Find a holiday job that doesn’t involve a cash register.
Frantic gift-givers. Desperate discount-hunters. Black Friday mobs. Ugh.
If you’re the kind of person who hates shopping in the holiday season, you definitely don’t want to work a seasonal retail job. Sure, holiday sales jobs are plentiful – most major retailers hire thousands of people every November and December. But you’re gonna need a lot of patience and fake smiles to deal with the holiday hordes.
If you need to find a temporary job this season, there are other opportunities out there beside retail jobs.
What do you think about these five seasonal jobs?
Driver jobs
The holidays are the time to move, move, move – if you’re a delivery driver. Packages are zooming from coast to coast as people order gifts online and mail them to far-flung nephews and grandkids. Companies like FedEx and UPS hire thousands of hardworking people for seasonal delivery driver jobs. But it’s just not shipping companies that hire seasonal drivers. Caterers, florists and even fuel oil companies need extra help this time of year.
Warehouse jobs
On the other end of the gift supply chain are seasonal warehouse workers. This holiday job usually pays well but is not for the lazy – you’ll need lots of energy and the strength to work on your feet for hours as you pick orders and pack boxes. Just keep telling yourself, “At least I’m not dealing with customers.”
Travel jobs
The holiday season is also the busiest for airlines, bus lines and cruise lines. Look for seasonal jobs as a baggage handler, station agent or ticket sales agent. You’ll need some smooth customer service skills for this job to help you handle frazzled families and stressed-out holiday travelers.
Resort jobs
If you’re lucky enough to live in a ski resort town, or you can pack your bags and move to Aspen for the winter, go! Ski resorts need people to fill all kinds of seasonal jobs in hotels, restaurants and on the slopes.
Tax preparer jobs
Looking for a seasonal job that starts after the holidays? Take a look at tax preparer seasonal jobs, which usually run January to May. You don’t need to be an accountant, or a math genius, to work as a tax preparer, although most companies require you to take a training course before you start. Tax preparation jobs involve entering clients’ data into a software program that crunches the numbers for you. Some companies offer commissions based on how many returns you file. If you’re good with computers and you pay attention to detail, this seasonal job’s for you.
