For many reasons, Christmas does live up to its billing as the “most wonderful time of the year”. Families all coming together, gifts, meals and other festivities take over the deeper into December we get.
But for others, it can be a daunting time of year thanks to that old pain – money.
With so much spending going on, unemployed people and those in low paying jobs, can really feel the pinch in their attempts to keep up with everyone else. Luckily, Christmas does bring around one opportunity – temporary jobs.
Below, you’ll find our tips for landing a temporary jobs in the security industry or elsewhere. Regardless of your skill set, you’ll likely be able to find something that eases the financial burden this Christmas.
Look everywhere
Retail surges now start as far back as November, so it is never too early to start looking. And you should look absolutely EVERYWHERE. Obvious places like shopping centres and big retail outlets are the best place to start, but don’t be afraid to go a little more local in your search. You’ll soon find that the vast majority of businesses will be in need of temp staff.
If you’re in the security industry and going from shop to shop, try to speak to both the existing security guard and the shop management. The front of house security may be able to tip you off to availabilities, or save you the hassle of talking to management by saying there are no temp jobs. Do this before the sales really start though, otherwise these people will be too busy (that said, you can always check corporate websites for job listings).
Play the field
Once you have sourced a few jobs, don’t be afraid to “play the field”, so to speak. Work out roughly how much money each job could land you, looking at the basic wage and the expected hours. If one job dominates the rest, plug for that one. If they are all roughly the same, go for whichever one you think you will enjoy the most.
Whatever you do, though, do it fast. These job roles are filled ridiculously quickly due to high demand at this time of year. Hesitation, for whatever reason, could cost you. So be thorough, but efficient in your deliberations.
Multiple Jobs
If your schedule allows it, you might want to look into the possibility of working multiple jobs. Some temporary roles will only require you for a few days, so leapfrogging from one to the next is a possibility. Or you may find luck with a job role that needs you 9-3, and another than needs you 4-10. The flexibility of these jobs also means you can fit them around a permanent job you may already have.
The key, however, is not to over do it. You are working these jobs to earn a little spending money so you can enjoy Christmas. Working yourself into the ground, or missing out on all of the festivities, misses the point entirely.
Look for further employment
Once you land a temporary job, don’t be afraid to explore the chances of gaining further employment with the company. Some companies will use Christmas staff as disposable means to an end, but smart companies use it as a way to try out hundreds of people at once. So be sure to ask the people in charge if there is any chance of your job leading to something else (though don’t badger them about it), and make sure you work hard enough to impress them in the meantime.
You never know, you may work so hard you end up creating a role for yourself that hadn’t previously been planned on!