'Tis the Season for Holiday Hiring

'TIS THE SEASON FOR HOLIDAY HIRING WHAT EMPLOYERS PREDICT THIS YEAR WILL BRING Seasonal hiring is in full swing, and though employers expect to hire at similar levels this season as last, a year's time has brought more perks in pay and nearly one-third of employers planning to turn seasonal staff into full-time, permanent members of their team. Sales, customer service, shipping, and administrative support are all in top demand this holiday season - but that's not all: RETAIL AND HOSPITALITY OUTLOOK Nearly three in ten retailers I| O B EOI (29 percent) plan to have extra hands on deck around Dress Shop Dress Shop press Shop the holidays, a moderate AO A BON H decline from 2010. One-in-ten hospitality companies will add seasonal staff, the same as last year. WHERE SEASONAL HIRING IS HAPPENING MOST ACROSS ALL INDUSTRIES, POPULAR AREAS FOR RECRUITMENT THIS HOLIDAY SEASON INCLUDE: Customer service 30% Administrative/Clerical support 16% Shipping/Delivery 15% Technology 12% Inventory management 10% Non-retail sale 9% Accounting/Finance 8% Marketing 8% EMPLOYERS ARE KEEPING THE STATUS QUO FOR HOLIDAY HIRING AS ECONOMIC UNCERTAINTIES SHAKE CONSUMER CONFIDENCE." - Matt Ferguson, CEO of CareerBuilder CAUSE FOR CHEER: BETTER PAY COMPANIES ARE HIRING THE SAME, BUT PAYING MORE More than half of employers reported they will pay $10 or more per hour to seasonal staff, up from 48 percent last year. Fourteen percent will 53% 14% pay $16 or more, up from 9 percent last year. IT'S STILL OPEN SEASON FOR SEASONAL HIRING While holiday jobs fill up quickly, 33 percent of employers who Eleven percent said they may still be recruiting as late as December. NOVEMBĚR DECEMBER 33% are hiring seasonal staff 11% reported they are still recruiting for open positions in November. MAKING THE SEASONAL-TO-PERMANENT JUMP HOW CAN WORKERS TURNA SEASONAL GIG INTO A FULL-TIME, PERMANENT POSITION? To stand out as a candidate for a long-term opportunity, hiring managers recommended the following: 66% Provide above and beyond customer service. Offer help instead of waiting to be asked for it. 49% Let the employer know up front that you're interested in permanent employment. 30% 45% Proactively ask for more projects. of employers who are hiring seasonal help plan to transition some employees into full-time, permanent staff. 39% Ask thoughtful questions about the organization. 34% Present ideas on how to do something better or try something new. SNAGGING THE INTERVIEW - OR HITTING A SNAG? WHAT ARE THE BIGGEST TURNOFFS FOR EMPLOYERS WHEN INTERVIEWING FOR SEASONAL JOBS? 70% 63% 40% 36% 22% OFF Someone who is Someone who Someone who is Someone who Someone who shows unwilling to work certain hours. knows nothing up wearing clothes or merchandise from a competitor's store. isn't enthusiastic. more interested in the discount than about our anything else. company/products. careerbuilder This survey was conducted online within the U.S. by Harris Interactivee on behalf of CareerBuilder among 2,696 hiring managers and human resource professionals between August 16 and September 8, 2011.