How to land a seasonal job

How to land a seasonal job

Christmas is coming and the wallet’s looking thin. Sophie Cole advises on how to pick up some earnings through seasonal employment

As the festive period rolls towards us, you may be finding it tricky to balance your budget.

Even if you have little experience, employers may well take a chance on you for a seasonal role.  

With the prospect of gift shopping, Christmas markets and seasonal reunions with loved ones looming, you may wonder how your overdraft can cope.

One way to make sure you’ve got a bit of extra cash is to take on a seasonal role. Such jobs are ideal for students who don’t want the commitment of a year-round part-time role, or even full-time workers looking to boost their spending power in the run-up to the big day.

If you’re not sure what you need to do to secure a seasonal job, here are our foolproof tips to finding work – fast.

1. Polish your CV

Even if you have little experience, employers may well take a chance on you for a seasonal role. But competition from other jobseekers is often fierce, so a polished CV can give you the edge.

Your CV is a great tool to set you apart from other applicants, even if you’ve never been employed before. Tailor the content to the kinds of roles you’re applying for.

For example, if you’re scouting for a temporary retail role, highlight times when you stayed calm under pressure or went out of your way to help someone. Even if your only experiences are from school, college or uni, they’re still useful for boosting your CV.

2. Know where to look

While some industries (including retail and hospitality) are extremely busy just before Christmas, others, like landscaping and tourism, won’t be.

Make sure you’re searching in the right area, or you’ll quickly become disillusioned by the lack of opportunities.

Make sure you’re searching in the right area or you’ll quickly become disillusioned...  

3. Go large on events

No one wants to tie up every free moment in the lead-up to Christmas. You’ve got to have some social life, after all.

To find a job that doesn’t involve the same Saturday shift each week, sign yourself up with a hospitality company or recruitment agency that provides seasonal events staff. That’ll give you a bit of flexibility, meaning your mission to earn a few quid won’t impair your enjoyment of the festivities.

If you’ve previously spent time working in a restaurant or bar, you’ll be a very appealing prospect to an event or hospitality company. And even if you haven’t got relevant experience, the right attitude can go a long way.

4. Don’t forget other temping opportunities

Not keen on battling the crowds in a shop or restaurant to earn your Christmas cash? Temporary jobs can be found in all industries at this time of year, so don’t rule out a non-seasonal role.

Companies in all industries recruit year-round for temporary roles, with many needing extra pairs of hands during the Christmas/New Year period as new projects kick-off and permanent staff take holiday. There are always opportunities for hard-working individuals in a variety of sectors.

5. Start looking early

It may feel as if Christmas is a long way off, but you need to begin your search for seasonal work sooner rather than later.

Many companies, particularly retail stores and seasonal attractions that know they’re going to experience a huge rush come November, begin advertising seasonal roles as early as September. So you need to get your skates on if you’re to land the right opportunity.

Applying early will also put you at the front of the queue when it comes to particularly fun seasonal roles, like being an elf at Santa’s grotto. And who wouldn’t fancy getting paid to do that for a few weeks in December?

 

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Published: 20 October 2025
© Copyright Just Recruitment Group Ltd 2025

Jobs currently available

Part-Time Finance Manager
Sector: Accountancy, Banking and Finance
Salary: Competitive
Location: Sudbury
Role: Full Time
Contract: Permanent
Job ref: 913741
About the role

Just Recruitment is supporting a growing, sector-leading business in Sudbury that is looking for a Part-Time Finance Manager to join their team.

The key purpose of this role is to manage the Finance Department and to support senior management in all areas of finance and accounting, reporting directly to the MD and being responsible for an Accounts Assistant.

Key duties include:

  • Reconciling current accounts on SAGE.
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  • Loading purchase invoices onto SAGE and distributing them for approval.
  • Producing Balance of Accounts for Finance Meeting.
  • Reviewing the sales ledger and purchase ledger.
  • Compiling supplier invoices, reviewing and loading for payment via Bacs, updating SAGE and sending remittance advice.
  • Managing SAGE backups.
  • Reconciling all bank accounts against paper statements.
  • Loading credit card payments onto SAGE and reconciling against the paper statement.
  • Calculating commission figures for payroll.
  • Processing wages – gathering all timesheets and expenses, compiling and sending to an outsourced company, receiving documents and payslips back, loading Bacs payments and sending payslips and loading Journals onto SAGE.
  • Downloading monthly supplier invoices.
  • Creating monthly sales invoices.
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  • Compiling required documents for accountants at the financial year end, processing SAGE year-end end and communicating as necessary with accountants
  • Managing commercial and vehicle insurance. Reviewing current circumstances, reassessing cover and requirements, and supplying supporting documents.
  • All property management tasks with support from the Accounts Assistant.
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  • Communicating with and managing tenants when required.
  • Supporting other departments as required.

This is a part-time role - working 20 - 25 hours per week - this role is office-based, and the ideal candidate will be able to work Tuesdays and Thursdays, but hours can be flexible.

This is an excellent opportunity to join a lovely business, with a great ethos and a long-standing team.

 

Just Recruitment acts as an employment agency for permanent roles.
We are an equal opportunity employer and welcome applications from all suitable candidates.

 

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Sector: Engineering and Manufacturing
Salary: Competitive
Location: North West
Role: Full Time
Contract: Permanent
Job ref: 913740
About the role

Just Recruitment is working with a growing, industry-leading business seeking to add a Field Service Engineer to its team. This role will cover the North West region, including Manchester, Lancashire, and the surrounding areas.

The key purpose of this role is to be responsible for the installation, commissioning, service, repair, breakdown, and maintenance of the company’s range of capital equipment across a variety of environments in the North West.

Duties include:

  • Installation, commissioning, maintenance, and fault finding of a wide range of different manufactured and third‐party equipment.
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  • Provide feedback to customers on any issues raised during a commissioning, maintenance, or fault‐finding visit.

To be considered for this exciting role, you must be able to demonstrate a background working in a field service or technical support role, gained within a capital equipment environment. You should be qualified to a minimum of level 3 or above in electrical installation/engineering/maintenance or another relevant technical discipline with 3 years’ experience. Alternatively, a gold card electrician would be considered along with 2391 testing and inspection.

Applicants are welcome from a wide range of equipment backgrounds.

You must have impeccable customer service skills and a confident and professional manner in customer-facing environments.

Key requirements include:

  • Previous experience in performing in a technical field service team.
  • Clear and concise written and spoken communication skills.
  • Ability to present information in a structured and balanced way.
  • Good working knowledge of Word and Excel.
  • Ability to work as part of a team.
  • Positive ‘can‐do’ attitude.
  • Problem solver ‐ ability to engineer solutions on the job.
  • Ability to work and manage in a high‐pressure environment.
  • Work autonomously, taking initiative to resolve customer issues.
  • Willing to travel and work unsociable hours when needed.
  • Some overnight stays are required.

This is an excellent opportunity to join a world-class organisation.

You will be:

  • Joining a national team of Field Service personnel who take great pride in their work and who aim to build upon long-term relationships with customers.
  • Continually challenged as you are exposed to new technologies.
  • You will receive constant support and guidance from senior management, and your technical knowledge will be enhanced through training courses.

For those with the desire, there are opportunities to progress your career within the department and into the wider company.

In return, you will benefit from dedicated product training, recognised by the industry, which will run on an ongoing basis as new products are introduced. A generous remuneration package is also guaranteed, including a competitive salary, company healthcare package, contributory pension scheme, phone, and laptop, along with the opportunity to progress your career within a market-leading organisation.

 

Just Recruitment acts as an employment agency for permanent roles.
We are an equal opportunity employer and welcome applications from all suitable candidates.

 

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Electrical Maintenance Engineer
Sector: Engineering and Manufacturing
Salary: Discussed on application
Location: Tiverton, Devon
Role: Full Time
Contract: Permanent
Job ref: TB25
About the role

Just Recruitment is seeking a Maintenance Engineer for a company based in Tiverton, Devon.

You will need to have an electrical bias and ideally have experience in an industrial or manufacturing environment.

The key objective of this role is to support the efficient operation of production facilities.

This includes:

  • Conducting regular safety inspections.
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  • Experience with CNC machinery is essential as a significant part of the role involves performing preventative and reactive maintenance on CNC machinery, including diagnostics and repair of control systems (Fanuc, Siemens, Hurco), and overseeing calibrations.
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Qualifications:

An electrical engineering qualification such as City & Guilds, HNC/HND, or equivalent is essential.

Hours:

39 hour working week: Monday to Thursday, 7am - 4pm and Friday 7am - 12pm.

This role offers Excellent Benefits, including:

  • 25 days holiday per annum, plus bank holidays
  • Company contributions to pension.
  • Healthcare cashback scheme.
  • Free on-site parking.
  • Opportunities for overtime at a premium rate.

 

Just Recruitment acts as an employment agency for permanent roles.
We are an equal opportunity employer and welcome applications from all suitable candidates.

 

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Sector: Engineering and Manufacturing
Salary: Discussed on application
Location: Braintree, Essex
Role: Full Time
Contract: Permanent
Job ref: TB24
About the role

Just Recruitment is recruiting for a Material Process Technician for their client based in Braintree, Essex.

Preference will be given to candidates with a background in science, chemistry or materials.

Duties will involve:

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Just Recruitment acts as an employment agency for permanent roles.
We are an equal opportunity employer and welcome applications from all suitable candidates.

 

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Sector: Engineering and Manufacturing
Salary: £26,800 per annum
Location: Sudbury
Role: Full Time
Contract: Permanent
Job ref: 913737
About the role

Just Recruitment is working with a growing global organisation, based on the outskirts of Sudbury - they are looking for a skilled Production Operator to join their team.

You must be willing to learn new skills and to work in a state-of-the-art, purpose-built facility, including undertaking comprehensive training to enable you to take part in tasting panels. Full training on the use of specialist equipment will be provided.

Key duties in this role include:

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Skills required for this role:

  • The ability to follow written instructions and perform basic calculations
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  • Strong computer literacy – e.g. able to input data, confirm settings on machinery and produce reports with training
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Working hours for this role are:

3 Rotating Shifts (14.00 – 22.00; 06.00 – 14.00; 22.00 – 06.00; Monday – Friday, rotating weekly)

Free parking is available onsite and due to the company location, you must have access to your own transport.

 

Just Recruitment acts as an employment agency for permanent roles.
The salary advertised is the bracket available for this position. The actual salary paid will be dependent on your level of experience, qualifications and skill set.
We are an equal opportunity employer and welcome applications from all suitable candidates.

 

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