Seafarer recruitment just got a little easier with Crewlinker and Danica Crewing Specialists both launching platforms to help speed up the process.
Crewlinker said that its AI-powered web application enables crewing agencies, shipping companies and other employers in the maritime industry to find people with all the necessary competences. Seafarers can enter all their certificates and working experience to automatically create an in-depth resumé that helps them find jobs that fit their experience.
The platform is available to deckhands, engineers, navigators, technicians and officers in the maritime and offshore industries.
“We noticed several problems and complexities with recruiting processes in the maritime industry,” said founder and ceo Adam van der Veer. “Employers need to verify that the crew they want to hire, has all the required certificates. After a first contact with a candidate has been established, a large number of emails are exchanged between the crewing agency and the candidate, with all of the stakeholders that need to stay informed about the application receiving copies, too. This makes the process very sluggish and increases the risk of missing required certificates.
“We provide a platform where seafarers can easily gather and hold all their documentation. Therefore, it is really easy for employers to verify if candidates have all the required certificates and documents. This is to the benefit of both the recruiters as well as the seafarers and offshore technicians.”
Crewlinker utilises AI to find matches with search queries from employers and is currently developing extra functionality that can recognise and interpret photos from paper certificates in all the different languages and as they are issued by institutes around the world. This helps recruiters to automatically validate if a certificate fits their requirements. The AI functionality recognises the type of certificate, the date of issue, and expiry date, saving time and further automating the application process.
Van der Veer added: “When creating a profile on Crewlinker, the level of completeness is shown; the applicant can continue to add relevant information over time, providing employers with an instant overview of the needed requirements. The set-up of the platform is rooted in our wish to make the global maritime labour market much more efficient and our belief that all maritime crew should have an equal chance.”
Danica’s platform also aims to streamline communication with seafarers, enabling ship owners to swiftly fill vacancies with competent crew “at a time when shortages are beginning to bite”, it said.
Utilising latest technology, including AI, to process applications and keep paperwork up to date, supporting the firm’s experienced global recruitment team as they match candidates to available positions and fill vacancies for ship owners.
Danica has a large database in excess of 65,000 seafarer applicants spanning many nationalities and ranks, all actively seeking employment on various vessel types.
The company employs a strict screening process and robust recruitment procedures to verify the quality and competency of the crew it supplies.
Henrik Jensen, Danica founder and ceo, said: “Danica has carefully listened to ship owners and operators to understand their needs and respond to their concerns in relation to recruitment. Our new recruitment platform, accessed by seafarers via our crewing website, aims to bring the latest technology and smart solutions to the process of finding genuinely competent crew without dropping standards.
“When shipping companies have vacancies on their vessels they want to instantly be introduced to competent candidates. With Danica, each seafarer new to us goes through a rigorous application process which is time-consuming but necessary, particularly today when the instances of ‘polished’ CVs is on the rise.
“In the past we had to contact each potential seafarer applicant to discuss the vacancy, obtain up-to-date data, negotiate salary and conditions, and conduct our extensive screening services. The laborious process could be at odds with a shipping company’s need to be instantly presented with suitable candidates. To resolve this potential conflict and reduce the lead time for new crew… the technology we are using has the ability to learn from its interactions so it will get increasingly quicker and more efficient over time.”
Danica’s platform automates job searches and initial negotiations with seafarer applicants, using machine learning technology and AI to match candidates to vacancies, as well as answering applicant questions and assisting the company’s human recruitment teams in processing crew.
Jensen stressed that the platform is not a replacement for human knowledge. The tool is additional to Danica’s experienced recruitment personnel, supporting them by swiftly and efficiently performing routine tasks and initial checks. Personal interviews, testing for competencies, senior officer assessments and briefings will still be conducted by Danica’s recruitment staff.
A new feature is the ability of the platform to systematically collect and collate intelligence about why a candidate is not interested in a particular vacancy. Jensen commented: “In an increasing difficult seafarer employment market with shortages of competent applicants, this platform will provide us with important data and enable us to advise shipping companies on seafarers’ preferences, allowing adjustments to job offers where necessary in order to attract more of the right candidates.”
