Landing a Costco job is not as hard as it seems. There are numerous full-time and part-time jobs at Costco available for those who dream of working at the multinational corporation. Recognized as the fifth-largest retailer in the world, Costco careers offer opportunities for professional growth. This article explains exactly how to get a job at Costco.
The article will walk you through the Costco application process and eligibility requirements. It also provides a list of 10 available Costo jobs and information about the benefits you will receive while working at Costco. Find out how to apply at Costco below.
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Key Takeaways
- Landing jobs at Costco is achievable, especially at the entry level.
- Working at Costco is generally considered rewarding with competitive wages and benefits.
- The Costco hiring process typically takes about two weeks and includes interviews, a drug test, and possibly an orientation week.
- To apply for Costco employment, search for open roles on their website, download and fill out the application, and submit it.
- Having a reference from a current employee can significantly improve your chances of getting hired.
- Costco offers a variety of career opportunities, including part-time warehouse roles like cashier, bakery wrapper, and stocker, and corporate roles in areas like information technology, distribution, buying, and accounting.
- Benefits for Costco employees include health insurance, life insurance, 401k plans, health savings accounts, and flexible spending accounts.
Costco: Company Background
Costco Wholesale Corporation was founded in 1983 in Seattle, Washington. It’s a membership warehouse club with a chain of warehouses that sell wholesale products and is one of the largest retailers in the world today. By the end of 2020, Costco expanded to 828 locations worldwide. Costco is present in 11 countries and had net sales of over $192.1 billion in 2021.
There are various departments at Costco such as the food court, bakery, and deli. Some branches even have gas stations, tire garages, and other services.
How Hard Is It to Land a Job at Costco?
It is not too hard to land a job at Costco, especially at the entry level. You can land a high-paying job without a high school diploma at Costco. The entire hiring process takes about two weeks and involves two to three interviews, a drug test, and possibly an orientation week. According to Indeed.com, it’s easier to land a job at Costco if you have a good recommendation or if the warehouse is new.
Your chances of working at Costco will improve significantly if you have a reference from a current employee. According to a former hiring manager at Costco, the applications are listed chronologically in the database, so the sooner you apply for an open position, the better your chances of working at Costco are.
How to Apply for a Job at Costco
- Look for open roles. You can look for open roles on Costco’s website or on job boards like Glassdoor. You can also create email alerts for Costco jobs so you can apply early.
- Get your application form. You can download the Costco application online or get it directly from a Costco warehouse. Your application remains active for 90 days.
- Fill in your Costco application. On the online application, you can apply for a specific position or a location near you. Answer all questions as accurately as possible.
- Get a great recommendation. If you already know a Costco employee, use them as a reference. If you don’t, it’s best to find someone willing to recommend you.
- Send in your application. After filling in the application accurately and getting a good recommendation, you can submit your Costco job application and wait for an interview.
Costco Application Process
The Costco application process for landing Costco careers usually begins with a phone call to schedule an in-person group interview with one or two hiring managers. This interview usually consists of a question and answer session, after which successful applicants are called back for a second or third one-on-one interview. A pre-employment drug test may also be required.
The entire length of time it takes to apply for a Costco job and move through the stages can be anywhere from one week to six weeks, and is mostly dependent on the role applied for or the seasonal demand.
Costco Interview Questions
When applying at Costco, it’s important to prepare for the interview stage. Doing so will allow you to be calm and composed during the interview, and provide quality answers to the interviewer’s questions. Below are some common Costco interview questions asked during interviews for both full-time and part-time Costco jobs.
- Can you describe a time you displayed teamwork?
- Why do you want to work at Costco?
- Can you discuss a time when you had to deal with conflict in the workplace?
- What is the best way to handle an angry or difficult customer?
- What are your strengths and weaknesses?
Applying for Costco Jobs: Tips for Success
- Show entrepreneurial drive. This core value of Costco means its team members are motivated to carry out the company’s mission in all aspects of their work. Hiring managers will look to find this quality in applicants.
- Update your resume. Keep your resume updated with your prior work experiences and related skills. This allows you to apply quickly when new jobs are posted.
- Apply often. Applying regularly to open positions (every three months or so) keeps your resume at the top for consideration.
- Visit the store in person. Popping into the location where you want to work after submitting an online application could help put you on the store manager’s radar and get you an interview sooner.
- Call upon your network. Landing a job at Costco is easier if you have a current employee who can refer you. If you know someone already working at Costco, see if they can do you a favor and recommend you to the hiring manager.
Flexible Costco Jobs: Part-Time Opportunities
- Cashier. Cashiers at Costco work in a fast-paced environment, and have key responsibilities such as processing transactions, handling payments, and providing customer service.
- Bakery wrapper. A bakery wrapper handles products in the Costco bakery department, by wrapping, garnishing, and labeling bakery products.
- Stocker. This stocker job with Costco involves merchandise restocking on the retail shelves, ensuring the aisles are kept clean and clear, and helping Costco members find products throughout the store.
- Call center representative. Costco call center jobs such as this one are responsible for handling customer service inquiries. A call center representative earns $36,082 annually, on average, according to Glassdoor.
- Forklift operator. A forklift operator is responsible for unloading shipments and restocking the pallets of products in the warehouse. This role is also offered as a seasonal Costco job.
Costco Career Opportunities: Job Titles and Descriptions
Costco has different career opportunities including jobs in information technology, distribution, buying, accounting, finance, marketing, human resources, and more. According to Costco, an ideal candidate possesses three major qualities including a commitment to quality and excellence, an entrepreneurial spirit, and cultural fitness.
IT Portfolio Manager
- Salary: $200,140
- Benefits: Health insurance, 401k plan, life insurance, paid vacation, and time off
- Required Experience: Not specified
- Required Education: Bachelor’s or master’s degree in a relevant field
This job requires managing and reporting the project portfolio and resource capacity at the enterprise level. You will have to improve the existing portfolio and create project management processes, practices, work products, templates, and tools required to achieve business targets. You will collaborate with other IT managers, stakeholders, and business analysts.
IT Purchasing Analyst – Procurement
- Salary: $113,075
- Benefits: Health insurance, 401k plan, life insurance
- Required Experience: Previous experience successfully managing multiple projects and tasks
- Required Education: Not specified
In this role, professionals focus on the procurement of equipment and supplies needed for internal operations. They review and approve purchase requests, and track metrics related to the cost, schedule, and performance of orders. They also negotiate pricing with vendors and are responsible for the management of the procurement catalog.
IT Product Owner – Ecommerce Business Services
- Salary: $147,027*
- Benefits: Health insurance, bonuses, 401k plan
- Required Experience: Five-plus years as a product owner
- Required Education: Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science
This role requires experience working on an Agile or Waterfall team, creating communication documentation, and expertise in utilizing standard documentation tools. An Agile product owner certification is preferred. Additionally, you will partner with product management stakeholders to work on creating a prioritized backlog of user stories and more.
IT Product Owner – Manufacturing
- Salary: $147,027*
- Benefits: Health insurance, 401k plan, paid time off
- Required Experience: Five plus years of experience as a product owner
- Required Education: Bachelor’s or master’s degree in a related field
The job description involves consulting with the business to capture, prioritize, and justify technology needs and issues. As well as facilitating the delivery solutions, the IT product owner helps define project scope and specifications and coordinates with other teams to ensure that all requirements are met for technical delivery.
Senior IT Vendor Manager
- Salary: $231,441
- Benefits: Health insurance, 401k plan, vacation, and paid time off
- Required Experience: Three or more years in supplier management, two or more years in IT
- Required Education: High school diploma or equivalent
This professional role involves executing the supplier management and contract lifecycle. This is a managerial position in a fast-paced team environment that requires the identification, classification, risk assessment, procurements, evaluation, renewal, and decommissioning of suppliers.
IT Operations Analyst – Ecommerce
- Salary: $84,217
- Benefits: Health insurance, dental and vision coverage, 401K plan
- Required Experience: Three to five years of hands-on experience with big data
- Required Education: Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science or related field
The job description for this job title involves coordination, escalation, communication, and resolution of high-priority ecommerce incidents. The job role also requires trend identification, metric definition, related efforts to decrease service disruption, and commitment to excellence.
Network Engineer
- Salary: $116,640
- Benefits: Health insurance, 401k plan, paid vacation, and time off
- Required Experience: One year of networking operations experience
- Required Education: Application certification in network-based technology
The job listing requires the job holder to perform analysis and other tasks related to supporting Costco’s enterprise network infrastructure in a retail setting. This involves ensuring minimum downtime to internal customers by effectively partnering with service providers and stakeholders to identify the root cause and find solutions for networking problems.
Network Support Specialist
- Salary: $64,080
- Benefits: Health insurance, dental and vision coverage, 401k plan
- Required Experience: One year of supporting Cisco UC solutions, one year of networking design and implementation
- Required Education: A bachelor’s degree in a computer-related field
This involves performing tasks required to configure, analyze, implement, design, and support Costco’s voice network infrastructure, with a primary focus on Cisco UC solutions. You will be working closely with application development and infrastructural areas to create detailed designs and execution of strategic solutions.
Client Hardware Support – Support Analyst
- Salary: $56,160
- Benefits: Health insurance, 401k plan, paid time off
- Required Experience: Two years in customer service, one year in troubleshooting
- Required Education: A bachelor’s degree in a computer-related field
This job title requires the hired employee to provide high-quality customer service regarding issues related to client hardware-supported equipment in warehouses, deports, ancillary businesses, and corporate and regional offices. Equipment may include printers, iPads, RF scanners, UPS, and window clients.
IT Service Desk Technical Support Representative (TSR)
- Salary: $52,000
- Benefits: Health insurance, 401k plan, vacation, and paid time off
- Required Experience: Not specified
- Required Education: IT-related college degree or certification
If you are hired as a Service Desk Technical Support Representative (TSR), you will work directly with Costco partners, employees, and vendors in the US and Canada. Your work will include diagnosing, troubleshooting, and solving IT system issues. Previous service desk or Costco business operations experience is preferred.
Does Costco Offer Remote Jobs?
At the time of this writing, there are no remote Costco jobs as part of their workforce. Costco also does not have a work-from-home policy in place for its corporate staff.
What’s It Like to Work at Costco?
Working at Costco can involve a lot of manual labor, which can be exhausting. However, it can also be rewarding. According to Indeed employee reviews, working at Costco means being valued as an employee, having a clear sense of purpose, and being compensated fairly for the work you do.
For full-time and part-time employees who work in Costco warehouses, reviews from Indeed praise the solid leadership and opportunities for career growth. The reviews also mention that seniority is respected in these roles, which could mean preferential treatment for some team members over others. Further reviews also mention that these roles are physically demanding.
On the corporate side of Costco, former and current employees praise the competitive wages and solid benefits. They also list the hours to be fair and that it is easy for them to maintain a work-life balance. Reviews also mention experiencing difficulty related to teamwork and employee-manager relationships.
Costco Benefits
- Health Insurance. Costco provides the best health insurance to its employees. Employees can have private health and dental plans, along with extended health care and vision insurance.
- Life Insurance. Costco offers its employees basic and supplemental life insurance, although it’s not applicable for seasonal workers. Part-time employees are eligible for $15,000 basic life insurance.
- 401k Plans. Costco offers attractive 401k programs to workers to assist them in saving for retirement. You have the option of determining how much you want to contribute to your pension account with each paycheck.
- Health Savings Account (HSA). Costco employee benefits allow team members to open a health savings account (HSA). The money in this account is set aside before taxes to pay for qualified medical expenses.
- Flexible Spending Account (FSA). Costco offers its employees a flexible spending account (FSA) that they can use for out-of-pocket health care costs. You don’t have to pay taxes on this amount in your FSA.
What Does It Take to Get a Job at Costco?
It takes good planning to get a job at Costco. According to Glassdoor, Costco is one of the best places to work in 2022 in terms of employee benefits. Because of this, the competition is tough as thousands of job seekers apply for the same Costco jobs every day.
To land an exciting Costco career, apply for available roles as soon as possible and regularly. If your application is selected for the next step, prepare for the various interviews that will arise throughout the remainder of the Costco application process. Call upon your network for anyone who knows a current Costco employee to give you a referral and improve your chances of getting hired.
How to Get a Job at Costco FAQ
What age does Costco hire?
Costco hires employees who are aged 18 years or older for roles as cashiers, cashier assistants, or in the membership department. Some further jobs in the warehouse may require professionals to be older due to the nature of the work or the training or education requirements.
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What is the easiest job at Costco?
The easiest job at Costco is a front end assistant, and most entry-level jobs start at this position. Other jobs that are easy for employees at Costco include all entry-level employees like cashier assistant, food service assistant, food court worker, or customer service representative.
How long is Costco’s hiring process?
The Costco hiring process is between two to three weeks. The hiring process involves sending in an application with a great reference, at least one group interview and one in-person interview, an orientation week, and a drug test.
Can you walk into Costco and apply for a job?
Yes, you can walk into Costco and apply for a job. You can walk up to the counter and ask for a job application for any open positions at any Costco warehouse or store.
