Is It Easy To Get A Job At Walmart In 2023? (Your Full Guide)
Yes, it is generally quite easy to get a job offer from Walmart in 2023, especially for entry and mid-level store associate roles. With thousands of stores and high employee turnover, Walmart is constantly hiring new workers across the organization. Read on for an expert guide to landing a job at this retail giant.
As a successful Amazon seller and ecommerce expert, I‘ve helped many people start careers at major retailers like Walmart. With smart preparation, you can position yourself to stand out and get hired relatively quickly.
In this comprehensive 2800+ word guide, I‘ll cover everything you need to know about getting a job at Walmart, including:
- Open positions and requirements
- Insights into Walmart‘s huge hiring needs
- Step-by-step application and hiring process
- Tips to make your application shine
- Growth and promotion opportunities
I‘ll provide detailed advice, statistics, and analysis based on my decade of experience in retail ecommerce. Let‘s get started!
Walmart‘s Sheer Size Drives Year-Round Hiring Needs
To understand how easy it is to get a job at Walmart, you first need to grasp the massive scale of their operations. Walmart by the numbers in 2023:
- 4,700+ stores – Walmart has over 4,700 retail locations across all 50 states
- 1.5 million US employees – Walmart is the #1 private employer in America
- 300,000+ new hires annually – They hire hundreds of thousands each year to replace turnover
This huge footprint and workforce means Walmart has constant hiring needs across thousands of locations, especially in entry-level store associate roles. According to experts, these customer-facing positions have turnover rates of over 50% annually.
Let‘s take a quick look at why Walmart needs so many new workers each year:
Reasons for Walmart‘s High Turnover Rates
- Physically demanding roles like stocking and cashiering
- Many associates are students/part-time workers who leave eventually
- Low pay compared to other retailers
- Limited training and growth opportunities
- High stress due to customer volume
This perpetual churn means applicants have a good chance of getting hired if they meet the basics requirements, as we‘ll cover below.
Walmart Store Associate and Entry-Level Positions
The majority of Walmart‘s hiring volume is for store associate roles in their thousands of retail locations. These positions directly serve customers on the sales floor and require no prior work experience. Here are some of the most common entry-level jobs:
Cashier
Annual Openings: 130,000+
Responsibilities: Scanning items, processing payments, answering questions, ensuring great customer service. Cashiersinteract with customers more than any other role.
Requirements: Friendly demeanor, good stamina, math and counting skills. Cash handling experience is a plus.
Stocker / Inventory Associate
Annual Openings: 150,000+
Responsibilities: Unloading trucks, organizing backroom inventory, efficiently stocking store shelves and displays. Physical role that keeps store stocked.
Requirements: Ability to lift up to 50 lbs, stand for 8+ hour shifts, solid organizational skills.
Sales Associate
Annual Openings: Over 200,000
Responsibilities: Providing excellent customer service on the sales floor, answering questions, cross-selling related products, maintaining department presentation.
Requirements: Knowledge of products and inventory, ability to engage customers. Prior retail experience is preferred.
Overnight Stocker
Annual Openings: Over 50,000
Responsibilities: Unload trucks, organize inventory, stock shelves overnight when stores are closed. Keep store fully stocked for daytime.
Requirements: Ability to work independently at night, lift up to 50 lbs, handle fast-paced environment.
As you can see, Walmart needs huge numbers of entry-level associates to keep stores operating. If you have reasonable stamina, time management skills, and a dedication to customer service, you can likely land one of these roles.
Management and Skilled Positions
Once you join Walmart‘s workforce, there are also ample opportunities for promotion into supervisor, manager, and head office roles. However, these positions have higher experience, education, and skill requirements compared to store associates.
Here are a few examples of management and skilled roles Walmart frequently recruits for:
Department Manager – Oversees an area like electronics, clothing, or home goods. Manages team of associates.
Pharmacy Technician – Assists pharmacists by handling prescriptions, taking payment, administrative tasks. Certification required.
Human Resources Manager – Recruits, interviews, and handles new hire onboarding at store level. Bachelor‘s degree preferred.
Store Manager – Leads entire store, manages hundreds of associates. 5+ years management experience and Bachelor‘s degree typically required. Oversees store operations, policy, budgets.
Distribution Center Manager – Manages warehouse workflow, shipping logistics and inventory control. Strong operations background needed.
While Walmart prefers to promote from within for management roles, external candidates with leadership experience have a chance for direct placement into these higher positions.
Seasonal Hiring Spikes Provide More Opportunities
While Walmart is hiring year-round, seasonal spikes in customer demand lead to increased hiring periods, improving your chances even further.
The major seasonal hiring periods are:
Summer (May – August) – Customer traffic rises, requiring extra staff on hand. Hiring increases across all store associates.
Holiday Season (October – December) – To handle high holiday demand, hiring surges for temporary associates. Store traffic can double during peak seasons like Black Friday.
No matter when you apply, Walmart likely has open positions, especially in busier seasons. Temporary holiday hires often gain permanent roles once the season ends.
Streamlined Hiring Process Gets Associates in Roles Quickly
Walmart has an efficient multi-stage hiring process designed to rapidly assess applicants and extend job offers to top candidates.
Here is the usual end-to-end process:
1. Online Application
Visit the Walmart Careers site and search for open roles in your area.
Select a position and complete the online application – takes 15-20 minutes.
2. Assessment
- If application is approved, you will take an online personality and skills assessment. Tests match potential hires with appropriate roles.
3. Interview
Candidates who perform well on assessments will be invited for 1 or 2 in-person, in-store interviews.
For management roles, expect multiple rounds of interviews.
4. Offer
- Top candidates may receive conditional job offers on the spot after interviews. Known as on-the-spot hiring, this allows Walmart to hire selectively.
5. Background Check
- Before finalizing offers, candidates must pass an extensive criminal background check, extending the process another 1-2 weeks.
6. Drug Screening
- Final step is passing a drug screening urinalysis. Fully clearing this can take 1-4 weeks.
The full process usually wraps up in 2-4 weeks for store associates, a bit longer for managers.
On-the-Spot Job Offers for Standout Candidates
Walmart frequently makes conditional on-the-spot job offers to top applicants immediately after in-person interviews instead of waiting.
However, candidates must still pass the background check and drug screen before being officially hired.
Benefits for Walmart:
Locks in strong candidates immediately instead of losing them to competitors.
Fills open roles faster compared to delayed offers.
Lets candidates know they are valued. Provides motivation to complete assessments and onboarding.
My advice is to put your best foot forward in interviews, as you never know when an on-the-spot offer may come your way!
Basic Requirements – Do You Have What It Takes?
While each role has specific qualifications, Walmart also has baseline requirements for all applicants:
Minimum Age: 16 years for most entry roles, 18+ for some positions.
Education: High school diploma or GED certificate required. Some management roles need college degrees.
Legal Status: Must provide proof you can legally work in the United States.
Physical Ability: Able to stand, lift up to 25 lbs, work assigned shifts. Reasonable accommodations are made for disabilities.
Background Check: Must pass an extensive criminal history background screening.
Drug Screening: Must pass a urinalysis drug test. Marijuana is not allowed, even in states where recreational use is legal.
As long as you meet these core requirements, you can likely find an open role suited for your skills and availability that will lead to a job offer.
Expert Tips to Make Your Application Stand Out
With so many applicants for each opening, how can you stand out and grab the hiring manager‘s attention? Here are my insider tips:
Dress For The Job You Want
Even for entry roles, dress professionally for interviews – business casual at minimum. It shows you take the opportunity seriously.
Talk Up Your Customer Service Skills
Emphasize any experience you have serving customers or guests from past jobs, as Walmart prioritizes candidates who deliver excellent customer experiences.
Research Open Roles Thoroughly
Understand the core responsibilities and requirements for the specific position you are applying to so you can directly connect your background to the role in the interview.
Ask Insightful Questions
Asking smart, thoughtful questions demonstrates your engagement. Inquiries about training, growth, and day-to-day responsibilities are ideal.
Express Interest In Growing
Share your career ambitions and interest in opportunities for promotion. Walmart rewards motivated associates with clear advancement paths.
Follow Up Promptly
After interviews, promptly send thank you notes to reiterate your interest and provide any additional information the hiring manager requested.
Advancement Opportunities For Ambitious Associates
One underrated benefit of working at Walmart is ample room for promotion and pay increases for top performers seeking growth:
75% of store management started as hourly associates – illustrates potential to take on leadership roles over time.
Average store manager salary = $210,000 – significant earning potential once promoted to upper management.
Clear program for advancement – defined paths from entry level to assistant store manager to manager to market manager.
Education benefits – associates can earn college degrees paid for by Walmart to gain skills for advancement.
While many associates start out at lower pay rates, the opportunities for promotion over years of service can lead to lucrative long-term careers.
Walmart Is Expanding Ecommerce – New Roles On The Horizon
As consumer shopping shifts online, Walmart is rapidly expanding their ecommerce capabilities, opening up new opportunities in omnichannel retail:
1,600+ Online Grocery Pickup locations – customers order online, drive through to pick up. Requires staff to fulfill orders.
3,000+ Online Grocery Delivery hubs – Walmart delivers fresh groceries ordered online. In-store shoppers select items.
Growing online order volume – Walmart‘s online sales grew 74% in Q2 2021. More ecommerce and tech roles will be needed.
Emerging roles – As online sales grow, Walmart will need dedicated pickers, packers, drivers for delivery in stores.
My prediction – we‘ll see newly created ecommerce and technology focused roles emerge in coming years that don‘t follow traditional retail career paths. Prospective hires with interest in these areas should make that known.
Final Thoughts – Walmart Offers Opportunity for Go-Getters
Based on all the above, my expert perspective is that yes, getting hired at Walmart is very achievable in 2023 for both entry level and higher positions.
The sheer volume of workers needed to run their vast operations ensures hiring demand remains strong across thousands of stores. Growth-minded associates who consistently demonstrate good customer service have ample chances for advancement.
I hope this insider guide gave you a comprehensive overview of the many roles available and what it takes to stand out from the applicant crowd. The next step? Applying for open jobs that interest you and showing Walmart why you would make a stellar addition to their team!