Seasonal hiring could look a lot like it did last year as employers try to gauge consumers' confidence heading into the holiday shopping season.

Results of a nationwide survey of employers by job posting site CareerBuilder show about 30 percent of companies plan to hire seasonal help, in line with 2010, with retailers leading the way.

"Employers are keeping the status quo for holiday hiring as economic uncertainties shake consumer confidence," Matt Ferguson, chief executive officer of CareerBuilder, said in a statement announcing the survey's findings.

More employers say they will pay more, even if they are hiring at 2010 levels.

Some 53 percent of employers surveyed said they will pay seasonal workers $10 or more an hour. That's up from 48 percent last year.

Meanwhile, 14 percent said they will pay $16 or more, a 9 percent increase from 2010.

According to the survey of more than 2,600 employers, customer service, administrative support, shipping, technology and inventory management were the top categories for seasonal recruiting.

Sales, finance and marketing positions rounded out the list, CareerBuilder reported.

Though many employers said they planned to hire at 2010 levels, about a third of employers who are looking for seasonal hires say they plan to recruit workers through November.

Ferguson offered news for potential employees, saying that the seasonal jobs could turn into permanent positions after the holidays.

"Hiring managers continually tell us that they will transition seasonal employees into permanent employees," Ferguson said.

His tips: Apply early and tell the employer you are interested in long-term employment.

SacProNet meets Tuesday

Learn how to develop your "elevator speech" at the Tuesday meeting of SacProNet, the Sacramento Professional Network.

Career expert Robert Rice, a local director of the AARP Jobs program, offers advice on how to create a quick, effective presentation to prospective employers.

Sacramento Professional Network meets 9:30 a.m. Tuesday at SacWorks South County Career Center, 8401 Gerber Road in Sacramento.

For more information on Sacramento Professional Network, visit www.sacpronet.com.

Civil service job tips

The State Personnel Board holds its next lunchtime seminar Nov. 23.

The free noon seminar at the board's Sacramento office, 801 Capitol Mall, details the state's civil service hiring process, guiding job seekers on how to gain employment with the state of California.

Participants learn how to search for job vacancies and examinations; how to read job recruitment bulletins; and where to find examination scores and ranking information.

For information on the lunchtime seminars, visit the board's website at www.jobs.ca.gov and select the "SPB" icon at the top left corner of the page.

Job-hunting questions?

Ask Terri Carpenter, one of our "Ask the Experts" writers, who can answer your career questions online.

A jobs expert at the Sacramento Employment & Training Agency, Carpenter has expertise in résumé writing, job-skills training and career counseling.

To post your question or to view her advice to other job seekers, go to www.sacbee.com/ask.

© Copyright The Sacramento Bee. All rights reserved.

---

Call The Bee's Darrell Smith, (916) 321-1040.

• Read more articles by Darrell Smith