Holiday Employment Suggestions!

Dear Parent, 

With the holidays comes an extra special time for college students: winter break, which they see as their chance to relax, eat mom's food and sleep…in their “own bed”…until way past noon. 

Yeah, right. While this might be the luxury some college students can afford, a big chunk of them will need to get out and spend their days away from school in the workplace to earn money for the coming semester. 

The good thing about the timing of winter break is that it's when retailers are hiring in droves to help with the holiday shopping onslaught. If your son or daughter already works at a retail store near his or her college campus, it's likely that they can make a transfer to a local store if it's part of a national chain (especially if that chain has its college workload going home for the holidays, too). For other students, it might mean a weekend at home knocking on doors -- or storefronts -- or some time on the phone cold calling to see who's looking for seasonal help.

Hot spots to start: 

Malls: During the holidays, almost every store you pass has a sign in the window, and with extended hours, they need extended help.

Big Box Stores: We're talking places like Target and Best Buy, whose parking lots are gridlocked during the season. Gridlock means customers, which means extra help is needed, and it might not be just for ringing up sales. The stores need to be stocked and cleaned, which turns into extra holiday season jobs. 

Restaurants/catering: The party season is in full swing, and lots of places that feed our desire for food and drink need extra hands during the holidays, whether it's serving tables, bussing or valet parking cars. 

Temp agencies: Lots of people take vacation time during the holidays, which is great for the temp business. And with the speed at which most college kids type and their apparent skill on the phone, they should have enough office administrative assistant or receptionist qualifications to fill a temporary hole at any office.

Friends:  You may have friends who own a business that will need extra help over the holidays or friends that need a “nanny” while their elementary age kids are also on winter break. 

These are just a few suggestions!  Whatever your student may be interested in doing; they should plan ahead and begin their search before they come home for break so they have a better chance to get what they want!

Until next month…Best Wishes!