Holiday Jobs: "Are you hiring?"

A little thought can go a long way...

Have you ever noticed how early Christmas decorations are put up every year in the retail world? It happens right after Halloween. How early in the year do you think retailers plan for the holiday season? Definitely before Halloween. And, how early do you think they start hiring holiday help? EARLY. Keep this in mind if you plan on finding a seasonal job next year. There are still some holiday openings for this season (I've seen them) but most retailers have already hired.

When you visit a retailer to ask for an application there are techniques you can use that may actually get you a job. I'm working in the holiday portion of my bakery and people are still asking me if we're hiring for the holidays. My response? "As far as I know we're not hiring." None of these people bother to ask me if I'm the manager (which I am not), if they can speak with the manager, or for the manager's name and number. Do they assume I'm the manager? What if I was lying? What if we were still hiring? What if I was afraid someone was going to take my place? Why would I say we were hiring if I was afraid of losing my job? (FYI: I'm not lying and I'm not afraid of someone taking my place. However, there are plenty of people who would do this.)

Make sure you talk to the right person if you're looking for a job. Be professional and direct. If you want a job, then be serious about it. A few days ago a woman came into the store talking on her cell phone. When she saw me she told the person on the phone to hold on and asked me if we were hiring. (She didn't even take the phone off of her ear.) When I said, "As far as I know we're not hiring" she went right back to talking on the phone and left the store. If she can't even take the time to properly engage herself while asking for a job why would I ever believe that she would complete anything as an employee? Lesson to be learned: Don't do a half-ass job.