Holiday Retail Job Hints Build Your Skills and Your Bank Account with a Holiday Retail Job

by Peter Vogt

MonsterTRAK Career Coach

With the holidays upon us, you may already be thinking about what you're going to do with all that extra time once your papers are complete and finals are over. If you're interested in using that time to earn some extra money and develop essential skills for your future career, a seasonal job in the retail sector might be the perfect gift to give yourself.

Each year, the US retail sector employs more than 20 million people, according to the National Retail Federation (NRF). During the holiday season, that number typically increases 3 to 4 percent as companies expand their workforces to meet consumer demand.

If a recent MonsterTRAK poll's results are any indication, many of those seasonal retail employees this year will be your fellow college students. Of the more than 2,600 students who participated in the poll, 81 percent said they'd be pursuing retail jobs during the upcoming holiday season.

Don't take such opportunities lightly, especially as they relate to your post-graduation future, says John Challenger, CEO of Challenger, Gray & Christmas, an international outplacement firm.

"College graduates entering the job market at retail often experience quick advancement to managerial positions and higher wages," Challenger says. "Early managerial experience will provide a career boost in future job interviews."

What sort of marketable skills can you expect to gain from a holiday retail job? Here are a few that employers consistently seek:

Customer Service

In almost every retail job, you'll be interacting with customers, whether they're shoppers or your own colleagues. If you can quickly, politely and honestly deal with their questions and concerns -- and, in some cases, their gripes and complaints -- you'll prove yourself to be someone employers can trust with their most precious asset: The people they serve.

Teamwork

Remember your grade school report card that included an entry called something like "works and plays well with others"? Employers know you have to get high scores in this category if you're going to succeed in their companies. One way you can prove it is to work in a seasonal retail job, particularly since you'll probably be interacting with coworkers who are quite diverse in terms of age, gender, and racial, ethnic and educational background.

Self-Motivation and Initiative

Employers frequently talk about interviewing job candidates who simply don't care about the position at hand or the organization as a whole. If you can demonstrate that you're ambitious and not afraid to work, you'll stand out. By taking on a seasonal retail job -- perhaps for several holiday seasons in a row -- you'll be able to look prospective employers in the eye and say, "I know how to work for a living, and here's proof."

Monster.com has a variety of resources you can use if you'd like to explore a holiday job in the retail sector. To start, check out Monster's Hourly and Skilled job listings.

No matter what future career you have planned, holiday retail experience will help prepare you for it. And the extra money you earn along the way will help pay for the education that will lead to your career.

© 2008 MonsterTRAK