What are the benefits of seasonal work for the job hunter?

Due to the influx of online orders as a result of Covid-19, more Christmas temp jobs were on offer than ever before, with services such as the Royal Mail more than doubling their temporary Christmas jobs to 33,000 extra staff members to make sure demands were met.

Seasonal work comes around every year when demand for workers is high – but what are the benefits of temporary work for the job hunter?

Depending on your circumstances, a seasonal job might be the perfect step in your career.

1. It’s a CV Builder

If you’re looking to fill some gaps after being out of work for a while, looking for a short-term solution whilst looking for your perfect role, or trying to develop particular skills, a seasonal job is the perfect opportunity for you to build your CV.

Don’t forget that even temporary jobs can still be used as references for the future!

2. Gets Your Foot in the Door

It’s not a guarantee, but if you’re still available to work when the temporary job is over, your employer may want you to continue in your role. If that isn’t a possibility, by making new contacts and expanding your circle at work, you’re increasing your chances of finding or being recommended for a job elsewhere.

3. You Can Test Drive a New Job (or Career)

A lot of people don’t consider this, but seasonal work can be a great opportunity to try out a new job or career without having to fully commit. If you love it, you can search for more work in that area, and if you don’t love it – you’re on a slightly clearer career path.

Seasonal work can be a great opportunity for people at any stage of their career, as we found out from speaking to Gemma Hopkins, a National Careers Service contracts manager in Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire: “We see a lot of people come to us in September and October time looking for work, where a temporary job over the seasonal period makes a lot of sense for them.

9 times out of 10, it’s a younger group of people seeking this type of work, often part of their first jobs. But we do see people who are looking for a stopgap during a career change or following a redundancy.

Seasonal work, especially in retail, gives the potential to gain valuable experience, showcase your skills to the employer and possibly secure a full-time position.”

If you'd like to speak to someone about seasonal work (or any type of work!), just drop us a message or give us a call and we'll have one of our advisors in touch.