Here’s Why You’re Sailing Short

Photo courtesy Jenny Johnson

By Jenny Johnson, Maritime Inclusion Partners

Everywhere you turn, discussions about a labor shortage are prevalent, and this issue is not confined to any specific industry. The maritime sector has been grappling with this challenge for years, and from an external perspective, it can seem as though we are unable to attract enough talent for both seagoing and shoreside positions.

Having spent over a decade within the industry, I can affirm that labor shortages are just as influenced by hiring processes as they are by recruitment efforts.

To clarify, let's differentiate between “recruiting” and “recruitment.” Recruitment refers to the process of attracting and sourcing candidates, encompassing marketing, branding, and public relations. It is essential that recruitment strategies are clearly defined and reviewed annually to align with evolving business needs. Additionally, these strategies should consider methods for engaging passive candidates. Since recruitment involves costs, it should have a designated budget to cover expenses such as travel to career events, promotional materials, vendor displays, advertising campaigns, social media content, and more. When executed effectively, recruitment can lead to significant time and cost savings while helping organizations identify suitable candidates, adapt to changes, minimize turnover, and enhance employee morale. Furthermore, an effective recruitment strategy can contribute to a diverse workforce, fostering innovation and overall business success.

On the other hand, recruiting involves the processes of evaluating resumes, conducting interviews, presenting candidates to hiring managers, and negotiating employment offers. This aspect can often be transactional and may contain systemic barriers that exclude top talent from consideration, such as automatic rejections and disqualifying questions in applicant tracking systems. Unless there are regulatory or legal requirements—such as citizenship—every applicant deserves an initial screening to ensure no potential candidates are overlooked. Individuals who may not be suitable for one position might still be a good fit for another. This necessitates that talent leaders ensure their recruiting teams are not bogged down by non-recruitment related tasks, allowing them to focus on resume evaluations and candidate interviews.

Assuming you have a robust recruitment strategy and a sound recruiting process, a crucial aspect still needs addressing: the examination of hiring practices. In many industries, hiring decisions often occur in isolation, with minimal oversight from HR. Hiring managers are infrequently questioned about their candidate choices or the duration of their hiring processes. We all recall our own experiences with job applications and understand how long it can take to receive any response, if at all. Once someone becomes a hiring manager, they may lose sight of the applicant's perspective. In maritime roles, hiring managers are often marine operations directors, operations managers, port captains, or port engineers—positions that typically comprise predominantly male teams. This reality can create an intimidating atmosphere for HR teams that may lack familiarity with the maritime sector, contributing to the current hiring challenges.

Additionally, the maritime industry has a culture of familiarity bias. When hiring managers review resumes and are not able to make a familiar connection, for example, to the school the candidate graduated from, a previous employer or vessel, or recognize family/relationship ties they are far less likely to consider that candidate. Hiring managers also move much faster to hire someone who seems familiar to them than someone new. This is especially true if the applicant is female. I have observed instances where hiring managers overlooked female mariner candidates I've presented while promptly engaging male candidates shortly after receiving their resumes.

This bias creates obstacles to the industry's broader initiatives aimed at diversifying the workforce and transforming the current maritime culture. Numerous organizations are investing resources to attract and train new and underrepresented individuals in the maritime sector. If these programs succeed, we must consider who will ensure these candidates reach employment.

Moreover, there is a collective reluctance or inability to train individuals for relatively low-paying jobs. Companies are operating with minimal staff, leading to the near-elimination of on-the-job training. Knowledge of maritime careers is not generally known, so when someone in a different industry does learn about a role in maritime their odds of getting hired are very low. This reluctance often stems from a lack of willingness to invest time in training, or from managers who have not taken the opportunity to understand the roles of their team.

So, is there truly a labor shortage? Or do our cultural and procedural frameworks inhibit us from leveraging the available talent? I believe the answer lies in both; indeed, there are fewer individuals entering the maritime industry than necessary to meet demand. However, the failure to enhance recruitment efforts in tandem with the industry's growth, compounded by reduced entry-level training opportunities, has led to a narrowed and homogeneous talent pool.

Looking ahead, how do we disrupt long-standing traditions that hinder our sustainability objectives?

First, employers must start posing critical questions regarding recruitment and hiring within their organizations:

• What is our recruitment strategy? What resources are required, and does it attract diverse talent pools?

• What does our applicant flow look like?

• If applicant flow is high, what barriers exist to converting applicants into candidates?

• What challenges impede the conversion of candidates into new hires?

Second, hiring managers should be held accountable and properly trained to make these pivotal decisions that significantly impact team dynamics.

• Hiring managers should be required to provide feedback on declined candidates beyond simply stating they are "not a good fit." This practice will encourage them to reflect on their biases and approach resume screening and interviews with greater intentionality.

• Hiring teams should consider the principle of “hire fast, fire faster,” recognizing that some uncertainty in hiring is always present. This approach can help optimize time and financial resources.

• Every 30 days, open positions should be evaluated for applicant flow, candidate conversion rates, and the engagement and feedback of hiring managers. This transparent process will enhance accountability and mitigate the risks associated with prolonged vacancies.

In conclusion, we should strive to improve upon the current practices. The actionable items I have outlined serve as initial steps toward achieving sustainability in the maritime workforce. Maritime Inclusion Partners can assist your organization in developing a tailored workforce toolkit that enhances your employee value proposition and positions you as an employer of choice.