Whether you’ve had plenty of jobs throughout your life or you’re just getting started in the world of work, a seasonal job could be just what you need to boost your employability. Seasonal jobs, by their very nature, are short term, meaning you’ll be immersed in learning as soon as the job starts. They are an excellent way to quickly boost your CV with valuable hands-on experience. And contrary to popular belief, many industries recruit seasonal work, and best of all, they do so throughout the year…
What is seasonal work?
Seasonal work is not just restricted to the winter break. A seasonal job is effectively one that comes and goes with the seasons, so to speak! But it’s important to not just think as seasonal work as being season dependent. While they can last several months, that’s not always the case. Some might only last a few days. This is why they are so flexible! Seasonal jobs effectively depend on time periods of high demands, where the needs for your skills and experience are needed more than usual by employers.
With seasonal work being so varied, it’s easy to see why it can attract people seeking to boost their CV. While permanent work does offer stability, many people need to focus their working hours at specific times of the year. This is especially true of students who might want to keep exam season free from distractions.
Examples of jobs and industries that hire seasonal workers
Retail
The retail sector is famous for offering seasonal work, especially towards Christmas time. Footfall in shops increases, and shops need extra staff to help with deliveries, stock shelves, and serve customers at the tills. Online shopping also increases during this period, so warehouse work is often advertised as well. While supermarkets are big employers, smaller retailers often see an increase in sales around holidays. That’s great if you’re looking to gain experience talking to customers and helping them find what they need, as you’ll often have more time to offer a personalised shopping experience.
Hospitality and events
Hospitality is an industry that thrives on holidays and events. You can expect to find seasonal work in hospitality. As hospitality is such a varied industry, there will be vacancies to suit you. Many restaurants, particularly towards New Year Celebrations, will see an increase in corporate bookings. Host, front-of-house, and waiter roles become in increased demand. You’ll likely find seasonal roles in hospitality offer a wider range of hours and shifts than at other times of the year. This is because many businesses extend their opening hours to accommodate their increasing customer number. Find out more about careers in hospitality.
Travel
Seasonal travel jobs can include roles that do require you to, well, travel! In the summer months, these kinds of vacancies can involve roles such as tour guides and camp leaders. Sometimes travel roles require you to work with children, and a first aid qualification may
be needed or may be offered to you before you start working. Travel seasonal jobs can also be an amazing opportunity for you to put some of your hobbies to work! If you have experience as a lifeguard or ski instructor, why not spend a few months of the year expanding those skills? Perhaps you might even get to practice a new language. However, you don’t need to travel to work in the sector. In winter, many people are looking to book a sunny holiday, so there are opportunities to work as a travel agent.
Postal
Not surprisingly, Black Friday, Christmas, and Boxing Day means a huge surge in only shopping. We’ve already covered how this can impact retail roles, but think about how the items need to make it from point A to point B. Spoiler: it’s never that simple! Postal and logistics companies rely on a busy network of customer service workers, warehouse staff, and of course, drivers, to get all those parcels delivered.
Admin
People often overlook admin work in their seasonal job search. But it’s a mistake! Businesses need help managing busy times, even if it’s just to keep payroll on track with all the new starters. This means you don’t need to write off seasonal work if you’d prefer to work in an office or at home. Admin work can be in demand, as we said above, to help with payroll. But there are many industries that require extra admin hands. Education is one such sector. Enrolment and exam season can be difficult to manage. It is crucial that the logistics behind making sure everyone is at the right place, at the right time (with the right exam paper!). Universities, especially during clearing, often need extra hands on the phones. And graduation, of course, often requires many seasonal staff to help everyone celebrate. Reading more about finding an admin role.
Advantages of having a seasonal job and how it can improve employability
- Working a seasonal job can help you save money without getting in the way of other life commitments
- These roles require you to put your skills to the test from day one. It clearly demonstrates to any future employer you are a fast learner that adapts to new environments
- Seasonal often requires you to put your soft skills to the test. You’ll be working in an unfamiliar environment with people you do not know well. The workforce will likely be busy, so problems can crop up quickly. You’ll have to make use of effective communication skills and work effectively in a team
- One-off events can be the start of something big. Some industries can be difficult to break into, but seasonal work can give you the experience you need to stand out and show your commitment to future employers. Festival work, for example, is often temporary, but building up experience and your network can mean you’ll be considered for upcoming gigs, bringing stability if that’s what you’re looking for
Finding a seasonal job with Unitemps
Unitemps has plenty of seasonal work and it’s super easy to sign up for it. You don’t even need to apply for a role to get started. Simply create your profile on the portal. Since we work with a range of clients, we’re also able to send out vacancies to anyone registered in our candidate pool if we think you’ll be interested. If you’re still not sure seasonal work is what you’re looking for, be sure to check out top ten reasons for temping!
This article was written by Lucy Hulton.
Last updated on 13 December 2024
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