
Yes, Home Depot does hire felons. Several factors including how old your felony is, the type of felony and the location of the store your applying at will determine if you are eligible to be hired. Sex offenses and violent felonies will disqualify you being hired by Home Depot.
Does Home Depot Hire Felons
As stated above Home Depot will hire felons but that does not mean they will hire ALL felons. Our Organization Help for Felons has worked with a number of felons that have been hired by Home Depot. I do not consider them to be a true “felon friendly” employer since they are very selective, but it is possible to get hired.
Below you will find truly helpful information (no fluff or BS) that will give you a an advantage when trying to get hired by Home Depot.
Guide: How to get hired by Home Depot with a felony
Following this guide will allow you to have the best shot at getting the hired. Please read the entire article before you start the process of applying.
Step #1 – Applying to home depot as a felon
Home Depot has an easy to fill out online application. It is important to note the application does not ask about felonies or criminal records. That is because home depot is a “ban the box” company. Don’t get me wrong home depot will be doing a background check on you after your interview. More on that later. Let us deal with the application first.
Availability
Having open availability will make you more desirable to Home Depot. If other applicants do not have open availability you will have one up on them. Here are the questions that they ask on the application concerning availability.

Position Selection
Since the odds are already stacked against you do not make it harder than it already is by applying for a position where your felony makes it even harder or impossible. Make the name of the game “getting your foot in the door.” Do not apply for management positions or security positions since this will even call more attention to your felony conviction. After you get hired you can then apply for those positions internally.
Here are some of the easiest position to get with a felony:
- Cashier – “Provide fast, friendly customer service at the point of purchase, accurately processing checkout and return transactions and identifying selling opportunities.”
- Store Support – “Improve customer experiences beyond our front doors, loading products into vehicles and monitoring shopping carts in our parking lots.”
- Receiving – “Our Freight Team works to ensure stores are stocked and ready for business. Responsible for unloading trucks and moving material through the store, they are an integral part of our business and the customer retail experience. The majority of these positions are overnight.”
Step #2 – The interview
This is going to be the opportunity that you use to try and get your felony out of the way. Keep in mind that Home Depot knows nothing about your criminal record at this point, they never asked on the application. Your background check be the last thing that Home Depot does before you start your job.
Crazy as this sounds you are going to bring up your felony to the hiring manager that is interviewing you. Why? Because this is the only time you will have any control over explaining your felony. If you leave the interview and the hiring manager gets a “surprise, felony record” fax a week later from the background check company they will be much more apt to cut you than if it is not a surprise and they know your history.
How to present you felony to the Home Depot interviewer
There are some things you can do to explain your felony in a way that makes it sound “softer” to the Home Depot interviewer. You must be prepared to present your felony to the interviewer both orally and in written form. Here are the details.
Explaining your felony to the Home Depot hiring manager
- Timing is everything – Do not bring this up until the interview is almost concluded, but not after it has ended. This allows the interviewer to form a good opinion about you before you bring up the bad news. Nine times out of ten towards the end of the interview the hiring manager will ask you if you have any questions. This is the time to let them know about your criminal record. Do not use the word felony yet.
- Explain your felony – Now everyone’s story is different so some variation may be needed for your situation. You need to explain in brief how you got in trouble and what happened. Be brief and do not dwell on this part. Limit this to a minute or less.
- Explain what you have done since your felony – This is especially important and should be well thought out. Talk about what you have done to change your life including but not limited to; education, classes, skills gained, lessons learned and how you want to continue your life by finding a home at Home Depot. Keep the attention on the present and not the past.
- Final note – After you have done your explaining it is time to ask the interviewer if they have any questions. After the interview is concluded thank them for their time.
Make sure that you are sincere and honest throughout the entire interview. Many hiring managers have years of experience interviewing applicants and they easily pick up on when people are trying to snowball them. Do not do it. Be calm and truthful.
Written Explanation
It is important to have a short letter concerning your felony. Keep it brief and to the point and do not provide too many details. The most important part of this is not the letter but what goes with it.
Attached to the letter provide any awards, certifications, diplomas, and a few letters of reference attesting to your character. After you have explained your felony to the interviewer then give them the letter and attached documents.
Here is an excellent video about interviewing with a felony.
Location matters
The Location of the Home Depot store that you are applying to will make a big difference since some states have laws limiting how far back, they can check your background. If you live in one of these states, you may want to dig deeper into the specifics of your state laws. If you find that your felony is old enough then you may want to rethink telling your interviewer about your felony conviction.
Twelve states do not allow any felony conviction information older than seven years to be reported. The seven years starts from your release date in most states.
- California
- Colorado*
- Kansas*
- Maryland*
- Massachusetts
- Montana
- Nevada
- New Hampshire*
- New York *
- Texas *
- Washington*
(* exceptions based on pay/salary)
You can find more information on 7-year background check states here.
Home Depot drug testing policy
I don’t have much to say about this except that Home Depot does drug test as part of the hiring process and randomly if you are an employee. Don’t blow your chance with a dirty test!
Felony expungement
If you don’t already know felony expungement is a legal procedure that removes a conviction from your record.
It can be expensive and many felonies can not be expunged but it is well worth investigating. Each state is different. Most law firms that specialize in expungement will give you a free consultation. If you can successfully expunge your record, then companies like Costco will have no clue that you were ever convicted.
Home Depot interview Information
Home Depot is going to ask you a lot of questions regarding customer service situations. You can find more information about Home Depot interview questions here. The top three questions asked are as follows:
- If a customer is looking for a part but doesn’t know what it’s called, how would you figure out what they needed?
- How would you define exceptional customer service?
- If a customer’s card was declined, and they became upset, how would you handle the situation?
Home Depot background information
When you go for your interview you need to known a bit about the company.
Home Depot is the largest home improvement chain in the United States, even bigger than Lowes. They sell everything from shingles, lumber, plywood, screws, lighting, plumbing and electrical supplies. Home Depot values include “taking care of our people”, excellent customer service and respect for all among other things. The about us page has some helpful information also.
Will Home Depot hire someone with a 10-year-old (2007) felony sex offense conviction? It’s for anonymous internet porn..
No, Unless you live in a 7 year state and are below the salary cap.
This happened to my brother last month. He interviewed with 5 different managers! They were impressed with his various construction certifications and employers. After running the background check, he received a letter declining his employment and potential termination! The letter cited his ’08 drug felony. This happened in Illinois.
Yea, Home Depot is not felon friendly at all.
I worked at Home Depot from 2013-2015, started part time and worked my way up to full time then to Specialist within that 2 years. I left for a better paying job. I was just convicted of felony grand larceny 3rd degree, however I never stole anything. I was a party they considered involved so they found me guilty even though again, I never stole a thing. I am now trying to go back to Depot but am worried about my felony because it’s theft. However, all of the employees want me to come back and managers would love to have me back. Does anybody know of any employees hired with a grand larceny? I miss working there and my coworkers, and they all know I am a great worker and person. Will that matter with my charge?
So, to sum up much of the information below, for those of you that have applied please clarify the following:
It seems clear the HD is using First Advantage and that the check goes back 7 years.
My question is… in the 7 years they check back on what are they looking for?
Is it release from the penitentiary or date of conviction? It is important to know this because those who served a lot of time there is a huge gap between the two.
Is the 7 years for all felonies, or are there certain felonies they go back further or indefinitely?
All background checks are from release date.
It depends on what state you live in. Look in the article abaove.
Mad at I even was worried. HOME DEPOT HIRES FELONS. No violent or sexual ones but drugs yes just hired two weeks ago and been workin since
If you don’t mind me asking, how old was your felony? And what state are you in?
I worked with someone at Depot who did 16 years for drug offenses. This was his first job after being released. Was within a year of his release. They hired him and he moved up the ladder. I know they can hire people with certain felonies, just not sure if they will hire all felonies.
So, they are not felon friendly. I applied disclosed my felony along with penal code. Got a phone interview. The want in with a interview with two managers. I impressed everyone and got the job that day contingent with a background check and drug test. Went in for a drug test and signed my background information. A week later I got a letter from home Depot corporate office in Atlanta. The background was through first advantage. They adversed there offer based on my felon convictions. They’re five years old. I know in California they can’t go further than seven years. So my advice if it’s over seven years you be good. If not they wont hire no matter what your rehabilitation efforts have been. Good luck.
I was hired at Home Depot…. I was hired on April 2015. I got my felony in August 2013. My felony was for 3rd dwi…. I didn’t have a problem getting hired and I told the truth. So my advice would be to try it and be honest… Goodluck to anyone who’s going to try.
I caught a felony in 2009 for a robbery and did my prison time. I applied at the HD. i passed my interview with flying colors and went in ro sign some paperwork, take a drng test and background check what do you guys think?
I don’t know man. I worked 1 year and a half for Dhl. Great attendence ect ect. Passed the interview. Drug test. Waited for the bk round check and.. I never received a call or anything until the exact day of my supposed orientation I got the consumer report in the mail. So I panicked a little bit. Came in and they told me I was declined the position due to my bk round check.. Wtf?? Agg assault from 8 years ago! Hope you get the job tho!!
Did you get the job? I have a grand larceny so I’m curious
Devin: what happened, did you get hired?? I just got out on parole in February for burglary.. I’m in the process of background check now…..
This red …green…yellow flagging system. Who does it? The people i interviewed with ? Or someone ill never speak to. I was convicted of Assault on a police officer for hitting a patrol car in 2014. Im 50 and it was my only arrest ever. The first interview i was up front and honest and i have a second one coming up. Drug testing is not an issue. ..i just want to know if im wasting my time.
I think you are. My fiancee did time for a violent crime 25 yrs ago.
I did time for drug related 15 years ago.
I was hired he was not. I go for orientation and he hasn’t been called yet.. 🙁
Hes not stupid kid he went to nk prison as but they dont consider your rehabilitation.. he found God in prison and I’m grateful bcuz I found him. Hes a good man. Better than any i dated the 35 years of my life. We met at church.