4 Mistakes to Avoid When Hiring Seasonal Help for Your Business

This year, U.S. businesses are expected to hire 410,000 seasonal workers, according to outplacement services firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas. So if you're in the process of adding workers to your staff, you're in good company. 

The stakes may be a little different when hiring seasonal employees as opposed to permanent, full-time workers. But you'll still want to avoid certain mistakes when hiring. Here are a few to try to steer clear of.

1. Lowering your standards because the job is only temporary

You may be inclined to take the attitude that it doesn't really matter who you hire for seasonal work as long as they have a pulse and can work the hours you need them to. But while you may not need to go through the exact same process to hire temporary workers as you would for full-timers, you should still aim to maintain certain standards.

Any employee you bring into the fold is someone who's going to represent your business. And it's your reputation on the line (not to mention your bank account). So if you have reason to suspect that a given applicant won't be patient with customers or treat them with respect, you're probably better off passing. Similarly, if a given applicant doesn't give you a lot of confidence in their ability to learn quickly, then you may want to pass there as well.

2. Not taking the time to train your new employees thoroughly

You may be eager to get your seasonal workers up and running as soon as possible -- especially if business is already quite busy. But if you rush through the human resources onboarding and training process, you may not get the output and performance out of your new hires as you want. 

It's hard to take time out of your schedule to train seasonal hires. But consider it an investment in your company's success during the holidays. And if you really can't take the time to do proper training, find an experienced full-time employee of yours and assign them that task.

3. Not being clear with your expectations

You may be in a rush to hire seasonal staff, to the point where you throw together a job description with minimal detail and hope for the best. That approach could hurt you.

If you're not clear about what you're looking for and what the demands of the job are, then one of two things might happen. You might either struggle to find applicants, or you might end up hiring people who wind up in over their heads.

It's not going to help you to hire someone who quits on you after a week because the job or schedule isn't what they expected it to be. So rather than run that risk, be specific every step of the way. Be clear about the hours, work, and pay involved so your candidates can determine whether it's a good fit for them.

4. Not being open to a longer-term employment arrangement

You might think you only need help for a limited period. But you never know if business will pick up during the holidays and stay that way well into January and beyond. 

When you talk to potential hires, you don't want to promise long-term employment when that's not what you're looking for. But also, leave that door open. Explain that if they end up doing a great job, you'll certainly keep them in mind for future opportunities, or opportunities that end up arising sooner than expected. 

If you're going to staff up for the holidays, it's important to do it right. Steering clear of these blunders could help you go about the hiring process more effectively and help ensure you wind up hiring people who serve your business well and end up adding to your profits.