Festive seasons and demand for staff. What you need to know.
Over the festive period, many companies choose to take on more employees to help them cope with the added demand at this time of year. Many people choose to go for these roles as a way of getting some extra money to pay for the holiday season, however if you know that you have been looking for a permanent job then you may wonder whether there is any way that you can remain in your seasonal role. In fact, many employees either keep seasonal recruits, or hire them for positions at a later date, so there are things that you can do to improve your chances – and we have put together a few suggestions that should help.
Learn about the company, and how they work
If you want to work for a certain company in the long term, you will need to know as much as possible about how they work, what their values are, and what their long term objectives are. Getting this information helps you to learn how you can fit in with the team. A good tip here is to talk to employees who have been at the company for a while, as they should be able to guide you towards learning the key information that you need.
Always give the best possible impression of yourself
Many seasonal employees take the attitude that if they only have a short term role within a company, it doesn’t really matter how they act. However, attitude is everything, and the way you perform will be a key deciding factor of whether you gain a permanent contract or not. You should always be punctual and enthusiastic, and show respect for managers, making sure you do everything required within your job role to the highest of standards. Giving the impression that you are a hard worker means you would be an asset to the company, and they may choose to keep you on.
Stay in contact with your management
If you keep your head down and just get the work done then you almost certainly won’t get noticed. However, if you take the time to chat to your manager to keep them updated about what you have achieved, you should find that this helps a lot, as you will be at the front of their mind whenever they are thinking about who they may wish to hire. It is also important that you let them know you would be interested in staying on after the festive period – as they may assume that you simply wish to leave at the end of your seasonal contract.
Use your skills as often as you can
Although you will have been hired to carry out one specific job in your seasonal role, that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t use your skills to the advantage of the company if the opportunity presents itself. Using your initiative can be a really great way of getting noticed, and it can also help managers to see that you have a greater amount of potential to work in other roles within the company. If you feel that you have any ideas that could be of benefit to the company it is important that you speak out about them, as this could get you the attention of exactly the right people, and give you a better chance of retaining your role, or even gaining a promotion.
Apply for jobs when the opportunity arises
If you wait until your seasonal contract is over before you apply for jobs within the company then you may find that you don’t have as much of a chance – so applying for internal vacancies could be a great option. When your seasonal position ends, you will no longer be able to see all of the external vacancies that are available, so you should make the most of these while you can. Showing a keenness to remain in the company will play to your advantage.
While you may think that seasonal work is only good for certain times of the year, there is no doubt that there are plus points to taking the steps above with regards to trying to secure a permanent position. Persistence is often key, and if you ensure that you do the best possible job at all times, you should find that this works in your favour.