MightyRecruiterYour Guide to Finding Seasonal Workers
As holidays and busy seasons near, business owners face an influx of activity and must staff their establishments with adequate help to ensure customers receive the proper attention. This is not a task to be taken lightly, however, as the pool of qualified candidates can diminish quickly if you are not on top of your game. Here is guide to finding seasonal workers.
Begin Early
Don’t wait until the season is upon you to begin your search. A few months in advance may seem early but it will, in fact, open up the candidate pool to you, finding applicants who will already be hired elsewhere if you wait too long. Putting off the process of finding seasonal workers can also cause you to rush later, allowing less time to check references and affect the quality of employees you ultimately hire.
Keep Employee Standards
When finding seasonal workers, do not view them as temporary employees, but instead imagine them as permanent. This allows you to uphold the standards that you wish to have throughout your establishment, maintaining consistency. After all, during the seasonal, high traffic times you will likely have new customers entering your business and you want to ensure that they received the level of care that you demand throughout the rest of the year. In addition, this allows you to have an already created database of potential employees down the road if a permanent position comes available.
Seek Referrals
Ask your own employees for referrals at the beginning of your hiring period. There are few others who understand the demands of the position than those already working in it. This also allows you to get insight towards the applicant as you already know someone who will vouch for them. You are more likely to get an applicant that you trust than if you were to hire someone with no connection to your business.
Look to Customers
When looking for a person who not only knows your business, but appreciates and values the products or services you provide, where better than to look in your customer base This allows you the opportunity to ask questions and get to know their personality way before you begin your official quest in finding seasonal workers. Set up a help wanted sign in your business and mention employee discounts as a draw for those who already enjoy doing business with you.
Court Students and Retirees
Oftentimes students have a break around seasonal times and are looking for temporary employment. With school out, there is an increase in flexibility. Since these students may not be working as much while classes are in session, many will jump at the chance to get a solid number of hours in to build a cushion in their bank accounts. In addition to keeping them on the shortlist for work periodically throughout the year, it is also possible to groom them for longer term employment down the road when they graduate. Retirees are another group worth wooing as they often maintain a rather flexible schedule and may be available to return for seasonal work in the future, and with rather short notice.
Be Direct and Transparent
When placing your job description, be as direct as possible in order to save yourself and the applicant valuable time. Be clear about what the job position entails and what you are or are not looking for in an applicant. Do not be afraid to get extremely detailed as this will eliminate unnecessary applications. Consider attaching a list of qualifying questions to assist with the filtering process so you can be assured that resumes that make their way into your hands meet your expectations. This shortens the hiring process for you and saves everyone from unnecessary interviews.
Keep Personality in Mind
While skills or past experience are definitely important, do not forget to take into consideration an applicant’s personality and disposition. Working seasonal shifts frequently means dealing with an increased flow of customers and it can oftentimes include dealing with stressful situations. Ask a few behavioral questions early on to verify that the candidate in question is adept at dealing with conflict and will be able to maintain a calm, cheerful disposition as they will be representing your brand during this hectic time.
When finding seasonal workers, take the time to ensure you find people who you can trust who are best qualified to represent your brand. The right employee can help lighten your workload while giving you peace of mind.
Learn more about how to hire all-star talent and bettering your overall business by checking out the resources at Mighty Recruiter.