“Tis the season to be jolly,” they say. Even though it’s still November, the malls and neighborhoods are already decked out in boughs of holly, garlands, twinkling lights and red bows of the Holiday season. If you’re still looking for a job, it’s difficult to be jolly about anything. The holidays mean family gatherings and traditions, but they also mean shopping—difficult and stressful when you don’t have a steady paycheck.
Fortunately, the holiday shopping season opens up a number of seasonal jobs. Retail stores need extra help taking care of the crush of shoppers. Delivery companies, like UPS and FedEx, take on extra drivers, delivery persons and people to sort the thousands of packages sent to family and friends.
Seasonal jobs tend to be low paying and they are, after all, temporary. I applied for a couple of seasonal retail jobs, and it was an interesting experience. It wasn’t difficult to find them and even easier to apply. One was a large discount retail store, the other was an upscale ladies clothing store. If you haven’t found a regular job, seasonal work can help bridge the gap and provide you with some great benefits:
1. Extra income. Seasonal retail jobs won’t make you rich, but they will bring in some extra cash to use to pay bills or use for your own holiday shopping.
2. Discounts. Some retail stores offer employees a 25 percent discount or more on store merchandise. When you combine that with sale prices and markdowns, you can make your paycheck go far.
3. Work experience. This may not be a new career path, but you can gain valuable current work experience for your resume. Current work experience on your resume says you’re still employable, had the skills or personality to be considered a good hire and you are someone who can learn new skills. These are valuable assets to discuss on your next interview.
4. Several months of employment. I was surprised to hear one seasonal job term was December through February or March of next year. Three months of employment and paychecks will make a sizeable dent in your debt.
5. Networking. Just about everyone shops during the holidays, and you will have the opportunity to meet hundreds of new people. You will also interact and work with other employees, managers and business owners. Employers are always on the lookout for exceptional people with exceptional customer service skills or team spirit.
6. A new job. Even though I was told not to expect to stay on after the season was over, things happen. People move, find other jobs or just decide to take a break. A job could open up and, there you are--trained, seasoned and already a valuable asset to the company.
Have you worked a seasonal job? Share your pros and cons of taking a seasonal job in the Comments section.
Mary Nestor-Harper, SPHR, is a consultant, blogger, motivational speaker and freelance writer for BusinessWorkForce.com. Based in Savannah, GA, her work has appeared in Training magazine, Training & Development magazine, Supervision, BiS Magazine and The Savannah Morning News. When she’s not writing, she enjoys singing with the Savannah Philharmonic Chorus and helping clients reinvent their careers for today’s job market. You can read more of her blogs at businessworkforceblog.com and view additional job postings on Nexxt.
Become a member to take advantage of more features, like commenting and voting.
Register or sign in today!