Holiday Hiring Tips

[Thursday, November 04, 2010]

By Carolyn Thompson

Holiday hiring is in high gear! According to a new projection from Challenger, Gray & Christmas, retailers will hire between 500,000 and 600,000 workers for the holidays, compared to 2009, when only 501,400 were hired. Whether you're looking for some extra cash to put in the bank or to fund your seasonal shopping, here's some job search tips on who's hiring:

Retail Outlets – Whether you love Target, Lowe's, Nordstrom, Macy's, Toys-r-Us, or Yankee Candle, lots of department stores and retail outlets look for seasonal help. In 2009, Indeed.com boasted a list of more than 23,000 holiday job openings. They are looking for extra cashiers, stock clerks, customer service and other related seasonal helpers to assist with higher than normal sales and shipping volume.

UPS and FedEx – Delivery companies are looking for seasonal help because the work load increases significantly between Thanksgiving and Christmas. There are often a variety of shifts available including daytime, twilight, night and sunrise work hours. FedEx also has similar seasonal jobs available. Do your research online or call their toll free numbers for more information.

Caterers/Party Venues – As the holiday party season kicks off, many of these companies are looking for extra chefs, cooks, wait staff, and bar help.

Landscapers – If you like working outside, you can assist customers at a local nursery or holiday decorating company. Check your local listings for companies seeking assistant decorators for commercial or residential installations. Snow removal was a great source of income last winter in the Mid Atlantic and Northeast corridor. Offering to shovel for a set of neighbors is a great way to ensure you'll be busy and have income if you can't make it into work and earn your regular paycheck.

Seasonal Attractions - Just like theme parks need extra help over the summer, places like ski resorts, skating rinks and other seasonal attractions need extra help right now. Think about the places people flock to in your area during the winter months and find out if they're looking for seasonal workers.

Personal Assistance- If you're a little more entrepreneurial, you can offer your assistance for an hourly rate to busy executives to run errands, wrap gifts, address and mail holiday cards, even dog walkers see a surge and need extra help with vacation coverage this time of year.

Carolyn Thompson is Director of the Metro DC region of Dixon Hughes Goodman's Human Resource Services Division. She is frequently called upon by national news organizations such as The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, NPR, CNN, and MSNBC among others to contribute content on a variety of topics. She regularly donates her time as a volunteer speaker for resume workshops and job fairs across the nation, and is a member of the National Speaker's Association. Carolyn is also the author of TEN EASY STEPS TO A PERFECT RESUME and TEN STEPS TO FINDING THE PERFECT JOB, and TEN SECRETS TO GETTING PROMOTED, now available in select bookstores and on Amazon.com.

Dixon Hughes Goodman's Human Resource Services Division can provide complete human resource management services, training and employee development programs, specialized recruiting, executive search and outplacement services.

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