By Elise Oras

With the holiday season just around the corner, companies are hiring seasonal employees to help handle the overload of customers. Besides adding extra cash to your wallet, seasonal work can have extra benefits like acquiring professional references, gaining experience in a different field, and even meeting new friends. Many retailers also offer generous employee discounts on their merchandise.

If you want a yuletide gig, there are many full and part time options. When seeking temporary work, remember to be flexible, and available. Seasonal employees are often required to work shifts at odd hours or on holidays like Thanksgiving or Christmas Eve.

While many seasonal jobs tend to pay minimum wage, we found five seasonal jobs that offer more than minimum wage and, in some cases, a lot more.

New smart phones, laptops, tablets and gaming systems are popular choices for holiday gifts. Retail stores for Apple and Microsoft brands are hiring this season to help with the expected influx of sales. Shoppers look to tech savvy salespeople for help in choosing the best products for their needs. This position requires knowledge of technology and, most importantly, the ability to connect well with customers.

-- Find retail technology jobs

Whether they are snapping pictures of partygoers, couples posed in cheesy holiday sweaters or babies on Old Saint Nick's lap, photographers are in demand during the holiday season. If you're on your own, it helps to have some experience and you'll need access to equipment. Or you can sign on with one of the many studios that need extra help during this busy time and are willing to train the right employee.

-- Find photographer jobs

Companies, friends and families like to celebrate the holiday spirit with parties, and a good party needs a good soundtrack. New technology has made it easier to break into the DJ business. If you have a good laptop and the right software you can create a mix to keep the people dancing 'til dawn.

-- Find DJ jobs

Are you highly organized and well-connected in the world of restaurants, banquet halls, DJs and photographers? Event planners handle all aspects of a party so that the host can enjoy more time with their guests. Event planning can be stressful, so a "can do" attitude helps a lot. As a bonus, if you throw a great party, the guests might book you for their next get-together.

-- Find event planner jobs

UPS, FedEx and other delivery services see a spike in packages being delivered during the holiday months. Package handlers can work inside the shipping facilities or help drivers make deliveries. They are required to lift, load and unload packages that could be heavy. Shipping facilities are open 24 hours a day, and will need workers that can fill all shifts.

-- Find package handler/sorter jobs

Source: Salary data provided by PayScale.com. All salaries listed are median, hourly salaries for workers at all levels of experience. Bonuses are not included.