Home Fishing Hand Resume template
Fishing Hand resume template
A clean starting structure with example content grounded in what fishing hands actually do day to day, not generic filler. Download and replace the bracketed placeholders with your own details.
Which resume format should you use?
Reverse chronological
You have a steady work history. This is the format almost every recruiter and ATS expects by default.
Functional
You're changing fields or have gaps in your employment. Leads with skills rather than a job-by-job timeline.
Combination
You're early career or have worked consistently but for only a few employers. Blends a skills summary with a shorter chronological history.
This template uses the reverse chronological format: the one most fishing hands should default to, since most Australian recruiters and ATS software expect it.
Professional summary
Fishing Hand with deck experience across trawl, line and pot work, used to long shifts, heavy swell and taking direction from a skipper. Confident setting and hauling gear, sorting and icing catch to hold quality, and keeping deck, gear and hold clean and safe. Looking for a crew berth where reliable deck work and careful catch handling matter.
Key skills
- Setting and hauling nets, lines, traps and pots
- Deck winch and net hauler operation
- Catch sorting, grading and icing
- Fish cleaning, gutting and packing
- Food safety and hygiene in the hold
- Worksite safety management on deck
- Rope work, shackles and deck gear maintenance
- GPS chartplotter and echo sounder use
- Marine VHF radio and AIS watchkeeping
- Physical stamina and dexterity
- Attention to detail
- Written communication for catch records
Experience: example bullet points
- Set and hauled nets, longlines and pots across day and multi-day trips, working to the skipper's direction in low light and heavy swell.
- Sorted, graded and iced catch in the hold, keeping species separated and holding quality from the first haul through to landing.
- Operated deck winches, net haulers and lifting gear, checking ropes, bridles and shackles before every set.
- Cleaned and gutted fish and packed product for landing or processing, following food safety and hygiene procedures.
- Maintained deck gear, ropes and vessel cleanliness, keeping walkways clear and reporting worn or damaged equipment before it failed.
- Stood watch duties including radio and AIS checks, relaying position and catch updates to the skipper and mate.
Education
Year 12 or equivalent is the usual starting point, but most Fishing Hands enter with no formal qualification and learn on deck. Many complete the Elements of Shipboard Safety course and a Certificate I or II in Maritime Operations, arranged through the vessel operator or a registered training organisation, with a Coxswain qualification a common next step.
Keywords an ATS is likely to scan for
Applicant tracking systems match your resume against terms in the job ad before a person ever sees it. Only include the ones that actually apply to your experience, but if a term below matches something you've done, use the same wording the job ad uses.
- AMSA
- Certificate of Safety Training
- Elements of Shipboard Safety
- Marine Safety (Domestic Commercial Vessel) National Law
- Marine VHF radio
- AIS
- GPS chartplotter
- echo sounder
- deck winch
- net hauler
- longline
- purse seine
- trawl
- catch handling
- icing and grading
- HACCP
- food safety
- cold chain
- rope and shackle checks
- personal flotation device
- EPIRB
- Maritime Security Identification Card (MSIC)
- state commercial fishing licence
- AFMA
- biosecurity
Getting past ATS screening
- Match the specific skills, certifications and terms used in the job ad, not just your own wording for the same thing.
- Keep formatting simple: no tables, text boxes, columns, headers/footers or graphics. Parsers frequently drop content placed in these.
- Submit as .docx or PDF unless the job ad specifies otherwise.
- Use standard section headings (Experience, Education, Skills) rather than creative alternatives.
- List your core skills and technical competencies in their own section so a keyword scan can find them instantly.
This is a starting point, not a guarantee of interviews. Tailor every bullet point to your own real experience and the specific job ad.