The holidays are a great time to look for engaged new employees to build your teams.

Shopping at the holidays in the U.S., between Thanksgiving and Christmas or New Year's Day, is always an interesting experience. People throng shopping malls, looking for just the right gift for each person on their list. They start to get anxious and panicky as Christmas or Hanukkah or Kwanzaa looms closer and that perfect item still hasn't materialized.

The clerks and salespeople and baristas and other customer service people who are hired to meet the customer onslaught during the holidays can range from surly, to indifferent, to engaged and patient.

When you run across the ones providing outstanding service during the holidays, you know that they have passed the customer service "stress test". So why not consider them as a possible new employee?

Why Recruit From Holiday Customer Service Workers?

Great new employees are incredibly valuable, and not always easy to find. Keeping your eyes and ears open when you are not at work can net you some interesting possibilities. When you consider holiday service workers:

• You've seen that they can remain graceful under pressure, and gotten a feel for their work ethic.
• One of the most common New Year's resolutions is to find a new job, so handing out your business card is likely to get some response.
• Many of the holiday workers you encounter are part-time. They may only be working for extra holiday money, but you never know how they feel about their "real" job. Plus, if you need part-time staff at some point, your holiday candidates may be just the ticket.
• Many of the holiday workers you encounter are temporary, hired only for the holiday season. They may well be interested in a permanent position with your company.

One good way to approach someone you think you might like to hire is to tell them that their customer service and attitude really stood out to you, and that you are looking for that kind of attitude in your company. Give them your card and suggest that they call you, or that they pass your information along to someone else with the same great attitude and work ethic.

Remember, you can teach almost anyone how to do the technical aspects of a job, but it's nearly impossible to train employees for attitude or engagement. Or work ethic.

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