What is a seasonal associate and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Meegan Feori Ph.D.

A seasonal associate works temporarily during peak retail seasons. They assist with stocking shelves, handling transactions, and providing product information. They may also help with store displays and promotions. Seasonal associates are hired to meet the increased demand for goods and services during busy or holiday periods. They often work on a part-time or temporary basis. The role requires communication skills, attention to detail, and working in a fast-paced environment.

What general advice would you give to a seasonal associate?

Meegan Feori Ph.D.

Associate Professor, San Diego Mesa College

Consider your career in terms of what you are willing to do right now to support yourself and be self-sufficient. During the last recession, I was underemployed, working as a part-time pool lifeguard and making funnel cakes at a local amusement park. Not ideal, but with my funds running low, it was necessary. A third part-time position I had, updating apparel tech packs, did pave my way to a full-time job in the fashion industry. So hustle and be flexible. Also, take time to consider what you can do to create opportunities for yourself. This could include an internship, volunteering, taking a warehouse position at a fashion brand, or completing a class that interests you. The best advice I was ever given was to keep pursuing your goals and accept that what you will be doing in ten years will be better than you ever imagined. The advice came true for me, and I think it will be true for you as well.

ScoreSeasonal AssociateUS Average

Salary

2.4

Avg. Salary $31,132

Avg. Salary $59,228

Diversity

6.9

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.55%

Asian 7.28%

Black or African American 9.90%

Hispanic or Latino 20.87%

Unknown 5.14%

White 56.25%

Gender

female 60.72%

male 39.28%

Age - 39

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 39

Stress level

6.2

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

4.5

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance

8.5

Work life balance is excellent

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being a seasonal associate?

Pros

Possibility of being offered a permanent position
Potential employee discounts
Chance to earn extra income
Networking opportunities
Excitement of working during holiday season

Cons

No guarantee of being offered a permanent position
Working long hours during peak season
Limited benefits, if any
Potential for physical strain from standing or lifting heavy items
Unpredictable workload and shifts

Key steps to become a seasonal associate

Explore seasonal associate education requirements

Most common seasonal associate degrees

Bachelor's

36.9 %

High School Diploma

31.9 %

Associate

18.5 %

Start to develop specific seasonal associate skills

Skills	Percentages
PET	24.20%
Sales Floor	23.54%
Loss Prevention	7.07%
POS	5.60%
Customer Inquiries	5.12%

Complete relevant seasonal associate training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New seasonal associates learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a seasonal associate based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real seasonal associate resumes.

Research seasonal associate duties and responsibilities

Manage customer resolutions associate with flight reservations.
Greet customers, properly execute their transaction, and bag groceries.
Operate all equipment such as POS register, ticket scanners, sensors, sensor removers, etc.
Major responsibility are to inform customers of the protection policies that every electronic device are eligible for and work the POS registers

Prepare your seasonal associate resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your seasonal associate resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a seasonal associate resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable seasonal associate resume templates

Build a professional seasonal associate resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your seasonal associate resume.

Apply for seasonal associate jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a seasonal associate job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do seasonal associates rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Seasonal associate reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Jun 2021

Pros

I like mostly that I work with team oriented people. Some people that care and will help and that help others whether it's work related or not. That have good employee morale amongst each other not necessarily management but amongst each other.

Cons

Double standards extra work extra tasks that aren't in the job description you're doing assumptions that you know everything you're doing and you know the right way of everything that you're doing even though no one's ever trained you to do what you're doing and what you're doing isn't necessarily in the jobs description for the title for lack of a better word that you actually have