As the world’s largest retailer, Walmart always has openings and a job at Walmart could be just right for you. So what’s the situation at Walmart, does Walmart hire felons?
When you’ve got a felony on your record, you know that your employment opportunities are more limited than they used to be.
While some companies will hire felons, many others don’t want to give you that all-important second chance.
Does Walmart Hire Felons in 2024?
Walmart has a history of hiring felons and having a felony on your record won’t automatically ruin your chances of getting hired.
Many felons have found good jobs at Walmart and they’ve been able to turn their lives around as a result.
That being said, you should know that they won’t hire every felon that fills out an application.
Whether you get hired will depend on your suitability for the role, and on the age and type of felony on your record.
A felony for a violent crime or a sexual offense, for example, will almost certainly disqualify you from getting a job at Walmart.
Some of the jobs you could get at Walmart include:
- Cashier
- Stockroom clerk
- Sales associate
- Overnight stocker
- Janitor/custodian
- Freight handler
- Cart attendant
Is Walmart A Ban The Box Employer?
Walmart is on the Ban The Box list. This means that they don’t ask about your criminal convictions during the initial application.
As a signatory to The Fair Chance Pledge, Walmart will assess you as a candidate based on your suitability for the role without prejudging you because of your past mistakes.
Walmart has recently gone further than The Fair Chance Pledge and “ban the box”.
In April 2021, the Second Chance Business Coalition was launched with many major employers already on board, and Walmart was one of those early participants.
Second Chance employers recognize that there’s a huge pool of talent out there among people with criminal convictions.
And these employers put policies in place to make sure that they don’t unfairly discriminate because of a conviction if the offense isn’t detrimental to the type of job being applied for.
The final hiring decision comes down to individual managers, though, so do everything you can to make a great first impression when you get your interview.
What Does Walmart’s Background Check Look For?
Walmart carries out a background check on every applicant. They use an outside agency called BackgroundChecks.com to carry out the background screening.
They’ll verify the information you provided on your application to make sure you are who you say you are and to confirm that you can legally work in the United States.
Employers have a legal duty to verify the identity and work eligibility status of employees, but they also want to know that you’ve been truthful on your application.
Honesty is very important to employers, so don’t try to improve your chances by putting any false information on your application.
Your background check will verify your:
- Name
- Date of birth
- Social security number
- Past employment record
Federal law, in the form of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), places a limit on how far back background checks can go. But unfortunately, this limit doesn’t apply to felony convictions.
For everything except felonies, background checks only go back 7 years.
You should expect the following information from your criminal record within the last 7 years to be reported:
- Arrests
- Outstanding warrants
- Misdemeanor convictions
- Felony convictions
- Incarceration Details
- Probation records
- Parole dates
All of your felony records, no matter how long ago the offenses took place, can be reported on your background check unless your state has placed a time limit on that information.
These states limit felony reporting to 7 years:
- California
- Colorado
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Montana
- Nevado
- New Hampshire
- New Mexico
- New York
- Texas
- Washington
Does Walmart Hire Felons With Theft Charges?
Theft, along with violence and sexual assault, will be a concern for an employer like Walmart, but a theft conviction isn’t an automatic disqualification.
If your theft conviction is fairly recent, it’s unlikely that they will hire you, but an older conviction may not be a problem if your record since that time is clean.
You probably wouldn’t be eligible for a position on the checkouts, but there are lots of jobs at Walmart that don’t involve handling money.
Does Walmart Drug Test?
Walmart carries out pre-employment drug testing for some positions. If you’re applying for a job in a safety-sensitive department, you will have to provide a urine sample and pass a 5-panel drug screen.
At Walmart, safety-sensitive departments are:
- Sporting goods
- Auto shop
- Maintenance
- Deli
- Security
- Pharmacy
The drugs screened for on a 5-panel drug test are:
- Marijuana
- Opiates
- Cocaine
- Amphetamines
- Phencyclidine (PC)
As a felon, you will probably find it more difficult to get hired if you apply for a position in one of the above departments.
Additional Restrictions On Felons At Walmart
As an ex-felon, you know that you can’t work in a job that gives you access to firearms, but some Walmart stores sell guns in their sporting goods departments.
Because of this, you won’t be able to work in that department.
It’s a good idea to visit your local store and find out if they sell firearms. If they do, make sure you apply for a job in a different department.
Another point to keep in mind is your future promotion plans.
Walmart can be a solid career choice for many people because it has such a diverse range of opportunities among its vast business operations.
While you are probably only focused on the here and now at the moment, if you work hard, you could be eligible for a promotion one day.
Certain managers in Walmart stores need to be able to handle firearms sales and related matters if the store sells firearms.
If you have more than one Walmart in your local area, you could have better opportunities further down the road if you apply to work at the store without firearms.
Walmart Neighborhood Markets don’t sell firearms, so you wouldn’t face any extra restrictions if you apply to one of those stores.
Walmart Application Process
If you’ve decided that you want to try for a position at Walmart, the initial application process is very straightforward, and it won’t take you long to complete.
Drop into your local store for an application, or search for Walmart jobs online.
Walmart has its own jobs portal at careers.walmart.com. You can filter jobs based on type and location and narrow down your search to the jobs near you that you think you’re qualified for.
Once you see a suitable job, open up that result, read through the job description, then hit the big blue “Apply” button.
You’ll need to agree to some terms before using your email address to create an account on the portal.
Go to your email to verify your account, then sign in to your account on the jobs portal.
Enter details for your name, age, address, phone number, and social security number.
Then indicate if you’ve got any previous retail, warehousing, or manufacturing experience.
State if you’re looking for full-time or part-time work, then fill in the equal opportunities survey about your ethnicity and gender.
Next, you need to fill in your employment history for the last 6 years. If you’re applying for a driver’s position at a distribution center, they ask for 10 years of employment history.
They want to know each company you worked for, as well as the position you held, your start date and leaving date, and your reason for leaving.
Remember, they are going to verify these details on your background check.
After answering the questions about any military history you have, you can schedule your availability.
The more flexible you can be with your availability, the better, but you’ll need to exclude any times that you can’t work, like when you need to collect children from school, for example.
Next, choose the location you would like to work at and all the job types you’re prepared to do.
Now, you’ll take an assessment, which for most entry-level store-based jobs is a series of very simple multiple-choice questions.
Once you’ve completed the assessment, you’ll see on the next screen whether you passed or failed.
If you passed, your application status is active and you’re eligible to be considered for hire.
When Walmart wants to interview you, they’ll call or send you an email.
At your interview, you should mention your felony conviction, and have a written account you can give to your interviewer explaining what your offense was and how you’ve changed since that time.
After your interview, follow the directions they give you to submit your information for the background check.
Does Walmart Spark Hire Felons?
Walmart Spark is Walmart’s new delivery service. Spark uses independent contractors to deliver orders to customers.
Even though you’re hired as an independent contractor, you’ll still need to pass a background check, and this background check will look at your driving record as well as your criminal record.
Individuals with felonies have been hired to work as Spark drivers, so it’s worth applying as long as you have a clean driver’s license.
Although, if your felony is connected to a driving offense or violent behavior, then you probably wouldn’t pass the background check for this type of work.
Conclusion
Walmart is an enormous company with all kinds of job openings along with good opportunities for promotion.
As a member of the Second Chance Business Coalition and a signatory to The Fair Chance Pledge, Walmart doesn’t unfairly discriminate against applicants with a criminal record or a felony conviction.
First and foremost, you’ll be assessed on your suitability for the role you’ve applied for, then if Walmart believes that you’re a good fit for their team, they will carry out a background check.
The offenses you committed, how long ago they occurred, and your conduct since that time, will all be considered when they decide if they can hire you.
Many felons have found it rewarding to work with this retailer, so applying for a job with Walmart could work out really well for you.
Robert Eric (a lover of Cats and Dogs) is the co-founder of HireFelonsJobs. In our search for a better life, after… A platform was created for the purpose of easing the search for ex-convicts.