A Guide to Submitting a Resume for Seasonal Work

As you set your sights on seasonal jobs that become available only once per year, your resume will have to cover more ground and gain more attention than most ordinary resumes, and it will need to do so in an accelerated period of time. Keep your focus sharp and your goals on track, and use this guide for submitting a resume for seasonal work.

Start early

As in right now. As in yesterday. If you’re looking for work for this year’s holiday season, don’t waste another minute. Start your search immediately. If you’re looking for work for the spring or summer of the year ahead, the same rule still applies. Don’t wait.

Keep it sleek and simple

Use a standard template and make minimal revisions for each employer you approach. Don’t try to rewrite your entire resume or cover letter as you turn your attention from one lab, clinic, warehouse or retail outlet to another. Stay in motion by making things easy for yourself. Just make sure you include the company name in each submission and spell it correctly.

Deliver in person

Submit your resume by email or use the instructions on the company website. In addition, actually go to the site in person to follow up and deliver a hard copy. Lots of seasonal hiring takes place fast, after a short and cursory selection process. If you wait for your resume to be pulled out of an inbox, you may wait too long. If you show up on location looking presentable and reliable, you might scoot to the front of the line.

Get to the heart of the matter

All resumes should be concise and to the point, but when it comes to building a resume for seasonal work, this is especially important. Skip the razzle dazzle and get to the substance of your message. Let your employers know that you’re available, ready and eager to work, and qualified. You can be trusted, and you don’t need extensive training or monitoring. Make these points clear, and you’ll help your employers to help you.

Submitting a resume for a seasonal job has slightly different rules than submitting one for a full time position. If your application is timely, suited to the position and presents you as a strong candidate, you’ll not only have a strong chance of landing the job—you’ll have a chance at future seasonal positions with the same organization.

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