Seasonal hiring: what is paying well this year? - what worked for you?

I am looking at seasonal jobs around Chicago that might lead to something longer. It has been a long 17 weeks. I would like to avoid a gap in my résumé. Which employers treat seasonal workers well?

Thanks for writing this out. I went through something close to it 7 months ago, and it got easier once I kept a simple log of every call and form.