If you want a Christmas casual job this year, now is the time to get your resume into shape.
What are the things you like doing and the stores you like visiting? An important consideration is whether you enjoy speaking to customers or not.
If you do, there’s a variety of casual retail and sales assistant roles available over the Christmas period.
If not, you might consider applying to do packing, online fulfilment, forklift operation, and any other behind-the-scenes role.
Christmas casual employers are looking for specific things, and your resumé should consider these. Help your resumé stand out by following these tips:
- Make sure your resumé is no longer than two pages.
- Mention your contact details on top so employers have quick access (many employers will call to assess communication skills over the phone).
- Put your availability near the top, mentioning the flexible hours/days you can work.
- In most cases, there is no need to mention the details of your course – the university and program name will suffice.
- If you have skills that are relevant to the job, mention these (for example, people skills, organisational skills and communication skills are crucial in most Christmas casual positions).
- Mention any leadership positions you might have held, including in school.
- State any previous casual jobs or volunteering roles you have had.
If you have ever held a retail or customer service job, make sure to mention skills such as point-of-sale handling, bagging and gift-wrapping.
Employers are looking for people who are flexible in their availability.
Be honest about your capacity but try to be as available as you can. We recommend listing full-day availability on the days you can work.
Also be reasonable about the time you’ll need for other commitments, such as study, internships and relaxation time. If you have a holiday planned, mention it in your application.
If you show your employer that you are right for the job, they will likely offer you a role and shifts even if your availability is slightly limited.
Here are a few places you can look for Christmas casual jobs:
Google ‘Christmas + casual + your location’ to get an idea of the Christmas casual roles nearby.
Type ‘Christmas casual’ on job search sites such as Seek, Indeed and Jora.
For smaller retailers and cafés, apply in person with a printed copy of your resumé. These places usually want to meet prospective employees in person.