6 Strategies to Turn that Holiday Job into a Permanent Position

While the holidays do present challenges for job search, if you give your job search some thought, there are also opportunities with temporary positions. Eileen Habelow, Ph.D. Sr. VP of Organizational Development at Randstad, a global HR and staffing firm with expertise in the U.S. temporary employment market, has developed some strategies to help turn your temp job into a permanent position.

Anytime business conditions change, job seekers will do much better if they understand the effects of the change and how to find the opportunities. A change that we can expect every year is the holidays. For some businesses, things slow down. For others, that’s when they earn most of their income.

1. Review industry trends. Before responding to a holiday employment ad, take a moment to consider the industry and how it will be impacted by the post-holiday slowdown. Remember that the retail sales and package delivery sectors experience their greatest influx of business from November to the end of December, after which their staffing needs cut back drastically.

2. Choose your company wisely. Are you taking a temporary position at a strictly seasonal business? If you’re looking for a job to last well beyond the holidays, it’s best to steer away from businesses that retain employees only during certain months of the year, such as costume shops, ski resorts or call centers. Read More