Written by Mike Potter, CPRW, Author • Last updated on October 14, 2025

Deckhand Resume Example

A career as a deckhand typically involves maintaining vessel equipment and assisting with navigation. For a successful deckhand application, you'll want to submit a professional resume that showcases your relevant skills. In this article, we'll showcase resume tips and examples that can help you create a professional deckhand resume that catches the eye of hiring managers.

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This complete guide to a deckhand resume will equip you with the tools you need to compete in your applications. The guide will show you practical examples of how to structure your resume to show off your best and most relevant skills and career achievements. It will also show you how to tailor your resume according to the job description and your unique skill set. Read on to learn the tips Jobseeker careers experts recommend as the best for your deckhand resume.

Main sections of a deckhand resume

Although the content of a deckhand resume may differ according to your experience and seniority, the main sections will remain the same. For junior candidates with little work experience, other sections of the resume take on more prominence and might be placed before the work experience section. These could include education, skills, projects, hobbies and volunteer work.

While the content and format of your resume may vary depending on your experience levels, it's important to always include the following sections:

Resume Header

The resume header is the place to add your name and contact details, along with your LinkedIn URL if you have a profile, so employers can find more information about your career journey and skills. You don't typically need to add a photo, or any other personal information to this section. Be aware of the amount of space your resume header takes up. You don't want your contact details to take space away from the main content of your resume, so keep this section as brief as possible.

Make sure your email address appears as professional as possible, and doesn't include anything like nicknames, inappropriate language or personal information. If it does, set up a new email account with an address based on your name or initials, and use that for your job applications. Always double-check your contact details are up-to-date before sending your resume.

Leah Murphy
leah.murphy@example.com
(111) 222 33 444 55
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, DC
linkedin․com/in/leah–murphy123

Resume Summary

Your resume personal profile is a short, concise paragraph to highlight two or three key skills and achievements in deckhand roles. You may also see this section named as 'resume summary' or 'resume objective'. Resume summaries tend to focus on your career experience, while resume objectives cover your ambitions and plans for the future. However, make sure you keep your resume summary short and snappy, and focused on the skills and experience listed in the job description.

Alternatively, you could use this section to reference your objectives and ambitions, and how this role would fit into your career journey.

A good resume summary reflects the job description and highlights some of the key skills required for deckhand roles, while leaving the reader with an impression of your unique qualities and strengths. The most effective resume summaries also provide evidence to back up the claims made in them. See below for some great examples of how to approach your deckhand resume.

Good example:

Experienced deckhand with a strong background as a Marine Operations Assistant, skilled in vessel maintenance, navigation support, and safety procedures. Proven ability to assist in docking, cargo handling, and ensuring compliance with maritime regulations. Adept at teamwork, problem-solving, and maintaining operational efficiency in dynamic marine environments

Bad example:

Deckhand with some experience in marine operations and helping with various tasks on vessels. Worked in roles where I assisted with maintenance and navigation. Have been involved in docking and handling cargo while following rules. Focused on working with others, solving problems, and keeping things running smoothly in changing environments

Conversely, an ineffective resume summary would include generic, unspecific information on your skills and experience, while failing to provide any useful information on what makes you a unique and interesting candidate. The graphic above shows some of the pitfalls to avoid when creating your resume summary.

Skills

Listing your key skills can help to prove your suitability for deckhand jobs. These could be VHF radio operation, effective communication skills or various other relevant skills. Once more, review the job description and pick out any key deckhand skills listed that match yours. Focus on these skills and any other key transferable skills that make you a strong candidate for the job.

How to list hard skills on your deckhand resume

For your hard skills list, include any technical abilities or specific industry knowledge that's essential to working as a deckhand. These could be skills gained through work experience or qualifications. Furthermore, your hard skills list helps to show employers how competent and experienced you are at key deckhand duties and responsibilities. Include around four or five key hard skills that are listed in the job description. These skills will help to convince the hiring manager that you're a good fit for the position.

You'll make more impact with your resume hard skills list if you focus on technical skills that reflect your unique expertise and specialism, and that match the key requirements in the job description. See the graphic below for some tips on hard skills for a deckhand resume.

  • Knot tying proficiency
  • Basic engine maintenance
  • Navigation and chartwork

How to list soft skills on your deckhand resume

Soft skills are your transferable skills and personal qualities that make you a good match for a deckhand position and the organization. Soft skills tend to be more universal than hard skills, and can often apply to multiple jobs and industries. Indeed, without soft skills, you may struggle to adapt to deckhand roles or meet the standards expected of you. So make sure you include several key soft skills on your resume. You should generally look to include up to five soft or transferable skills that match the job description.

A strong soft skills section should play to your strengths, listing skills that reflect your personal qualities while also reflecting the skills listed in the job description. For some examples of good soft skills for a deckhand resume, see below.

  • Teamwork and collaboration
  • Problem-solving skills
  • Attention to detail

Education

Your resume's education section provides space for you to list your highest and most relevant qualifications for deckhand roles.

It's not usually necessary to have a degree for jobs as a deckhand. Nevertheless, it's still crucial to list your highest or most relevant educational achievements. These might include ENG1 Medical Certificate, and other certifications or courses that highlight your navigation and chartwork or VHF radio operation.

For each entry in this section, add the name and level of your qualification, the institution you studied at, its location and your dates of study. You can enhance this section by adding bullet points that show any outstanding grades, awards or achievements and any specialist subjects you studied. These details can make you stand out from other candidates.

Additionally, mentioning any leadership roles or any societies and clubs you participated in while studying shows proactivity and initiative.

Marine Transportation, 2017 - 2020
University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX

Licenses and Certifications

In this section, include any deckhand certifications, training or licenses you hold that are relevant to the job. These could be official licenses required for the job or certifications that improve your employability. Therefore, list any official licenses and certifications, along with their dates, so employers can assess whether you've got the necessary qualifications to work as a deckhand.

Review the list below for some suitable certifications for a deckhand resume:

  • STCW Basic Training, 2022
  • ENG1 Medical Certificate, 2022
  • Proficiency in Security, 2022

Work Experience

Next, list your relevant employment history and any key achievements that show you're suitable for a deckhand position. For each entry, list the job title, the name of the employer, its location and the dates you worked there. Add each job in reverse-chronological order, starting with your current or most recent role.

Also include some bullet points for each job mentioned, showcasing your achievements so the employer can see the impact you made on the company. Pay attention to the job description and make sure each point is relevant to deckhand roles.

The best resume work experience sections focus only on the most relevant previous jobs, and link each bullet point back to a skill or experience listed in the job description. It's also critical to provide evidence that shows the value you added to each role in a quantifiable way, such as project outcomes, key performance indicators or feedback from customers, colleagues or managers. There are some examples of strong resume work experience sections below.

Good example:

Marine Operations Assistant, January 2022 - Present
Maritime Ventures Ltd, Oakland

  • Successfully coordinated and executed over 150 vessel dockings and departures annually, ensuring adherence to safety protocols and schedules
  • Implemented a new inventory management system, reducing stock discrepancies by 40% and improving supply chain efficiency
  • Trained and supervised a team of 10 dock workers, enhancing operational productivity and reducing errors by 25%

Bad example:

Marine Operations Assistant, January 2022 - Present
Maritime Ventures Ltd, Oakland

  • Assisted in various dock operations, contributing to team success and maintaining smooth workflow
  • Supported inventory processes, helping to streamline operations and improve accuracy
  • Participated in team training, fostering a collaborative work environment and enhancing skills

The example above can give you some idea of what not to include in your resume work experience section. Ineffective work experience sections tend to focus too much on everyday responsibilities over skills and achievements. If you use vague descriptions of activities and fail to back up your achievements with evidence, you're likely to fail to make an impact on the reader.

Resume tip:

Tailor your resume to the job by including keywords from the job description and focusing on skills that align directly with the role’s requirements. (1) Use a professional layout with consistent headings and formatting to ensure your resume stands out visually. (2)

Optional Sections

If you need to provide further evidence of your suitability for the job, optional sections can be useful for a deckhand resume. Take a look at the sections below and add any that help you show how and why you're right for the job.

Hobbies and Interests

Add any hobbies and interests that reinforce your credentials for the position. They also help to show a different side of your personality, and can help your resume create a more memorable impression on hiring managers. If you're short on real world work experience, hobbies and interests can be a useful way of providing more information about your qualities. If you're thinking about adding hobbies and interests, just make sure they add something unique to your application, and showcase your personality and interests in unique and interesting ways.

Volunteer Work

This section can be valuable for a deckhand resume, if you've done any voluntary work that showcases your relevant skills. Add any voluntary roles, including your position, the name of the organization, the dates of your voluntary work and a brief explanation of your responsibilities and achievements.

References

It's not typical to include references in a deckhand resume, but some employers might ask for them. Don't add references unless requested by the employer. Add two or three professional references, and be sure to approach each referee before you include them.

References will be available upon request.

Best action words for your deckhand resume

Add strong verbs to your work experience section to show the hiring manager the impact you made in your previous roles. Choose from the list of words below to increase the impact of your work experience section.

  • Steer
  • Navigate
  • Maintain
  • Secure
  • Assist
  • Inspect
  • Clean
  • Operate
  • Load
  • Unload

If you need help creating a resume that impresses HR managers, take a look at Jobseeker's professional resume templates. You can also access beautiful cover letter templates that help your application stand out.

Example of a deckhand resume

Using each of the sections above, we've created this example deckhand resume, to help guide you when creating your own:

Leah Murphy
Experienced Maritime Deckhand Specialist

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, DC

leah.murphy@example.com

(111) 222 33 444 55

linkedin․com/in/leah–murphy123

Dedicated deckhand with prior experience as a Marine Operations Assistant, adept at supporting maritime operations, ensuring safety protocols, and maintaining vessel equipment. Proven ability to assist in navigation, conduct regular inspections, and contribute to efficient vessel management. Strong teamwork and communication skills with a commitment to operational excellence in marine environments

Employment

Marine Operations Assistant

2020

-

2022

OceanWave Marine Solutions (Fort Worth)

  • Successfully coordinated the logistics for over 200 marine projects, ensuring timely completion and adherence to safety standards
  • Implemented a new inventory management system, reducing supply chain delays by 30% and improving operational efficiency
  • Developed and maintained a comprehensive database of marine assets, enhancing asset tracking and reducing maintenance costs by 25%
Education

Bachelor of Science in Maritime Studies

2017

-

2020

University of Massachusetts Amherst (Amherst, MA)

Skills
  • Knot tying proficiency

  • Basic engine maintenance

  • Navigation and chartwork

Qualities
  • Teamwork and collaboration

  • Problem-solving skills

  • Attention to detail

Certificates
  • STCW Basic Training

  • ENG1 Medical Certificate

Languages
  • English - Fluent

  • Spanish - B2

Do's and don'ts of a deckhand resume

Key tips to help you craft a strong resume

  • Quantify your accomplishments by providing evidence that shows the impact you've made in your career.
  • Mention key skills that show you're suited to the job throughout your resume, as well as in the dedicated skills section.
  • Proofread your resume to ensure it's free from spelling and grammar errors. Even minor errors can make a difference to your chances.
  • Write a compelling resume summary or objective to introduce yourself and your key deckhand skills.
  • Use a clear, professional resume format to make your document as accessible as possible, including a readable font and appropriate headings, margins and line spacing. This will make your resume easier for recruiters and hiring managers to read.

Steer clear of these common resume writing errors

  • Don't include irrelevant work experience in your resume because it takes up valuable space and is unlikely to improve your chances of success.
  • Don't mention hobbies or interests unless they help you prove a skill required for the role, that you haven't included elsewhere.
  • Don't write any unnecessary personal details on your resume. Details such as age, gender or nationality can lead to unintentional recruitment bias.
  • Don't use an unprofessional email address. Instead, create a simple email address based on your name.
  • Don't fill up your deckhand resume with unnecessary information that contributes nothing to your chances of success.

Guide to making your resume ATS-friendly

An applicant tracking system (ATS) is just one of the tools employers and recruiters can use to streamline their hiring practices. This typically includes screening candidates by scanning and ranking their resumes based on their likely suitability for any vacancy. If you follow a few simple tips when writing your deckhand resume, you'll give yourself a better chance of ranking highly in the ATS screening and progressing to the next stage.

Here a some simple tips to follow for an ATS-friendly resume:

  • Use a traditional resume layout, such as a reverse-chronological or functional format. This will mean your resume includes all the necessary sections, in the expected order.
  • Add keywords that match the job description throughout your resume, as ATS applications scan for these and well-placed, considered use can help your resume rank more highly.
  • Add each section with clear headings that match the established resume conventions, so ATS software can easily identify each part of your resume.
  • Use design elements that help make your resume more readable. These might include white space, clear, professional fonts and subtle color accents to help certain elements stand out.
  • Keep your resume as concise as possible, to make it easier to read, and for ATS software to scan.

For tips and ideas to help you draft a professional resume to get noticed by employers, read our expert career articles and check out our detailed resume examples.

Frequently Asked Questions for a deckhand resume

Takeaways for a winning deckhand resume

The best resumes focus on your skills and the value you've added to previous roles, rather than focusing on your duties and responsibilities. Use a suitable resume format and tailor your resume for every application you submit.

Jobseeker has a wealth of resume tools, including resume templates and examples, to help you create a winning job application. Sign up today to get started. To make the best possible impression with your applications, write a cover letter with the help of Jobseeker. You can also find plenty of expert-designed cover letter examples for inspiration.

Sources:

(1) Writing a Resume, California Department of Human Resources: https://www.calhr.ca.gov/employees/Pages/resume-tips.aspx

(2) Resumes, Cover Letters and Job Applications, New York State Department of Labor: https://dol.ny.gov/resumes-cover-letters-and-job-applications

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Author
Mike Potter is a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW) and an experienced copywriter specialising in careers and professional development. He uses extensive knowledge of workplace culture to create insightful and actionable articles on CV writing and career pathways.

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