Holiday Hot Jobs: 6 Companies Hiring 500,000+ in 2010

If you're still thinking about scoring a holiday job, go for it. The holiday forecast from recruiting firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas is that some retailers may play it safe and delay some of their hiring until late in the season. They also forecast that holiday hiring will be better this year than last year, when more than 500,000 workers found seasonal work.

With the economy picking up, a seasonal job can get your foot in the door for permanent work. Retailers say they definitely keep an eye out for outstanding seasonal hires to keep on after the holidays.

Here's a look at some of the companies with the biggest hiring plans for holiday 2010, and the type of workers they're hiring:

1. Macy's (hiring 65,000)

The department-store giant is hiring an army of seasonal in-store sales associates ($9.76), as well as call-center customer-service representatives ($13.03) and warehouse workers ($12.86) for its distribution centers and Macys.com's product warehouses.

-- Find Macy's Jobs

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2. UPS (hiring 50,000)

All those packages we order online have to get delivered, and UPS gears up to handle the volume spike, says corporate workforce planning manager Matthew Lavery. The most common job they hire for is driver's helper, which requires heavy lifting. UPS also hires drivers ($14.13) and package handlers at their distribution centers. As with all the warehouse jobs mentioned here, warehouse workers for UPS need to be able to lift 75 pounds. No matter where you live, you can probably find a package center near you – Big Brown has more than 1,000 locations nationwide.

"We can train people," says Lavery. "You need a desire to be successful, to come to work every day – basic skills. We train you on the handheld computer we use for deliveries."

-- Find UPS Jobs

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3. Toys "R" Us (hiring 45,000)

The toy retailer is doubling its work force, in part because it's opening 600 pop-up ministores inside shopping malls this holiday season. Spokeswoman Linda DeNotaris says sales associates should be "hard-working, reliable individuals who enjoy working as part of a team and want to help us achieve our goal of providing memorable store experiences." She adds, "Many of our seasonal employees remain with us after the holiday season has come and gone."

-- Find Toys 'R' Us Jobs

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4. Best Buy (hiring 29,000)

If you love tech gadgets, Best Buy could be a fun place to work this holiday season. Cleveland-based portable electronics supervisor Elisha Unger says roles include cashiers ($8.48) and three categories of customer-service specialists – in home theater, portable electronics, and "counter intelligence agent," better known as the Geek Squad's computer-repair staff. Repair workers usually have prior experience in computer repair, and take an evaluation test 90 days into their employment, Unger notes.

-- Find Best Buy Jobs

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5. Amazon.com (hiring 10,000+)

With Amazon, geography is key, as their jobs are found only where the online retailer has product warehouses – that's Indiana, Kentucky, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Arizona. Aside from seasonal warehouse work, which is mostly done hiring now, Amazon spokeswoman Michele Glisson says the ecommerce giant is currently making permanent hires for customer service managers ($16.10) and customer service operations managers at customer service centers in Kennewick, Wash.; Huntington, W.V., and Grand Forks, N.D.

-- Find Amazon.com Jobs

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6. Nordstrom (doesn't disclose hiring figure)

The department-store chain is known for its customer service, and pays slightly above industry averages for top-flight sales associates. While they aren't saying how many hires they're making, spokesman Colin Johnson says hiring is up this year compared with last holiday time. The company gets a jump on the competition by starting to hire its seasonal sales associates back in September for its half-yearly sale. Prior experience isn't as important as enthusiasm for making customers happy.

-- Find Nordstrom Jobs

Those 600,000 Holiday Jobs: 40 Percent Could Become Permanent

Of the 600,000 hired for the holiday season, about 40 percent could receive permanent offers from employers, reports ABC News. That's what a recent survey by CareerBuilder.com found.

Beulah Hargrove at J.C. Penney's store in Manhattan has been presented with such an offer. The crowds flooding the stores and shopping online during Black Friday weekend signal that Hargrove won't be atypical in having temporary work turn into the permanent kind.

There's more. Employers aren't holding it against job applicants that they are supposedly 'overqualified.' In fact, employers see this unusual background for retail jobs or online work as a plus.

No, it's not too late to apply. The demand is still there. Roam shopping centers for signs saying 'hiring' on store windows, or better yet, just go into the stores and ask to speak to the manager. Pitch yourself, handing over your resume. Also check online job boards as well as the companies' websites. You may be back to work sooner than you expected.

Hundreds of thousands of Americans have taken on temporary jobs this holiday season, as employers gain confidence in the signs of stronger consumer demand. And for some of the workers, the temporary positions are turning into the one thing they want most this Christmas:

"Retailers are feeling pretty confident right now," said Marshall Cohen, chief retail analyst with the NPD Group. "They've got their swagger going."

Watch "World News With Diane Sawyer" weeknights on ABC.

All told, U.S. companies will hire an estimated 600,000 temporary workers this holiday season, according to outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc. That's more workers added to the holiday payrolls than in the past three years.

Demand is so high for extra help that Amazon.com, the world's largest online retail, has already hired 15,000 temporary workers. It's so many extra employees that the company has even started camps in places such as Kentucky where employees can park their RVs to sleep between 10-hour shifts. They'll work until Christmas Eve for $10 an hour.

Toys R Us is also jumping on the trend, hiring 45,000 temporary employees, a 30 percent increase from last year. UPS is hiring 50,000 extra workers.

Applicant Pool for Holiday Jobs Overqualified

The people who apply for the jobs are often overqualified, but store managers are delighted to have them.

"They're a lot more dependable, better quality, absolutely," said Joe Cardamone, a store manager at a J.C. Penney's in Manhattan. "They want to work and they need to work, so it's to our advantage to have that kind of quality out there right now."

More Seasonal Temp Jobs May Become Permanent

There are also some indications that more of the temporary positions could become permanent. Forty percent of employers with seasonal workers this fall plan on offering permanent jobs, up from last year, according to a survey by CareerBuilder.

"[Retailers] have been profitable almost every month throughout the year,"analyst Cohen said. "That means they're going to look to continue to ride that wave and keep some of these temporary employees that are showing some good promise and keep them on for a longer period of time."

More Temporary Jobs Become Permanent

That's the case for Beulah Hargrove. She accepted a holiday job at a New York J.C. Penney's store and has already been asked to stay on after Christmas Eve.

"I'll be working here after the holidays, which I'm very proud of," she said. "It's really hard to get a job now."

By Jane Genova

11 Ways to Find Women-Friendly Employers

Trying to find a company that will meet your changing needs as a woman? According to experts, you need to investigate how the organization supports its workers, particularly its female workforce.

Jan Shubert, associate director for Babson College's Center for Women in Leadership, suggests you investigate "anything that helps you get a picture of how they look at and value women."

Shubert and other experts say the clearest picture will emerge as you research corporate culture, company leadership, and policies and programs aimed at promoting women, respecting workers and their individual rights, and providing family support.

So how do you obtain the information you need to evaluate these areas? Start your detective work with these 11 strategies:

1. Look for Blue Ribbons
Many companies that recognize women's work issues get recognized. Catalyst, a nonprofit that researches, consults and educates on workplace gender issues, recognizes pioneering companies. For starters, Julie Nugent, senior associate of Catalyst's research and model workplace initiatives, advises women to take full advantage of the organization's Web site. The National Association for Female Executives' (NAFE's) Top 30 Companies for Executive Women and Working Mother magazine's 100 Best Companies lists are also great resources.

2. Scan the Web for Who Came in Last
"You can do this by searching on phrases like ‘gender discrimination' and ‘lawsuit,' or ‘sexual harassment' and ‘settlement' to see companies against whom suits have been filed or with which settlements have been reached," advises Susan Colantuono, CEO of Leading Women, a Rhode Island-based firm offering leadership education for women.

3. Find Out Who's Running the Show
"Take a look at their leadership," says Nugent. "Are there any women? Are there diverse individuals on their site? Do companies have diversity on their agenda, and is it plainly important to them?"
Shubert advises women to scan annual reports and company Web sites to count the number of women in upper-level management. Is it a boys' club, or is it inclusive? Is it diverse? More top-level women usually means a better environment for all women.

Also consider who your boss will be. You can work for the most women-friendly company in the industry, but if your boss does not embrace the company's espoused values and is unwilling to acknowledge individual needs, that potential job may not work for you. So pay attention during the interview process. Look around your boss's office or cubicle. Is there a sign that your boss has a life outside work and respects others? Ask her what she is most proud of. If she says, "the time I got everyone to pull an all-nighter to get a job done," take note.

4. Evaluate Programs and Policies
"A company's policies around what kind of packages they provide speak to their values," explains Deborah Cutler-Ortiz, director of national programs and policy for Wider Opportunities for Women, a Washington, DC-based nonprofit that trains women for better paying jobs. "When you're talking about no benefits, no nothing, you're communicating how you value your employees."

Again, awards, reports and Web sites are excellent research tools. Shubert recommends reviewing the criteria Catalyst, NAFE and Working Mother use to judge companies for their lists. See which policies are most important to you and base your search accordingly. Programs that typically matter to women most are those that affect promotion, work/life balance and pay equity.

5. Rate the Space
Does the physical office space look gender-neutral? Shubert recalls once visiting a company with the women's bathroom a hiking distance from the executive offices. When you visit a potential employer, take note: Do you see women? Are you introduced to women during the interview? If so, what are their positions and do you get a sense of how long they've been with the company? Retention rates are an important gauge of worker satisfaction.

6. Interview Them
Don't be shy about discussing gender. "It's completely appropriate for a woman to ask the questions that will impact her own career and career growth," says Nugent. And when you ask questions, consider: "Does it feel like an open culture where things are shared and the process is clear?" she says.

Poor or veiled communication indicates an unfriendly manager or work setting. This is also the chance for you to evaluate the hiring manager. Look for signs that she is gender-neutral. "Your first and foremost concern as a good leader is the development of talented people," says Shubert.

7. Go to Lunch
In the advanced interview stage, ask to go to lunch with a would-be colleague. Shubert explains this is where you can ask questions about how women fit into the work environment. You also can get a better indication of whether employees feel the company is a good place to work and whether workers feel valued.

8. Turn on the Tube and Flip through Magazines
If a company advertises, see if it recognizes the importance of the female consumer, suggests Shubert. Women affect the majority of purchases in the US, and not acknowledging this fact signals that a company isn't aware of the importance of women to its success.

9. Rank the Industry
Catalyst's Web site lists studies by industry. Here you can get a sense of which are friendly by evaluating the industries big players, says Nugent. But, adds Cutler-Ortiz, don't dismiss industries that aren't yet women-friendly as they generally pay higher wages. Look for standouts and unionized companies to get the best pay and the best setting.

10. Make Some Phone Calls
"Have a robust network of women colleagues who can tell you what it's like to work in a particular company or who can connect you with a woman who can," says Colantuono. And if you can't find someone connected to your prospective employer, try to connect with someone in the industry who can speak about industry practices. Companies will often benchmark their policies against industry practices as a whole.

11. Consult Your Intuition
If your instinct is telling you something's not right in a company, listen to it. That prospective employer should not only value women but value and respect all workers and their rights. If the employer's emphasis seems to be on input rather output, or face time rather than results, beware.

"Don't ever treat any one piece of the puzzle as the big picture," says Shubert. "Trust your tummy. If it doesn't feel like a good fit for you, keep looking."

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By Susan Aaron, Monster Learning Coach