Why Students Should Be Getting A Temp Job This Christmas

Ah, Christmas! A time for loving, giving and… working shifts down your local drugstore?

Every year, businesses across the UK struggle to meet the Christmas rush, hiring temporary staff to stop up the gaps. While Christmas temping might not sound like the sexiest of propositions, it could well be the best thing you do for yourself this year.

 

Even discounting financial reward, getting some holiday seasonal work could be your ticket to the big time. Here’s how.

 

Oh, grow up!

Think self-discovery is something you do at full moon parties in Thailand? Get a grip.

Most students have no idea what the real world is like. They think that twenty contact hours a week is a hard slog and three essays a term constitute abuse of power. The truth, however, is simple: until you’ve work a full week come rain or shine on a non-optional basis, you can’t call yourself a grown-up.

Take a scary step towards adulthood and discover the real world. Get a job – even a temporary one.

 

Supercharge your holiday

“Get a job? But I have exams in January!”

Big whoop. There’s a famous gnome: “If you want something done, ask a busy person.” Well, it’s backed by science. According to a study by the University of Columbia, having more to do makes you – paradoxically – more likely to get things done. Apparently, ‘being busy increases motivation and reduces the time it takes to complete tasks for which people miss a deadline.’ Who’d a thunk it?

It’s possible that the best thing you could do for your holiday revision is to ensure you’ve got more to do than stare equations. Why not choose some temp work?

 

Indulge future You

Getting a job is hard, especially for graduates. Why? Because most of them have zero work experience.

According to a 2017 graduate job market report: “Over a third of recruiters who took part in the research repeated their warnings from previous years – that graduates who have had no previous work experience at all are unlikely to be successful during the selection process and have little or no chance of receiving a job offer for their organisations’ graduate programmes.”

Temping over Christmas may seem a like a drag, but it’s not half as bad as being one of the thousands of unemployed graduates scrabbling for jobs come September. Send future You a Christmas present; get some experience under your belt.

 

Be a big dog…

… or at least work for one. One of the best things you can do for your CV is to get a big name on there. Fortunately, all the biggest companies require seasonal workers, from Harrods to M&S to Royal Mail – and not just on the shop floor!

Want your CV to stand out? Check out the temp positions available at the UK’s major companies.

 

Get Christmassy with it

Sure, Christmas is a time for festive cheer and family. But after your fourth round of eggnog and fifteenth carol at the piano, you may find yourself desperate for company that’s not your sister’s toddler. Holidays can get boring, especially at this insular time of year.

Numerous studies show that working is good for mental health, and this holds true for those between terms at university. Getting out and about, even in a work capacity, will add some rhythm to your break. Besides, what could be more festive than broadening your social circle beyond your usual uni crowd?

New friends, a banging CV and some cash in the bank to boot? Now that’s what we call a productive Christmas.

 

Susanna Quirke writes for Inspiring Interns, a recruitment agency specialising in all the internships and graduate jobs London has to offer.