Now that summer season is in full swing, you might be asking some questions about your seasonal hiring strategy. When the busy season hits, hiring managers and recruiters know the pressure is on. Whether it’s retail during the holidays, hospitality during summer, or logistics during back-to-school, seasonal hiring needs to be fast, flexible, and reliable. But achieving that year after year is not easy. Many employers lean heavily on the hope that last year’s seasonal workers will return. Others start from scratch each season, recruiting entirely new candidates and onboarding at scale. Both approaches come with significant downsides.

Related: Optimizing Retail Seasonal Hiring for Success | Talroo 

Relying solely on returning seasonal workers can be risky. Life circumstances change. Some workers move, others take new jobs, and a few may no longer be a fit. On the other hand, recruiting entirely new seasonal staff is costly, time-consuming, and often filled with unknowns about performance and reliability.

The solution? A hybrid strategy that combines the strengths of both returning and new seasonal talent. With the right planning, tools, and communication strategy, employers can build a flexible and scalable seasonal hiring approach that reduces costs, improves retention, and ensures peak season success.

Related: Supercharge Your Seasonal Hiring (Webinar)

Step 1: Keep Top Performers Engaged Year-Round

Your best seasonal employees are not just people who showed up. They were punctual, dependable, and contributed to a smooth peak season. Letting those workers fall off your radar after the season ends is a missed opportunity.

To build a seasonal talent strategy that scales, you need to maintain year-round engagement with your top performers. That doesn’t mean sending emails every month, but it does mean staying in touch in a meaningful way.

Consider these simple strategies:

• Post-season surveys to collect feedback and gauge interest in returning
• Exclusive email updates about future opportunities, company milestones, or internal referrals
• Recognition and appreciation campaigns to make past workers feel valued
  

Technology can make this easier. A modern talent CRM (candidate relationship management system) lets you tag high-performing seasonal workers and automate personalized check-ins. You can segment by job role, location, and performance rating to keep your outreach focused and relevant.

Step 2: Build and Use a Dynamic Talent Pool

Not every seasonal employee will return, but that doesn’t mean they’re not useful. Some may refer friends. Others might return later in the year. A smart seasonal strategy leverages a dynamic talent pool made up of both past candidates and fresh leads.

Here’s how to make it work:

• Capture detailed candidate data during hiring and offboarding, including reasons for leaving, interest in future roles, and shift preferences
• Segment your database by likelihood to return, prior experience, and performance
• Nurture the pool with occasional communications, early application access, or bonus opportunities for returning staff
  

A dynamic talent pool reduces time-to-hire, lowers recruiting costs, and increases the chances of bringing back qualified workers who already know your systems, culture, and expectations.

Step 3: Segment Communications for Maximum Impact

Mass messaging every previous seasonal worker with the same email is a good way to get ignored. Personalized, targeted communication improves engagement and gives you more insight into who’s likely to return.

AI-powered tools can help segment your candidate database based on:

• Likelihood to return (using past engagement and behavioral data)
• Experience level (first-time applicants vs. experienced seasonal staff)
• Previous performance (using ratings or feedback from supervisors)
  

Once segmented, tailor your outreach. For example:

• Past top performers might receive early access to apply and a “returning hero” bonus
• Former applicants who didn’t get hired could get a pre-qualification survey or updated job match suggestions
• New candidates might see more in-depth employer branding content and training videos
  

This level of segmentation is not just good for candidate experience; it also helps recruiters prioritize follow-ups and move the most promising candidates through the pipeline faster.

Step 4: Streamline Onboarding for Both Groups

Returning employees might not need the same full onboarding as new hires, but they still need updates. Policy changes, system updates, or role adjustments require clear communication.

For returning staff, consider creating a “light touch” onboarding track that includes:

• Refresher modules on updated procedures
• Quick assessments to ensure compliance
• A welcome-back message from leadership to boost morale
  

For new hires, focus on streamlining onboarding without sacrificing clarity. Digital onboarding platforms can automate much of the paperwork, allow mobile access for documents and training, and track completion in real-time. This reduces HR burden and ensures seasonal workers are ready to hit the ground running.

The best seasonal strategies combine onboarding pathways into one seamless system that adapts based on the worker’s experience level.

Step 5: Use AI to Personalize and Predict

AI is not just for full-time recruiting. It plays a powerful role in seasonal hiring, especially when managing large volumes of candidates across multiple markets.

Here are a few ways to leverage AI in your seasonal strategy:

• Predictive analytics to identify which past employees are most likely to return
• Chatbots to answer candidate questions and assist with scheduling
• Campaign automation that sends tailored re-engagement emails or texts based on candidate history
• Job matching algorithms that quickly align candidates to the right openings
  

When used thoughtfully, AI takes the guesswork out of seasonal hiring and gives recruiters more time to focus on human conversations and relationship building.

Step 6: Plan Ahead for Retention

Retention matters, even for temporary roles. High turnover during peak season hurts productivity and morale. If your seasonal strategy is only focused on filling seats, you might be missing opportunities to turn short-term employees into long-term assets.

To improve seasonal worker retention:

• Provide a clear path for performance-based extensions or permanent opportunities
• Offer incentives for completion of the full season
• Create a positive team culture with strong supervisor support and recognition programs
• Collect mid-season feedback and respond quickly to concerns
  

Workers who feel respected, heard, and fairly compensated are more likely to return — and more likely to refer others.

Build a Seasonal Strategy That Grows With You

Seasonal hiring does not have to be a scramble every year. By investing in the right technology, segmenting communications, streamlining onboarding, and building relationships with your top performers, you can create a scalable seasonal hiring strategy that actually works.

Your future self (and your bottom line) will thank you.