Does Home Depot Hire Felons? | Best Jobs For Felons



Can A Felon Get A Home Depot Job?

Home Depot has over 300,000 people in its employ. As the company continues to expand, the number of available positions also grows.

Naturally, you may often come across Home Depot job advertisements and wonder whether the company offers any felon-friendly jobs.

We gathered the necessary information to help you get the answer straight.

In this guide, we’ll discuss which jobs are available at Home Depot, what are the salaries and benefits, and what is the company’s hiring process.

Afterward, we’ll take a detailed look at the company’s background check procedures to answer the main question of this article. Finally, we’ll share with you some honest Home Depot employee reviews.

What Job Can A Felon Get At Home Depot?

Home Depot Warehouse Jobs

Like any large nationwide retail, Home Depot offers a wide range of jobs in the company’s stores, distribution centers, and offices. Some of the job types suitable for felons Home Depot may have vacancies for are:

• Cashier
• Associate
• Delivery Driver
• Delivery Puller
• Stockroom Assistant
• Warehouse Worker
• Phone Center Associate

For more specific information on available openings, check the company’s official careers page. Enter your location to the search tab and click “Go” to find jobs in your area.

Naturally, all of the abovementioned job types have different entry requirements and may vary in terms of availability for former felons. A cashier is the most basic position that doesn’t require extensive education or experience.

However, such a job may not be suitable for those convicted of theft, robbery, or finance-related crimes. Delivery driver or puller may be a better option as these jobs don’t involve direct contact with cash.

However, individuals applying for these positions must hold a driving or forklift license. If an individual has great communication skills, they may opt for a customer service coordinator or phone center associate position.

Former felons experienced in retail jobs may apply for supervisory or managerial positions as long as they meet the rehabilitation requirements. For example, the possibility of Home Depot hiring someone who has served a sentence for sexual assault as a store manager is low.

However, an individual who committed a minor crime and is long freed may have a solid chance. The same applies to office jobs that require a certain skill set and education.

Pro Tip: Always apply to more than one company. If you are looking for a warehouse or sales job, don’t just apply to Home Depot. Also, try to get a Walmart warehouse job or a food delivery job. The more jobs you have on your resume, the more chances you have at being hired for a better, higher paying job.

Wages At Home Depot

Home Depot pays employees an average of $12.99 an hour as of 2021 based on analysis conducted by Payscale.com. Cashiers generally get $10-$14 an hour depending on experience and location.

Sales associates have the same starting wage of $10 per hour, though they may get a raise up to $16 per hour. Customer service associates, head cashiers, merchandisers, and a high number of other specialists are also paid under $16 an hour.

Some positions offer better pay, though. For instance, supervisor salary ranges from $13 to $24 an hour.

Based on the information provided by former and current Home Depot employees at Glassdoor.com, the average base pay in the company is $31,982 annually. That’s close to the national average wage of all job types in all companies. In other words, Home Depot generally offers employees an adequate, competitive salary.

Did You Know? In 2020, the average wage of a retail worker in the US was $13.61 hourly. This rate may seem higher than that offered by Home Depot at first, though it isn’t true.

This number is the average pay of all retail positions. While regular cashiers and sales associates receive about $11 per hour, store managers and pharmacy technicians may get over $16 per hour.

If you are interested in earning more money, consider getting a truck driving job, or becoming a freelancer online.

Benefits Of Working At Home Depot

As a household name, Home Depot strives to provide employees with decent working conditions and various benefits. Below, you’ll find brief information on the reasons in favor of working for Home Depot:

1.All company’s employees get proper training necessary for carrying out their jobs. Knowledge and skills received during training may be beneficial even if an individual leaves the job at Home Depot.

2.Discounts for the company’s products. This allows those building or renovating their homes to save plenty of money. Apart from building supplies, Home Depot also sells home essentials, so discounts result in daily savings.

3.Home Depot generally prefers to give a raise to employees within the company rather than search for new hires. Thus, anyone working for Home Depot in lower positions has a chance of progressing to leadership jobs if their performance stands out.

4.Paid sick days, personal days, and vacations.

5.Education tuition reimbursement. Home Depot values higher education and supports employees willing to get one.

6.Emergency financial assistance in case of a major illness, disaster, or family member’s death.

7.Full-time hourly and salaried employees get dental and disability insurance, health savings account, life insurance, medical coverage, and vision coverage.

To conclude, Home Depot cares deeply about the well-being and mental health of employees. While the pay offered by the company in most cases doesn’t exceed the national average, the benefits packet is exceptional.

For similar jobs to Home Depot, check out our Comprehensive Guide Of 200+ Companies That Hire Felons.

Hiring Process At Home Depot

All available Home Depot jobs are listed on the company’s homepage or on popular job boards like Indeed.com. In this guide, we’ll review the application process for cashier’s or sales assistant’s position.

The application starts with filling out a form on the company’s website. Applicants are asked to share essential information such as name, address, etc. Attaching a resume with working experience, education, and other relevant information may be beneficial, though this is not obligatory.

After form submission, applicants are invited to do a phone interview. During the call, the HR manager asks about the applicant’s previous jobs, education, and performs a customer service test.

Potential employees are asked how they would behave in certain situations that may happen on the job. Applicants may also be asked to explain why they want to work at Home Depot and what are their strengths or weaknesses.

If the interview was successful and the HR manager decides to consider the applicant, a background check and drug test are performed. If everything is in order, an applicant receives a job offer. More on that in a minute.

Home Depot Criminal Background Check Procedures

As a rule of thumb, former felons shouldn’t hide their past from potential employers. The employer likely wouldn’t mind hiring an ex-convict who has been rehabilitated.

However, they certainly wouldn’t be pleased to find out about this fact after an individual has worked in the company for a while. Plus, being straightforward helps fight the stigma of felons being unreliable and dishonest.

Home Depot is known for providing ex-convicts with a second chance. However, the company checks all information provided by a potential employee that can be accessed. Before conducting an investigation, Home Depot will request the applicant’s consent.

It’s a solely formal step, as the check is compulsory. If an applicant refuses to give consent, they will be refused a job – as simple as that. Individuals who are offered a job may also be asked to submit to drug screening. Home Depot pays for both checks.

A common misconception is that background checks are conducted state-wide. In fact, Home Depot performs a nationwide investigation. Information on the applicant’s past comprises all data accessible from the local, state, and federal archives.

Furthermore, if something significant happened in a foreign country and got into the federal database, it may also be taken into account. Individuals applying for a position with an annual salary exceeding $75,000 fall under an extensive background check allowance.

While Home Depot hires a third-party company to perform investigations, the company’s name isn’t shared with applicants.

The background check procedure serves several purposes. It’s necessary for the safety of company assets, other employees, customers and to verify an individual’s data. Of course, criminal records are also reviewed during the check.

The whole investigation takes about a week and is the last step of the hiring process. This allows felons to advance far in the hiring process, giving them an opportunity to showcase their skills and knowledge. In other words, if HR managers are performing a background check, they’re already willing to hire the person.

The fact that Home Depot performs background checks doesn’t mean that former convicts have no chance of getting hired. All results are evaluated based on a wide scope of factors to determine whether an individual is suitable for a specific job.

Some of the points taken into consideration during the evaluation process are:

•The relation of a crime to the position an individual applies to;
•One’s age at the time of committing a crime;
•How much time has passed since the release? Typically, Home Depot only checks criminal records for the past seven years;
•Whether a rehabilitation is possible and can be proven;
•Recommendations from prosecutors, law enforcement, correction officers, and others who can prove an individual’s fitness for the job;
•An individual’s profession prior to and after committing a felony.

Let’s assume Home Depot has two applicants with a felony record. The first one has been released a month ago, didn’t get any rehabilitation or recommendations, and committed an armed robbery of a store.

The second one has been freed for five years after minor vandalism and holds proof of good behavior after the sentence. Naturally, the second person has a higher chance of getting hired as a cashier.

Every case is investigated individually, and the result depends on many aspects. As long as an individual sincerely wants to change and has performed well on an interview, Home Depot should have no problem with hiring them.

Apart from criminal history, the background check includes a record of drug use, driving history, educational qualifications, and a reference check.

Did You Know? You can perform a background check on yourself. It’s generally affordable and will prepare you for any questions an employer may ask regarding your past.

Home Depot Employee Reviews

Companies always strive to advertise their working conditions in the best way possible. For this reason, many people prefer to read real employee reviews instead of information provided by the employer. In this section, we’ve gathered some quotes from the most informative reviews across different platforms to help you get the gist of Home Depot jobs.

“Excellent benefits, fast-paced but family orientated. Growth opportunities do exist and are frequently used. Customers can be a hassle but that is retail.” Experienced Home Depot employee, Niche.com.

“I worked as a Customer Service Representative at one of the stores in Pittsburgh. All of my co-workers were very friendly and made sure I knew what I was doing. They always helped me if I needed to. The company gave me great pay and seemed to actually care about me. I would 100% recommend working at The Home Depot.” Intern/Student Worker, Niche.com.

“Human resource organized and easy to contact. Supervisors understanding and great mentors to have. Employees are very hard working. The hardest part of the job was the rude customers.” Cashier, Indeed.com.

“A typical day at work was our team working together to unload the freight in a timely manner, then stocking it on shelves. Then filling overhead space with leftover boxes, and bringing some down to fill in the empty spaces where items could fit (known as Bay Directed Packdown). Overall, management was very good at their job. Of course, there are some that you might not agree with, but that’s at every job.” Freight Handler, Indeed.com.

“I’ve worked for The Home Depot for about 8 months. Started in the summer. Not a good time to start if working as a Lot Associate but the pay is compensating. The supervisors do reward you for your hard work.

Maybe not as often as you would like but they’ll notice it. The only difficult part about working for The Home Depot is handling some of the customers. The best skill I recommend you to have is perseverance and patience. The rest will come to you smoothly in time.” Lot Associate, Texas, Careerbliss.com.

“This is a great location to work at. Managers and other employees are super friendly and helpful. This is a busier location, so there is always something to do. I also love that you can get cross-trained making it easier to move departments, or help out when it’s busy.” Oxnard, CA, Careerbliss.com.

Equal Rights For All Job Applicants

As you can see, Home Depot has a fair and objective policy of hiring former convicts. The company has adopted a “ban the box” initiative to ensure interviewers are unbiased towards such applicants.

If the potential employee is truthful and meets the job requirements, they have the same chance of getting hired as someone without a felony record. Hopefully, our guide has convinced you that life after a felony conviction exists and provided all the necessary information about Home Depot jobs.

If you have a felony conviction and you have been able to get a job at Home Depot, please share your advice and tips with our community!

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