How festive season can deliver gift of employment to savvy workers
Getting a Christmas casual gig can be a fast-track to a permanent job in the new year for workers who ‘play their cards right’. See how you can do it.
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The traditional holiday recruitment slowdown has already started but there are still plenty of Christmas casual jobs that could lead to ongoing employment opportunities in the new year.
Career coach Jane Jackson, founder of The Careers Academy, says hiring for permanent positions will not ramp up until after Australia Day and, until then, casual jobs offer the “path of least resistance’’ to finding work.
She says Christmas jobs are often dismissed by jobseekers wanting longer-term employment or something more aligned to their interests or expertise but believes they can open doors to rewarding and ongoing work.
“You can turn your Christmas role into a permanent, full-time role if you play your cards right,’’ she says.
How to make it work
Wherever possible, recruiters prefer to hire a “known entity’’, meaning those who have worked for a company in a casual position may be more likely to win a permanent role in the future, Jackson says.
Casual workers also have access to internal job boards, where they can learn about vacancies that may not otherwise be advertised, and internal email systems, to directly contact hiring managers within other departments to express interest in roles that are better suited to their skill-set that may arise later.
“Say you take a casual role in the retail sector but you have marketing expertise … you can find out who the key players are that you need to get in front of for a marketing role (within the company) and reach out to them and get on their radar,’’ Jackson says.
“Working in your casual role puts you in a strong position to expand your network within that company so that by the time the casual role and Christmas is complete you are a known entity.
“And once you are known, when you reach out for a different role within that company, it’s more likely you will secure the interview.’’
Go above and beyond
Jackson says the key to converting casual work into something permanent is to put in as much effort as possible.
“Treat it as a permanent job and go above and beyond by volunteering to take on additional responsibilities,’’ she says.
“If there’s an area of expertise that you can help with, offer to do so – that way you get on the radar of those people (hiring managers within other departments) too.
“If you’re seen as a proactive, solutions-focused person then you are going to start to get noticed for more than just that temporary role you have taken on.’’
No experience necessary
Kym Coventry, chief operating officer at Australian United Retailers, which has thousands of Christmas jobs on offer, including at its FoodWorks supermarkets, says there is plenty of opportunity for casual employees to secure ongoing work.
“It doesn’t matter if you don’t have experience as our stores are excited to teach the skills required for staff who want to join the industry,’’ he says.
“Many current FoodWorks employees were given their start as Christmas casual employees in previous years and now have ongoing roles or have stepped up into leadership positions.’’
Foot in the door
It took just three months for Jai Penny to turn a casual job into a permanent role.
The 22-year old started as a Christmas casual at his local FoodWorks supermarket last November. By January, he had been offered full-time work.
“It (the Christmas job) gave me a foot in the door and an opportunity to show the store manager how keen I was to take on new responsibilities and land a long-term position,’’ Penny says.
“This led to me being offered a permanent full-time position after only a few months and now I’m excited to see where my career can take me.
“In the past year, FoodWorks has invested in on-the-job training to upskill me for other positions, including front-end customer service and checkout roles, so there is a great variety of things to do.’’
Before accepting the role as produce assistant at FoodWorks in Apollo Bay, a seasonal town on Victoria’s Great Ocean Road, Penny had worked as a cleaner on residential building sites.
He believes Christmas jobs provide a good opportunity to establish or change careers.
“There’s great jobs on offer for people who want to find their new career – they just need to show they’re willing to go the extra mile to help their customers,’’ he says.
Tips to go from Christmas casual to permanent employee:
Appearance – Your appearance is the first thing a potential employer notices when meeting you. “When you present yourself in your Christmas casual role, make sure you are always presenting as professional as possible,’’ says Jane Jackson. “However everyone else is dressing, dress one notch above because it shows you care.’’
Personality – Companies want employees that are optimistic, have a friendly personality and a can-do attitude. “Your interviewer will be watching how you interact with others,’’ says Kym Coventry.
Willingness to learn – Be prepared to put your hand up for a variety of roles and show you’re willing to learn. “It’s helpful to have a few examples (at the job interview) of times you’ve been able to ask the right questions and learn new skills quickly,’’ Coventry says.
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Originally published as How festive season can deliver gift of employment to savvy workers
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