The holidays are here! Baking cookies, decorating the house, sending cards, dropping money into donation buckets for charities, cooking that big family meal, and of course buying gifts… Yikes, this is starting to sound expensive!

Seems like you might need to look at seasonal jobs to keep up with all the extra spending.

Here’s why seasonal or holiday jobs are great:

Make more money just when you might need it

November and December can be expensive months. The National Retail Federation expected most families in 2019 to spend more than $1,000 on the holidays.

As those bills are rolling in for boxes under the Christmas tree and tasty turkey dinners, it’s nice to know that you’ll have the extra money to comfortable cover your holiday costs.

More places hiring = more choices for you

Most bog-box retail stores beef up the number of people on their payroll during the holidays. Especially for Black Friday and the last-minute Christmas rush, you’ll see more jobs being posted by retail stores. In fact, many of them have already started hiring for the holidays!

Be aware that sometimes they continue hiring throughout December, so don’t feel as though it’s too late to apply. Of course, the sooner the better!

Fill in a gap in your resume

If you’ve been without a job for a while, either because of layoffs or because you just haven’t found the right fit, a seasonal job can help fill in the long gap on time that would otherwise be on your resume. It can show your new potential employer that you didn’t just sit around during that time… you actively had a job, learned some new skills or kept your skills sharp, and remained in the workforce.

Just be sure to note on your resume that the job was seasonal. That way the interviewer won’t wonder why it only lasted a couple of months.

Learn a new skill

What can you learn from a seasonal retail, food service, or delivery job? A lot! Besides learning the actual skills of how to perform the job and use the equipment, you’ll be learning something far more important… soft skills. These are the qualities that many employers look for, regardless if it’s an entry-level job or a high-paid corporate position. In fact, Forbes Magazine has actually said that EVERYONE should work a retail position at least once in their lives.

Get your foot in the door

If you’re looking to move up within a company’s ranks, a seasonal position could be a good place to start.

However, you’ll need to prove that you’re worth keeping around after the holidays!

Be sure to treat it not just as a seasonal job but as the start of what could be a new career.

Who knows, you might end up managing the store eventually! Be punctual, be eager to help, and treat customers and coworkers with kindness. It can go a long way towards staying on the payroll even after the new year.

Keep yourself busy and meet new people

You’ve probably been spending more time indoors and away from other people over the past several months. Places like supermarkets still need to be open… and they still need workers.

Having a part-time seasonal job during the holidays can help keep you busy during these dark winter months. The US Census Bureau says that now one-third of Americans are dealing with depression or anxiety.

If you are needing to get out of the house and can do so safely, working a part-time job can help ease your financial burden and also keep you connected with other people.

Seasonal jobs are just that… seasonal!

The quicker you apply for them, the better chance you have of snagging one. Start applying for local holiday jobs today.