Pass the Walmart Application Process Successfully and Get a Job

You will fill in your personal details, job experience, availability, etc. on Walmart's online career center. You will not be able to upload a resume when applying to Walmart’s store jobs, so don’t bother making one.

Immediately after your application, you will be requested to take an assessment test. It is highly recommended to take some time to prepare before taking it.

If you have successfully passed the assessment, you will be invited to an interview. Make sure to prepare carefully so you present yourself in the best possible manner.

Learn the 4 rules for acing the Walmart interview.

Once you have successfully completed the screening process, you will be requested to go through final pre-employment checks (background check and drug screening, if necessary), and will be given an offer of employment.

You will fill in your personal details, job experience, availability, etc. 

Unlike stores jobs, here you will need to submit a resume. 

Immediately after your application, you will be requested to take an assessment test. The exact assessment differs based on your desired position. For instance, drivers and freight handlers will take the Walmart Freight Handler Assessment, whereas maintenance technicians will take the Walmart Technical Maintenance Assessment.

If you have successfully passed the assessment, you will be invited to an interview. Make sure to prepare carefully so you present yourself in the best possible manner. Learn the 4 rules for acing the Walmart interview.

Fill in your personal details, job experience, availability, etc. Take this stage at careful consideration, since Walmart is assessing you and checking how well you fit for the position as early as here. 

A solid resume is probably most crucial when it comes to management jobs, as openings to such positions are fewer in comparison with other positions. 

Immediately after your application, you will be requested to take an assessment test. There are three assessments for Walmart management positions, depending on the exact job you applied to -  the Teaming Employment Assessment (TEA) the Supervisor Employment Assessment (SEA), and the Manager Employment Assessment (MEA).

If you have successfully passed the assessment, you will be invited to an interview with some of Walmart's senior managers. Although you probably know your way around interviews, it is still highly recommended to prepare carefully so you present yourself in the best possible manner. Learn the 4 rules for acing the Walmart interview.

When applying, you may be asked for your availability and salary expectations. Research the job's common working hours and days, as well as the average base pay before applying.

Being the enormous organization it is, wages at Walmart are fixed and unnegotiable. Before you apply, see if the wage suits your goals, as what you see is what you'll get. 

Availability is one of Walmart's soft spots. The more available you are, the more chances are you will get hired.

As all of the world's top employers, Walmart uses an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) to track, assess, and manage its candidates.

It is an AI system with zero tolerance for errors. Any application that doesn't fit the mold will be disqualified with a heartbeat.

Here are the most important things to remember when applying through Walmart's ATS:

• Provide ALL the information required such as your contact details, work experience, education, skills, and any professional certificates or licenses you may have.
• If you need to submit a resume, make sure that it is ATS-proof by using the KIT protocol.

What to prepare for your application at Walmart:

• Social security number
• Resume (not required for hourly jobs)
• 3-year residence history (only for drivers)
• Job history with employer names and dates
• If you were referred by a Walmart employee, their name and ID for possible future bonuses for both of you.

After your first application at the Walmart careers website, you can use the data from your previous application to apply for more positions as fast as possible.

However, remember - your application for each job will be considered separately. Therefore, give thought to each application and don't just click the "Submit" button over and over again.

Think about the different skills, traits and experience required for each position, and highlight them in your application. That will not only increase the quantity of your applications, but their quality as well.

In some cases, you will be asked to fill out a specific city or a zip code, and you won't be able to view all the areas where your preferred position is available.

If you are willing to relocate or work far from home, we strongly recommend looking for open positions on websites like LinkedIn and Glassdoor and not directly on Walmart's careers website.

When submitting your application, you will immediately get an invitation for an assessment. Although you don’t have to take it straight away, we recommend that you take the test as soon as possible, so the position isn't taken by other candidates.

Taking the test quickly also shows Walmart's ATS that you are highly motivated and immediately up to the challenge.

Considering the fact that many of Walmart's assessments are similar across positions, preparing in advance will highly increase your chances of being hired for multiple jobs.

How Long Does Walmart's Application Process Take?

The initial registration process at Walmart will take about 45 minutes to an hour. After that, applying for additional positions is much quicker.

Can I Stop My Application and Get Back to It Later?

Yes, you don’t have to complete Walmart's entire application process in one sitting. You can always save your progress and return to the registration later.

What Is Walmart’s Job Requisition Number?

The requisition number is an internal number used by Walmart to classify jobs. It is recommended to write it down because it’ll be easier to return to find that specific job at a later stage. That is especially true on your first registration when the system tends to throw you out of the session.

Should I Fill the WOTC Questionnaire?

If the job includes a WOTC questionnaire, fill it. The WOTC (Work Opportunity Tax Credit) is a tax credit available to employers who hire from certain target groups such as veterans, food-stamp recipients, etc. If you belong in one of these groups, it will increase your chances of passing the application process.

Should I Name My Friend Who Works at Walmart

If you were referred to the job by a friend who works at Walmart, mention them. It may result in a bonus for him or her, or even both of you.

I Made an Error in My Application. Can I Get Back and Fix It?

You CANNOT change your application to Walmart once you’ve submitted it, so make sure you haven't left anything out.

Most of Walmart’s assessments have “behind the scenes” score bands that are known only to HR and management.

These score bands are:

• Excellent
• Competitive
• Good
• Poor

Walmart has a stone-cold hiring policy when it comes to their job assessments:

If you score poorly on ANY test section, you will fail the entire assessment.

That is why you must make sure you know each of the assessment's sections, and that you are ready for them when the time comes.

As I mentioned earlier, since each position on Walmart gets hundreds (if not thousands) of daily applications, there are high odds that once you're done preparing, the job opening had already been closed.

You could take the assessment immediately, but that would mean showing up unprepared.

To overcome this, it is most recommended to prepare for the online assessment BEFORE you even apply.

Now, I could go rambling about test preparation all day, but to keep you focused, pick the test that interests you, and we'll keep discussing it there:

• Retail Associate Assessment (RAA) - Used for hourly positions
• Teaming Employment Assessment (TEA) - Used for team leaders
• Supervisor Employment Assessment (SEA) - Used for supervisory positions
• Manager Employment Assessment (MEA) - Used for management positions
• Walmart Maintenance Technician Assessment - Used for maintenance mechanics

A large portion of Walmart's assessment process will be aimed at your personality and behavioral traits. According to Walmart, the ideal employee is someone who:

• Provides excellent customer service
• Respects other individuals
• Strives for excellence
• Acts with integrity

Each and every one of your answers will be scrutinized compared with these 4 values. Therefore, it is highly important to know what Walmart expects of you and how to project that profile.

If you successfully pass your Walmart assessment, you will not be required to take that specific assessment for the next 2 years.

That means that you can apply to any similar position without taking additional tests during that period.

Since Walmart's tests are similar across many positions, that means that a high score on an assessment can open opportunities for higher-paying jobs as well. 

Walmart’s recruiters expect you to understand the company, as well as the role you are intending to take.

You should go over Walmart’s website and view the LinkedIn profiles of the interviewer panel. Feel free to ask your recruiter who will interview you, if that information wasn’t provided to begin with. you may also find it beneficial to visit a store and take notes. This type of research can also benefit you greatly in the long run.

Although in the earlier stages of recruitment it is recommended to stick to traditional formulas and practices, your interview is somewhat different. It is ultimately about YOU.

Never go into an interview expecting to get away with the typical generic answers. Think about how you fit into the company.

As one of Walmart’s recruiters has put it:

“We often ask candidates “Why Walmart?” and the most common response is a list of Walmart facts and excerpts of our mission statement… a better response is to tell how the company resonates with you personally…”

In addition, remember Walmart's first and formost core value - Service to the Customer. Anyone who connects with customers on a daily basis is expected to be positive, amiable, and polite.

According to Jimmy Prencipe, a director in Walmart’s Talent Acquisition Department, it is very likely that you will be asked about both your strengths and weaknesses. Think carefully about both of these areas and prepare yourself for the following questions:

Strengths – what accomplishments can you provide to exemplify this strength?

Weaknesses – what measures are you taking to improve that weakness?

Be honest when asked about your weaknesses. Don’t provide the million-times-heard-before “I’m a perfectionist” weakness. As Prencipe says: “A candidate that shows professional maturity in being self-aware is highly desired in the team dynamics.”.

Don’t hesitate to ask questions about anything the job entails, both before and during the interview. Doing so has several positive effects:

• It creates a more balanced conversation and maximizes your relationship with the interviewer.
• It reduces uncertainty and alleviates stress.
• It shows you are interested and prepared.

Some examples Walmart gives for such questions are:

• What skill sets would most benefit your team at the moment?
• What advice can you give me if I wish to succeed in this particular area of the company?
• What is the most important quality on your team, and why?
• What are the current objectives and strategies in your team?

And remember, good communication skills are one of the most highly demanded traits in any job, and especially so in jobs that require daily interaction with customers.