Staffing Trends
How to Hire Holiday Seasonal Workers in 2024
Despite inflation and high interest rates, the holiday retail season was strong last year. It outperformed not only the National Retail Federation’s estimates but also the sales numbers from last year. Consumers spent a record $964.4 billion last year during the holiday season. Over the five-day Thanksgiving holiday, 200.4 million people shopped for Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales, beating the 2022 record of 196.7 million.
While this year’s forecast isn’t out yet, many retail and warehouse managers are preparing for another robust holiday season. That planning includes a recruiting plan to hire seasonal workers who can help the full-time staff with the additional inventory and holiday shoppers. Here are three tips for hiring retail and warehouse staff to get you through the busy holiday season.
How to Hire Holiday Seasonal Workers in 2024
Start Hiring Seasonal Staff Now
Big retailers like Target and Macy’s announced their seasonal hiring plans in early September last year and opened their applications soon thereafter. Other companies like UPS and Amazon also started hiring full and part-time seasonal workers during the same time. It’s important to start the seasonal hiring process now to reach a waiting pool of seasonal workers ready to meet the demands of a busy holiday season.
Starting early will also allow you enough time to screen resumes, vet a candidate’s qualifications, and prescreen workers before they start their job assignments. Any onboarding and training can be done without the pressure of mounting holiday orders and shipments.
Be Strategic with Job Postings
A vague job ad can result in getting the wrong seasonal job applicants or no applicants at all. Your seasonal job opening job descriptions must attract the right workers. Start with a clear and descriptive job title that accurately reflects the seasonal position. Make sure it’s optimized for search engines. The job description should include detailed job responsibilities, how long the seasonal job will last, and the day-to-day tasks and tools necessary to get the job done. Outline the job requirements, such as certifications and skills, to filter out unqualified candidates. Additionally, provide a brief company overview highlighting your history, mission, benefits, and values to appeal to job seekers in a competitive seasonal job market.
Once you have an engaging and descriptive job posting, ensure it is seen where seasonal workers are already looking for work – on social media. According to Sprout Social, there were 3.05 billion people on Facebook, 2 billion users on Instagram, and 1 billion users on LinkedIn in 2023 alone. Social media platforms like these are an integral part of everyone’s life, including their work life. Utilizing these platforms and their recruiting tools can help get those job openings out to the seasonal job seekers actively looking for work.
There were 3.05 billion people on Facebook, 2 billion users on Instagram, and 1 billion users on LinkedIn in 2023.
Have a Plan to Retain Seasonal Staff
Have a retention plan to ensure your seasonal staff stays on board during the holiday season. That plan should include treating them as full-time employees and offering them the resources, encouragement, and bonuses that regular staff receive. Keeping a line of communication open between management and seasonal staff can mitigate the negative impact of problems and/or concerns that arise during busy workdays. Finally, have a process in place to keep in contact with seasonal workers long after the holiday season is over should any additional staffing needs arise.
At Labor Finders, the LF Connect App keeps office staff connected to their best workers who can apply for job opportunities that match their skills and experience right from their phone.