Top tips for successful seasonal recruitment

Seasonal staff recruitment covers a wide array of sectors, from agriculture to warehousing. 

If you’ve been wondering about how to effectively hire seasonal workers, then you’re in the right place. The key for effective seasonal recruitment is preparation – and by reading this you’ve already made a great start. 

How can you effectively hire seasonal staff? 

How to save time

We understand that your time is precious, particularly when you’re getting ready for a busy time of year. Reading through CVs, screening and interviewing candidates takes a lot of time – especially when you’re hiring a group of people at the same time. 

By using a third-party recruiter, you can save yourself time and find candidates that are willing to do the job. Our recruitment team are here to help support you. 

Cut your costs

Using recruitment services to help fulfil your seasonal hiring needs has also proven to be cost-effective for many businesses, no matter their size. For example, not every business has the physical capacity to conduct interviews with large groups of people coming in on the same day. While we can use our interview spaces to see and interview lots of candidates. So what might take you three or four days to do, our expert and friendly team can help sort your seasonal staffing needs over one or two days. 

Explore a wide pool of talent

When it comes to hiring seasonal staff, it’s important to look at a wide array of candidates. For instance, your initial idea might be to focus on students for temporary positions. However, older people can make fantastic seasonal employees. They might want to add to their pension income, or take on a new challenge during their retirement. 

Also, while students might work one season, an older candidate is more likely to come back and work with you again. We’ll explore more on the long-term relationships with seasonal workers later on. 

Plus, have you considered hiring people on probation? The Probation Service’s Education, Training and Employment programme can help candidates develop new skills, enter training courses and find work. By deciding to expand the depth of your talent pool, you can dive further in and work with people you may not have discovered otherwise. 

Focus on transferable skills

Your seasonal candidates might not have the desired experience in your industry, but they’ve got valuable skills that can easily transfer across.  

The National Careers Service provides a comprehensive list of soft skills, which you can look for from your candidates. Here are a few examples: 

• communicate and work with others 
• stay calm in stressful situations 
• time management 
• flexibility and being able to adapt 

Focusing on soft skills benefits you and the candidate – they can fill gaps on their CV and gain work experience in a different industry they haven’t worked in previously. You find candidates who are willing to learn new skills, while building on their existing ones. 

Value eagerness

Plus, remember that enthusiasm to do the work shouldn’t be overlooked.  A candidate might tick every box for experience and skills – but be checked out on their first day of the job due to the temporary nature of the work. Experience and training are important factors, but candidates who are eager to work make a world of difference. You want to hire someone who is willing and wanting. For instance, they can be flexible and be sure to fit your scheduling needs.  

It can be a lengthy process to find candidates that have the right skills you need, alongside be willing and wanting to do the job. We can find just the right candidates for your business. Again, saving you time and money with your seasonal hiring. 

Be honest

When hiring candidates for seasonal work, don’t make promises of full-time employment if you can’t fulfil this. While it may seem tempting to offer if lots of people are asking about it, it isn’t fair to the candidates in the long-term. From the start of their employment with you, you want to ensure you’re creating a loyal and trusting relationship. 

Why is creating a good relationship with your seasonal worker important? 

Maintain good relationships

While you may be thinking of seasonal hires in the short-term, ensuring good relationships with your candidates or recruiter can make a huge difference in the long-term. You’re developing loyalty and trust. So when you next need seasonal hires, you might not necessarily be starting from scratch all over again. Seasonal hiring isn’t necessarily a one off. 

Whether you’re looking into seasonal hiring or long-term candidates, we’re here to help with your recruitment needs. Contact our team today to find out how we can support you.