Part 1: 4 Tips for Recruiting During the Holiday Season

Part 1: 4 Tips for Recruiting During the Holiday Season

We’re excited to introduce a two-part series on recruiting during the holiday season. In this first part, we’ll focus exclusively on recruiting for seasonal employees.

If your business is one of the many that sees an uptick in business during the final quarter of the year, chances are you’re looking for a little extra manpower to help you make it through the holidays. And you’re not alone. Many businesses scope out temporary workers who want to make a little extra money during the holidays, so finding seasonal employees can be difficult.

Here are four recruiting tips to help you get started.

1. Reach Out to Returners

Probably the best place to start with recruitment is reaching out to past seasonal employees. These people already know how your business operates. They also typically fit in with your company culture. Most important is they know what you expect of them during the holiday season.

When you contact your returners, don’t just ask them if they’d like to come back for another holiday season. You can also tap into their network and see if they have a friend they can recommend too. This is a spin on the typical employee referral program that could open up new doors for you recruitment-wise.

2. Scope Out Jolly Personalities

The holidays are tough – especially in many industries that see an increase in seasonal business, such as retail and hospitality. Having people with naturally bubbly, or jolly, personalities will help keep your customers and your other team members happy.

When recruiting, look for people who fit this bill. Look for people with jobs on their resume that required someone to be enthusiastic, such as work in the field of athletics or entertainment.

3. Diversify Your Search

It’s tempting to look for students to fill your seasonal positions. After all, these people tend to be out of school and looking for temporary work to earn a little extra money before going back to class. This demographic is also highly sought after and heavily recruited already. It might help to diversify your search a little to find other workers.

One way to do this is to look for retirees to fill your open spots. Retirees are often keen on interacting with the public and socializing. This is a plus when it comes to finding customer service associates.

4. Put Your Application Online

So much is done online these days. Waiting for potential employees to walk into your store or place of business to apply is an opportunity wasted. To recruit the best, make it as easy as possible for them to apply. Put your application online and keep it mobile friendly to encourage applications from tech-savvy employees.

Ready for the Holidays?

Ready or not, the holidays are here. With these tips you’ll fill your employee roster with seasonal employees who are ready to work and do your brand proud.

Author Profile Jon Forknell is the Vice President and General Manager of Atlas Business Solutions, Inc., a software marketing company specializing in employee scheduling software, including ScheduleBase employee scheduling software, and other business software solutions. In the past, Jon has been recognized by the U.S. Small Business Administration as a SBA Young Entrepreneur of the Year. Atlas Business Solutions was named as one of Software Magazine’s Top 500 Software Companies in 2004 through 2007 and again in 2010, 2013 and 2014.