When most of us are winding down for Christmas, indulging in festive foods and unwrapping presents, some workers are rushing around getting ready for their busiest time of year.
Event planners, turkey pluckers and gift wrappers all need extra help during the Yuletide season. And to give Santa a hand with present deliveries, Royal Mail takes on around 20,000 Christmas employees every year, while the other top five Christmas recruiters need more than 60,000 workers to help with the annual shopping spike.
This is good news for jobseekers, but how can you make sure you get your wish of a Christmas job this year? “During the festive season the odds are on the side of the jobseeker – there is an abundance of vacancies with most jobs coming on the market in October,” says Flora Lowther, marketing executive at Adzuna.
In your applications, “it’s worth emphasising any experience you have at managing multiple tasks and working through busy periods,” adds Lowther. This will make you particularly attractive to employers during the festive rush.
So, if you are looking for a seasonal job and need advice on getting through the application process – join us on Wednesday 21 October from 1–3pm BST for a live chat with the experts. We’ll be discussing:
- How to find and apply for Christmas temp jobs
- Tips on making a perfect cover letter and CV for a temporary role
- Using a Christmas job to boost your future career
The Q&A will take place in the comments section below this article. Taking part is easier than ever: create a free Guardian account, or log in using your Twitter or Facebook profiles to comment. Alternatively, you can tweet us @GuardianCareers or email your questions to charlotte.seager@theguardian.com, who can post them for you.
Comments are currently open and we welcome questions in advance.
Panel
Nadine Kemp works on the recruitment development team for the Royal Mail. Between June-January each year, Nadine is the project manager for Royal Mail’s Christmas Recruitment campaign, responsible for bringing over 20,000 people into the business to meet the seasonal work demand.
Tom Laws is a careers adviser working with the National Careers Service. He offers young people advice on employment and seasonal careers. He also represents the National Careers Service at school and college events nationwide, such as the Birmingham Skills Show.
Lis McGuire is an award-winning CV writer and the founder of Giraffe CVs. She shares job search tips on her blog and The CV Confidence Coach podcast series, helping jobseekers to optimise their career prospects over the festive season.
Jonathan Burston is the founder of Interview Expert Academy, a consultancy which helps individuals succeed at interviews. He has spent the last 20 years in senior and management roles and as a professional interview consultant.
Mike Powell is head of sales at CV-Library, and works closely with a variety of seasonal recruiters to find the best candidates for roles. He also regularly provides advice to job hunters on how to stand out in their job search.
Lydia Fairman is an HR and resourcing specialist, who owns HR and recruitment consultancy, Fairman Consulting. Lydia also offers free CV advice and interview guidance to help Christmas job seekers succeed.
Alex Townley is marketing manager for City Internships and manages the marketing function for City Careers. Townley has held senior positions in graduate recruitment for over four years and regularly advises students and graduates on how to find seasonal work.
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