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‘Tis the season for seasonal work. If you’re looking to earn an extra buck or two over the holidays, the time to lock down a seasonal job is now. Businesses are ramping up for the end-of-the-year economic juggernaut and staffing up is priority one. On Indeed.com, over 289,000 jobs come up when you search “seasonal worker” and it is only September. As the holidays approach, that number will ramp up and there will be a frenzy of hiring.
The rules for seasonal work are a bit different from those for a full-time, long-term career role. You need to start early, be aggressive, and consider the following recommendations:
Generalize your resume. “Revise your resume” is advice that risks killing the genuine desire to get a job, but in the case of seasonal work there are no shortcuts. You want your resume to be broad strokes. Remove specific objectives. Punch up general transferrable skills such as customer service. Employers want to know you’re competent, you will actually show up (on time), and that you will spend more time working than on your phone. This is a short-term arrangement, not a marriage; remove anything that is superfluous to the type of position you plan to pursue.
Go door-to-door. As you can imagine, there is a lot of competition for seasonal work. While there are no guarantees, the best way to quickly get a holiday job is to go door-to-door and hand-deliver your resume. Your goal should be to give it to the hiring manager. This gives you an opportunity to give them a quick pitch and allows them to put a face to your name. Regardless of who accepts the resume, be professional, kind, and thankful to everyone you encounter. Leave with the name of the person to whom you can follow up and their preferred method of contact.
Be ready for an on-the-spot interview. Another advantage of hand delivering your resume is you may be asked to interview right there and then. Be prepared. When you head out to drop off resumes, operate as if you are going to an official job interview. Dress to impress. Smell nice. Have minty fresh breath. Look and act professional. An impromptu interview may be more likely to go in your favor if you already look the part, which separates you from the (obviously much inferior) pack. Don’t get rattled. Answer every question with confidence.
Be as flexible as possible. If there is one code word for seasonal jobs it’s “flexibility.” A temporary employee who is flexible about their schedule, shifting duties, overtime, rotating supervisors, and will come in at a moment’s notice, is an employer’s dream. On your resume and in interviews, emphasize your flexibility. Can you work weekends? You’re flexible. Are you willing to rotate departments? You’re flexible. Will you bring doughnuts in on Fridays? That’s right. You’re flexible.
Follow up immediately. The regular job search process demands patience. Recruiters are overwhelmed juggling many open positions and hiring managers are focused on their day-to-day business duties. It takes time and both job seeker and recruiter/hiring manager should strive to see one another’s perspective. Job seekers are either unhappy in a current position or unemployed with its accompanying financial pressure. Seasonal work is no different. You want to cash in on the holidays and employers need extra hands and it’s all happening right now - and the window won’t be open for long. Your perspectives are the same and nobody is going to be penalized for following up on an opportunity in a couple of days instead of weeks.
Play the online numbers game. Once again, the best way to lock down seasonal work is to hit the pavement and drop off your resume in person. However, you may recall the 289,000 + jobs on Indeed. Some businesses require applicants go through an online process regardless of the job. Go to the job boards, search for “seasonal jobs” or “seasonal worker” or whatever the specific platform suggests. If you see an interesting opening and it does not require an online application, put it on your in-person list. If it does, do the online dance and play the numbers game. Apply to as many openings as you can.
Philip Roufail contributed to this article.
Scott Singer is the President and Founder of Insider Career Strategies Resume Writing & Career Coaching, a firm dedicated to guiding job seekers and companies through the job search and hiring process. Insider Career Strategies provides resume writing, LinkedIn profile development, career coaching services, and outplacement services. You can email Scott Singer at scott.singer@insidercs.com, or via the website, www.insidercs.com.
