Military Sealift Command hosted its SeaFarer Day in Norfolk, Virginia, Feb.11-12 offering employment opportunities for hundreds of potential Civil Service Mariners (CIVMARs).

SeaFarer Day is a job fair event held annually in Hampton Roads and in various other states throughout the year. Individuals who are interested in joining MSC can attend to learn about MSC’s mission; how to become a CIVMAR and work as a federal employee aboard a government ship; and submit applications.

More than 600 people attended the event, at the Norfolk Waterside Marriott, over the two days, and 361 of them were either fast tracked through the hiring process or submitted initial applications.

“The first day we met with individuals who had basic eligibilities and applications already submitted, but they had not completed all their pre-employment activities such as fingerprinting and their medical assessment,” said MSC Deputy Director, Total Force Management Frank Cunningham. “We were able to fast track the process for them with our security personnel and nurses, and they walked away with a start date for new employee orientation.”

On day two, we met with individuals who were interested in becoming a Civil Service Mariner. Many of them had never heard of MSC or maybe wanted to come down and see what we had to offer. Of those individuals, we were able to get many of them through the application process, provide tentative job offers and into our pre-employment pipeline,” he added.

In addition to security and medical personnel, the MSC team included recruiters from the contracted recruiting partner, MediaCross, human resource specialists, subject matter experts from Deck and Engineering departments and other personnel.

“This is our Superbowl,” said MSC Recruitment Coordinator, Lance Bankhead. “The synergy, effort, focus, from everyone was phenomenal, and the Media Cross staff did and awesome job. It was a cohesive effort in terms of how we worked together to make sure these individuals were taken care of.”

With a fleet of more than 140 ships, recruiting is vital to maintaining operational readiness. MSC is always looking for individuals who are ready to serve their country at sea. In addition to job fairs like this one, Bankhead said the command is accessible at the fingertips of anyone who is interested in joining – either on a keyboard or their cellphone.

“Our electronic footprint is huge,” he said. “For anyone who is interested, they can go on sealiftcommand.com to get all the information they need. We also have a CIVMAR support center (877-JOBS-MSC) that is open 24/7 where they can call and talk with someone in person. There is a whole staff of people who are ready to help them.”

Basic requirements to join MSC as a Civil Service Mariner includes:

– Be at least 18 years of age

– Be a United States citizen with a valid U.S. Tourist Passport with a minimum of seven months remaining prior to expiration.

– Hold and maintain a Transportation Workers Identification Card (TWIC) and/or Department of Defense (DOD) Common Access Card (CAC) with a minimum of ten months remaining prior to expiration.

– Hold and maintain a Merchant Mariner Credential (MMC), issued by the United States Coast Guard to mariners sailing aboard all U.S. Flagged Vessels with a minimum of ten months remaining before expiration.

– Be capable of passing an MSC-administered physical examination.

“… to join you have to have three things – a merchant mariner credential, a passport, and a TWIC card,” Bankhead said. “You start right there. Once you’ve started that process, we will help you with every step of the process. We will avail ourselves and do everything we can to ensure you can get employment with us.”

“If you desire steady employment, great pay, federal benefits and the opportunity to see the world while serving your country, consider a career with MSC,” Bankhead said.

For more information about MSC and how to become a CIVMAR, visit: www.sealiftcommand.com or call the CIVMAR Support Center (CSC) at 877-JOBS-MSC (562-7672).