Walmart is an extremely popular place to find work, as it’s one of the leading employers in the country.
However, if you’ve received a job offer from Walmart, you may be feeling some uncertainty and anxiety about your upcoming background check. You can rest easy because I’ve done all the research on the matter!
Does Walmart Do Background Checks?
All potential Walmart employees must have a background check run. With that, Walmart uses the information you enter on your job application for your background check as well. Additionally, past Walmart employees report waiting between five days and three weeks for background check results, which a third-party company conducts.
If you have more questions about Walmart’s background check process, read on to discover what I found out about the matter!
Why Does Walmart Conduct Background Checks?
Chiefly, retail stores like Walmart conduct background checks to ensure they can trust their new employees and to know if applicants have a clean record and a good reputation in the workplace.
Since Walmart is committed to a secure workplace environment, background checks are required for all applicants.
With that, background checks help decide who is the best fit for the job by ensuring no one has committed any serious crimes or has a history of theft.
Regardless of the position held, Walmart wants to make sure its employees can be trusted with handling products and money responsibly and ensure the safety of customers and staff.
Another reason Walmart does background checks is to review any red flags an applicant may have in their past.
So, uncovering red flags before Walmart hires you can help reduce future employee turnover, increase productivity, and improve workplace safety.
What Company Does Walmart Use For Background Checks?
Although individual applicants cannot contact the third-party vendor, knowing the company handling your background check and personal information may bring peace of mind.
As for the provider, Walmart is partnered with backgroundchecks.com to provide a safe, fast, and easy way to conduct pre-employment screenings of potential applicants.
How Do I Complete a Background Check For Walmart?
If you are applying for a Walmart job, you will need to complete an online background check by visiting the Walmart Careers website.
While completing your Walmart application online, you will be asked to provide your contact information, education levels, and previous work experience details.
With that, it’s vital to be honest and accurate when filling out your forms, as the information is also used for your background check.
Likewise, it is also essential for applicants to upload their driver’s license or state ID card and submit it electronically.
After that, you will be asked to provide a form of identification (social security card or birth certificate).
Finally, you will need to download and submit your background check form on Walmart’s website before the link expires (usually 3-7 days).
Although the background check is helpful for businesses to pick the right employees, it’s crucial to understand you have the right to refuse to submit a background check.
Since disclosure is at the applicant’s will, the Fair Credit Reporting Act states that potential employers must have the applicant’s permission to run a background check.
However, refusing a background check at Walmart automatically disqualifies you from potential employment at the retailer.
What Shows Up On Walmart Background Checks?
Even though many believe background checks are concerned mainly with credit, past employment, and education, you will be happy to learn that Walmart does not rely on credit scores for employment decisions.
Instead, at Walmart, background checks look for:
- Discrepancies in application information (contact information must be valid for tax and payment purposes)
- Social Security validation (to ensure the applicant is who they say they are)
- Past employment history (to determine qualifications for the position they are applying for)
- Criminal records (to ensure the applicant is not a safety risk for other employees or customers)
Also, Walmart’s background checks may consider other details, such as:
- Drivers record
- US terrorist watch list (mainly for security personnel)
- Sex offender registry
As a reminder, it is essential to be truthful in your application. You may have to explain your job history, past firings, and past criminal activities.
It is always better that employers hear information from you rather than find it out from the background check.
What Information Does Walmart Need For a Background Check?
Since the background check process begins with the application, you should have already uploaded the required documents and information. However, if you have not, you will need to provide:
- Contact information (Legal name, Current Address, Email Address, and Phone Number)-
- Addresses from the past seven years
- Past employers (Walmart looks back for seven years of work history)
- Past education (Names of schools and college degrees are needed to confirm education history)
- Social Security number (Searches for criminal history are conducted by searching for the applicant’s social security number)
- Drivers License/ ID card (to verify your driving history and another way to confirm identity)
How Long Does a Walmart Background Check Take?
Since Walmart runs thorough background checks, it is not unheard of to wait anywhere from five days to three weeks before completion.
However, the length of time it takes to complete is not a red flag. Instead, it just takes information longer to be received from different locations.
How Do You Check Your Walmart Background Check Status?
Although there is no place where individual applicants can check the status of a background report, Walmart personnel can look into it for you.
In fact, backgroundchecks.com has a dedicated 24/7 line for personnel to make inquiries.
But still, keep in mind that your report takes at least five days to be run, so wait at least a week before following up.
Does Walmart Hire Employees With Misdemeanors?
Due to background checks looking at public record information, many misdemeanors may not appear on your report.
Since misdemeanors are typically tried in county courts, background checks that look statewide for offenses usually miss them.
Also, it is common for misdemeanors not to go to court in favor of settlements.
However, even if you have a misdemeanor on your background check, you may still qualify for a job at Walmart!
Will Walmart Hire People With a Felony?
Unfortunately, most people with a felony on their record believe it will automatically disqualify them from a job.
However, Walmart believes in second chances. With that, Walmart participates in the “Ban-the-Box” initiative, which gives individuals with felony convictions the opportunity to apply for jobs despite their records.
What Happens If You Fail a Background Check?
Unfortunately, in most cases, a failed background check will disqualify applicants, especially for highly competitive positions with many other applicants.
However, adverse background checks can be regarded as a guide, as the report gives information that a hiring manager may want to discuss with you.
If you have an explanation for any red flags on your background check, it may have no bearing on whether you will be hired.
Again, this is why it’s always essential to be honest on your Walmart job application.
To know more, you can also read our posts on whether or not Walmart hires at 16, if Walmart drug tests, and also if Walmart pays weekly.
