During busy times of the year or when trying to reach a deadline, you may find the need to hire seasonal employees. Seasonal employees are contracted with the knowledge that their job is not permanent, but may include extensions on an as-needed basis. There are many important items to address before starting the process of hiring seasonal employees, from the wording in the initial ad, the interview process and hiring the final candidate or candidates.

When placing the initial ad online, in newspapers or with a temp agency, the wording must clearly state that the positional is seasonal. Some companies may choose to re-hire the same employees each season depending on performance, while other prefer to hire a new crew each time. In the ad you should also mention if there are any educational requirements, drug testing or job experience necessary in order to apply. You do not want to waste your time and the applicant’s time interviewing someone that is under-qualified.

Carefully read through all the accepted applications to confirm that all of the minimum qualifications are met before calling potential workers for interviews. The most important to review is work history. Does the applicant seem to hold steady jobs? When was the last time they were employed? Have they held seasonal work in the past? Allow yourself two or three days for the interview process. Schedule the interviews in blocks of thirty minutes, with one interview scheduled after another. Keep the interviews short and to the point. Discuss the hours, wage and length of time the job will last. If there is a chance for a permanent position or rehiring at a later date, that mention this as well.

Never narrow your final choice to just one person; try to have at least two times the amount of people for the position or positions needed. For example, if you want to hire five people, choose 10 of your favorites to give yourself a cushion in case someone can’t accept the job or refuses the position. Once you have your final hires, schedule them to come in a few days before their start date to fill out any tax or company paperwork, get copies of their identification and administer a drug test if required. Inform all new hires in regard to proper work attire, break times, lunch hours and the company’s policy on smoking and then give a tour of the work area.

Once seasonal employees begin working, they must follow the same rules as full time or permanent employees, and the expectation is that you treat them the same as well. All workplace laws still apply to them, but there are exceptions regarding maternity leave, health insurance and employee benefits depending on how long their seasonal work may last and how many hours they are working during the week. Keep a file of all previous applicants just in case you need to fill a position in an emergency situation.

Now, the quickening pace of technology and the ever increasing competitiveness among companies has unleashed more communication tools that are becoming much more versatile. Because of this, the way communication works has now changed. The change this has brought has opened new markets such as telemarketing and other related outsourcing services. But besides new ideas for business, technology still remains a good tool vital to any venture like business communication.

For every group, there is always a leader. Through the leader’s actions and wisdom, the group can thrive. The group is usually given a short overview of the leader’s vision and plan of action. The real work of a leader is being able to oversee how the whole process will unfold right before everyone’s eyes.

In order to lead effectively, the leader must know how to communicate, and be able to do it well. This is where business communication comes in. Some of the important qualities of a good business communicator include; the ability to be is to be emphatic, the ability to be concise, the ability to be straight to the point, the ability to be attentive, and the ability to be approachable.

Be emphatic. What this means that you are able to express yourself clearly to your intended audience. This will help send the message and ensure that everything is understood.

Be concise. Being a good communicator requires that you are able to express yourself in the fewest words possible. But this does not necessarily mean that very few words are spoken that some people do not get the gist of what you are talking about immediately.

Talk straight to the point. This is also related to the preceding paragraph. This includes the ability to get to the point of your discussion easily and quickly. An added benefit to this is that issues can be seen easily because of the straightforward nature of the discussion. The benefit of saving time is also included in this skill.

Be attentive. Nothing makes a speaker more enticing to listen to then also being an attentive listener. Remember that your employees do admire your leadership skills but sometimes they cannot immediately grasp the meaning of your message. This can make them wonder if what they are hearing about is true and may cause them to ask questions. When this happens, accept the question and acknowledge any of your shortcomings if necessary.

Be approachable. There are some occasions when employees may not be able to find the right moment to approach you during meetings, or otherwise. This could be because they see you as someone who they are intimidated by and cannot seem to approach. Remove this notion by making yourself available. A perfect example of this would be to go around the office every once in a while and make small talk with the employees.

To summarize, the five essential skills that any good business communicator or communicator in general should possess are;

1) The ability to be emphatic
2) The ability to be concise
3) The ability to be straight to the point
4) The ability to be attentive
5) The ability to be approachable