It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Well, at least it is supposed to be!
When we think of holidays usually a time for rest and fun comes to mind, you may imagine a beach, or snowy mountains, city adventures or adventures in the wild, but sooner or later you come to the realisation that in order to pay what the future requires of you, you will have to work on your holidays.
You may be in this position to pay for college, travel, or may you just want to take the opportunity to save up for something special. Whatever the reason for you to work during the holidays is, this doesn’t have to be a tedious and draining season, but instead you can make the most out of it financially and have fun at the same time.
But before you start working, you will have to find a job that pays the amount that you need and hopefully ends up being convenient in most ways. So here are some tips for job hunting during the Holiday season.
Have a goal
“You hit what you aim at, and if you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time” Zig Ziglar
It is understandable that sometimes desperate times call for desperate measures. You may be thinking that any job is fine as long as it helps you earn some money, on the other hand, it is this mentality what normally gives room to underpaid jobs and poor employee treatment.
Without being arrogant and still having in mind that you need a job, keep it on your mind that you have something to offer, write it down along with what you would like to earn, or at least the minimum that you are willing to earn, the hours that you would like to work and the environment that you would like to work at or the tasks that you would like to do.
All these specifics will help as a standard or guide of what time of job you will look for. Remember that the fact that you are working during the holiday season doesn’t make you less valuable or worthy of a poor treatment or payment.
Work Smart, Not Hard
Know your capacity and be smart about when and where you look for an available position.
Are there any qualifications you possess that may make it easier for you to get a certain job? Do you speak different languages? Are you good at sports? It is good to know what you have available to bring to the table so you can work from your strengths.
Think like a tourist
Change shoes for a minute and take the time to think what would you do in your city/town if you were on holidays, would you visit certain entertainment centres? Would you play sports or maybe watch a movie? Would you go to historic sites? What stores would you visit? What restaurants?
The benefits of doing this is that it will make it very obvious which type of stores, places and businesses will be busy and in need of staff during the holiday season.
Read the season
Place yourself in the season when the holidays take place, is it winter? is it summer? are you working during the Christmas season? or are you working during school holidays? This will also determine the type of job that will be easier to find and you might even be able to choose between different options.
It might be a good time for babysitting, or maybe working at a christmas store, what about a water park? Or a winter sports park? If you are attentive there is a world of possibilities that you could choose from.
Be creative
Not everything has to be boring and tedious, it all depends on your creativity to find a great holiday job! Have you thought of working at a cruise ship? This will give you the opportunity to work and earn good money while you travel and enjoy the ocean and a bit of rest.
Working holiday visas are also available in many countries around the world, this might be your opportunity to travel around the globe, meet people , get in contact with different cultures and earn money at the same time! Is there anything better than that?
If you prefer to work locally, why not find a job that allows you to get experience, fun and make friends instead than just providing you the money you need?
Be reasonable
Even though you might think that you are unstoppable and have a plan of working 50+ hours a week, you need to be aware of or at least remind yourself that you are also human. You might not be having “holidays” as the name suggests it , but at the same time rest is needed in the midst of all the effort you are doing.
It might be good to plan at least a day off a week so that you can re-charge and have a down time before you jump back to work.
Reward yourself
Working during holidays season requires discipline, commitment and a strong will. Make sure that you reward yourself for taking the time to be responsible and save up for future plans. Don’t get discouraged when seeing other people enjoying their days off, and remind yourself that after this season you might have the car, the college, the house, the trip or the items you worked so hard for!
So congratulations for deciding to work during your holidays, get ready for the good and great days ahead of you and cheer up! In the end every single hour will be more than worth it!
