The Top 3 Attributes to Look For in Seasonal Help

For many business leaders- seasonal hiring has arrived.

As I visited shops this weekend I came across countless 'now hiring' signs and stumbled upon many interviews taking place.

Seasonal hiring is always tricky. You want dependable employees who can take care of business during prime revenue building months but you must balance this high expectation with reasonable functionality for temporary hires.

So this challenge raises the question: what do you look for in a seasonal hire?

Here are 3 attributes to look for when hiring part-time, seasonal help.

1- They must be able to work at a fast pace.

During the interview, ask your candidate to give you an example of when they had to work fast, make quick decisions, or found themselves in a high stakes situation. Listen to their story. Ask them how they responded to these fast paced moments. Ask if they enjoy a quick environment or if they prefer a slower environment. This will help you decide if they are right for you.

2- Only hire people with great personality

A great personality doesn't have to mean the life of the party or the one always making conversation or loud and vocal. A great personality means the person is engaging, involved, and present. Great personality is always critical but even more so when you are hiring someone on a temporary basis who you have less impact on but who will have great impact on your business during possibly the most hectic time of year.

Measure how engaging they are during the interview. Take note on their responses. Are you having to dig information from them? More importantly, allow them to lead the interview. If you find yourself dominating the interview then one of two things is happening- you don't know how to interview or the candidate simply isn't engaging.

3- Hire only quick learners

The greatest challenge to seasonal hiring is you simply don't have the impact on these employees as you do regular employees. Because of this reality, their ability to learn quickly and take action immediately is crucial. You cannot afford to hire someone who doesn't take initiative or can't put into action what they learn in a moments notice.

During the interview, ask the candidate to share with you situations they've experienced when they had to put something into action quickly. Ask them how they prefer to learn. Give them a scenario and ask how they would take action within that scenario.

Hiring the right people is always critical to success. The right hire can create more business than you can measure. The wrong hire costs you greatly. This is magnified with seasonal hiring.

Be clear on who you need. Hire based on the ability to move fast, engage others, and learn quickly and you will have a seasonal team for the ages!