4 Tips for Hiring Seasonal Workers

Maybe you need to cover employee time off during the holidays, or maybe your business picks up at other times during the year. Either way, there are factors involved with hiring seasonal workers that can create special circumstances and unique challenges.

In the past, many businesses only offered minimum wage for seasonal employees in the hopes of investing less in employees that aren’t there for the long haul. However, today there are many companies offering higher wages for seasonal employment.

With a current unemployment rate of 3.5 percent as of September 2019, these companies believe that – in order to be competitive in terms of finding higher-quality candidates – they need to offer most they can reasonably pay for seasonal workers.

Considerations When Hiring Seasonal Employees

• Make the nature of the job clear from the beginning. If there is no hope of permanent employment, candidates need to know, but also consider extending the job beyond seasonal if things work out. Let candidates know this upfront as well.
• Determine if candidates have the necessary experience and skills at the beginning. Seasonal jobs aren’t typically cost-effective if too much training is involved.
• Remember that seasonal workers still represent your company. This one speaks for itself.
• Stress evenings and weekends, if applicable. Although candidates should generally expect to work at unconventional times for seasonal work, once they’re in the position, their minds may change.
• Consider retirees. Unlike college students who move on or someone just looking for holiday cash, retirees are often interested in coming back next season.
• What about loyal customers? Some of your best customers could be your best seasonal employees. They can earn discounts and promote a brand they love.
• Start early. Give yourself several months to plan and execute your seasonal hiring process and take advantage of job fairs.

In addition to these considerations, here are five tips for hiring qualified seasonal employees.

1. Emphasize the culture of your business or organization.

Even for a short period of time, you don’t want to bring an employee on board that clashes with your company’s culture, including its values, operational styles, and overall purpose. Finding a good culture fit can be tricky, but well worth the effort. The culture of your business is the glue that holds it together and why many new employees become long-term ones.

Furthermore, according to the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM), poor cultural fit can cost a company between 50 and 60 percent of the employee’s annual salary due to turnover.

2. Utilize social media.

Social media channels can be a highly effective way to appeal to today’s general audience. Although you’re seeking seasonal employees, you want to attract skilled workers that need little training to succeed in the position.  You can jumpstart your seasonal hiring campaign by hosting themed holiday ‘events’, such as hosting a Thanksgiving chat on Twitter and allowing existing employees to share what they are grateful for with potential employees.

Remember that social media can be a useful tool for enhancing your hiring practices, but never forget the importance of face-to-face events in hiring practices. Open house events can include a tour of the workplace for candidates, allowing them to get a feel for the culture and the employee experience. This can speed up the hiring process considerably.

3. Hire a staffing agency.

Another way to speed up the hiring process significantly is to hire a professional staffing agency that offers temp services in Phoenix. This takes a lot of worries and strain off your company’s HR department and offers these additional benefits.

• Lower overall cost
• Stream-lined screening processes
• Workforce flexibility
• Higher quality candidates
• Temp to permanent positions

Staffing agency professionals work at hiring practices all day. While in-house HR professionals may be versatile for your company overall, outsourcing staffing for seasonal employment might be the best fit for your business.

4. Host panel interviews.

Bringing a group of employees and/or administration together for a panel interview, or group interview, allows hiring managers to gain perspective from others in the company. Panel interviews reduce the chances of ending up with a bad hire, too. With each member naturally bringing unique perspective – as well as strengths and weaknesses – to the interview process, members compensate for each other’s shortcomings.

In the most effective interview panels, participants work in sync with one another, while also respectfully challenging each other’s assertions and judgments about potential employees.