If individuals have been out of work for some time now, hope may be right around the corner in the form of the holiday shopping season. Based on responses to a recent Snagajob survey, more job opportunities are expected in the coming months than in past holiday seasons.

The hourly employment network commissioned a survey of more than 1,000 hourly hiring managers who will be overseeing this year's seasonal hiring. Whereas only 51 percent of respondents said they would take on seasonal workers in 2011, a total of 63 percent of hiring managers said they would do the same this year. In addition, survey participants reported they would hire an average of 6.1 seasonal employees.

"This year, there are strong indications that there should be substantial movement in getting us back to the kinds of holiday hiring levels we were accustomed to prior to the recession," said Jason Hamilton, Snagajob's vice president of marketing.

Right now, jobseekers may want to consider taking a career test to ensure that when holiday openings do appear, they are applying for the right positions for them.