Tracey Boston, a former yacht stew, is on a mission to get more yacht crew to better leverage LinkedIn. “I’ve been advocating for yacht crew to use the LinkedIn platform as a highly effective and influential social media platform that directly connects crew to potential employers and recruiters,” Boston said. Who better to help new crew make solid moves in the yachting industry than those crewmembers who have been in the trenches? As Boston explains, many crewmembers want to be more active on LinkedIn but find it intimidating. Boston, along with her crew community, Our Faceless Crew, is working to support crew in navigating the world of LinkedIn. Our Faceless Crew aims to teach crew how to use the platform for professional and personal branding, a skill Boston herself has honed over the years. With guidance from Boston, crewmembers can upskill and enhance their visibility in the industry. “This, along with their CV, can make them stand out from the crowd,” Boston said. Boston and her co-founder Blaz Soklič, a chief officer before transitioning ashore, launched Our Faceless Crew earlier this year, officially going live on March 15, 2024. The two had worked together on several yachts and wanted to give back to the community that had embraced them. “Our Faceless Crew is dedicated to creating an environment where excellence, growth, and unity flourish, setting a new benchmark for professionalism and camaraderie in yachting,” Boston said. Our Faceless Crew currently offers digital guides, mini-courses, and templates designed to better prepare crew for life on board — addressing areas not typically covered in STCW training. “As [former] crew ourselves, we’ve identified key areas for improvement in the industry based on our experiences and feedback from crew, recruiters, and suppliers,” Boston said. Their offerings include a “comprehensive introduction” for junior crew, and they offer online Seas The Day IAMI GUEST-accredited courses. In addition, they plan to implement comprehensive onboarding processes for new hires and ongoing soft skills training before and after joining a yacht. The community also focuses on improving crew recognition and retention strategies and fostering deeper trust between employers and employees. “Our mission embodies and promotes leadership development in all crew from the most junior to the most senior — a quality we believe is undervalued in our industry, but [is now] getting the attention it requires,” Boston said. Personal branding is also vital to their strategy. “We are slowly teaching personal branding because we strongly believe that crew can influence public perceptions of the industry. All crewmembers are ambassadors,” Boston said. She believes that by sharing positive messages and accurate information on social media, crew can help “[debunk] current misconceptions and silly myths about the industry and show it for the innovative, dynamic, and inclusive field it is.” Looking ahead, Our Faceless Crew aims to continue growing its community and platform, offering more guides and collaborating with industry leaders, influencers, and recruiters to enhance leadership development. They plan to introduce LinkedIn-specific guides for crew, reinforcing the importance of personal branding. “We especially want to continue to encourage crew to use LinkedIn to elevate their professional brand after recognizing the practical effect of using it to complement one’s CV,” Boston said.