As businesses gear up for the busy run-up to Christmas, many of them will be advertising seasonal job opportunities. These temporary jobs offer not only the chance to earn some additional cash, but also an excellent chance to gain experience and build up skills – all of which will help towards future job applications.

It may still only be November, but companies making the most of the Christmas season will be recruiting now, as December could be too late for their staffing needs.

Typically, retailers recruit additional staff to cope with the increase in the number of shoppers in the Christmas period.  Boots, John Lewis and Waterstones are just some employers who advertise Christmas vacancies on their websites.

Also, keep an eye out for job adverts in their shops or why not just ask in-store? In addition, you could check out general vacancy sites, like Retail Choice, which advertise lots of seasonal jobs in the sector.

Other sectors, which may recruit additional staff in the run-up to the Christmas period, are:

• the hospitality industry (hotels, restaurants and bars), which needs extra waiting and kitchen staff, reception and chamber staff to cope with an increase in festive customers
• the tourism and leisure industries, which may have to handle an increase in visitor numbers in an area, as well as residents visiting local attractions
• the Royal Mail and other courier services, which have to handle an increase in the volume of post (from individual members of the public and businesses, like mail order companies/online retailers).

Finally, visit general recruitment websites, which may advertise specific seasonal work. Here are just a few you might try.

• Interactive Careers Service
• Job is Job
• Total Jobs
• Fish 4 Jobs
• Find Extra Work  (with tips on how to earn extra money at Christmas).