West Lafayette, Indiana - It's not too late to snare one of those seasonal jobs for extra holiday cash. As a matter of fact, Purdue University professor Richard Feinberg says the holiday hiring season looks robust.
"This may be one of the best holiday seasons for part-time holiday hiring in the past 10 years," said Feinberg, professor of retail management. "It comes at a time when unemployment is actually extremely low."
Feinberg said workers can pick and choose from jobs this year as opposed to settling for what has been available in the past. The estimates are 600,000 to 850,000 seasonal workers will be hired nationwide. Retailers have already started hiring but there are plenty of jobs still needing to be filled, Feinberg said. And because of low unemployment, part-time salaries could be significantly higher than in past years. Part time discounts for seasonal workers should be higher as well.
In comparison, during the 2008 economic collapse only 265,000 seasonal workers found jobs. Seasonal hiring was back up last year to 675,000. The highest seasonal employment numbers peaked in 2013 at 765,000. "Our research suggests this year will be higher than that record," Feinberg said.
The retail expert went on to say seasonal hiring goes well beyond traditional department stores. "If you have a FedEx, UPS, USPS, Walmart, or Amazon fulfillment center near you workers can find exceptionally good opportunities. Many of these jobs turn into solid full-time work after the holiday season."
Feinberg said seasonal work is a great income supplement but noted the employee discount might be just as beneficial as the paycheck. Additionally, research shows that more that seasonal workers make the greater retail sales increase.
Feinberg's advice for job seekers:
- Start three weeks ago but if you haven't, start now.
- Be flexible, you need to be able to work and they need you to work.
- Highlight your understanding of the importance of delighted customers and highlight your customer service background.
- Dress nicely, don't chew gum, don’t talk poorly about past work, leave your cell phone in the car, have a well-written, no-spelling error resume.
- Don't ignore the possibilities with the small retailers in your town. They will probably not advertise online but they will have signs on the window. If you like shopping in a store – ask the store.