Tips for Landing a Seasonal Position

As the season begins to change, you may feel it’s time for change in your life as well. Luckily, when it comes to your career path, it is the perfect time to explore new options for employment during the holidays. Seasonal work offers an opportunity to gain valuable career experience and build connections in lucrative industries such as customer service, retail, and warehouse distribution. Here are tips on landing a seasonal position that is the best fit for you.

Craft Your Resume

The first step in applying for any job is building a relevant and informative resume that covers the scope of your career goals, interests and occupational skills. Whether you need to create your first resume or revise an existing one, Goodwill Career Centers are an excellent resource to assist in the process. At the career center, you can access no-cost career services such as digital training courses, career advising, and job search strategies. Resume development and critique is available to all job seekers; an advisor will assist you in creating and/or editing a resume to help you land a seasonal position.

Apply Early

Towards the end of the year, many employers are actively looking to build their seasonal staff in time for the holidays. The hiring process typically begins in October, and sometimes mid-September for many positions. To stay ahead of the game, begin research and planning before the summer concludes. At any Goodwill Career Center, you can research jobs that catch your interest and are in-line with your skill set so when it is time to apply you will be fully prepared!

Open Availability

Due to the volume of work required in most seasonal positions – employers are typically in search for employees with open availability. Before applying for a job in retail or customer service during the holiday season – consider whether your schedule allows for on-call work, or if you have availability that spans most of the week. It may present a challenge for employers to accommodate to limited schedules, and may result in a candidate being eliminated during the hiring process.

Connect and Ask for Feedback

If you find yourself in a seasonal position that you love – there are steps you can take to make the job more permanent. Take the initiative to shadow other departments, ask questions and learn as much as possible about the company culture. Make sure to be personable and express your long-term interest in the company to the appropriate contacts. It never hurts to be direct with management! Inquiring about the duration of the position and opportunities for growth, shows leadership that you are invested in the company. Those conversations may increase your chances of becoming a permanent part time or full-time hire.

Goodwill is a resource and partner for anyone seeking employment or a higher-paying job. We work with job seekers and local employers to place tens of thousands of Arizonans in jobs each year, funded by the Goodwill donations of generous Arizonans. Goodwill’s My Career Advisor is the best place to start if you’re looking for a job. Signing up is quick, easy and free.