If your seasonal employees are migrant workers, finding seasonal employees may be as easy as being the first person to the place where they live when they arrive. You also need to develop a reputation for being a good boss, having competitive pay, and not cheating employees out of their paycheck.
Most seasonal employees are not true migrants, but they are people who do not want to work all year. This may be retired people looking for extra year-end and Christmas money. They may be people who look for more income for a few weeks during the busy time of the year in retail stores. It might be students who want to work when school is not in session.
Start your quest for seasonal employees by defining the job that they are expected to perform Next, set the pay range for these workers. Finally, establish the limits on when the job will start and end. Temporary and seasonal employees want to know this information. Having it on hand from the beginning will increase your chances of hiring the people you need and want.
With the job description handy, make fliers or post ads in the local paper for the positions. You may want to consider going to nearby areas to advertise if you need several people. Make the information as exact as possible. This way when people apply, they will already be planning on accepting the job if it is offered.
Tell the applicants that you hire how many jobs openings remain. This will allow them to refer friends. If the applicant flow is to small, you can offer a bonus to people who refer a friend who actually shows up and works. Be careful not to make it too easy to earn the bonus. By this, it is a good idea to pay the bonus at the middle or end of the season after the referral has stayed with the job.
If you pay a rate slightly above the competition, you will generally get the better available employees. Try not to overwork a few people when hiring a couple of more warm bodies will make the job easier for everyone. You will want these employees to come back next season and refer friends to you as workers. Taking care of them now will help keep your work force solid in the future.
Do not overlook local high schools and colleges as places to advertise. Most of them have bulletin boards for job posting. Writing to local churches can net employees. In smaller communities, the chamber of commerce office may offer a job board. Many local communities have a public area on their website to post job opportunities.
Take advantage of every free advertising opportunity that is available. Talk to other people who hire seasonal people. Most of the time they will share what works for them. They may even be willing to refer their extra applicants to you.
