What does a captain do?
Captains oversee the entire operations of a sea vessel, usually ships. Their main responsibility is to ensure that the vessel safely travels from point A to point B. They are expert navigators who manage the course of the vessel. Captains should also be familiar with the different equipment aboard the ship and should be able to use them effectively. They should know how to properly maintain the equipment on board and should also know how to do repairs. Captains also manage their ship's crew and oversee the crews' overall performance. They also manage the finances and other operations-related activities during the course of their travel. Captains should have good communication skills, quick decision-making skills, and expert navigation skills.
Captain responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real captain resumes:
- Delegate responsibilities to crew members, verify inventory, manage payroll, steer the ship and operate dredge.
- Lead the team as defensive captain to win the national championship of the most elite football level in Mexico.
- Lead a platoon that earn numerous awards for jamming opposition force artillery nets and conducting counterattacks on opposition electronic warfare platoons.
- Participate in intramural volleyball, basketball and indoor and outdoor soccer.
- Ensure the synchronized delivery of additional manpower to combat operations by utilizing all available assets and effective logistics management.
- Complete CPR and a training.
- Locate sample points with GPS.
- Select for varsity as freshman.
- Recruit new/old players for upcoming semester.
- Host contests, giveaways, and promotional games.
- Earn all-county and all-conference honors in both sports.
- Play weekly games against other students throughout fall semester.
- Tow petroleum barges up to 400'/150K/BBls in the Norhteast trade and GOM.
- Used design aides such as Solidworks to design parts of the racecar.
- Maintain navigational knowledge of waterways using a compass, GPS, and radar.
Captain skills and personality traits
We calculated that 21% of Captains are proficient in Customer Service, Safety Standards, and Food Preparation. They’re also known for soft skills such as Customer-service skills, Hand-eye coordination, and Hearing ability.
We break down the percentage of Captains that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Customer Service, 21%
Maintained store inventory while ensuring functionality of store website in addition to providing impeccable customer service and ensuring customer satisfaction.
- Safety Standards, 11%
Championed safety culture, identifying opportunities to enhance safety procedures, and recommended and implemented improved safety standards.
- Food Preparation, 11%
Informed customers about food preparation details, communicating specific customer needs to chefs.
- POS, 5%
Maintained inventory with receiving/shipping of items on POS systems and arranged basic in-house book-keeping.
- Role Model, 5%
Developed initiatives to reduce juvenile crime by deterring school truancy and providing positive role modeling.
- Logistics, 4%
Served as Battalion Chief Internal Logistics Officer, Military Warehouse Manager and Parachute Rigging Company Executive Officer / Platoon Leader.
Common skills that a captain uses to do their job include "customer service," "safety standards," and "food preparation." You can find details on the most important captain responsibilities below.
Customer-service skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a captain to have is customer-service skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "many motorboat operators interact with passengers and must ensure that the passengers have a pleasant experience." Captains often use customer-service skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "transported executives/customers throughout north america and caribbean. "
Hand-eye coordination. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling captain duties is hand-eye coordination. The role rewards competence in this skill because "officers and pilots who steer ships have to operate various controls while staying aware of their surroundings." According to a captain resume, here's how captains can utilize hand-eye coordination in their job responsibilities: "directed planning, programming, coordination and execution of over 15,000 separate training events to meet squadron combat readiness objectives. "
Hearing ability. This is an important skill for captains to perform their duties. For an example of how captain responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "mariners must pass a hearing test to get an mmc." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a captain: "staged congressional hearings and constitutional debate team led team with 12 other students to state championship and 14th place in the nation".
Manual dexterity. captain responsibilities often require "manual dexterity." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "crewmembers need good balance to maneuver through tight spaces and on wet or uneven surfaces." This resume example shows what captains do with manual dexterity on a typical day: "maintain a safe work environment by complying with faa regulations and company operating manuals. "
Mechanical skills. Another common skill required for captain responsibilities is "mechanical skills." This skill comes up in the duties of captains all the time, as "members of the engine department keep complex machines working properly." An excerpt from a real captain resume shows how this skill is central to what a captain does: "served as logistics officer, responsible for over one million dollars in accountable mechanical maintenance equipment. "
Physical strength. While "physical strength" is last on this skills list, don't underestimate its importance to captain responsibilities. Much of what a captain does relies on this skill, seeing as "sailors on freight ships load and unload cargo." Here is a resume example of how this skill is used in the everyday duties of captains: "instructed platoon to highest physical training and weapons qualifications within company. "
The three companies that hire the most captains are:
- Jet Aviation220 captains jobs
- Compass Group USA194 captains jobs
- Macy's94 captains jobs
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Compare different captains
Captain vs. Harbor master
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a captain are more likely to require skills like "safety standards," "food preparation," "pos," and "role model." On the other hand, a job as a harbor master requires skills like "reservations," "boats," "facility maintenance," and "us coast guard." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
The education levels that harbor masters earn slightly differ from captains. In particular, harbor masters are 1.2% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a captain. Additionally, they're 0.9% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Captain vs. Vessel master
Each career also uses different skills, according to real captain resumes. While captain responsibilities can utilize skills like "customer service," "safety standards," "food preparation," and "pos," vessel masters use skills like "twic," "safety equipment," "arpa," and "boats."
Average education levels between the two professions vary. Vessel masters tend to reach higher levels of education than captains. In fact, they're 6.8% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.9% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Captain vs. Marine safety officer
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from captain resumes include skills like "customer service," "safety standards," "food preparation," and "pos," whereas a marine safety officer is more likely to list skills in "patrol," "construction projects," "epa," and "rescue operations. "
When it comes to education, marine safety officers tend to earn higher degree levels compared to captains. In fact, they're 8.0% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 1.9% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Captain vs. Quarter master
Types of captain
Updated January 8, 2025
