I know plenty of people who like to pick up seasonal jobs. While there are a few jobs that are season-specific, the term has come to mostly refer to those retail jobs that open up just as the Christmas shopping season starts. These jobs can be great: they’re generally timed not to interfere with your job or studies — or whatever else you do throughout the rest of the year. They can also offer a nice supplement to your income, just in time for the holidays. And sometimes, depending on where you’re working, you can even get an employee’s discount (which can make your holiday shopping that much easier).

If you are interested in looking for seasonal work this year, though, you need to start looking today. Most employers try to hire for the holiday season well before Thanksgiving: they want even their temporary employees well trained for the Black Friday sales. That means that they’re advertising now, and may have even started the actual hiring process. There also seems to be slightly fewer jobs advertised this year (and more applicants for those remaining) than in years past — a fact which is probably due to the current state of the economy.

Many employers list seasonal jobs in much the same way that they advertise for permanent jobs: classified ads (both print and on websites like Craigslist) and through job sites. A few hire through temp agencies, as well. I’ve found it very worthwhile to call up a couple of temp agencies in my area and ask them to keep me in mind if they get any seasonal work in — most will ask you to complete an application and some will require additional paperwork, like a short test to prove math proficiency. I’ve also answered ads online and through the newspaper.

You’ll need a resume for most of these jobs, although employers are not necessarily looking for highly skilled workers: instead they want to see that you’re responsible and you’ll stick with them until after Christmas. You might also be asked for references.

Once you’ve found (and hopefully landed) a seasonal job, you’ll probably need to negotiate a schedule with your new employer. In addition to making sure that your first job, school, etc. take priority in your shchedule, make sure that you’ve got a little down time planned as well: I’ve made the mistake of taking on every hour that I could squeeze into my schedule. The money was certainly nice, but only the fact that it was short-term employment kept me going. I felt like sleeping for a week when I finally finished.

You don’t have to wait for the holiday season to pick up seasonal work next year. There are plenty of summer seasonal jobs, if you know what you’re looking for. Many summer camps hire seasonal workers, as well as landscapers and other companies whose business picks up in the warm weather. Most of these jobs are pitched as perfect for students, because they have less flexible schedules than the retail jobs that open up before Christmas. They can be found in the same ways as winter work, however.

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