As the summer heat finally starts to fizzle, keen entrepreneurs are revving up for a happening holiday season.  The whirl wind of the holidays takes all of our schedules by storm, which is why now is the perfect time to start planning and preparing for the busy months ahead.

With increased shoppers and raring competition, your business could be greatly served by some extra sets of hands in the form of holiday staff.  Temporarily hired strictly for the holiday season, you’ll want people that are personable and efficient, reliable and quick, capable and willing to go the extra mile.

But how do you find them?  Just implement these four tips and watch as the magic of the holidays translates over into a fantastic seasonal staff.

Details, Details, Details

Considering that this is a temporary, time-constricted hire, you’ll want to make the process of finding the right person (or people) as seamless as possible.  In an effort to do so, be sure to post a detailed job description that lays everything out on the table.

Don’t forget to mention if certain physical requirements will be necessary (for example, lifting boxes).  Emphasize odd hours (like night shifts) and detail the payment process.  The more specific your ad, the more streamlined your selection will be, so make an effort to be as clear as possible about the job(s) at hand.

Personality Please

Holiday time can easily become a stressful time for business owners and customers alike. Still as a savvy business owner, you’ll aim to melt customer’s stress away with exceptional customer service.

While the former bit of advice asked to you to list job requirements in simple black and white, don’t forget about the necessity of added sparkle.  A seasonal employee with a great personality can make all the difference, so be sure to emphasize and interview for top customer service traits (like communicative, friendly and personable) as well.

Take the time to figure out a deal-breaker for certain personalities and list it.  For example, “If you don’t like making small talk with people, and have a hard time being patient and helpful while others’ teeter on a decision, then this isn’t the job for you!”

Consider an Open Interview

The beauty about the holiday season is that’s its both fast paced and bountiful, so why shouldn’t your interview process be structured the same way?  Consider hosting an open interview where you can meet multiple candidates within two windows (for example 6pm-8pm on Friday and 8am-10am on Saturday).

To make the process easier, require interested parties to RSVP to a designated email (which should automatically reply with the interview location and details).  This method will give you an idea of how many interviews to expect and it will get all candidates contact’s electronically on your server.

Have a questioner ready so you can streamline the interview process (and give candidates something to do while they wait).  Also, keep a private “yes,” “no,” and “maybe” resume filing system going to make the follow-up steps of hiring that much easier.

Cover All of Your Bases

The holiday season packs some pressure, you need to know that you can rely and trust in the additional staff that you’re bringing on.  For this reason, be sure to request and check up on all references.

Also, make sure all of your moves are legally sound.  Check with your local state employment department for any necessary forms that need to be filed for temporary staff.  With these methods in place you can leave the holiday hiring headaches out in the cold.

 What tips do you have for hiring extra holiday help?