Seasonal jobs are a great way for college students to make extra money, gain experience, or volunteer at a local agency. People often have the misconception that seasonal jobs are only available during the holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s. Although the majority are open around the holidays, seasonal jobs are available year round and in different areas. The thing to keep in mind is the flexibility they offer since they are mostly part-time and fit different schedules.
Most seasonal jobs will be during the summer and winter months. If you’re looking for a job during those times, the best time to start looking is the fall for winter positions and the spring for summer positions. If you’re looking for something in retail, you may try to look in places such as Macy’s, Target, Walmart, or any other store that may be of interest to you. A few places you may want to look for jobs online is on the Starr Search platform, Indeed.com, Linkup.com, and Simplyhired.com. In addition, most major employers have applications to fill out on their own websites.
Though most seasonal positions are in retail, there is a wide range of open jobs in different industries. Transportation and tourism, tax firms, and ski resorts are other seasonal employers due to their “busier” season during the year. If you’re looking to gain experience, you may also want to look for a summer or winter internship or volunteer at a local agency. If you’re looking to volunteer, you may want to search places such as Idealist.org, Volunteermatch.org, Nycservice.org, or government agencies. You could also look to build your professional network via informational interviews with professors or Baruch alumni to gain a better understanding on which industries to enter.
All of these are great opportunities that give you valuable real-life experience, extra money, and skills to put on your resume. In addition, keep in mind that these are temporary positions which may become permanent depending on your performance. So work hard and always make a good impression. Good luck with your seasonal job search!