Does Petco Hire Felons? (All You Need to Know)

With several stores across the country, Petco seems like a good place to look for a job when you need one.

If you’re considering working at Petco but you have a felony conviction on your record, we looked into whether the company is felon friendly. Read on to see what we found!

Does Petco Hire Felons In [currentyear]?

Petco hires felons in most cases, but it depends on the reason for conviction and the position being applied for in [currentyear]. Convictions for violent/ sexual charges have a negative impact on your chances of being hired at Petco. Petco also runs a background check on its applicants that goes back 7 years, and this will reveal any recent convictions.

Learn everything you need to know about how Petco handles applicants with felonies and misdemeanors, including more details on the company’s background checks below!

Can You Work at Petco with a Criminal Record?

You can work at Petco with a criminal record, whether it includes a misdemeanor or felony, but this isn’t always guaranteed.

Petco is felon friendly for the most part, but this depends on the reason for conviction. Sexual and violent charges have a very negative impact on one’s odds of getting hired at Petco.

We found a thread where the original question was whether Petco could hire someone with a robbery charge, and 3 out of 4 of the answers said that they wouldn’t.

This means we can safely assume that you could get hired at Petco with a criminal record.

However, as always, this is subject to the type of conviction, the position you’re applying for, and the person in charge of hiring.

In the case of the first two, as we’ve said, violent and sexual charges lower your chances, and if the charge is related to the job you would be doing, the effect is the same.

For example, if you were convicted for something involving fraud, you would have a difficult time getting into a role where you would be handling finances.

That said, we found a case of someone that was hired at Petco, but their manager did a background check and found a 10 year old conviction, causing them to fire the employee.

In this report, the employee had been with Petco for a long while, and was apparently performing well at the time they were fired.

Does Petco Run a Background Check?

Petco runs background checks on its potential hires during the interview process, and this is where recent convictions are likely to come up.

How Far Does Petco’s Background Check Go?

How Far Does Petco’s Background Check Go?

Petco’s background checks go back 7 years. Some states allow for background checks to look even further than that, but Petco has opted for 7 years.

However, as we’ve mentioned above, some people at the location might take it upon themselves to look further back.

What Does Petco Look for in a Background Check?

In background checks for entry and store level jobs, Petco looks for the potential hire’s criminal history.

The company also looks into the places they’ve lived, their experience, and other information that they can use to confirm their identity.

For people applying to management positions, Petco uses background checks to find all the information listed above, as well as their finances and credit history.

This is because people in management have easier or direct access to the company’s finances, and this is how they make sure that the person is financially responsible enough for it.

How Long Does It Take for Petco to Do a Background Check?

Assuming everything goes as intended, the background checks at Petco usually take between 1 and 2 weeks.

This process could take longer if the person they’re looking into has lived in several different places because they run checks by county.

It might also take longer depending on the hiring manager’s schedule, and how well it aligns with those of the people reporting.

This is because any discrepancies need to be handled directly, usually on the phone.

All in all, you can expect a background check at Petco to take about 3 weeks on the extreme end if it’s not done within the usual 1 to 2 weeks.

To know more, you can also see our posts on whether or not Petco drug test, Petco dress code, and Petco headquarters.

Conclusion

Petco is felon friendly for the most part. Petco will hire people with criminal records, whether it’s a felony or misdemeanor, in most cases. This is subject to factors such as the person hiring, the exact charge, and the job being applied for.  

Petco also conducts background checks on potential hires, and it goes back 7 years, but some managers might look back further.

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Marques Thomas

Marques Thomas graduated with a MBA in 2011. Since then, Marques has worked in the retail and consumer service industry as a manager, advisor, and marketer. Marques is also the head writer and founder of QuerySprout.com.

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