Shop Early For Holiday Jobs

Holiday jobs may be difficult to find this year. Start early and be creative in your job search. Remember that employee discounts and free services are dollar-stretchers.

By Laura French, Star Tribune Sales and Marketing

Last update: October 30, 2009 - 3:24 PM

According to the Wall Street Journal, about 40 percent of retailers surveyed by the Hay Group expect to hire between 5 and 25 percent fewer temporary workers this holiday season. But there will still be 600,000 holiday jobs available nationwide. How can you maximize your holiday job-shopping opportunities?

Start By Making Your List

Think beyond the nearest shopping mall or big-box store. See if your favorite small dress shop, craft store or coffee shop will need seasonal help. Even if the pay isn't as good as what the big stores provide, you'll probably have an employee discount at a store where you'd spend money anyway.

Keep Checking It (More than Twice!)

After you think you've exhausted all the options, keep going. Garden shops are busy places at the holidays. So are packaging and shipping services. Temporary agencies may have clerical or other office work available as full-time workers take time off over the holidays.

Sit down with a pencil and paper - or, better still, with a friend - and brainstorm a list of your talents and abilities. Think about some interests you've always wanted to develop. Working in a camera store? How about a copy center, helping with holiday letters and cards?

If you don't get a job before Christmas, don't give up. Stores need replacement workers for the after-holiday sale season. The IRS and tax return companies start hiring in early January.

Think Outside the Job

If you believe in the saying "time is money," consider joining a time bank. Members earn hours by providing services, from piano lessons to minor home repair, and spend those hours instead of cash to get services provided by other members. For a list of Minnesota time banks, go to www.timebank.org.

Remember that many successful entrepreneurs got their start during economic hard times. The busy holidays are a time of peak demand for house sitting, child care and dog-walking. You undoubtedly have friends and neighbors who need their houses cleaned and may be willing to pay for help with decorating, holiday entertaining or errands. It's a great way to spice up your life with variety.

Get Rich Instantly.

A wise man once said, "To be grateful is to get rich instantly." Go to a site such as www.volunteermatch.org and find a worthwhile organization that needs your particular time and talents. The gratitude you receive will make you feel like a million!

Laura French is principal of Words Into Action, Inc., and is a freelance writer from Roseville.

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