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CVS is a retail pharmacy chain with many locations all around the country. They’re considered a great opportunity for employment, but does CVS hire felons?
That’s the question many people need to ask as they look for work. At Relaunch Pad, we make it our job to help people with records understand their options and go into the job hunting process with the best information available.
To do this, we contact companies directly and ask them point-blank about their hiring policies. Today we look to provide some important insights about getting a job at CVS, like:
- Does CVS do background checks?
- Does CVS hire people with misdemeanors?
- Will they test me for drugs?
So, let’s get right to it. Read on for some important information about CVS’ approach to hiring.
Does CVS hire felons?
Official company policy for hiring felons
One of the first things we do when looking into a new company is contact them to find out what their policies are for hiring someone with a criminal record. So, does CVS hire felons?
CVS has informed us that they use a third party for their hiring decisions. This means that hiring policies are up to the agency that they are using at the time.
It’s a little bit vague, but it’s also better than hearing an outright no.
Has CVS hired felons in the past?
A look at historical hiring habits can help you figure out if it’s possible to get a job at CVS with a felony. To find out if this company has hired former felons in the past, we did our own research. Our findings say they have!
Does CVS hire people with misdemeanors?
Unfortunately, we have not found any records of CVS hiring people with misdemeanors. However, since we believe they’ve hired former felons in the past, it is therefore likely that they will hire people with misdemeanors.
That said, this conclusion is based on general hiring trends, and not anything we’ve heard from the company itself.
Is CVS on the Ban the Box list?
The Ban the Box list is an effort to eliminate questions on job applications that have anything to do with a candidate’s criminal record. The idea is to eliminate the potential for discrimination during the hiring process.
A program similar to Ban the Box is the Fair Chance Business Pledge. It involves companies voluntarily saying they will not hold a criminal record against potential candidates.
Unfortunately, CVS is not involved in either program. This is a little unfortunate, but it doesn’t mean your chances are over. Many companies have no involvement with either program and are still willing to hire former felons.
Does CVS have special programs for hiring felons?
Occasionally you will find companies with programs specifically designed to hire former felons. These programs are not common, but they are a great opportunity when they come around.
Unfortunately, CVS doesn’t have any. Again, this is another factor that sounds worse than it is. Most companies that will hire former felons don’t have a designated program for it.
What are the odds someone with a felony will get hired?
Based on everything that we have learned about CVS, we rate your chances of getting a job there as uncertain.
While it looks like it is possible to get a job at CVS with a felony, we still don’t know enough about their policies to determine how they make that call. Plus, there may be certain felonies that disqualify you from certain jobs, so you can’t know your odds for certain.
What are some entry-level jobs?
While there are many career opportunities at CVS, most of their entry-level jobs are for retail positions at the store. These jobs will involve manning the register, stocking the shelves, and essentially keeping the store up and running.
There are also distribution jobs that will involve working in their warehouses and driving their trucks.
Because of the diversity of jobs, the hours will vary. However, many of the stores are all day, everyday, even on holidays. As a result, there will be a wide range of weekday and weekend shifts available.
How to get hired at CVS with a felony
As is the case with any company, you will want to be very careful with your resume. A good application can mean the difference between being looked over and getting an interview, so take your time getting it ready. Remember that you always want to list relevant experience if you have it.
Most entry-level positions at CVS are in customer service. If you’ve worked as a clerk before or even in a restaurant setting, these previous experiences will help you out.
Consider having your resume looked over by someone you trust when you’re done. If you really want to nail it, consider getting help from a career center.
If you do write a great resume, you will then be asked to go to an interview. Just so you know, it’s always best to show up to an interview wearing nice clothes that cover tattoos and piercings where possible.
Once you get there, your only responsibility is to make a good first impression. Since you’ll be dealing with people all day, you’ll want to demonstrate clearly that you are comfortable holding a conversation.
After your interview is over, you might think about doing a follow-up call several days to a week later. The follow-up call is an important step, but you also need to be careful. Just call up, thank them again for the interview and ask where they are in the hiring process. You don’t want to be pushy, but you do want to show you’re serious about the job!
Does CVS do background checks?
A former felon’s ability to get a job sometimes depends heavily on whether or not a company will do background checks.
CVS does do background checks before extending an offer to potential incoming employees. However, these checks are a little bit different state-to-state.
For example, there are a handful of states that only check seven years back. These are:
- California
- Colorado*
- Kansas*
- Maryland*
- Massachusetts
- Montana
- Nevada
- New Hampshire*
- New York*
- Texas*
- Washington*
There are also some states that won’t include information on not guilty convictions. Here are those states:
- Alaska
- California
- Hawaii
- Indiana (limited check)
- Kentucky
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- New York
Unfortunately, though, there are many states that see everything, including not guilty verdicts. These include:
- Alabama
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- Connecticut
- DC
- Delaware
- Florida
- Idaho
- Indiana (extensive check)
- Iowa
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Nebraska
- New Jersey
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oregon
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- Tennessee
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
Company ratings
We also took a look at their company ratings to find out what it is like to work at CVS. We found on glassdoor.com that the company has received a rating of 2.8 out of a potential 5 stars.
The highest rating was 2.8 for compensation, and the lowest average rating was 2.4 for management.
These ratings aren’t great, but finding a job is important and hard to do with a record. Once you’re settled in, you can look for work that better matches what you need.
What felony convictions might have a hard time getting hired here?
Since CVS is a customer service-based company, it’s likely that people with violent or sexual offenses will have a hard time finding work there.
Since most jobs also involve money handling, a record of theft might also be weighed against you.
Finally, because of the access to pharmaceuticals, they may be hesitant to hire people with narcotics-related convictions or addictions.
Does CVS drug test?
CVS will test for drugs before finalizing an offer.
Have you applied for a job or worked here? Share your experiences!
If you experience working at CVS we want to hear about it. Did our article help you figure out how to get hired at CVS?
Tell us what you know so that we can improve our information and help more people find work!
