In the US, it has been projected that retailers will add over 750,000 jobs to their payrolls between October and December 2015.
If you’d like to find seasonal holiday work, but you aren’t interested in a typical holiday job with one of the big retailers, you may not know where to look.
The good news is there are many other holiday job opportunities outside the big box retailers – you simply have to know where to look and how to take advantage of them.
Of course, one of the best ways to be successful in your holiday job search is to have a great resume / CV to show to potential employers.
Naturally, you’ll want yours to present all of your relevant work experience, but you might also consider adding a personal branding statement.
This quick one-liner will be a great way to present busy hiring managers with a summary of your experience, motivating factors, and goals.
Once your resume / CV is set, you’ll be ready to pound the pavement. Here are a few seasonal employment opportunities to consider.
1. Start Local
Small, local businesses often hire holiday help.
And, they often hire customers they see on a frequent basis. So think about the local stores that you visit often. There is a good chance that the employees and managers know you, or at least will recognize you, and that they know you are a loyal customer.
Customers often make the best employees because they already know and love the products and are familiar with the ways in which the shop operates.
This can cut down on your training time and already makes you a more valuable applicant than someone else.
2. Think About Organisations that Help Others During the Holidays
Often, non-profits and other organisations that require extra volunteers during the holiday season also need managers.
Possible holiday job titles in this line of work include: community programs assistant, staffing coordinator, volunteer coordinator, and human resources associate.
Often, these types of holiday jobs require applicants with HR or project management experience.
It’s also a good idea to apply for these jobs if you have exceptional organisational and people skills.
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3. Consider Working From Home
Christine Durst of Rat Race Rebellion, an on-line organisation for home-based jobs and projects, says many companies hire holiday help for home-based positions.
You may be hired as an at-home customer service representative for retail stores, tax software companies, home shopping networks, or major book retailers.
Typically, thousands of these jobs become available during the holiday season and are especially fitting employment opportunities for people who have flexible hours and strong customer service skills.
4. Holiday DJ
If you love music and have the right equipment, you can make quite a bit of money as a DJ for private and company holiday parties.
Seasonal music is a must for holiday functions, and regular DJs often are booked months in advance, so you could land jobs that come up at the last minute.
With all of the digital music available today, you should be able to use your laptop and a good set of speakers to become a holiday season DJ.
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5. Delivery Companies
Shipping companies like UPS and FedEx hire thousands of extra helpers for the holiday season, and you don’t necessarily have to have your CDL to be a licensed driver.
Often, UPS and FedEx hire holiday helpers to ride along on trucks to sort packages and carry them to the door from the truck while the regular route driver remains in the truck.
The postal service also hires extra help during the holiday season, so you should consider applying at your local post office as well.
Along those same lines, warehouse staff are critical during the holiday season, and distribution centres need extra staff for moving materials and products.
While you may not want to work in a retail setting, major stores like Target and Amazon rely on holiday help in their distribution centres, so don’t overlook those types of holiday job opportunities.
6. Photographer
Families love to have holiday photos taken, and photographers are in high demand around the holidays.
Whether you work taking photos of children on Santa’s lap in a mall or store, or work independently taking photos of families for holiday cards and photo gifts, you are sure to find a stream of work during the holidays.
It would be helpful to gather together some of your best shots and create a portfolio to share with potential employers or clients, so that you can showcase your work and increase your chances of landing your holiday photography job.
Summary
Holiday job opportunities are all around, if you look outside the (retail) box.
Other holiday job opportunities typically abound in the entertainment and hospitality industries as well, so you may find yourself being hired as a musician, movie theatre worker, caterer, or waiter this holiday season.
This is a guest article by Erica Francis, who works for ReadyJob.org teaching teens how to pursue their dream careers.
