Writing a CV for Seasonal Work
Your corporate CV will not get you a ski season. Here is how to write one that seasonal employers actually want to read.
Forget your corporate CV
A seasonal employer does not care about your dissertation topic, your marketing internship, or the fact that you are "proficient in Microsoft Office." They care about three things: can you do the job, will you show up every day, and are you someone the team can live and work with for four months straight?
Your CV is a tool to get an interview. Nothing more. One page. No jargon. No filler. If it takes longer than 30 seconds to read, it is too long.
CV structure
📝 What to include (in order)
1. Name and contact details. Full name, email, phone number, nationality. For yacht CVs, add date of birth and a headshot.
2. What you want. One line: "Seeking a chalet host position for winter 2026/27 in the French Alps. Available December to April." This goes right at the top. Make it impossible to miss.
3. Relevant qualifications. Food Hygiene Level 2, first aid, driving licence, STCW, SIA licence, languages. Only list qualifications that are relevant to the role.
4. Work experience. Most recent first. Focus on transferable skills, not job titles. Keep descriptions to 2–3 bullet points per role. If you have seasonal experience, lead with it.
5. About you. Two to three sentences. Why you want to do a season. What you will bring to the team. Keep it genuine.
❌ What to leave out
Objective statements ("A motivated team player seeking..."). References available on request (they know). Irrelevant hobbies. Your full academic history. "Key skills" word clouds. Anything that makes the CV longer than one page.
Transferable skills
If you have not done seasonal work before, your CV needs to show that your existing experience translates. Here is how to reframe what you have already done:
🔄 Reframing experience
Retail job → Customer service, working to targets, handling complaints, early starts.
Babysitting / childcare → Directly relevant for nanny roles. Also shows responsibility and being trusted by others.
Cooking for friends / flatmates → Catering for groups. Mention specific things: "Regularly cooked dinner for 8+ people."
Team sports → Teamwork, physical fitness, reliability, commitment to a schedule.
University society committee → Organising events, managing budgets, working with a team.
Volunteering → Shows initiative. Festival volunteering is directly relevant.
The cover note
For seasonal work, a short cover note (or email body) matters more than the CV itself. Employers read hundreds of applications. Most are generic. A cover note that sounds like an actual human wrote it stands out immediately.
💡 Cover note structure
Paragraph 1: What you are applying for and when you are available. Be specific. "I am applying for a chalet host role for your winter 2026/27 season. I am available from 1 December to 20 April."
Paragraph 2: Why you want to do a season. Not just "I love skiing." What is it about the work, the lifestyle, the challenge? Show you understand it is a job, not a holiday.
Paragraph 3: What you bring. Your relevant experience, skills, and qualities. Keep it specific. "I worked in a busy restaurant for two years and am used to early starts and long shifts" beats "I am a hard worker."
Paragraph 4: Close. Confirm your commitment to the full season. Offer to chat on the phone or video call. Thank them.
Do not copy and paste the same cover note for every application. Mention the company by name. Reference something specific about them (the resort they operate in, a role they advertised, their reputation). It takes two minutes and makes an obvious difference.
Tips by role type
🏔️ Ski season (chalet host / chef / bar)
Lead with cooking ability (chalet hosts) or hospitality experience (bar). Mention your Food Hygiene cert. State your skiing/boarding level (they want to know you will not spend every day off in lessons). Confirm you have or can get the right to work.
⚓ Yacht crew
Include a photo (headshot, professional-looking). List all maritime certs (STCW, ENG1, powerboat, food hygiene). Add height and languages. Yacht CVs have a specific format. Search for "yacht crew CV template" and follow the standard layout. Keep it clean and polished. The way your CV looks reflects how you would present a yacht.
🎪 Festival work
List which festivals you have done (if any). Note your SIA licence, personal licence, or food hygiene cert. Mention physical fitness and ability to work long shifts outdoors. For agency applications, your availability dates across the summer are the most important thing. The more flexible you are, the more bookings you get.
☀️ Summer season (hospo / watersports)
Languages are a big plus for Med summer work. Any bar or restaurant experience, even casual. Mention watersports qualifications if relevant (dinghy instructor, powerboat, PADI). For hostel work, highlight social skills and past travel.
Common mistakes
⚠️ Avoid these
Two pages or more. Nobody reads them. Cut it down.
No availability dates. If an employer has to email you to ask when you are free, they have already moved to the next CV.
Generic cover notes. "Dear Sir/Madam, I am writing to express my interest..." is the sound of someone not trying.
Only mentioning skiing/surfing. Employers want to know you understand it is a job. Leading with how much you love skiing suggests you might treat the work as secondary.
Typos and formatting issues. If your CV has spelling mistakes or broken formatting, it looks careless. Get someone else to read it before you send it.
Not mentioning commitment. The number one concern for seasonal employers is staff leaving mid-season. Explicitly state you are committed to the full dates.
🚀 Quick action
While you are refining your CV, create your PeakWave profile. Employers browse candidate profiles directly, so being visible on the platform means opportunities can come to you while you are still applying elsewhere.
Frequently asked questions
How long should a seasonal CV be?
Should I include a photo on my seasonal CV?
What if I have no relevant experience?
Do employers care about my degree?
Should I write a different CV for each application?
CV done? Get discovered.
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