Hiring Seasonal Employees for Your Small Business

Summer, holidays, peak sales seasons—for some small businesses, seasonal workers play an important role in helping during key times.

Finding and hiring seasonal employees can be a challenge, but with the right approach you can successfully attract job seekers—and hopefully convince them to return next year.

What is a seasonal employee?

A seasonal employee is hired to work only for a specific time of year, typically the peak months for a business. Examples of seasonal jobs include agriculture work during harvest season, support staff at popular vacation spots and retail positions during the holiday season.

Creative ways to find employees for seasonal work

Hiring seasonal workers can be challenging for small businesses, so it's best to try a different strategy from those used to hire more permanent positions. You may start by considering who'd be the best fit for a seasonal position. Once you've identified a group of potential applicants, you can tailor the following recruiting efforts to attract them.

Connect with seasonal workers

Seasonal hiring practices should focus on job applicants with a preferred work schedule that matches your business needs. You may want to advertise using methods that will reach potential employees who may be a good fit for seasonal jobs, including:

• College and high school students on break
• Retirees who want to work for a limited time during the year
• Full-time workers looking to pick up extra money outside of their typical work schedule

Write a seasonal job description

A focused and clear job description will help set expectations about a seasonal job and increase the effectiveness of your hiring process. Try to include all relevant details in the job posting to ensure you attract workers who will be a good match.

• Clearly state the position as seasonal in the job title or description.
• Mention the length of the season or amount of time the employee can expect to be on the job.
• Describe job responsibilities and any training you'll offer, as well as any experience needed by the applicant.
• Include the pay rate and any hiring bonus.
• Define the desired number of hours per week.

Recruit for seasonal positions

Once the job description is complete, plan to post it in a variety of locations. Recruiting channels can include both online and offline sources, such as:

• Your company website
• Job posting websites, including those specializing in seasonal jobs
• Career centers or job boards at local colleges
• Employee referrals
• Employment agencies that place seasonal workers

Although the recruiting process for seasonal workers may be different from hiring full-time workers, you'll still want to make sure you're following applicable regulations from government agencies like the US Department of Labor and US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

Managing seasonal staff

Despite the temporary nature of a seasonal position, you'll want to strive to make the experience positive for both you and your employees. This can help improve employee retention and prevent new hires from leaving during your busiest time of year. You may also want to encourage some seasonal employees to consider transitioning to year-round positions.

Here are some steps you can take to manage seasonal staff.

• Develop employees' skills. Find ways to help seasonal workers benefit from the work and add to their resumes. Provide opportunities for them to learn new skills and possibly take on increased responsibilities or a more permanent role with your company in the future.
• Encourage networking. Don't keep seasonal employees in a silo. Consider hosting company-wide events to allow full-time, part-time and seasonal workers to bond and share experiences.
• Survey for input. Before seasonal workers leave, ask them to complete an employee satisfaction survey and offer suggestions on future improvements.
• Provide feedback. Be prepared to offer positive reinforcement and other feedback to seasonal staff. Set expectations at the start of their work assignment, and check in periodically to let them know how they're doing.

From hiring and training to delivering a final paycheck at the end of the season, creating a plan to manage seasonal employees can help ensure that both you and your staff benefit from the experience. If all goes well, you may even see the same applicants again next year—building an even more solid foundation for business success.