- Amazon and Walmart are hiring a combined 250,000 workers as they grapple with surging consumer demand amid the coronavirus.
- Business Insider has compiled a guide to the new roles offered at each company and how to apply.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
Amazon and Walmart are launching immediate hiring sprees to address surging consumer demand stemming from the coronavirus pandemic.
Amazon has said it plans to hire 100,000 US warehouse and delivery workers, while Walmart aims to add 150,000 new employees through the end of May to work in stores, clubs, distribution centers, and fulfillment centers. The Walmart roles will initially be temporary, but many will convert to permanent roles over time, the company said.
Here's what you need to know about the new roles and hiring processes at each company.
Amazon is staffing up in three main categories: warehouses, shoppers, and delivery drivers.
Here's a breakdown of the three categories where Amazon is focusing its hiring:
- Warehouses: These positions are stationed at Amazon fulfillment centers, sort centers, and delivery stations. The roles service regular Amazon orders, as well as Prime Now, Prime Pantry, and Amazon Fresh. Employees in these roles are generally responsible for selecting, packing, and sorting customer orders. The roles will pay at least $17 per hour through April.
- Shoppers: These employees work flexible hours picking and packing grocery orders at Whole Foods. The roles will pay at least $17 per hour through April.
- Delivery drivers: These workers deliver packages to homes and businesses. No special license is needed for this work. Employees can work full-time for a third-party courier company, or Amazon delivery service partner, and drive a company van. Otherwise, they can work part-time as an Amazon Flex driver and use their own vehicles to make deliveries.
Amazon's hiring process, from submitting an application to starting work, can take as little as seven days and involves no resumes or interviews.
Amazon's available positions and online applications can be found on the company's jobs site. Here are the key steps:
- Online application: Candidates must submit an application, pick an available shift, and schedule a "new hire" appointment. This process takes about an hour, according to the company.
- "New hire" appointment: At the "new hire" appointment, employees must provide proof of their identities and employment eligibility. Once that's done, the hiring process is complete. There is no interview for hourly employees, according to Amazon.
- Orientation: Once the hiring process is done, employees are enrolled in an orientation where they will hear from senior leaders and get a badge photo.
The entire process, from application to the first day of work, can take as little as seven days, according to Amazon.
"No resume or previous work experience required," the company says on its website.
Delivery driver roles do require interviews, however.
As Walmart ramps up its staff, it plans to speed up hiring for key roles including cashiers and stockers by cutting the application process from an average of two weeks to 24 hours.
Here are some of the roles where Walmart is adding staff:
- Cashiers and front end: These employees primarily scan items and work the cash registers, though they must also be available to help employees across the store as needed. "The pace can be intense," according to Walmart. "There are times when you have to juggle several tasks in a short amount of time while helping customers: scan items, explain a price, bag items properly, count cash back, and keep your area clean."
- Stocker, backroom, and receiving employees: These jobs may involve unloading delivery trucks, sorting goods in the backroom, and stocking shelves while helping customers. "From hot trucks in the summer to filling ice cream in the freezer, this fast paced job can be physically demanding," according to Walmart.
- Fulfillment and distribution warehouses: Duties at these warehouses include loading and unloading trucks and transporting packages in facilities that may be more than one million square feet. Accounting for new pay increases lasting through Memorial Day, roles at distribution centers now start between $17 and $18 per hour and roles at fulfillment centers now start between $15 and $19 per hour.
Walmart's online application takes about an hour to complete. Stores will call prospective candidates for a pre-screen, and they may provide a verbal job offer by the end of the call.
Walmart lists open roles and online applications on its jobs site. Here are the steps in the hiring process:
- Online application: The company says online applications take roughly 45-60 minutes to complete. Candidates do not need to provide resumes for hourly roles, but will need to share their job history and highlights on the application.
- Interview: Walmart is currently conducting phone interviews to help speed up the hiring process for stores. "Once we have the application, the store calls the candidate for pre-screen, and if the candidate meets the expectations of the store, a verbal job offer is provided during the pre-screen call," a Walmart spokesperson said.
- Offer of employment: If the verbal offer is accepted, Walmart will email the candidate a job offer confirmation and background check details.
- Orientation: The final step before starting work is a new employee orientation, called "Welcome to Walmart."
Walmart said it's looking for candidates with a "team mentality" who are eager to serve the needs of the community.
Walmart and Amazon aren't the only companies adding jobs right now.
Kroger, CVS, Dollar General, Papa John's, 7-Eleven, and many more companies are hiring workers amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Business Insider's Bethany Biron has compiled a full list of these businesses, which will be updated as more hiring announcements are made.
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