Seasonal Jobs

According to Hourly Careers (www.hourlycareers.com) one in five Americans plan to take on a second job during the 2011 holiday season, while 12percent  said they already had one according to a survey conducted by Harris Interactive.

Hourly careers also cites a 2011 survey of 1,000 hiring managers and found that…

• 51% of hiring managers will be hiring for seasonal jobs this this year – up 8 points since 2008.
• Each hiring manager, on average, expects to hire 4.1 seasonal workers – a 5 percent increase over last year’s 3.9 workers and a 32 percent improvement from a low point in 2009

That presents opportunities if you’re in the market for work or taking on a second job.  Here are some of the jobs that post openings during this season:

• Package handlers: major carriers like UPS, FedEx and the U.S. Post office may take on extra handlers for the holiday rush.
• Retail clerks: Retailers may not be hiring as many new associates as they  did before the recession, but you are seeing some Help Wanted signs in retail stores.  Keep in mind that these jobs are not usually advertised on job boards; retailers want and expect you to actually come to the store to apply.  Most major retailers have kiosks in the store.
• Hourly Careers suggests that you apply at jewelry stores if you’re thinking of retail work.  They definitely have a holiday rush and most jobseekers overlook them when thinking about where to apply.
• Banquet servers: Clubs and restaurants see an increase of parties this time of year and will be looking for servers. 
• Income tax preparation: This is time of year when companies start recruiting and training workers for tax season, which starts in January.
• Inventory workers usually start their work in January, after the holiday sales season.  You can usually find these opportunities through staffing companies.

Don’t forget that you may be able to create your own opportunities as well.  If you have an enterprising spirit, this may be a great time of year to market babysitting (the holidays are a very competitive time to secure a sitter), house or pet sitting services, or services where you organize, decorate, or serve at private parties in homes.  Never underestimate how busy and frazzled families with income can be; some may even pay for running errands, personal shopping or gift wrapping.

Another way to earn income might be working as a test preparation tutor or offering to edit college entrance essays.  This is the time of year when families focus on getting into a great school or graduate school.   SAT, GRE, LMAT  and other entrance exam tutors may earn up to $30 per hour in some states.  Of course, you have to be pretty smart yourself to get these positions; the job postings state that you must have scored in the 80^th or 90^th percentile on your own entrance exam to apply. 

There are also online tutoring jobs available –   great work at home opportunity for former teachers or experts. www.tutor.com’s five step application process includes testing in your proposed subject, a mock online assessment of your ability to deliver remote advice, and a background check.  They give priority to people who can tutor during the evenings; there is a 24-hour service, so If you’re good at hard subjects (like Calculus) and available in the middle of the night, you move to the head of the line for hiring.  Happy holidays!