Everyone makes mistakes in life. Some people do wrong by others, while others believe in the wrong people. People are dealt with different hands at different points in life, but there is no denying the fact that everyone changes. All you need to do is look in the mirror to know just how much you’ve changed. Brownie points if you know where that line is from!
For people who’ve committed some sort of felony in their life before, it so happens that those around them keep reminding them of it, never giving them a clean slate to start afresh. If you’re one such person reading this article, know that there are several places that you can work at, provided you’ve really mended your ways. One such remarkable chain of stores you can work at is The Home Depot.
Company Overview
Home Depot is a famous and reputed string of home improvement and decoration chains extremely prevalent in the US, Mexico, and Canada. With manpower of over 400,000 workers, the chain provides a feeling of homeliness to its workers, as much as it does to its customers.
There are over 2,200 stores set up in North American by the chain along with store support and sales centers. The chain is one of the largest in the US. Catering to people who are into crafts and want to develop products themselves to famous contractors who oversee projects at the industrial level, so it is needless to say that the chain of stores is extremely versatile in its services.
Entry Jobs at Home Depot
Considering that their customer base is varied, it is only natural that their job profiles follow the same trend. With five profiles namely retail, customer service, loading and stocking, sales, and installation and maintenance, you’re eligible to apply for an entry-level job that is to your liking, and one you have a knack for.
Three sectors are mostly intuitive entry-level jobs – installation and maintenance, sales, and loading and stocking. Customer service is a sector with some jobs that require you to graduate to that level, while others are entry-level. Retail, on the other hand, is not entry-level for the most part, as all of the jobs there mostly entail that you have some experience in the field beforehand.
Select a Job that Complements Your Skill Set
1. Installation and Maintenance
If you have a liking to being on the ground, working with people and setting up different hardware for them, the best thing for you to do would be to apply for the installation and maintenance team. With an average pay of around $11 an hour, you could choose to be a gardener, hardware associate, technician, lot attendant, or an appliance technician at the chain. Although the pay doesn’t seem like much, it will more than do for an entry-level job, after which you can graduate to better positions when you earn the skill set.
2. Sales
Sales is another thing you can try your hand at if you are capable of talking to people and making them hear what you have to say. The pay is, once again, hourly, and is a couple of dollars more than those working at installation and maintenance. The sales associate is the lowest paying job in the set at $11.43. A little above the associate is the pay scale of the representative, who gets $11.90 an hour. The specialist earns $12.90 an hour while the pay of the kitchen designer and promoter lie in the range of $14 and change.
3. Loading and Stocking
Loading and stocking consist of the back end of the work, in comparison to the consumer end of the chain. They need a different set of skills than the sets of jobs mentioned above. The pay of those working as part of this sector is also per hour, except for the shipping and receiving clerk. He makes a whopping $31,800 a year. The rest of the jobs in loading and stocking include warehouse worker, forklift operator, order picker and stocker the pay is an average $11.90 per hour.
4. Customer Service
Customer service is an important part of any enterprise to ensure that the customers are happy with the service provided. On the off chance that there are some complaints, this body ensures the redressal of the same, helping greatly in customer retention. Starting with the greeter at the lowest tier of the lot, the hierarchy rises to customer service rep, specialist and service supervisor with their respective pays to start from $10.12 to $15.83 an hour.
5. Retail Jobs
Retail sector jobs need several skills and you have to develop them to stand a chance. There is a thorough screening process with countless interviews. This sector requires that the person in charge can handle anything and everything thrown at them. The jobs falling under this category at Home Depot include cashier, merchandiser and retail sales associate. (Other posts listed on other websites have just paraphrased the same posts). The merchandiser makes the most, with his income crossing $30,000 per year. The retail sales associate follows at around $28,000 per year. The cashier makes a little over $20,000 a year. The job of the cashier is at the entry-level, but the managerial roles are not, as expected.
It goes without saying that once you enter; rising through the hierarchy and making a name for yourself will ensure that you can get a retail job for sure, in time.
Will Home Depot Hire You?
Long answer short, yes they do. Supporting the ban-the-box movement, which entails that applicants are not asked about their past up until the interviews happen. This paves a fair way for you to prove your worth without being judged on whatever felony you committed. Besides, Home Depot has also taken the Fair Chance Business Pledge. This pledge requires them to give a fair chance to each and every person who applies for a said job.
That said, it is not without precautions that they do so. In your interview, you’ll be asked about the things related to the felony you committed. But if they find that you’re not the person who committed the felony anymore, the job just might be yours. You should have changed and should convince them that you have. Another question that might be bugging you is whether they’ll cross-check everything you said in your interview.
Does Home Depot Do Background Checks?
Home Depot is an extremely reputed chain of home improvement stores. So they need to make sure that the people they hire for their team are trustworthy. The person chosen should also provide the best service to the customers to come to their outlets.
So, yes. They definitely do background checks that go back to varying years in different places, according to sources. These checks, however, are nothing to be afraid of, provided that you were candid in your interview. But if it is discovered that you lied about your record, then the chain will definitely not hire.
That said, there are a few things you should keep in mind while applying for a job at Home Depot.
How to Find a Job at Home Depot with a Felony Record
You might have thought that employment opportunities might be bleak for you after you were tagged with a felony. You would not be particularly wrong, normally. But Home Depot supports the ban-the-box movement and taking part in the Fair Chance Business Pledge. So with Home Depot, you have fair a chance to be hired if you are suitable for the position.
A lot of people might be applying for the position that you’re vying for. Take these steps to make sure the interviewers notice and remember you.
1. Be Candid About Your Past
You would be filling out multiple forms for the job and then will have an interview. Tell them everything there is to know about your past that you think they would want to know. Let them know that you’re not the person you were and have changed for the better. Reply to questions with absolute candor to demonstrate the change you have made. Do not shy away from this step, for it is the most important.
2. Build Your Resume Truly
While applying for a position, make sure that you have the skill set for the job. Most jobs these days need you to have some work experience and related skills. It is a good idea to try and acquire at least the skills before applying for a position.
3. Apply for Positions that are Not Related to Your Felony
This is not a compulsion in any way. But it is surely a thing that will land you a job. People tend to think one cannot resist temptation. Hence, you might not land a job connected to the area of your felony.
4. Do Not Use Drugs
Do not use drugs for a good while (read, ever) before you apply for the job. There will certainly be a drug test, and if you fail the test, you will not be hired.
In a nutshell, you have a second shot at life, a shot that Home Depot gives you. Take it and live it!
>>> Click Here to Apply for Available Jobs at Home Depot