What Walmart‘s Screening Process Means for Job Seekers
As the nation‘s largest private employer with over 1.6 million associates in the US alone, Walmart is a top destination for job seekers from all walks of life. But before you can join the Walmart team, there‘s one crucial step nearly all applicants must go through: the background check.
For many, the idea of a potential employer digging into their past can stir up feelings of anxiety and unease. What are they looking for? How far back do they go? Could a mistake from years ago derail your chances?
To put your mind at ease and help you navigate the process like a pro, we‘ve put together this comprehensive guide to everything you need to know about Walmart background checks. We‘ll cover what they entail, how to prepare, and what to do if any red flags arise.
By the time you‘re done reading, you‘ll be ready to approach your Walmart background check with confidence and clarity. Let‘s get started!
Why Background Checks Matter to Walmart
First, let‘s dive into why Walmart and so many other employers place such a heavy emphasis on background checks in the first place.
Building a Safe and Trustworthy Workforce
Like any major retailer, Walmart has an obligation to create a secure environment for their associates and customers. Hiring employees with certain criminal convictions or safety violations could put others at risk and open the company up to legal liability.
Background checks aim to filter out candidates with serious red flags in their history, helping Walmart build a workforce they can trust to represent the company well. As a 2015 study in the Employee Responsibilities and Rights Journal notes:
"Employers have the right – and in some cases the legal duty – to create a safe workplace for employees, customers, and the public. Criminal background checks are a valuable tool for employers as they make hiring decisions."
Of course, not every offense is a deal breaker. We‘ll discuss Walmart‘s nuanced approach to evaluating criminal records later on.
Verifying Applicant Qualifications
Beyond safety matters, background checks also help Walmart ensure applicants are being fully truthful about their professional and educational history. The information you provide on your application about past jobs, degrees, and certifications? They‘ll check to make sure it‘s legit.
Confirming these details helps the hiring team accurately assess your qualifications and fit for the role. After all, you wouldn‘t want to work alongside someone who lied their way into the job.
Organizational Benefits
On a broader scale, screening applicants tends to pay off for organizations in the long run. A 2016 survey by the Professional Background Screening Association found that 96% of employers conduct at least one type of pre-employment background check.
The most commonly cited benefits?
- Improved quality of hires (49%)
- Reduced workplace violence (15%)
- Lowered rates of employee theft (12%)
While background checks aren‘t perfect predictors, they remain a valuable risk mitigation tool for the majority of employers – including Walmart.
What Walmart Background Checks Cover
So what exactly are Walmart‘s background check specialists sleuthing for? Here‘s a rundown of the key areas they likely look into for most positions:
Criminal History
First and foremost, Walmart wants to know if you have any relevant convictions on your record that could present a safety or security risk. They‘ll scan county, state, and national databases for any felony or misdemeanor charges and gather details on the nature of the offense(s), sentencing, and how long ago they occurred.
Keep in mind, some states have laws limiting how far back employers can look into your criminal history. For example, in California, most convictions over 7 years old are off limits. But in some states, Walmart can go as far back as they want. We‘ll dive more into these legal nuances later.
Employment History
Walmart will also ring up your former employers to confirm the positions, dates, and other details you listed on your application are accurate. Trying to embellish your experience or fudge dates probably won‘t fly under the radar.
According to HireRight‘s 2019 Benchmark Report, 45% of applicants include at least some discrepancies between the info on their resumes and what background checks uncover – with employment history discrepancies being the most common at 90%.
While (hopefully) not all of these applicants are intentionally lying, it illustrates how closely employers like Walmart look at this piece of the puzzle.
Education Verification
Have a degree or diploma listed on your application? Expect Walmart to confirm you actually earned it from an accredited institution. While this isn‘t relevant for every role, any education you claim is fair game for verification.
The HireRight report found that 48% of applicants‘ educational backgrounds don‘t match up with official records in some way. Moral of the story? Honesty is the best policy.
Motor Vehicle Records
If you‘re vying for a role that involves operating a Walmart vehicle, like a delivery truck driver or parking lot attendant, the company will likely pull your driving record to look for any serious violations or license restrictions.
They want to see a pattern of responsible driving before handing over the keys to a company vehicle. Too many recent tickets or a suspended license will probably pump the brakes on your application.
Identity Verification
Lastly, Walmart has to comply with federal employment eligibility laws like the Immigration Reform and Control Act. That means confirming you are who you say you are and are legally allowed to work in the US.
Providing a valid social security number is key for this step. They‘ll use that unique identifier to crosscheck your identity and work authorization against official databases.
The Walmart Background Check Process
Now that you know the why and what of Walmart background checks, let‘s walk through how the process typically unfolds step by step.
1. Applying Online
Your background check journey begins the moment you submit your online application on the Walmart Careers website. When you get to the disclosure and authorization page, read it carefully.
This is where Walmart spells out their intent to run a background check later in the process if you move forward, as well as your rights under the Fair Credit Reporting Act. Checking that authorization box signals your consent for Walmart to pull your records when the time comes.
The application will also ask you to provide tons of relevant info like your:
- Full legal name
- Current address and past addresses going back 7 years
- Social security number
- Date of birth
- Email address and phone number
- Employment and education history
Anything you enter here is fair game for Walmart to verify and use to conduct your background check, so double check for accuracy before hitting submit!
2. Interview Process
With your sparkling application in hand, the next step is typically a series of interviews – either in person or over the phone depending on the role. If all goes well there, you‘ll receive a provisional job offer from Walmart.
This offer will be contingent on you passing the upcoming background check. Consider it a soft "you‘re hired!" while Walmart double checks that you are who you say you are.
3. Background Check Initiation
At this point, your eager new manager will enter your name and email into Walmart‘s applicant tracking system. The system will ping the company‘s background check partner, a firm called First Advantage, to initiate your screening.
Within a few days, you‘ll receive an email from First Advantage with a secure link to set up your background check account and provide any additional info they need to get started, like past addresses or a copy of your driver‘s license.
This is your chance to tie up any loose ends and ensure you‘ve been fully transparent. Once you‘ve confirmed everything is good to go, First Advantage will commence your official background check.
4. Background Check Turnaround Time
Now for the waiting game. You may be wondering how many days of thumb twiddling to expect while Walmart reviews your records.
On average, background checks take between 5-7 business days from the time First Advantage receives all your completed forms. That lines up with the National Association of Professional Background Screeners‘ findings that 62% of employers see results within 1-5 business days.
However, some Walmart employees have reported the process taking as long as 3 weeks in rare cases. A variety of factors can drag out turnaround time, such as:
- Courthouses or employers being closed for holidays
- First Advantage waiting on a callback from a past employer to verify your work dates
- Common names requiring extra digging to ensure the right records are pulled
- Screenings that span multiple counties or states
If you haven‘t heard anything after about 10 business days, it‘s perfectly appropriate to reach out to your Walmart recruiter for a status update. They can check in with First Advantage to see if any info is missing or if there are any other holdups.
5. Dispute Process
Once First Advantage has gathered all your background check details, they‘ll compile it into an official report for Walmart‘s review.
But what if that report includes a mistake, like a criminal charge that was actually dismissed or a job title that‘s not quite right? Under the FCRA, you have the right to dispute any inaccurate info and have it reinvestigated.
First Advantage will notify you via mail if anything questionable pops up, along with a free copy of your report and instructions for filing a dispute. According to their website, they‘ll complete a dispute reinvestigation within 30 days.
It‘s important to note that honest mistakes can and do happen, so don‘t panic if an error slips through. Be proactive about correcting it and keeping your Walmart recruiter in the loop.
Walmart‘s Approach to Criminal Records
Alright, let‘s address the elephant in the room: Walmart‘s stance on hiring applicants with a criminal history.
Their official policy? It‘s not a deal breaker – within reason. Walmart has joined the growing "Ban the Box" movement, removing questions about criminal convictions from their initial application. It‘s an effort to evaluate candidates as people first, without an arrest or felony charge overshadowing everything else.
A statement on Walmart‘s corporate website puts it this way:
"Walmart believes everyone deserves a second chance. That‘s why we hire felons – as long as their convictions are not relevant to the job for which they have applied."
So if you‘re an aspiring cashier with a 5-year-old misdemeanor for public intoxication, you could very well still get a green light. But if you‘re gunning for a role as an overnight stocker and have a recent theft conviction? That‘s likely to give Walmart pause.
According to the National Employment Law Project, over 80% of employers use some form of criminal background check. But "Ban the Box" policies have gained major steam in the past decade, with 35 states and over 150 cities now having laws on the books regulating when employers can inquire about applicants‘ records.
So how does Walmart determine if a criminal offense is "relevant" to the job? They look at factors like:
- The nature and gravity of the offense
- How long ago it occurred
- Whether it‘s part of a pattern or an isolated incident
- Evidence of rehabilitation, like completing a drug treatment program
- The specific duties and environment of the job in question
Like many employers, Walmart is more inclined to overlook minor, nonviolent offenses that are several years in the past. But serious felonies like sexual assault, murder, or identity theft are almost always going to be disqualifying.
It‘s also worth noting that some Walmart positions will involve additional screenings on top of the standard background check. For example, roles in the pharmacy or positions dealing with certain chemicals may require a drug test. Loss prevention and asset protection roles will likely undergo a more intensive criminal review process.
The bottom line? Having a criminal record isn‘t an automatic rejection from Walmart. Be upfront, take responsibility, and emphasize how you‘ve grown. You could be one of the 1.5 million Americans Walmart has hired with some form of criminal history.
How to Set Yourself Up for Success
You‘ve sent in your Walmart application, aced your interviews, and submitted your background check authorization. Now what? Here are some expert tips for navigating the rest of the process with poise.
Be Honest from the Start
We‘ve said it before and we‘ll say it again: transparency is key. If you know there‘s something dicey in your background, your best bet is to own it and briefly explain the situation early on.
Trying to hide a conviction or fib about your work history will only make you look untrustworthy if it comes to light in the background check. Plus, Walmart will find out eventually anyway – you might as well be the one to break the news.
Know Your Rights
Brush up on your rights as a job applicant under federal and state law. Some key things to remember:
- Employers must get your written consent before running a background check
- You‘re entitled to a free copy of your background report if you‘re denied a job because of it
- Background checks can only go back 7 years in most states
- Certain states have laws requiring individualized assessments for applicants with records
Check out the EEOC‘s guidance on background checks for more info.
Prep Your References
If you haven‘t already, give your professional references a heads up that Walmart may be reaching out to verify your past employment. You don‘t want them to be caught off guard or not remember the details of your shared history.
Confirm they‘re willing to sing your praises and let them know why you‘re excited about the Walmart opportunity. A little enthusiasm can go a long way!
Stay Confident
Remember, a background check is just one small part of Walmart‘s overall evaluation of you as a candidate. Don‘t let it overshadow all the skills, experience, and personality you bring to the table.
If something does come back on your report, don‘t panic. Calmly explain the context to your recruiter and express your commitment to moving forward in a positive direction. Many managers will appreciate your honesty and willingness to take responsibility.
What Comes Next?
Let‘s fast forward in time. Your background check has come back clean as a whistle, and you‘re officially Walmart‘s newest associate. Congrats! Here‘s a sneak peek of what lies ahead.
Orientation and Training
Your first few days on the job will likely be packed with paperwork, training modules, and shadowing seasoned associates. Walmart has a pretty thorough onboarding process to set new hires up for success.
Expect to learn the ins and outs of your specific role, get a crash course in Walmart‘s culture and policies, and start building bonds with your fellow rookies. You‘ll also be fitted for that iconic blue vest and name badge.
Growth Opportunities
One of the biggest perks of starting a career at Walmart is the potential for advancement. Over 75% of Walmart‘s store management teams started out in hourly roles.
Walmart invests heavily in associate development, offering on-the-job training, mentorship programs, and even college tuition assistance for some positions. Perform well and express interest in moving up, and there‘s no telling how far you could go!
Making a Difference
Corny as it may sound, working at Walmart means being part of something bigger than yourself. With millions of customers walking through the doors each week, you have the chance to make a real impact on people‘s lives.
Whether you‘re helping a frazzled parent find the perfect birthday gift, or going above and beyond to assist a senior with their groceries, your hard work and kindness can be the highlight of someone‘s day.
Plus, Walmart is often a vital resource for communities in times of crisis, providing essential supplies, meals, and support during natural disasters and other challenges. Being part of those relief efforts can be incredibly fulfilling.
The Bottom Line
Walmart background checks can seem intimidating at first blush, but they‘re really nothing to lose sleep over. By understanding what to expect and being your authentic self throughout the process, you‘ll be well on your way to acing the screening and landing an amazing opportunity.
Remember, Walmart isn‘t out to nitpick candidates or dwell on past mistakes. They‘re looking for trustworthy, hardworking people who will represent the company well and contribute to a positive shopping experience. If you fit that bill, a couple bumps in your background won‘t be the end of the world.
Use the tips and insights in this guide as your map, and before you know it, you‘ll be donning that blue vest with pride. Your future at Walmart is looking bright!
