The Christmas and New Year period is one of the busiest times of the year for retail, hospitality, logistics, and customer service. Hiring temporary staff helps your business meet that demand without burning out your permanent team. But the best seasonal candidates don’t stay available for long, so how you hire matters as much as when.
Here are four tips to help you get it right.
1. Plan ahead and know exactly what you need
Start with the basics. How many extra people do you need, and for which roles? What hours and shift patterns will they work? How long will they be with you? What training will they need before the rush starts?
Work backwards from your peak dates. Allow time to advertise, interview, make offers, complete right-to-work checks and train. The worse-case scenario is being in the thick of the busiest week with staff who aren’t ready to be relied on.
Put the details in your job ad as well. Seasonal jobseeker are often juggling study, other jobs or caring responsibilities, so clear information on pay, shift patterns, start and end dates, and location helps the right people apply quickly. Flexibility is a real draw, so say so if you offer it.
2. Make hiring fast and mobile-friendly
A drawn-out process loses good candidates to employers who move quicker. The aim is to stay fair and thorough while cutting our unnecessary steps.
- Make applying easy. Most jobseekers browse and apply on their phones. Keep your application short and test it on mobile.
- Screen smartly. A short phone or video call can save you a lot of time before anyone comes in. If you use an applicant tracking system or AI-assisted screening, treat it as a way to sort applications faster. Keep a person involved in every hiring decision.
- Communicate quickly. Text or messaging apps are often the fastest way to book interviews and confirm shifts. Keep candidates informed, even when the answer is no.
- Consider a recruitment evening. Invite shortlisted candidates to be assessed together by several interviewers. Set small groups a task or a realistic scenario, and you can see who thrives under pressure and decide on the spot.
- Replace second interviews where you can. A short skills assessment or trial shift can do the same job in less time.
3. Train and onboard properly
Festive trading is intense, and seasonal staff need to handle busy shifts, difficult customers and unexpected problems from day one. Training takes time, but staff who know what they’re doing are productive sooner and more confident.
Build a simple onboarding plan covering your systems, products or menu, health and safety, and who to ask for help. If you’re hiring in numbers, run group training sessions so everyone gets the same information. Pair new starters with experienced colleagues who can answer questions as they come up. A good welcome also makes people more likely to stay through the whole season.
4. Build a talent pool
Your seasonal team has already been sourced, trained and shown they can work in your business. Don’t let that investment disappear in January.
Stay in touch after the season ends. Let them know about permanent vacancies, and about summer work or weekend shifts that suit students. Ask them to refer friends, and rehiring someone who already knows your business saves time, money and training effort.
If you treat seasonal staff well, you’ll also build a reputation as a good employers. That makes it easier to attract people every time you hire.
Make this your best seasonal hiring year yet
A well-planned seasonal hiring strategy does more than fill shifts. It protects your customer experience, supports your permanent team and gives you a pipeline if talent for the year ahead. Plan early, move quickly, train well and keep in touch, and a busy season becomes a chance to show what your business is like to work for.
Ready to find your seasonal team? Get in touch to advertise your roles on Jobs.ie.
