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Boatswain resume examples from 2026

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Updated March 26, 2025
5 min read
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How to write a boatswain resume

Craft a resume summary statement

A well-written resume summary is basically an elevator pitch. You are summing up your skills and experience in a few sentences to wow recruiters, hiring managers, and decision makers into giving you an interview. Here are some tips to putting your best foot first with your resume summary:

Step 1: Mention your current job title or the role you're pursuing.

Step 2: Include your years of experience in boatswain-related roles. Consider adding relevant company and industry experience as relevant to the job listing.

Step 3: Highlight your greatest accomplishments. Here is your chance to make sure your biggest wins aren't buried in your resume.

Step 4: Again, keep it short. Your goal is to summarize your experience and highlight your accomplishments, not write a paragraph.

These four steps should give you a strong elevator pitch and land you some boatswain interviews.

Please upload your resume so Zippia’s job hunt AI can draft a summary statement for you.

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List the right project manager skills

Use your Skills section to show you have the knowledge and technical ability to do the job. Here is how to make the most of your skills section and make sure you have the right keywords:

  1. You often need to include the exact keywords from the job description in your resume. Look at the job listing and consider which of the listed skills you have experience with, along with related skills.
  2. Include as many relevant hard skills and soft skills as possible from the listing.
  3. Use the most up to date and accurate terms. Don't forget to be specific.
These five steps should give you a strong elevator pitch and land you some boatswain interviews.

Here are example skills to include in your “Area of Expertise” on a boatswain resume:

  • USCG
  • Deck Machinery
  • AID
  • CPR
  • Boats
  • Deck Maintenance
  • Firefighting
  • Deck Equipment
  • Hoists

Zippia’s AI can customize your resume for you.

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How to structure your work experience

Your employment history is arguably one of the most important parts of your resume. It shows you have experience and foundation in your field to successfully master the boatswain position. Here is how to most effectively structure your work experience:

  1. List your most recent experience first, followed by earlier roles in reverse chronological order. Employers care about your most recent experience the most.
  2. Start with your job title, company name, city, and state on the left. Align dates in month and year format on the right-hand side.
  3. Include only recent, relevant jobs.

How to write boatswain experience bullet points

Effective job bullet points do more than just describe your job duties. Instead, they should be specific and measurable accomplishments. Here are some strategies to mastering job bullet points:

  • Use strong action verbs like Led, Built, or Optimized.
  • Follow up with numbers when possible to support your results. How much did performance improve? How much revenue did you drive?
  • Wrap it up by explaining the actions you took to achieve the result and how you made an impact.

Here are effective examples from boatswain resumes:

Work history example #1

Captain

Hibbett Sports

  • Used SAP program to allocate materials/finished goods, and remove/direct inventory within the Dunkirk facility.
  • Supervised the crew in performing drills as per USCG.
  • Contributed to store profitability through effective relationship management, product knowledge, and communication of promotions.
  • Ensured compliance of all employees with established security, sales and record keeping procedures and practices.
  • Supervised dry-docking and shipyard maintenance of vessels for their 5 year USCG / ABS inspections.

Work history example #2

Boatswain

United States Department of Defense

  • Supervised over 100 persons as part of out to sea missions and the War on Terrorism.
  • Applied and created Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) Also managed the fuel storage process on the MSC ships.
  • Received and maintained a Secret Clearance Classification.
  • Certified with advance firefighting and CPR.
  • Served for four years as the ship's Master Helmsman.

Work history example #3

Boatswain

Merry Maids

  • Obtained a USCG approved Firefighter license and led weekly training for Fire, Rescue and Medical emergencies.
  • Provided preventative maintenance ensuring vessel's compliance with USCG regulations, inspections, and certificates.
  • Worked as a Deck Seaman on board the USS Arctic AOE-8 combat supply ship.
  • Participated in vessel certification and inspections with USCG and ABS.

Work history example #4

Third Officer

Maersk Line

  • Designed and implemented counter-terrorist procedures specific to company and USCG regulations.

Zippia’s AI can customize your resume for you.

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Add an education section to your resume

Here is the best way to format your education section:

  • Display your highest degree first.
  • If you graduated over 5 years ago, put this section at the bottom of your resume. If you lack relevant work experience, the education section should go to the top.
  • If you have a bachelor's or master's degree, do not list your high school education.
  • If your graduation year is more than 15-20 years ago, it's better not to include dates in this section.

Here are some examples of good education entries for resumes:

Doctoral Degree in business

University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA

2016 - 2019

Some College Courses in communication

Towson University, Towson, MD

2013 - 2013

Highlight your boatswain certifications on your resume

Certifications can be a crucial part of your resume. Many jobs have required certifications.

Include the full name of the certification, along with the name of the issuing organization and date of obtainment.

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