Employment Opportunities on USAJobs

[Sea-K.]

Hello All,

As many of you may already know, there are frequent job openeings on USAJOBS.gov, working for the government.

I have seen a lot of posts here on gCaptain from entry-level OS's and AB's seeking work. The Army Corps of Engineers is consistently looking for Deckhands. For you greenhorns just starting out, it's a great opportunity to get your foot in the door because you don't need an MMD. They typically work a 12-hour schedule so you're getting 1 1/2 sea-time per day worked. Also, the pay is very comparable to industry average, if not above average. Some vessels are paying up to $20.00/hour plus daily overtime (time and a 1/2) for any work over 10 hours. If you do the math that's $260/day, plus let's not forget the night-watch and Sunday incentives (gotta love the government). Also, many crews are working 2 for 1, two weeks on, one week off. If anyone's heard of any company paying entry-level deckhands more than that, PLEASE sign me up.

As for you more seasoned folk (AB's), well, it's work during tough times, it pays better than many AB jobs out there, and it's sea-time towards your license. Also, they frequently have postings for, Small Craft Operators (Master100GRT), Dredge Mates, and Chief Mates. As a matter of fact they have several openings for deckhands, Mates, and Chief Mates as I write.

The website is sort of a pain to search. From the home-page, usajobs.gov, hover your cursor over the "Search Jobs" link in the top left-hand corner. A dropbox will appear. Click on "Advanced/International Search". In the third column, "Series Number Search" type in the numbers "57" (you can also try "99", but rarely do jobs come up on that one), DO NOT hit ENTER yet. Scroll to the bottom of the page where it says "Applicant Eligibility". If you have any prior military service or have worked as a government/federal employee, read this section thoroughly! If you meet any of the criteria, select "YES". This will give you the opportunity to compete for many, many more positions. Now you are ready to "Search for Jobs>". You'll have to filter through all the Equipment Operator positions, but there are quite a few Maritime-related jobs posted. Generally there is at least one new posting weekly. If you are 10-point Vet, there is no reason why you can't land a gig here, and soon.

Because we are dealing with the government, responses to applications can take up to several weeks and on occasion several months. If you're a seasoned mariner than you should be used to it by now (not much different then applying for a credential with the NMC).

Hope this helps some of you in need. I'm pretty savvy with the site, so if you have any questions or need some help, feel free to drop me a line. Please keep me informed if you find anything promising. Good luck!

-Andy

[Ordinaryseaman]

Andy- thanks for the words of wisdom- clarified a few questions I had


*What follows is a response I posted to someone promoting their website. It was not directed toward the OP.The post was deleted- sorry for any confusion-Anthony

Congratulations on your new websites- and welcome to GCaptain

Some free marketing advice for you-

You just put a link to your websites in front of some of your most like likely readers/customers- great marketing -right? Well...yes- and no.

I looked at your website- and there's not much there. That's okay- as you're new and still working on it.

But as it sits- there's not much of value on there. Most people who look will not go back- why should they?

How about putting up a few articles of interest to tugboaters on there? Ideas-

1 How to get a job on tugboats..
2- The history of tugboats..
3- Conventional vs Z Drive propulsion systems
4- The tugboat cookbook..
5- Company profiles, new vessels, etc.

Forums are great for targeting your core audience. You want to be careful about your reputation though. Your first posts on here are ads for your site- and of little value to most- almost (not quite) like spam. If your focus is on helping people- and your love of boats- you'll do well. If it's only on money- you're not likely to make any.

How about rewriting your post to something like this-

" Hi- my name is -------. I've been in the maritime industry for -----years and recently started a forum to share info, network, and help those new to the industry. I'd like to invite everyone to check it out, make suggestions, and offer advice. It's new- but still has lots of good info on 1, 2, and 3. Smooth sailing- your name"

Steps for success for your forum (this is oversimplified as I'm short on time- write me)

1- Find a way for it to add useful content- in a way that sets it aside from the competition - in other words- have a niche/competitive advantage.

2- Advertise it- as you have already started.

3- Find ways to increase stickability- how long someone stays online

4- Make it easy for members to suggest the forum to others

5- Then- and only then- look for sponsors.

Again- focus first on giving- not getting- and you'll be a success. Look at gcaptain and other forums that do a good job of this.



Have a blessed day-Anhtony

[Navy SWO]

Anthony,

That was real nice of you to take your time to help this guy.

[back sight]

I am not sure Sea-Ks affiliation with usajobs.gov, if any, but its a great resource for jobs and I think a friendly suggestion to those looking for work on gCaptian.

It is a Federally run website and is non-profit. All Federal and US State Agency jobs are posted on this site, which include the Corps of Engineer, USCG and DHS. There are also plenty of other Federal and State agency that have boats/ships and require licensed mariners.

It is a pain to use, but there are a slew of jobs posted and for any and all professions. I did a search for 'maritime' with no zip or state and in the top 10 was the Superintendent position for USMMA. Pretty neat.

Good suggestion.

[Ordinaryseaman]

There was, briefly, a spam post following the OP's post- it has since been deleted. Which- makes it look like I'm yelling at him Already spoke to the OP-Andy- but I should modify my post to reflect this. Thanks for the reminder

[back sight]

Right on. It did seem a little out of place.

Thanks for the update!