the smallest diving centers rely on revenue in order to keep the activity going.

I often see dive professionals posting generic applications on many Facebook groups, with none to very little personal information.

In this business, finding a good position is frequently a hard task as we apply for positions located in the other side or the World, and employers are likely forced to take their decision without any personal meeting. That’s why a good cv and a good personal presentation are fundamental.

In the following I give you some advice about how to prepare a good resume and a valid application.

PICTURE

Your picture is the first contact with your future employer. You are going to work as a professional, so you should look like a professional:

• avoid silly underwater poses and shabby outfits;
• show your face, no sunglasses or underwater pictures with mask and regulator;
• wear a tidy t-shirt or a polo, clean yourself up and take a nice medium close-up picture;
• pictures with beers or cigarettes are a no-go!

COVER LETTER

You need to prepare a short personal presentation including your motivation.

If you post a generic application on Facebook or in one of the agencies' portals be short but specific, avoid general applications, try to pick up a target country or a specific geographic area, indicate the typology of diving center you are looking for and your temporal availability.

If you send a targeted application to a specific diving center via e-mail:

• your presentation should be in the body of the message. I discourage the choice of separate attachments because they are often overlooked;
• the message must not be too long and must include information that let you stand out from the mass of other applicants with a single look;
• spend a couple of minutes personalizing your cover letter for every diving center you are addressing. If you use the same template for everybody, they will notice. You want your future employers to have the impression that you like their philosophy and that you want to work specifically with them. Visit the shop website, learn about the activity of the diving center and mention what makes them special for you!

CV

Use a standard cv structure:

• personal and contact data;
• personal scuba experience, including highest certification level, specialties, number and tipology of dives;
• education;
• work experience;
• other relevant personal information;
• language skills (it may be very relevant for your employer so I recommend to put this information in the first part of the cv).

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Keep it short and brief. I recommend a maximum of 2 pages as normally employers do not have time for reading a document with 4 pages. You can give extra information at a later stage.

Insert only the information that you assume relevant for the targeted position. Keep in mind that also non scuba related experience could be a plus (e.g. sales position, marketing, customer care, retail). Do not forget to list your duties and operation by your previous diving center (compressor care, gear maintenance, tour guide, shop activity) and, of course, courses you attended and related certifications, if any.

The resume must have a clear look and be easy to read. Use a standard font (arial is perfect), opt for black and white and keep an homogeneous, fluid format (e.g. for lists and titles). Send a .pdf, the format will be always the same and this kind of file can be opened by any device.

Always remember that your final objective is to make life easier for the person reading your cv. If the employer is in a good mood, he will be more likely to talk to you!

SOME GENERAL ADVICE

• Avoid miss-spelling and grammar mistakes, go through your file 10 times before sending it!
• Agencies use very specific names for different professional positions: a SSI Dive Guide is not the same as a PADI Divemaster or a ***CMAS. A “simple" OW Instructor is not the same as an Advanced OW Instructor! Avoid trivial mistakes in the description of your qualifications.
• Always include your references, when available. The world of scuba is small and knowing the right person can be really helpful!
• Be honest, employers will always find out if you lie about your qualifications and skills.
• Be persistent and follow up your application! Employers often do not reply not because they do not like you, but just due to lack of time! It is enough to send a new e-mail and ask if they received your e-mail and that you hare available for a Skype call at any time.
• If possible, go personally to the shop and present yourself. Personal contact is very important! Anyway, I would send my resume via e-mail first and pop up in the shop after a couple of days asking if they received the documentation.

I hope you'll find all of this information useful. Please comment or write me a PM if you have any further question or you need help with your cv.

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