“I received a call about a job on a 115-foot yacht. The captain is interested in me and wants to interview me next week. He does not want to give me the boat’s name due to the ‘private owner’s confidentiality.’ Is this a thing? What should I ask to make sure I’m not being scammed?”
This is a great question and especially since there seems to be a rise in the number of scams we are seeing in job adverts here lately, particularly for green crew. The captain not wanting to share the boat’s details for “private owner’s confidentiality” is certainly reasonable and very common.
In fact, I can’t think of a time when I was being considered for a full-time position in which the name of the boat was given to me right away. Typically, the name of the boat will not be shared with you until you are quite a ways into the selection process. One of the most common reasons for this is to keep the owner’s information and business confidential — and also in the event that the crew member you are replacing is still on board and doesn’t know they are being let go.
Regarding confidentiality, you will often have to sign a non-disclosure agreement after you are hired and sometimes even before being hired to protect the owner’s information. When it comes to replacing an existing crew member you can imagine the issues that would arise if word got out that their position was being interviewed for. Unfortunately, some crew members can be quite vindictive once they learn they are being replaced. But you are right — with all the scams that we are seeing, you can never be too careful.
So I would interview over the phone and then when the interview moves to in-person, I would make sure that if it is on board (and it most likely will be and you will then learn the name) that other crew members are present. You can never be too cautious. In the end, yes, this is common and largely to protect the owner as we work in an industry in which privacy and confidentiality are of utmost importance.
To send a question to Captain Kelly, message her on Instagram @captain_kellyjgordon