Hurry Up to Catch the Holiday Hiring Spree

Many Employers Want Their Temps Trained in October

Chinikwa Christian hopes to land a temporary job at a clothing store, an office or a hotel that will last through the holiday season, from November through January.

"That's when stores and other places need help the most," said Christian, 21, a Farmville, Va., resident who started looking last month.

By starting her job search well before the holidays, Christian is on the right track, experts say, because now is the time to line up a position.

"It's a misconception to think that businesses don't start hiring until November," said Ellen Davis, spokeswoman for the National Retail Federation, the industry's largest trade group. "Most want seasonal employees hired and trained by the end of October."

The retail industry is famous for adding employees during the busy holiday shopping season. In 2004, stores hired 524,350 additional workers nationwide during the holiday months, accounting for 3.5 percent of the industry's total workforce, according to NRF data.

But retail is not the only sector that bulks up during the holidays. The travel, hospitality, delivery and food-preparation industries also add workers. In fact, a survey conducted in August by CareerBuilder.com, an online job site, found that 58 percent of hiring managers nationwide said they planned to recruit workers for seasonal positions from October through December.

Nonprofit groups also hire extra staff members to handle the year-end surge of donations, said Renee Whalen, vice president of the mid-Atlantic region for OfficeTeam, a California staffing firm.

When it comes to pay, salaries for seasonal jobs tend to be lower than those for comparable permanent positions, according to David Hunegnaw, a partner with Groovejob.com, an employment Web site that features part-time and temporary jobs. But some work -- such as loading delivery trucks -- may pay well around the holidays, he said, in some instances as much as $13 to $14 an hour.

Some holiday jobs make up for lower pay with perks, such as those well-known merchandise discounts. Positions in the travel or hospitality industries may even provide seasonal workers with subsidized or free housing.

And there are intangible benefits, such as the chance to work at a beautiful ski resort or meet co-workers from around the globe, according to Bill Berg, president and founder of Coolworks.com, a Web site focused on seasonal jobs in the travel industry.

But applicants are warned not to be fooled by the festive mood of the season. If you sign up to work on a cruise ship, "don't expect to just work a few hours and party," said Matt Lucas, president of JobMonkey.com, a travel and hospitality jobs Web site.

Companies take holiday hiring very seriously, said Davis of the NRF. "It's almost as important to them as hiring year-round employees because these people will be the face of the company during the holiday season," she said.