PROCEDURES FOR C.R.U.I.S.E CAREER PATH
1. Crew members interested in applying for a position in another department must advise their supervisor and submit a “Career Path Transfer Request” application outlining their skills and experience relevant to the new position.
To be eligible, applicants must have completed at least one full contract with the company, must have received a final appraisal score of no less than 4 for their current position and may not have any disciplinary action on record during their current contract period.
New Crew members will only be allowed to apply during their second contract with the company.
Crew members may not apply for a transfer to a new position within 6 months of a previous transfer.
2. Within 24 hours of receipt of the original request, their Supervisor will review the request and take one of the following steps:
A) If the Supervisor feels the applicant does not possess the required qualifications, the appropriate form letter (see attached example I) will be prepared by the Crew Senior Assistant Purser and signed by the Passenger Services Director.
The Supervisor will meet privately with the applicant, give him/her the letter and discuss what steps the applicant may take to gain more experience for the position, should they choose to apply again in the future.
The applicant must be informed that he/she must wait 6 months before applying for the same or any other position.
B) If, according to information provided in the application, the Supervisor feels the candidate possess the required qualifications, the Supervisor will arrange for an interview with him/herself and the following individuals:
1) The applicant
2) The Supervisor of the new position
3) The Section Head of the new department
4) The Section Head of the current department
This interview should take place within 3 days of the original request, in a private area, outside of the applicant’s working hours.
3. During the interview, the Supervisor and Section Head of the new position will likely be directing most of the questions to the applicant however they may ask the current Supervisor or Section Head about the applicant’s duties or job requirements.
It is recommended that the current Supervisor not be questioned about the applicant’s work habits or performance in the applicant’s presence but rather in private at the conclusion of the interview. The applicant may ask questions about the new position and detailed notes should be taken by one of the management members to document all questions and answers.
4. At the conclusion of the interview, the applicant is to be excused so that the interview panel can confer as to the applicant’s suitability for the position. Within 24 hours of the conclusion of the interview, one of the following steps is to be taken:
A) If the applicant is found unsuccessful, a decline letter (see attached example I), prepared by the Crew Senior Assistant Purser and signed by the Passenger Services Director, will be given to the applicant by their current Supervisor and the new Supervisor who attended the interview.
In addition, they are to meet privately with the applicant to discuss what steps he/she may take to gain more experience for the position should they choose to apply again in the future. The applicant must be informed that he/she must wait 6 months before applying for the same or any other position.
B) If shipboard management finds the applicant to be successful at the preliminary interview, the current Supervisor will advise the applicant that the Career Path Transfer Request has been forwarded to Fleet Personnel for further review and consideration. As confirmation, the applicant will be given a formal letter (see example II) prepared by the Crew Senior Assistant Purser and signed by the Passenger Services Director.
5. Within 24 hours of advising the applicant that he/she has successfully passed the preliminary interview, the application, along with all interview notes and relevant documentation, is to be sent via the doc box to the Vice President of Fleet Personnel, in order that the final review process may begin. Upon receipt of the documentation, the relevant Fleet Personnel representative and/or shore side functional manager, where applicable, will review the interview documents and any other personnel records which may be on file and advise their recommendation in writing to the Vice President of Fleet Personnel. In order to allow time to review all applications, this process may take up to 30 days.
Fleet Personnel will then advise the vessel and all relevant parties the status of the applicant’s request.
A) If the applicant is found unsuccessful, a decline letter addressed to the applicant (as attached example III), prepared by Fleet Personnel and signed by the Vice President of Fleet Personnel will be sent to the applicant in care of the Passenger Services Director.
In instances when the applicant is on leave, the letter will be sent to the applicant’s manning agency. It is then the responsibility of the Passenger Services Director of the manning agency to ensure that the applicant is made aware of the outcome of the application.
B) If the applicant is found successful, he/she is to be advised by their current Supervisor and their new Supervisor that their request has been approved. The applicant is to be provided with a letter (as attached example IV), prepared by Fleet Personnel and signed by the Vice President of Fleet Personnel. The Section Head of the new department should also receive a copy of the confirmation letter. The date of appointment to the new rank will be advised separately by Fleet Personnel as soon as position becomes available. If the assignment is on another ship, Fleet Personnel will be responsible to advise the Passenger Services Director of the new ship who will then advise the Supervisor and Section Head.
In addition, Fleet Personnel will advise the relevant shore side functional managers of the applicant’s impending transfer by copying them on the e-mail communication sent to the vessel. If the applicant is approved while on leave, the approval letter will be sent to the applicant’s manning agency and it will be the responsibility of the manning agency to inform the applicant of the outcome of the application.
6. Upon confirmation of an applicant’s transfer, Fleet Personnel will arrange a replacement for the current rank to coincide with the applicant’s new assignment.
7. Career Path applicants approved by both shipboard and shore side management will be subject to a two (2) month probation period in their newly appointed position , which on completion of two months will be reviewed by their supervisor (of the receiving department) using a mid-term appraisal.
If their performance is evaluated to be unsatisfactory, the receiving department Supervisor should discuss the crewmember’s performance with their head of department. If it is determined that the crewmember is not suited for the position, the mid-contract evaluation should be emailed to Fleet Personnel who, upon receipt will review and consider the option to revert the crewmember to the position he/she transferred from.
