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Image of a person shopping at walmart. The caption reads "Does Walmart Hire Felons."

Yes, Walmart does hire felons. It is important to keep in mind that they will not hire all felons though. Walmart’s application does not ask about criminal records or prior convictions. Your background check will not be completed until after your interview.

Does Walmart Hire Felons?

As stated above, yes, Walmart will hire felons but this does not mean that they will hire anyone with a felony. Following the steps outlined in this article will greatly increase your chances of becoming hired by Walmart even with a felony conviction. Our organization, Help For Felons, has provided this guide to help felons become employed at Walmart. please take the time to read all of the information provided to give you the best chance of being hired.

When it comes to Walmart we have found that some felons are able to find jobs as store associates and night time stockers. Walmart evaluates each felons background individually so results vary from person to person depending on a number of factors.

Guide: How to Get Hired With a Felony at Walmart

Following these five critical steps will help greatly improve your chances of being hired by walmart.  Filling out applications and wishing someone will hire you does not work well and wastes your time. Since you have a felony you are going to have to work much harder (and smarter) at getting a job than someone else without a record. Is this fair? @%^$ no but it is reality.

Let’s get Smart about getting a job at walmart! 

Step 1) Job or position selection

You can increase your chances of being hired by Walmart by selecting the right type of job to apply for. Do not apply for management positions, safety positions or driver positions. The higher up the job the more scrutiny you will come under.

Getting your foot in the door will allow you to prove your worth to walmarty and your supervisor. After you have proven yourself then apply for better positions within Walmart.

The best positions for felons to apply for are as follows.

  • Cart Attendant / Janitorial Associate – Gather carts from the parking lot and clean restrooms.
  • Cashier / Front End Associate – Run register and check out customers.
  • Stocker / Backroom / Receiving Associate – Your job would be to unload trucks, stock product and sort products.

All three of these positions are basic and are the easiest to get at Walmart. Keep in mind that the goal of getting this job is to get your foot in the door and to move up later.

Never apply for anything in sporting goods if they sell firearms or ammunition. You will be immediately disqualified from the position as soon as Walmart runs your background check.

Step 2) Filling out the Walmart Application

Walmart has online applications that are relatively easy to follow and fill out. Do NOT fill it out yet though, not until you have read the rest of this post.

The good news for you is that there application does NOT ask you if you have a criminal record or any felony convictions. The application is simple and straightforward.

Make sure you do the following when filling out the Walmart’s application.

  • Double check for any mistakes. You do not want a silly mistake to keep you from getting an interview.
  • Make sure you are honest about your previous addresses, work history and anything else. Walmart will run a complete background check and will know everything about you. If you lie, they will catch you and will never get the job.
  • Have open availability each day of the week. This makes you flexible an walmart loves flexibility.

After filling out the application you will take a simple assessment test (More info on test) with about 65 questions on it. The better you do the better chances you have of being hired.

After you fill out and submit your application the waiting game starts. Remember at this point Walmart has no clue that you have a felony. They will not run a background check until after your interview.

Picture of a Walmart that may hire felons.

Step 3) Interview

This is your time to shine and impress the walmart hiring manager. I suggest that you read a few articles on “how to interview well” or “interviewing tips” The only information I am giving you is how to make your felony conviction less of an issue for Walmart.

Remember that your application didn’t ask about any criminal convictions, felonies, ect.  Even though Walmart knows nothing about your at this point in the process it is time to bring it up. This may sound crazy but remember they are going to find out anyway.

Why? Because this is the only time you will have any control over their decision or opinion in regards to 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 story.

How to present you felony to the Walmart hiring manager

There are a number of things you need to do to explain your felony. 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 Walmart hiring manager

  • Timing is everything – Do not bring this up until the interview is almost finished, 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.
  • Explain your felony – Now everyone’s story is different so some variation may be needed for your particular 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 career at Walmart. 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. Most interviewers have many years of experience interviewing applicants and they easily pick up on when people are trying to “spin the truth.” Do not do it. Be calm and truthful.

Written explanation of felony

It is important to have a short letter concerning your felony. Go into a bit of detail about how you have changed and what you have done to change the direction of your life. 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 and 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.

Step 4) Post Interview

Have you ever heard “make sure you follow up after the interview?” I am not a big believer in this. Wait and see what happens is the best thing you can do. I urge you not to get your hopes up about any job, but I know for a fact that felons have been hired by Walmart.


Video: Interviewing with a felony

Here is an excellent video about interviewing with a felony. He has a lot of the same ideas I have put into this guide but it is still worth a watch.

Background check limits (Seven Year States)

It is important to understand that some states have laws regarding how far back a criminal background check can go. This may prove very useful if you have a felony conviction. Here are the laws for each state.

Twelve states do not allow any felony conviction information older than seven years to be reported.

  • California
  • Colorado*
  • Kansas*
  • Maryland*
  • Massachusetts
  • Montana
  • Nevada
  • New Hampshire*
  • New York *
  • Texas *
  • Washington*

(* exceptions based on pay/salary)

Some states will not report court cases where you were found NOT guilty: Hawaii, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Alaska, California, New York and Michigan.

These states will report unlimited numbers of years back of felony convictions and also report NOT guilty verdicts: Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Rhode Island, Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, DC, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa,

Contributing factors and Walmart employment

I can tell you for a fact that some felony convictions are harder to overcome than others. Murder and sex offense convictions are extremely hard to overcome for many. There are other factors that will also play into Walmart’s decision.

  • Time since you have been released. The more time that has gone by the better chance you will have at being hired.
  • The type of conviction also makes a difference. Violent felonies are worse that non-violent, but I cannot tell you specifically which felonies are “better” than others.
  • What you have done to improve yourself since you got into trouble.

Expungement

I will only touch on this briefly. If you do not know what expungement is it is basically a legal way to wipe your felony off your record.

Yes, it can be expensive and not all felonies can be expunged but it is well worth investigating. Most expungement lawyers will give a free consultation. If you can successfully expunge your record, then companies like Walmart will have no idea that you were ever convicted.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about Walmart

Q. Has Walmart hired felons in the past?

A. Yes, we have heard from many felons that have been hired by walmart. We have also heard from other that have not been hired. Each case is unique and we urge you to follow the advice given above in the article.


Q. Does Walmart always conduct a background check?

A. Yes, walmart conducts a background check on all prospective employees. The background check will be completed after your interview, in is the last step in the hiring process.


Q. Does Walmart drug test?

A. Yes walmart will conduct a pre employment drug test as well as random drug testing during your employment.


Q. How far back does a Walmart background check go?

A. This can vary from 7 years to an unlimited amount of years. Some states do regulate how far back a Walmart background check can go. California, Colorado, Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York,  Texas, and Washington limit background checks to 7 years depending on salary.


Q. Does Walmart hire truck drivers with felonies?

A. Most likely not since truck driving jobs are highly regulated by the federal government. Some trucking companies do hire felons but not walmart.


Q. Does Walmart participate in Ban the Box?

A. Yes, Walmart is a Ban the Box company. This means that they will not ask you questions about your criminal record on a job application.


Q. How much does Walmart pay?

A. The average pay at walmart is about $13.00 per hour but can go as high as $21.00 per hour.