圣誕求職宜早不宜遲

????對求職者來說，目前的人才市場開始越來越有“圣誕求職季”的味道了。玩具反斗城公司（Toys R Us）幾天前宣布，為了迎接圣誕，公司將招聘包括銷售員、玩具展示員和倉庫工人在內的45,000名新員工。梅西百貨（Macy's）則計劃為圣誕節招聘78,000名新員工，這一數字比去年增長了4%。根據芝加哥再就業行業巨頭挑戰者公司（Challenger Gray & Christmas）預測，在未來三個月內，季節性新增職位將達到620,000個。

????然而，這并不意味著其他零售商也將在圣誕節來臨之際增派大量人手。例如，在本年度7月31日截止的上一季度里，大型鞋類專營店DSW（Discount Shoe Warehouse )的銷售額呈現兩位數增長，但其舉措卻十分謹慎。該公司并未準備招收季節性員工，而是計劃在圣誕節期間安排現有員工加班。

????盡管用人單位對季節性招聘反應不一，但求職者的行動卻比往年要早。臨時工求職網站Snagajob的一項民意調查表明：近半數臨時工作求職者（45%）在八、九月份就開始找工作了，另有三分之一（33%）的人稱他們計劃在十月份就開始求職。

????Snagajob網站首席執行官肖恩?波伊爾說，行動較晚的求職者將會面臨一批強大的競爭者，他們擁有節日短期工作的經驗。在調查中受訪的約1,000名經理均表示，“53%的職位將提供給曾經合作過的假期臨時工，”波伊爾稱?！斑@一數字比去年高出八個百分點?！?/p>

????即便如此，“廣泛撒網”的策略還是會給求職者帶來更多假期臨時工的機會。

????“要牢牢記住，在圣誕節期間，不光是零售商，所有的公司都需要額外的人手。所以要多嘗試服務行業的公司、飯店、劇院和UPS這類物流公司，”波伊爾建議道?！巴瑫r，別忘了問問身邊的家人和朋友是否有合適的機會?！?/p>

????堅持總有回報?！傲闶蹣I的人員流動總是很頻繁，其員工離職率也是所有行業中最高的，”挑戰者公司首席執行官約翰?查林哲說?！耙苍S今天走進一家店，他們剛好沒有招人；而第二天再去，說不定就會有有人辭職，出現空缺?！?/p>

????那么，假日臨時工轉正成為長期雇員的可能性有多大？通過在Snagajob網站招聘假日臨時工的玩具反斗城公司表示，在所有的季節性工作中，有百分之十的職位會一直延續到元旦之后。

????“百分之十到十五對于所有圣誕節臨時工來說只是個平均數，”肖恩?波伊爾說?！耙霃囊幻R時工成功轉為正式員工，求職者應該在初次面試的時候就提出這一點。如果了解到你有這樣的意愿，公司就會提供一些機會，觀察和評估你是否適合他們的團隊；而對于沒有此意愿的員工，因為知道幾個星期以后他們就將離職，用人單位也就不會多此一舉了?！?/p>

????知道這些還不夠，最好把整個假日工期當成一次“試鏡，”他說道?！霸缛ネ須w，保持工作熱情，主動承擔別人不愿意做的工作和時段。作為新人，公司可能會安排你在夜間或周末上班，對于老員工不太樂意接受的排班，你要主動請纓?！?/p>

????令人鼓舞的消息是：盡管目前長期職位的競爭相當慘烈，但并不是所有的人都愿意在假日臨時性工作崗位上一直干到新年以后。

????“有些人做這份工作是為了貼補圣誕禮物的支出。他們只會去特定的商家求職，如果應聘成功，他們就可以享受員工待遇，按超低的折扣價買到心儀的商品，”波伊爾說道?！袄?，許多玩具反斗城的圣誕節臨時工都是為人父母的人，他們并不打算一直干到2012年以后。他們只是為孩子們著想，當一回稱職的‘圣誕老人’?！?/p>

????譯者：富來細特\汪皓

????It's beginning to look a little more like Christmas for jobseekers. Toys R Us will add about 45,000 salespeople, toy demonstrators, and warehouse workers for the holiday season, the company announced a few days ago. Macy's (M) plans to bring on 78,000 people for the holidays, a 4% increase over last year's holiday hiring. Altogether, predicts Chicago outplacement giant Challenger Gray & Christmas, seasonal payrolls will swell by about 620,000 over the next three months.

????That doesn't mean all retailers are bringing more hands on deck. Discount Shoe Warehouse (DSW), for instance, saw double-digit sales gains in the quarter ended July 31, but is nevertheless stepping cautiously. Rather than add seasonal workers, the company plans to ask its existing employees to put in more hours.

????With such a mixed outlook, applicants are starting their job hunts earlier than usual, says a new poll from hourly-worker job site Snagajob: Almost half (45%) of those hoping for a holiday gig began looking in August and September, while one-third (33%) said they'll start in October.

????Applicants off to a late start face stiffer competition this year from those who have held holiday jobs in the past, notes Snagajob CEO Shawn Boyer. The roughly 1,000 managers in the survey said that 53% of their temporary hires "will be people who worked for them in past holiday seasons and are coming back," says Boyer. "That's an eight-point increase over last year."

????Even so, casting a wide enough net can boost anyone's chances of landing a seasonal gig.

????"Keep in mind that all kinds of businesses, not just retailers, need extra help during the holidays. So try catering companies, restaurants, theatres, delivery services like UPS," Boyer suggests. "Don't forget to ask around among friends and family members."

????Persistence often pays off. "There is constant churn in the retail industry, which has one of the highest turnover rates of any business," says John Challenger, CEO of Challenger Gray. "You may walk into a store one day and they're not hiring. Walk in the next day, and someone has quit."

????How likely is a holiday job to turn into a permanent position? Toys R Us, which recruits many of its employees through Snagajob, says that about 10% of its seasonal hires stay on past January 1.

????"Ten to 15% is about the average for all seasonal employers," says Shawn Boyer. "If you want to be one of them, start by mentioning that in your first interview. If the company is aware that you're looking at this for the long term, it gives them a chance to evaluate you somewhat differently than they would someone who will be gone in a few weeks. They'll be watching, in part, to see how good a 'fit' you are with their permanent team."

????With that in mind, treat your seasonal job "like an audition," he says. "Get there early, stay late, be enthusiastic, and volunteer for duties nobody else wants and hours nobody else likes. As the newest person, you'll probably be asked to work nights and weekends anyway, so put your hand up for those unpopular shifts."

????One encouraging note: While the competition for permanent jobs is ferocious everywhere these days, not everyone who takes a holiday gig wants to stay on past New Year's.

????"Some people are only there to make extra money to spend on holiday gifts, and they will apply only to places where they want to shop, so they qualify for those great employee discounts," Boyer says. "Lots of the seasonal workers at Toys R Us, for example, are parents who aren't interested in working there in 2012. They just want to be great Santas."