Oh, the holidays. For many, they’re a great time to kick back and relax with family, friends, and a hot mug of cocoa. But, for the overly-ambitious, the holiday season is the perfect time to pick up a side job and rake in some extra cash.
Seasonal jobs are a great option to help you foot the bill for all of those holiday presents that boast a hefty price tag. But, what if you don’t want your holiday employment to screech to a halt once the egg nog dries up and the carols stop? Instead, you’d love to leave the door open to return when the need arises.
Honestly, quitting your holiday job while leaving the opportunity open to come back really isn’t that complicated. You just need to go about it the right way! So, here’s your handy guide to bidding adieu to your seasonal employment—without shutting that door forever.
1. Be a Great Employee
Before you can even thinking about quitting your holiday job with the option of coming back, you should first focus on making the most of the time you have while you’re there. You don’t want to put the cart before the horse.
What exactly does that mean? Quite simply, put all of your energy into being a great employee. If you eventually want to return to this job, you need to be someone that your employer would actually want to invite back to work again.
So, make sure that you’re always performing as your productive, helpful, and friendly self. After all, nobody wants to re-hire the guy who repeatedly hid out and napped in the breakroom.
2. Ensure a Common Understanding
Here’s the thing about seasonal employment—miscommunications can happen easily. Perhaps you were operating with the understanding that this was just a temporary job to cushion your extra expenses during the holidays. But, on the other hand, your boss assumed you were planning on sticking around for a while. In fact, your manager was already hoping to nominate you for “Employee of the Month”—next May.
Needless to say, it’s important that you ensure that you and your manager have a common understanding about the terms of your employment. Confirming that you’re on the same page not only means that your resignation is expected (and way less awkward), but it also saves you and your employer from any confusion, disappointments, or hard feelings.
3. Express Your Interest
Listen, your manager may be awesome, but he or she isn’t a mind-reader. So, there’s no way for your boss to know that you’d be interested in eventually returning to your holiday job unless you explicitly say so. As with anything, being direct is key.
When you have the conversation with your supervisor about leaving, make sure that you emphasize what a great opportunity this was, how much you enjoyed it, and that you’d love to be considered if they ever need help again in the future. This eliminates any lingering questions your boss might have about whether or not you’d like to come back. Remember, the door to return usually doesn’t just stay open—you need to turn the knob!
4. End on a High Note
Similar to how you want to maintain a great reputation during your holiday employment with your company, you should also make your best effort to depart your job on a high note. You want to be remembered positively—so leave your colleagues with an impressive “last day” memory.
Bring in donuts during your last shift. Take your manager or co-workers out for a coffee over your break. And, don’t forget to genuinely thank your colleagues for all of their hard work and help, and tell them how much you enjoyed your time with all of them. End your goodbye by assuring them that you hope your paths cross again in the near future, and you’re out the door with nothing but positive associations left behind!
5. Keep In Touch
Successful follow up is crucial for being able to return to your seasonal job. After all, you don’t want to just leave your position and then immediately fade away as a distant memory. Instead, if you have any hope of going back, you need to do your best to stay on your supervisor’s and co-workers’ radars.
How can you do this? Connect with them on LinkedIn. Email your manager every now and then to check in or pass along an interesting article. Invite them all out for a happy hour so that you can catch up.
Keeping these relationships intact and these lines of communication open keeps you in present tense rather than booting you to past tense—making you a top-of-mind candidate if and when they’re looking for extra help again in the future.
Holiday jobs are great for bringing in some extra cash during one of the most expensive times of year. But, if you really enjoyed your job, you might not want to make a swift, direct exit as soon as the jingle bells stop ringing.
Put these steps into play if you’re aiming to quit your holiday job with the option to eventually return, and you’re sure to have that opportunity lined up whenever you need it!
