If you haven’t started drafting your holiday hiring gameplan yet, don’t fret. We’re here to help. We’ve combed the best advice that the internet has to offer, and combined it with our super awesome insider screening knowledge. The result? Five surefire ways to ensure you have a holly jolly holiday hiring season.

1.) Review last year’s hits and misses – Were last year’s seasonal workers a bunch of grinches? Or did you find yourself with an extraordinary set of elves? However the season played out, now’s the time to look back and examine your hiring process. How did you advertise, interview and select your candidates? Did you have any difficulties juggling their schedules? Were you adequately covered in the front and back of the house? Analyze the strengths and weaknesses of last year’s hiring process and the subsequent season and use that info to draft this year’s plan.

2.) Engage now to compete with the big boys – If you’re a mom-and-pop shop, you can’t afford to wait until you hang the mistletoe to hire your fill-ins. Big box stores and retail giants with more than 2,500 employees start their seasonal hiring process super early so if you want a healthy crop of applicants you better start looking soon. One of the best ways to do this is tapping into your local network. Who are your favorite and most loyal customers? Would they like to work for you? Do any of your current employees have a friend or family member looking for a seasonal gig? Who’s following you on social media? Would they like to take over your social media stuff so you can concentrate on in-store customer service?

3.) Partner with a background screening firm – Now is not the time to skimp on important on-boarding processes like background checks. Not only do you want to keep your workplace safe, but you want to follow all employment and compliance laws. Since it can be hard to keep up with the pace of hiring AND these HR processes, outsourcing your screening needs can provide you more time to deck the halls properly. Check out our extensive and affordable list of solutions now to secure your holiday staffing screening needs.

4.) Take a look at these employees – What you really need, and want, around the holidays are dynamic, short-term workers who will learn quickly, think on their feet, multitask, be flexible and sell, sell, sell! The best types of seasonal workers are: Moms, College Students, Wannabe Actors, Cops, Loyalists, and Retirees. Why? Check out this ActiveCare post for all the awesome reasons to hire these folks.

5.) Re-Verify Previous Hires – A lot can change in a year. Last year’s top-selling toy may now be in the clearance bin, and last year’s best employee may now be dealing with some sort of criminal case. You just don’t know what can happen. That’s why re-verifying seasonal employee’s background check results is hugely important before bringing them into the fold again. The catch is that YOU should be responsible for paying for the re-verification. The United States Tennis Association’s screening policy says the organization does this, in part, to continue its tradition of hiring honest, hard-working, loyal people who share the same values as they do. What a smart move!

The good news for employers is that holiday hiring background checks don’t have to break the bank AND you can have results within about 48 hours with Active Screening’s industry-leading solutions. Give our team members a call today so you can get your screening program up and running before the real rush of applications begins! 1-800-319-5580!!

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