If you’re a Halloween lover, you probably tend to pick out your costume and put up your decorations as early as September. (Did we hear someone say August?!) And this year, you might even be thinking about finding a job as a side gig to make some extra cash during the spooktacular holiday.
After all, every big holiday brings a bunch of seasonal jobs to town, and Halloween is no different.
So, if you want to make some money while having fun, check out these 25 Halloween jobs that you can do even on a freelance or part-time basis!
The best Halloween jobs
Fans of horror, lovers of black cats and witch enthusiasts, gather up: these are the jobs you’ll want to consider this spooky season!
1. Makeup artist
Average salary: $18.33 per hour
Halloween is the best time of year for an aspiring makeup artist. You can experiment with crazy designs and create theatrical makeup masterpieces! If you consider yourself an artist and you have a makeup kit ready to go, start booking your diary with appointments. You can even build a portfolio of your work and turn your hobby into a full-time business!
2. Pumpkin carver
Average salary: $17.82 per hour
Pumpkin carving has become a big deal in recent years, with many professional carvers making big bucks around the holiday season with their highly detailed and uniquely carved pumpkins. According to a Business Insider NL article, you could be earning thousands per pumpkin if you advance your craft enough! If you have artistic skills, you can make a real business out of this holiday tradition.
3. Entertainer
Average salary: $19.53 per hour
Halloween is a popular time of the year for most children’s entertainers. Depending on your act, you could incorporate a few spooky surprises and perform at a few Halloween parties. Think of monster statues, ghoulish games and spooky giveaways to get the children screaming (with joy, of course!).
4. Confectioner
Average salary: $15.69 per hour
When you think of this spooky holiday, you automatically associate it with copious amounts of candy, chocolates and other sugary treats. And if you’re skilled at creating cool designs that will excite children and adults alike, you should consider becoming a confectioner. You can set up your own online store or take orders through word-of-mouth advertising!
5. Costume designer
Average salary: $29.56 per hour
Having a knack for creating new and interesting costumes can serve you well during the Halloween period. Think Hocus Pocus-type dresses and Addams Family-quality costumes. If you’re a skilled tailor, you’ll make a handful of clients extremely happy with their custom-made costumes.
6. Retail sales assistant
Average salary: $14.03 per hour
If you want to be where the action is at and help partygoers get kitted out for their Halloween bash, then working a retail sales assistant role could be the perfect job for you. You could work at a candy store and recommend party bag fillers, or a fancy-dress shop to advise people on costume, hair and makeup choices!
7. Theme park worker
Average salary: $13.59 per hour
Working at a theme park during Halloween must be the best job ever! The rides are made even scarier with decorations and soundtracks, the staff are hyped up and in their element, and everyone is there to have a good time. If you want to join the fun, you could look into shift work opportunities at your nearest theme park!
8. Event planner
Average salary: $26.69 per hour
If you’re notorious for throwing great parties, Halloween must be your favorite time of year! With so many props and decorations, you can turn an ordinary room into a haunted house with spiderwebs, lanterns and skeletons. Even if event planning isn’t your day job, don’t be scared to venture out and plan a few parties.
9. Haunted house spook
Average salary: $13.59 per hour
Haunted houses have become the “in” thing to do around Halloween. If you don’t mind scaring a few people for a living, you could audition as an actor who pops out of the woodwork to frighten people. If you think you can stay in character all night, why not consider this option to make some extra cash?
10. Tour guide
Average salary: $15.30 per hour
If you’re a qualified tour guide and have great knowledge of the history of your city, you could lead tourists or locals on a Halloween-themed history tour. For example, the Jack the Ripper tour in London is extremely popular around Halloween, which takes you back to the events of the gruesome murders by the infamous 19th century serial killer.
11. DJ
Average salary: $29.23 per hour
Any Halloween bash needs a skilled DJ to make sure the party gets going. But playing the Ghostbusters theme song and “Thriller” on repeat won’t get you a return gig! Instead, prepare an extensive list of popular Halloween tunes and spooky-sounding songs, and incorporate them into your regular set.
12. Pop-up store owner
Average salary: Variable
If you love all things Halloween and have a great supplier (or make your own crafts!), you could consider opening your own pop-up store to make some extra money during the Halloween season. It doesn’t have to be big, but it should attract locals and tourists looking for props and costumes.
13. Choreographer
Average salary: $25.19 per hour
With many TV shows and films adopting the Halloween spirit, many choreographers are required to put dance routines together for TV shows and theater plays. If you’re a qualified dancer, you too could get involved in this line of work.
14. Ghost hunter
Average salary: Variable
You might think that the Ghostbusters are completely fictional, but they really do exist. Ghost hunters are usually hired by individuals who suspect paranormal activity in their buildings. The ghost hunters then use devices to communicate with spirits to understand why they’re there and then convince them to move on.
15. Marketing assistant
Average salary: Variable
Working in marketing can be extremely fun when it comes to any holiday period. You can get involved in Halloween campaigns and throw wacky ideas into the mix to ensure you attract customers for the product or service you’re selling.
16. Costumed character
Average salary: $18.89 per hour
If you love dressing up and getting into character, you should consider a career as a costumed persona where you’ll be hired to perform at a party or event. Over Halloween, you could be Uncle Fester, Chucky, Wednesday Addams or any other scary character you have in mind.
17. Baker
Average salary: $15.69 per hour
If you love baking up a storm, then you’ll be busy over the Halloween period. Think of eyeball biscuits, pumpkin-shaped cupcakes and everything else in between. All you need to get started is to set up an attractive social media account and to promote your portfolio of tasty treats.
18. Face painter
Average salary: $18.33 per hour
Do you have a steady hand and a creative flair? Consider becoming a face painter during this spooky holiday. You’ll be in high demand if you can work your magic to turn someone into a walking skeleton, a bloody vampire or even their favorite Disney character.
19. Craft artist
Average salary: $17.82 per hour
Are you good at crafting gift items? Halloween is a perfect time for you to shine! You could create cute decorations or pouches for children to hold their sweets in, as well as gift baskets full of tasty treats for people to purchase for their loved ones.
20. Clown
Average salary: $18.89 per hour
Coulrophobia, the fear of clowns, is estimated to affect around half of all adults, at least to some degree. Now, that’s scary! And, thus, clowns are popular during Halloween; they’re hired to entertain at corporate functions or scare people at public events. So, grab your wig and red nose, and get into character!
21. Photographer
Average salary: $21.41 per hour
If you have a camera and know a thing or two about image editing, then you might want to consider taking people’s photos this Halloween. This can take place at an amusement park or event (if you can find relevant job openings, that is) or around your neighborhood. The good thing about this role is that it allows you to set your own rules, should you decide to go solo: how much to work, what to charge, and where to have your photoshoots!
22. Decorator
Average salary: $28.14 per hour
Do you love interior décor? Why not take on the prepping of a space for a Halloween party or event? This could be your local university campus, a company that a friend or family member works at, or the bar around the corner.
23. Tarot card reader
Average salary: Variable
If there’s an event coming up in your community this October, reach out to the organizers and ask if they need a tarot card reader. After all, no Halloween event can be complete without some cartomancy! You could even decorate a part of your house, dress the part and do readings in your own home.
24. Bartender
Average salary: $15.90 per hour
Bars and restaurants in your area might be on the lookout for additional staff for their Halloween-themed nights or all-day events. If you love spirits — get it? Spirits! — you can learn a few recipes for some spook-ilicious cocktails and make a great impression at the interview.
25. Gravedigger
Average salary: $27.98 per hour
We promised a list of “spooky jobs”, didn’t we? So, we couldn’t not mention at least one profession that makes a lot of people’s hairs stand on end. Gravediggers don’t typically need to have any formal education, although physical stamina, familiarity with equipment and power tools, and a driver’s license are normally required.
How to get a Halloween job
We know how eagerly you’re awaiting to land your Halloween-themed gig. So, let’s not waste any time; here’s how you do it!
1. Start early
A lot of the time, companies start hiring months in advance for seasonal jobs. Spirit Halloween, for example, starts hiring seasonal workers in summer, as their stores typically open in August. While it’s possible to find more last-minute work, if you’re set on landing yourself a spook-tastic role this fall, you better not leave it up to chance. After all, it’s the early bird that gets the job (or at least has an advantage), as the saying goes.
2. Consider your skill set
As we’ve seen, Halloween jobs are incredibly varied. But just because a job sounds exciting in theory doesn’t mean that it would necessarily be a great fit for you. To increase your chances of getting hired, you need to carefully consider your skill set and any previous work experience you may have. Then, you must handpick the roles that are relevant to both your soft and technical skills!
While you can certainly apply for work that you’re not fully qualified for (because you never know!), it’s advisable to spend more time finding roles that you’d make a great candidate for.
3. Sign up for job alerts
Online job boards offer various features that can make the job search easier. Filtering by keyword, industry, salary range or location, for example, can help you narrow down your options. In addition, you can set up special alerts so you don’t have to actively search for work every single day.
While spending time to comb through multiple websites can move things along, other responsibilities might make it impossible for you to find the time (or energy). Thankfully, you can sign up for email (or in-app) notifications for specific job types and be kept in the loop for any recent job openings that match your preferences.
4. Tailor your résumé
Once you’ve found the role or roles that are right for you, you must start working on your résumé. Use clear headings to mark out your previous work experience, skills and education, and don’t forget to add a summary at the top, introducing yourself to your prospective employer.
Then, you must naturally incorporate some keywords or phrases from the job listing into your document. For example, if the job description mentions “Excel”, “customer service” or “previous experience with children”, show the hiring manager you’ve got what it takes by referencing these terms in your résumé.
5. Prepare for the interview
Once you’ve submitted various versions of your résumé to prospective employers, the waiting game begins. To ease some of the anxiety that comes with eagerly awaiting a reply, take to the web and research common interview questions. The more time you spend considering what might crop up and formulating great answers, the more successful your interview will be.
Aside from common and unusual interview questions, have a think about any Halloween-related questions the hiring manager might ask. “What do you like best about Halloween?”, for example.
Key takeaways
There are plenty of jobs for Halloween lovers to choose from, depending on skill, experience and availability. Some will require a bit of research and attending an interview, while others can be carried out solo. Whatever you choose to occupy yourself with this spooky season, remember to:
- Start brainstorming early — as early as summer! Don’t wait until near Halloween to start looking for jobs in your area or to come up with your own idea; otherwise, others will likely beat you to it.
- Tailor your résumé to the job listing by mentioning skills, qualities and expertise that the employer is looking for. It’s generally good to avoid some buzzwords, too, such as “hard working” and “reliable”.
- If you really need the money or experience, pick jobs that suit your personality, interests and skills. The more you match the employer’s ideal candidate profile, the better your chances of getting the job.
Are there any more Halloween jobs you can think of? Leave us a comment and share your thoughts below.
Originally published on October 19, 2018. Updated by Electra Michaelidou.