Cash for the Holidays: Finding Work During the Christmas Season
>> Nov 15, 2018
The Christmas holiday season is a major financial hiccup for
many people, creating a strain for those who are underemployed, out of work, or
operating with little financial cushion. Once Halloween has come and gone,
coping financially means finding an additional source of income, which can
quickly turn into a very stressful period. Finding the right holiday job can help make Christmas an enjoyable experience instead of
a teeth-clenching, stress-inducing ordeal. For the fortunate (and
well-prepared), it can also lead to an unforeseen opportunity for a new career.
Here are a few tips for finding the right opportunity during the holiday
season.
Don’t Wait Around
Those who wait until December 15 to get serious about
holiday work are in for an unpleasant surprise. Most employers have done the
majority of their hiring before Thanksgiving, so it’s a good idea to get ready as
soon as the trick or treaters have come and gone. This includes having a
detailed, tight, well-written, and informative resume
ready to go. In fact, it’s your most important asset as a job seeker. Keep it
to no more than two pages, be concise, and proofread carefully before sending it out. Hiring managers tend to
look disapprovingly at resumes that have typos and tend to see such individuals
as careless and half-interested.
Cast a Wide Net
Retailers like Target and Wal-Mart are far from the only
employers looking for holiday help. Restaurants, bars, caterers, music venues,
delivery services, and hotels also add staff during the holiday season. Keep an
open mind because there’s a wide range of jobs available, from stockers and
loaders to greeters, delivery persons, and customer service representatives, and each job can lead to an expansive
and rewarding long-term opportunity. Try not to think of these as temporary
opportunities, but as something that could prove more meaningful. Adopting that
mindset will make you more appealing to a hiring manager.
Stress Flexibility
The most attractive hiring prospect is the qualified job seeker
who emphasizes flexibility. It’s a crucially important quality during the holidays,
which is when employers may need to ask their hires to work a wide range of
hours. Insisting that you can only work set hours won’t do you much good in
finding holiday work. Think carefully before declaring your flexibility, as
it’s likely you’ll be taken up on that promise. It’s to your benefit if you can
get used to the idea that you’ll be needed when the company needs you.
A holiday job interview can be particularly stressful
because interviewers have a lot of people to talk to in a short amount of time,
so it’s best to be
prepared.
Decrease your stress by practicing the answers to some difficult questions.
Check out some useful interviewing advice online, and if you’re going to work
retail, don’t ask about employee discounts in the interview.
Do Your Homework
If it’s your intention to seek employment and get through
the interview process, take the time to do a little homework about the company.
The more informed you are during the interview, the more impressed and
convinced you’ll be. And prepare a few informed questions for the interviewer; it makes you look sincerely interested
and serious enough about the job to find out more about the company on your
own.
Flexibility is key for a seasonal job seeker so keep an open
mind when it comes to finding a position and your work availability. Also, bear
in mind that even though you’re doing this to make a few extra dollars, you
might just find a great long-term opportunity.
Image courtesy of Pixabay
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