More Retailers Hiring This Holiday Season, According to CareerBuilder's Annual Survey

CHICAGO, Oct. 16, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- CareerBuilder's annual survey finds that retailers will be stocking up on additional staff this holiday season.  Thirty-nine percent of retail hiring managers reported that they plan to hire seasonal workers this year, up from 36 percent last year and 29 percent in 2011.  Employers in information technology (18 percent), leisure and hospitality (16 percent) and financial services (16 percent) also plan to hire seasonal staff.  Half (51 percent) of employers hiring seasonal staff will pay $10 or more per hour.

The national survey was conducted online by Harris Interactive^© from August 13 to September 6, 2013, and included a representative sample of 2,099 hiring managers and human resource professionals across industries and company sizes.

"Seasonal employment is expected to be somewhat better than last year, and can lead to more than just extra income for workers," said Brent Rasmussen, president of CareerBuilder North America. "Nearly half (49 percent) of U.S. employers who are hiring seasonal workers plan to transition some into full-time, permanent staff.  This is up ten percentage points over last year and indicative of a growing trend where employers are test-driving candidates before committing to a long-term hire.  Seasonal work is a good way for job seekers to network, showcase their abilities and secure a permanent position in a variety of industries." 

Hot Areas for Seasonal Hiring
While people most often associate seasonal work with retail stores, there is also a wide range of opportunities in corporate settings as companies wrap up the year.  Popular positions companies will be recruiting for this holiday season include:

• Customer Service – 33 percent
• Shipping/Delivery – 18 percent
• Inventory Management – 17 percent
• Administrative/Clerical – 15 percent
• Sales (non-retail) – 12 percent
• Marketing – 9 percent
• Accounting/Finance – 6 percent

Workforce Segments Companies Are Targeting
Companies tend to hire who they know.  The vast majority of employers (67 percent) who hire seasonal staff said they typically re-hire some of the same people for holiday positions every year. 

The survey also shows that companies target certain workforce segments more often to fill seasonal roles.  Nearly half of employers said they tend to recruit a higher proportion of college students for holiday jobs while 17 percent hire more retirees. 

• College students – 45 percent
• Experienced workers who are not retired – 34 percent
• High school students – 23 percent
• Retirees – 17 percent

DOs and DON'Ts For Landing a Holiday Gig and Turning It Into a Permanent One

DO apply early. While some employers will hire seasonal employees in November (27 percent) and December (10 percent), the majority of employers stop accepting applications by the end of October. 

DO provide good customer service.  Fifty-nine percent of employers said proactively offering help instead of waiting to be asked for it is a great way to differentiate yourself. 

DO go above and beyond.  If you want the employer to consider you for a permanent job, two in five hiring managers recommended asking for more projects (46 percent) and offering up ideas (44 percent).

DO let the employer know your intentions.  More than half (53 percent) of employers said that you should let the hiring manager know up front that you are interested in a permanent role with the company.  It will set you apart from other candidates. 

DON'T come in unprepared.  One-third (33 percent) of employers tend to dismiss candidates who know nothing about their company or products.  Make sure to check out the company's Web site and recent news announcements. 

DON'T focus on the discount.  Thirty-nine percent of employers are turned off by candidates who seem more interested in the discount than the job opportunity.  Wait for the employer to bring up the discount if one is available.    

DON'T show up in a competing brand.  One of the biggest pet peeves for 18 percent of hiring managers is a candidate who comes to the interview wearing clothes or other merchandise from a competitor's store. 

To view job openings for this holiday season, check out CareerBuilder.com and WorkinRetail.com.

Survey Methodology
This survey was conducted online within the U.S. by Harris Interactive^© on behalf of CareerBuilder among 2,099 hiring managers and human resource professionals (employed full-time, not self-employed, non-government, with 131 working in the retail field) between August 13 and September 6, 2013 (percentages for some questions are based on a subset, based on their responses to certain questions). With a pure probability sample of 2,099, one could say with a 95 percent probability that the overall results have a sampling error of +/- 2.14 percentage points.  Sampling error for data from sub-samples is higher and varies. For full survey methodology, including weighting variables, please contact [email protected].

About CareerBuilder®
CareerBuilder is the global leader in human capital solutions, helping companies target and attract great talent. Its online career site, CareerBuilder.com®, is the largest in the United States with more than 24 million unique visitors and 1 million jobs. CareerBuilder works with the world's top employers, providing everything from labor market intelligence to talent management software and other recruitment solutions.  Owned by Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE:GCI), Tribune Company and The McClatchy Company (NYSE:MNI), CareerBuilder and its subsidiaries operate in the United States, Europe, South America, Canada and Asia. For more information, visit www.careerbuilder.com.

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SOURCE CareerBuilder