Costco Job Openings – Felon Friendly Employment Opportunity

If you have a criminal record and are looking for a felon-friendly employer, consider working for Costco. This nation wide retailer has many different job openings that would be suitable for felons.

Costco operates a chain of members – only warehouse clubs across the US. This company is famous for its generous salaries and impressive benefits package for its employees.

Find out if Costco near you hires felons, what the job requirements are and how to apply.

Does Costco hire felons?

Costco is a felon-friendly company. This means that they consider all applications on a case by case basis and will not turn someone down simply because they have a felony conviction. There are a number of ex-cons who have successfully gained employment at Costco.

In general, a hiring manager will take the following things into consideration when deciding whether or not to hire a felon:

– Type of crime/s committed. If it was not theft or a violent crime, your chances of being hired are much greater. Sex offenders will not be offered employment at Costco.

– When did the felony happen. If it was more then 5-7 years ago, there is a bigger chance that you will be hired.

– One time vs repeat offender. The manager will more likely consider someone who is not a repeat offender, because he will have a much harder time trusting in his ability to stay honest and work hard.

– Job skills. Do you have any relevant skills or education that can help you do this job well? Most Costco entry level positions don’t require any particular skills, but if you have prior experience working in sales or warehouse jobs, it will boost your chances of getting the job.

– Personal qualities. Do you come across as an honest, friendly and hard working individual who want to be a member of a team? These are the kinds of people Costco wants to hire. If you can convince the manager that you have put your criminal past behind and you just want a second chance to prove yourself, it will work to your advantage. Having any kind of volunteer work and positive personal references will also really help to demonstrate that you have a lot to offer an an employee.

How much do Costco jobs pay

Many felons looking for jobs want to know how much Costco pays its entry level employees? Salaries at Costco Wholesale range depending on the type of job you are doing. However, they are significantly higher than in many other retail and warehouse companies.

Here are salaries for various popular entry level positions Costco is hiring for

• Cashier at Costco earns $15.3 – 15.5 per hour
• Merchandiser gets paid $14 – 14.5 per hour
• Customer service associate gets $12.5 – 16.5 per hour, depending on location and responsibilities
• Warehouse worker earns $14.2 – 14.75 per hour
• Call center representative: $14-15 per hour
• Member services representative: $15-15.75 per hour
• Food service worker: $14.2 – 14.80 per hour
• Shipper/receiver: $13 – 13.5 per hour
• Forklift operator: $18-19 per hour

Indeed.com reports that 88% of current Costco employees think that they are paid fairly.

If you don’t think working at Costco will work out for you, consider similar employment opportunities with companies like Amazon, Walmart, and Home Depot.

Costco background check

Like all major corporations Costco runs a background check on all its applicants. If you don’t want to submit to a background check, you will not be able to apply for any jobs at Costco.

Unlike many other companies, Costco will call a prospective employee that they are interested in, who has failed a background check. Most businesses will not get back to you at all if your background check comes back with a criminal record.

However, at Costco, there is a very high chance to get called back and explain your situation. If you are able to state your case to the HR department and demonstrate that you have reformed and are not the criminal that you used to be, you may get a job offer. There are many felons that are employed by Costco in a wide range of positions throughout the US.

Bottom line: don’t be scared and don’t automatically assume that Costco will reject you once they run your background check. At the same time, do realize that if you have committed violent crimes you will not be offered a job.

How to apply

If you are interested in applying to Costco Wholesale near you, there are a couple of easy way to proceed:

1. Apply in person at your closest Costco location. Currently there are 533 Costco warehouse clubs spread throughout the US.

There are also 8 distribution depots in the US. They are located in

Belleville, MI
College Park, GA
Dallas, TX
Laredo, TX
Mira Loma, CA
Monroe, NJ
Monrovia, MD
Morris, IL
Salt Lake City, UT
Sumner, WA
Tolleson, AZ
Tracy, CA
West Palm Beach, FL

2. Look for current job openings on sites like indeed.com, monster.com, glassdoor.com. They are regularly updating their listings so if a new Costco jobs near you opens up, you will see it right away.

3. Apply online at Costco Career Opportunities . Here you can either apply to a specific position or to a nearest Costco (you will see a list of openings in this location). When you start filling out the information it will ask you for the following information:

– Personal info (name, age, address, phone, email, etc)
– Education
– Work history
– 3 references. Its best to supply professional references from past employers but if you don’t have those, personal references are ok
– Whether you are legally allowed to work in the US
– Any relevant job skills
– Position you want to apply for
– You will need to consent to submit to a background check.

Once you fill everything out, you will need to sign and submit your electronic application.

Additional job options for felons

One reason why many ex cons have such a hard time finding employment is that they box themselves in to a very limited view of the type of work they can get. Because of the criminal past often coupled with a lack of skills and education, many felons gravitate to applying for minimum wage positions at large retail stores, or restaurant chains. They think that because these are not high-paying jobs, they will be more likely to get them.

However, this is a mistake. The problem is that that there are hundreds of people with low skills and minimal education BUT without criminal records applying for the exact same job. The hiring manager has no reason to pick a felon over someone who is equally skilled but without a criminal past.

Large corporations are by definition biased against felons, that is just how their hiring practices work. Even though the official company policy states that they don’t discriminate against felons, and at times they do indeed hire an exceptional candidate with a past felony conviction – these cases are rare and far between.

Instead of going down this beaten path, consider applying for the same type of entry-level manual labor positions or delivery driver jobs, but with local small businesses! These employers are likely to be more felon-friendly and may be more sympathetic to your personal story. This is because in America many people have friends or relatives or know of someone who has been in prison.

Go around to small restaurants, construction/roofing companies, gardening/landscaping, pet stores, small grocery stores, hair salons, etc and see if they are hiring.

Keep an open mind and don’t give up hope!

Please let us know in the comments below if you have been able to get a job at Costco with a felony conviction. Share any helpful tips to help others in our community find employment and turn a new page in their lives.