You can almost smell the hot coco in the air as we fall into the holiday season. An explosive season for retail, supply chain and hospitality are upon us, many job hunters, especially with customer service experience first think of public facing opportunities that come with the holiday season: drivers, cashiers, stock people, cleaners, concierge, customer service staff in restaurants and at retail, hosts, animators etc.

But could there be a hidden job market in Canada fueled by holiday spending that could unlock less competitive job opportunities? We think so. This hidden job market is customer service, and we don’t mean at the store level.

Just as these industries get very busy in their boots on the ground operations, they also see increased activity in their e-commerce. With online purchasing comes service and support. More inquiries = more customer service resources. Issues with orders, deliveries and support creates substantial demand.

While this customer demand will need to be met, these roles aren’t traditionally marketed as rigorously as boots on the ground roles that are required to get product where it needs to go and to serve the public. These industries have a limited amount of time to recruit a lot of people and prioritize the recruitment of positions accordingly.

Finding a hidden job market in Canada means finding a little slice of the market that others aren’t on others radar. That makes them less competitive and a better opportunity for you to swoop in and take advantage.

Did you know that aside from the upcoming busy holiday season that Randstad released a report highlighting a labour shortage of 700 customer service positions across Canada. This means that even without the increased volume the holidays will be bring, companies in general are already running lean on customer service resources.

So where do you start? Why wait for the job to be posted at all? Now that you know that this hidden job market in Canada exists you can make a list of retailers and brands who you know do high volume e-Commerce or sell products purchased over the holiday season that often require support.

Next visit their websites or use social platforms like LinkedIn to browse opportunities. If none are posted, submit your resume to HR. That will have you in the cue when hiring starts.

Be a proactive job seeker and you will see that your next opportunity is closer than you may have even realized.

Preparing to look for work? Get your background checks first. Visit www.tritoncanada.ca for lots of useful information about sourcing, finding and preparing for your next job opportunity.