Types of Jobs Available Over Christmas
1. Retail
The Christmas and New Year period is the busiest time of the year for almost all retailers, meaning opportunities in this field are plentiful.
For example, for Christmas 2012:
*Sainsburys are after 12,000 extra workers
*Boots 7,000 christmas staff
* Argos a further 12,000 pairs of hands.
* Royal Mail 18,000 part time
Retail positions can range from front-of-house roles like checkout staff and shelf stackers to warehouse and logistics workers and office support staff.
For the most part, retail jobs generally require little or no experience, though a willingness to be flexible and commit to the full festive period will nearly always be essential.
If you want a Christmas Job then the latest jobs are posted here: Latest Christmas Jobs
2. Hospitality
Christmas and New Year is the season for parties. Sadly, not everyone can join in the fun; staff are needed to man the bars, check the coats and cook and serve the roast dinners, all of which is good news if youre after a job.
Hotels, restaurants, pubs and clubs all go on a hiring spree in the run-up to the holiday season, with many positions requiring little or no previous experience.
One potential downside is that unsociable hours are the norm – in fact, you will probably have to commit to working at least one of the main holidays, if not all of them – though, on the plus side, most employers will pay extra for these days and customers are more likely to tip over the Christmas season.
3. Mail Sorting and Delivery
One other top employer over the Christmas season is the Royal Mail.
In fact, for Christmas 2012, the Royal Mail is employing an extra 18,000 casual workers, with most positions requiring no experience.
Needless to say, however, you will need to prove yourself to be punctual, reliable, hardworking and capable of standing for long periods and even carrying heavy mailbags if you want to grab one of these positions.
4. Behind the Scenes Jobs
Away from the Christmas frontline, there are thousands more opportunities available in a wide range of sectors over the Christmas and New Year period.
These include everything from providing administrative support to retailers and hospitality companies over the season right through to covering every type of job imaginable as people take time away from their day-to-day posts.
Where to Look for Christmas Jobs
Christmas is, without doubt, the best time of the year to go job-hunting. Not only are there tens of thousands extra positions needing to be filled, but the majority of them are openly advertised and easy to apply for.
Good places and idea to find Xmas Jobs include:
1. Employers websites
All major employers will post Christmas vacancies on their own websites, with many also having a special seasonal recruitment page. Simply follow the instructions and be sure to meet any application deadlines.
2. In person
In youre after a shop floor, bar or restaurant job, dont be afraid of going in yourself, asking to speak with the manager and handing them your CV. They may ask you to fill in an online application form, but at the very least, you will appear enthusiastic.
3. Recruitment agencies
Recruitment agencies help fill Christmas vacancies across all sectors in the run-up to Christmas, so sign up with a few local ones and dont be afraid to keep chasing them for news of new opportunities.
Get a Christmas Job
Just as with any other type of job, competition for Christmas jobs can be tough and the application process tough and time-consuming.
However, there are some ways you can boost your chances of finding seasonal employment. For instance:
a. Be flexible
As well as the skills you offer, the main thing employers will look for when assessing your suitability for a seasonal job will be the hours you can commit to and the extent to which you are wiling to be flexible.
So, if you want to improve your chances of landing a Christmas job, be willing to work on Christmas Eve, Boxing Day and even Christmas Day – and let the employer know this.
b. Be enthusiastic
Even though there are tens of thousands of jobs up for grabs in the run-up to Christmas, remember that there will be hundreds of thousands of people going for them.
As such, you will need to stand out from the crowd and one great way of doing this is by demonstrating your enthusiasm for a role.
Make it clear in your application why you want to work for particular employer and dont be afraid to state that you hope it will lead to something longer-term.
c. Show you can cope with pressure
Whether its working in a bar, stacking shelves, sorting post or taking care of the admin behind the scenes, Christmas jobs tend to be highly pressurised, with staff required to do much more work then usual.
Moreover, many jobs require staff to deal with customers directly while working in a busy, high-pressure environment. As such, successfully showing that you can keep your cool and work well under pressure is only likely to impress a potential boss.
If you need to send a CV then make sure you read our A Good CV guide?
Why Get a Christmas Job?
a. To Earn Some Cash
Forget wanting to get immersed in the festive spirit, most people take on a Christmas job in order to earn a little bit more money.
And, indeed, a short-term, festive contract can be relatively lucrative, especially if you are willing to work unsociable hours and on Bank Holidays.
No matter how desperate you are for a short-term financial fix, however, read up on the latest National Minimum Wage rules and ensure that any employment you are offered is fully legal and above board.
b. To Build Skills and Enhance a CV
Aside from earning you a bit of extra cash, a temporary Christmas job can also give you a longer-term boost.
It could give you new skills, such as being able to work with certain software packages, or work directly with customers, or it could help you to build on skills you already have.
Even if you arent learning anything new, a Christmas job can fill a gap in a CV and give you a reference to use in the future. Plus, having a big-name employer on your work experience history will do you no harm at all.
c. To Gain a Full-Time Job
Of course, employers simply aren’t able to offer all their Christmas staff permanent jobs once the January sales are over.
However, not everyone wants to stay on; students, for example, will head back to university while many people will be happy with just a short-term cash boost. As such, there could be opportunities available for you to transform a Christmas job into something more permanent, especially if you get a job with a major employer.
Why Christmas Jobs
- As well as giving you a short-term financial fix, a Christmas job can also give you new skills and will look good on your CV.
- There could be opportunities available for you to transform a Christmas job into something more permanent, especially if you get a job with a major employer.
- Retailers take on tens of thousands of seasonal workers each year. Check out the websites of the major supermarkets for possible opportunities.
- Hotels, restaurants, pubs and clubs all go on a hiring spree in the run-up to the holiday season, with many positions requiring little or no previous experience.
- The Royal Mail also requires an army of casual workers each Christmas, though for these jobs, you need to be punctual, reliable and fit.
- Be sure to read up on the National Minimum Wage rules before you start a Christmas job and lookout for unscrupulous employers.
- Signing up with a recruitment agency is a great way of landing a Christmas job. Stress your flexibility to boost your chances.
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