For many companies, hiring seasonal workers is an integral part of running a successful business. Your success relies on finding solid and reliable seasonal workers for the winter holiday rush, a dip in your full-time staff during summer vacation, or any other period in between. In this guide, you will learn how seasonal workers differ from other workers when it makes sense to hire temporary workers versus adding to your permanent staff, and the logistics behind it all. Keep reading to learn:
Who is considered a seasonal worker?
A seasonal worker is a person who is typically hired for a few weeks or months or less to assist during a particularly busy time. Often these seasonal peaks begin and end around the same time each year. For example, many retailers hire additional customer service representatives during the holiday season to handle the influx of consumer traffic.
Although many often think of seasonal workers as only necessary to handle the winter holiday rush, seasonal workers can also be incredibly valuable when you see more of your full-time staff taking a vacation like during the summer months. The common thread is that, because these hires are only required for a set period, many companies turn to temporary workers, freelancers, and/or contractors for these roles.
When does it make sense to hire seasonal workers?
The good news is that seasonal work is predictable, so you’ll be able to anticipate and plan for when you’ll need some additional help. Depending on your exact situation, there may be multiple times throughout the year when your business needs to hire seasonal staff.
One season where you can expect to rely on temporary workers in summer. Because many full-time workers decide to take time off during the summer months, your business may need to bring on additional help to maintain productivity during this time.
Beyond specific seasons, you can also predict when you’ll need to hire temporary workers during peak times within your industry. Take accounting firms, for example. When it comes to audit season, accounting firms often need additional support. Human resources is another good example of an industry relying on seasonal support. Companies often offer open enrollment during the end of the year, and an HR team may require seasonal workers to help answer the influx of questions about insurance options.
What employment laws apply to seasonal workers?
Because seasonal workers are temporary, you’ll need to be mindful that you classify them properly. Be sure you follow both federal and state guidelines, and if you’re unsure, it’s always best to double-check with an attorney who is knowledgeable about the rules and regulations.
How to hire seasonal workers
When it comes time to hire seasonal workers, you will want to streamline the search process. Finding a larger number of qualified workers in as little time as possible is often essential, in part because other companies may have the same hiring needs and be looking to staff up too. Keep reading to learn how you can discover the best seasonal workers for the job.
1. Develop a hiring process for seasonal workers
Because seasonal workers will be with your business for a shorter time than their traditional counterparts, you will want to develop a separate hiring process for seasonal workers. Although there may be some similarities to your full-time hiring process, there are some nuances you will want to keep in mind.
For one thing, you’ll want to post your seasonal jobs well before the rush. To handle a summer rush, a company may want to start the hiring process during the springtime. A general rule of thumb is to post the position(s) the season before the one you need additional hands. So, for an e-commerce company needing additional customer service support for the winter holidays, they would want to post the job at the beginning of fall.
Next, you will want to determine your exact needs before searching for potential candidates. Following along with the e-commerce example, the owners may have to decide whether or not to hire web developers so that their site runs smoothly, customer service representatives to handle customer relations, or both. Once they have determined their needs, the company is ready to post the job.
2. Create a job posting for seasonal roles
To start searching for the right pool of candidates, you will need to create a descriptive job posting. You will want to accurately describe the position offered so you attract the most qualified candidates.
When you create your job posting, there are a few ways to make it clear you are hiring for a seasonal role:
- Job title: Be sure to include “seasonal,” “part-time,” the exact length of time, or something similar.
- Job description: Typically, job descriptions that are clear and concise get the most responses. To find the right candidate for the seasonal position, indicate what level of expertise and specific skills you require for the role.
- Indicate visibility: Decide how much visibility you would like the job posting to have and look at whether or not there are ways in which you can amplify the post to get more applicants. You can also choose to amplify the position on your own through things like your social media channels.
- Pay rate: Be transparent in what the pay rate and method will be for your seasonal position.
3. Interview seasonal workers
When it comes to interviews for seasonal workers, the process probably won’t be quite as long as it is for year-round workers. Whereas you might ask candidates for full-time roles to participate in several rounds of interviews, you may ask applicants for seasonal jobs to take part in just one or two. Because you are likely hiring for multiple positions at a much faster pace, you may find it helpful to scale back your interview process.
The interview process can be streamlined a bit by putting together a concise list of questions that can quickly be answered by applicants. Some interview questions that help identify the best seasonal hires include:
- Have you ever worked in a position with seasonal rushes?
- Do you understand this role is not permanent?
- Why are you searching for a seasonal job?
- Do you have a flexible schedule?
- What is your availability?
- Are you familiar with our product/brand?
Aside from the interview questions above, you may also want to ask questions specific to the position. For example, if interviewing for a customer service representative, you can ask questions that help you learn more about prior customer service experience. Questions like, “How would you handle a customer complaint?” or “What comes to mind when you think of exceeding customer expectations?” Asking such questions is a great way to see if the candidate will excel in the role.
4. Onboard your new seasonal worker(s)
One of the best ways to ensure a smooth process for new hires is to establish a standard onboarding process. When seasonal workers join the team, they must fill out the correct forms before submitting them to the government. Contractors generally require a W-9, while workers require a W-4. If they are considered contractors, then you may need to send them a 1099 form.
Because you are hiring a larger amount of workers for a short amount of time, the seasonal hiring process doesn’t usually include the extended onboarding process used for full-time workers. You probably won’t have 90 days to onboard seasonal workers, for instance, so you will want to find ways to make your seasonal onboarding process as efficient as possible.
Some best practices when it comes to onboarding seasonal hires include:
- Train hiring managers: You want to be sure the team members working with the seasonal workers know what you expect of these temporary workers and respond to any questions or concerns. You also want to ensure managers relay what is expected of the temporary workers.
- Invest in the right tools: Because the onboarding process is much faster with seasonal workers, you’ll want to invest in the right tools to onboard temporary workers as quickly as possible. Upwork, for instance, allows you to set up payment directly through their platform so that you don’t need to add your freelance workers to a separate payment platform.
- Reward great work: When onboarding your seasonal workers, outline any rewards offered for high performance. For example, this could be the opportunity to work with the company again the following year (a retention benefit for you for high-performers) or a financial incentive if a seasonal project is completed early.
Best practices when recruiting great seasonal workers
When it comes time to finding seasonal workers, you’ll find there’s a lot of competition out there to hire the best. To make sure you source strong candidates, here are some best practices when it comes to recruiting seasonal workers.
Consider using platforms that can help with vetting and/or screening
To make seasonal hiring as efficient as possible, consider using a job platform that will help with screening. Upwork, for instance, is a working marketplace where you can post a job and get instant access to candidates’ portfolios and qualifications to quickly decide whether or not they’d be a good fit for your position.
Think about your long-term needs
Although likely most of your seasonal workers will be only short-term hires, you should think about the big picture. Whether it’s working with the seasonal worker again during the same time next year or potentially using them to fill a similar full-time position down the line, make sure to note which temporary workers were great to work with. If you found your workers through Upwork, we offer a way to save and favorite these workers so you can easily find them if you need help from them again.
Reevaluate your needs throughout the season
Check-in from time to time during the season to make sure you don’t need to hire any additional workers to take on your influx of work. Although you likely planned out your capacity needs in advance, if you lose workers because they weren’t a good fit, for instance, you’ll want to be sure you maintain the extra staff you need.
Get as much information as you can to seasonal workers before day one
Because these workers are only going to be with your company for a short amount of time, you want to prioritize your onboarding processes. Try and give them as much of the information they will need about your company and what their responsibilities will be early on, and anything else the worker might need to be successful with the position. This also includes filling out any forms that might be required.
Seasonal or not, focus on hiring great workers
Seasonal hiring doesn’t have to be a difficult task. Because you can typically predict your industry and company’s busy seasons, you’ll likely have ample time to prepare and find the best hires. Depending on the type of work you’re looking for, consider using Upwork to engage independent talent who can help you complete projects on an as-needed basis.
