The Home Depot Employment application is a very thorough one. Each type of job (in-store hourly, distribution hourly, and corporate/other) has a specific set of questions for you to answer in order to see if you're a good fit for that type of job with Home Depot.
About Home Depot
Home Depot has been around since 1978. They have prided themselves on customer service and the ability to help customers with their do-it-yourself home improvement projects. Home Depot values the people above all else, building relationships with customers rather than just trying to make a quick sale. You can read the Home Depot story on the Home Depot website in order to determine whether your values match theirs and whether you think you would be a good match for their company. As stated on the site, the basic values are:
- Excellent customer service
- Taking care of people
- Entrepreneurial spirit
- Respect for all people
- Building strong relationships
- Doing the right thing
- Giving back to the community
- Creating shareholder value
If you have experience with these values, be sure that when you fill out the employment application to play up the fact that your beliefs and values mirror theirs. Of course it doesn't hurt to be an expert in a home improvement field if you're hoping to earn a sales position in a store, but there are spots available even for beginners with an interest in learning more.
Parts of the Home Depot Employment Application
The parts of the Home Depot employment application that you will actually see depends on the type of job you're going for. In-store hourly hopefuls may never see the more involved and slightly more complicated questions that those seeking distribution center jobs will see. Similarly, they will probably not be asked the same level of "what would you do in this situation" type questions that someone seeking a higher position within the company will be asked.
Home Depot does a very good job with their application process in that they don't ask you to complete unnecessary tasks if they are unrelated to the job you are seeking; everyone doesn't take the same application because everyone isn't seeking the same job or type of job.
The application is split into in-store hourly, distribution center, and corporate positions, so you only complete the parts that apply to your goal. If you wish to apply for jobs in more than one section, your answers will carry over; you won't have to fill out the whole online application three times. Generally, you will be presented with questions related to the following:
- Where you would like to work
- The environment you'd prefer (in-store, distribution center, or corporate office)
- Setting up an online ID
- Contact information
- Your education and employment history
- Your skill set
- When you are available to work (when you can start, which days you can work, and what times are best for you)
- The proficiencies you have that would make you a good fit for Home Depot (especially important in the in-store part of the application because you may be talking in-depth with customers about the application of products)
- Your behavior in work settings, to include how you interact with supervisors, other employees, and customers, and sometimes how you would react in situations involving stealing co-workers, trash in the aisles, and so on
- Quick problem-solving opportunities, such as alphabetization or determining patterns in lists of numbers
- Whether you are 18 years of age or over, legal to work in the United States, or have been convicted of a crime
- Whether you would have a problem with a background check or drug test
Once you fill out the whole application, it is saved in their system for 60 days. You can go back in and edit details, such as the jobs you're interested in applying for, your phone number, your street address, and so forth.
A Final Word
Make sure that you set aside plenty of time with no distractions when you get ready to take the Home Depot employment application. There are some sections where you definitely need to think; it's not all employment history and social security numbers like some applications seem to be!
