Job seekers flood applicant pools every summer and winter, and business owners must be prepared to grab the attention of the highest-quality workers. So, do you feel like you attract seasonal employees to the best of your ability? Or, are you typically caught off-guard and have to be less selective in your hiring process?
Don’t worry if you’re part of the latter group — we know it’s seemingly impossible to dedicate time to the hiring process when you need to focus on so many important daily tasks. Check out some of our tips below and consider implementing our AI-powered hiring platform that reveals which applicants will perform like your best employees!
The Ultimate Guide to Attracting Seasonal Employees
1. Re-Engage Former Seasonal Employees
First of all, save yourself some time by looking at potential hires from previous seasons. Do you remember any excellent workers that would be available to rejoin your seasonal staff? Or, would you consider re-engaging any previous applicants to hire again this year? Whether they were full-time, part-time, or seasonal, these people are already familiar with your business and chose to work for you once. Simply reach out to them via email or through Sprockets’ convenient platform.
2. Offer Signing Bonuses
Seasonal workers typically want cash fast. By offering a “signing bonus” that goes into effect after they’ve completed a certain number of shifts, you increase your likelihood of attracting applicants who were once torn between your business and another. You can also offer same-day pay, which appeals to students home from college in the winter and could use quick money for buying holiday gifts.
3. Advertise to Your Seasonal Counterparts
Are you hiring seasonal employees for the winter months? Try partnering with a local water park or amusement park in your area that employs seasonal workers in the summer. Offer to advertise their open jobs to your seasonal employees and see if they’ll let you do the same. This is a win-win for both businesses and seasonal workers.
4. Pay More for Less Popular Shifts
Are you open for extended hours for the holidays? Are you open late on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve? Consider offering higher pay for the less popular shifts to ensure they get filled.
5. Offer Referral Bonuses
Who wouldn’t want to work with their friends, especially during long holiday shifts? Offering a referral bonus split between your employee and the friend they referred is beneficial for all parties involved. However, it is essential to note that you shouldn’t give them the bonus immediately. For seasonal employees, we recommend waiting until an employee has worked for at least two weeks to receive the referral bonus.
6. Advertise on Social Media
Seasonal jobs aren’t on everyone’s minds. However, seeing a sponsored post touting temporary openings at one of their favorite restaurants or shops may inspire passive candidates to apply. This is one way to beat out your competitors who may be using the traditional methods of posting a sign on the store window in hopes of recruiting seasonal employees.
7. Use Seasonal Keywords in Job Postings
In your job posts, try to use keywords that indicate a position is seasonal or temporary so those searching for these specific types of opportunities can find your postings. These keywords can include “holiday work,” temporary employment,” seasonal role,” and more. For example, you could simply make the job title something along the lines of “Seasonal Sales Associate” with phrases such as “part-time work” in the description.
8. Offer Flexible Schedules
Seasonal hiring typically includes extended shifts and often appeals to people who seek seasonal jobs as a second source of income. That’s why it’s crucial to increase shift flexibility for your employees. If you know that most of your new, seasonal workers have day jobs, consider starting their shifts at 6 or 7 p.m. to allow them time for dinner. By offering flexibility — and advertising that benefit in your job description — you increase your chances of finding seasonal employees.
9. Host Evening Interviews
Similar to offering shift flexibility, you should be open to having interviews at times that are convenient for the seasonal applicants’ schedules. While most interviews are typically done from 8 p.m. to 5 p.m., members of your target audience may still be at their primary jobs. Offering them interview times that correspond with the shifts you are trying to fill is a better way to get people in the door and decrease no-shows.
10. Select the Best Seasonal Workers With Sprockets
Last but not least, one of the best ways to attract and hire the ideal seasonal employees is by using Sprockets. It’s an AI-powered platform that uses the mental makeup of your best workers to evaluate incoming applicants, empowering you to make better hiring decisions and improve employee retention. You also get to bypass the fees that popular job sites typically charge with free job postings to Snagajob, ZipRecruiter, Adzuna, Upward, and more!
Sprockets is trusted by numerous business owners and operators, including Will Swan from Chick-fil-A: “We’ve seen a definite increase in the number of the good applicants we spend time interviewing and the confidence we feel when we are done interviewing.”
BONUS TIPS ON HOW TO RECRUIT SEASONAL EMPLOYEES
Write More Descriptive Job Descriptions
Job descriptions are the first thing a hiring manager reads when they’re looking for new talent. To make sure they’re getting the best responses possible, be sure to write clear and concise job descriptions. It may help to shadow employees who do the job day to day or even ask them to review the description before publishing it to a job board.
Use Tools to Help You Manage Applicants
Using a talent management system is a great solution to attracting and sourcing a large pool of talent in a short amount of time. Due to the seasonal landscape having such a short window, these tools are also great for getting seasonal employees trained and up to speed in a short amount of time.
Target Applicants Who Are Only Looking for Seasonal Work
Often, employers will cast a wide net when sourcing seasonal employees. Businesses, however, tend to see more success in attracting applicants if they can narrow down their sourcing into more targeted groups. For example, recently graduated college students could be a great group to target for seasonal work. The short-term commitment of seasonal work gives them more time to figure out what they want to do as they seek for a more long-term solution while they transition out of college.
Schedule a free demo today to start hiring the ideal seasonal workers for your business!