How to Apply to Costco

6 min read Last updated March 15, 2026 2067 open positions
Blake Crosley
Blake Crosley Researched using publicly available information, hiring data, and ATS analysis.

Key Takeaways

  • Tailor your resume to each specific Costco role — Workday applications are evaluated per-position
  • Costco uses Workday to manage applications; PDF format preserves your formatting through their parser
  • With 2,067+ open positions, Costco is actively hiring
  • Create your Workday account and complete your profile before applying to save time
  • Apply directly through Costco's careers page for the best chance of visibility

About Costco

Costco is a Retail company with approximately 316,000 employees with operations spanning stores, distribution centers, and corporate functions. Retail employers hire at high volume across hourly, salaried, and seasonal positions. Costco typically runs continuous recruiting cycles, with hiring peaks around major shopping seasons and new store openings. As of today, Costco has 2,067+ open positions. Remote positions make up 0% of openings. Top hiring locations include California, New York, Missouri. Costco has posted 1,952 new roles in the last 30 days.

Application Process

  1. 1
    Create a Workday Candidate Account

    Visit Costco's careers page and click Apply on any role. Workday will prompt you to create an account with your email and a password, or sign in with LinkedIn or Google. This account persists for all future Costco applications. Choose a strong password — you will need it to check your status later.

  2. 2
    Upload Your Resume for Auto-Parsing

    Workday offers a resume upload step that attempts to pre-fill your profile. Upload a PDF or Word document with a clean, single-column layout. The parser extracts your name, contact details, work history, and education. Avoid tables, columns, and graphics — these cause parsing errors that create more manual correction work downstream.

  3. 3
    Review and Correct Parsed Work History

    Workday displays your extracted work history on a dedicated page with fields for company name, title, start date, end date, and description. The parser frequently misaligns dates or merges entries. Carefully verify every field. Incorrect data here flows into recruiter views and cannot be easily corrected after submission.

  4. 4
    Complete Education and Skills Sections

    Separate Workday pages collect your education credentials and skills inventory. Enter each degree with the correct institution name, degree type, and graduation date. The skills section may use a typeahead dropdown — search for your skills using the terminology in Costco's job posting to ensure alignment with their internal taxonomy.

  5. 5
    Answer Compliance and Screening Questions

    Workday includes pages for voluntary self-identification (veteran status, disability, demographics) and role-specific screening questions. The compliance questions are legally protected and stored separately from your application. Screening questions are visible to recruiters, so answer them carefully. Some are knockout questions that filter candidates automatically.

  6. 6
    Review Your Complete Application

    Before final submission, Workday presents a review page showing all entered information across every section. Check each section thoroughly — work history dates, education details, contact information, and screening answers. This is your last opportunity to catch errors. Once submitted, you generally cannot modify your application for that specific role.

  7. 7
    Track Status Through the Candidate Portal

    After submitting, log back into your Workday candidate account to track application status. Workday shows stages like 'Under Review,' 'Interview,' or 'No Longer Under Consideration.' Status updates may take several days to appear. You will also receive email notifications for major status changes and interview scheduling.

Resume Tips for Costco

critical

Use a Simple Single-Column Layout

Workday's resume parser struggles with multi-column layouts, tables, and text boxes. A clean single-column format with clear section breaks ensures your work history and education parse into the correct structured fields. Every parsing error means manual correction on a separate form page, adding time to an already lengthy application process.

critical

Format Dates Consistently as Month/Year

Workday's parser is particularly sensitive to date formats. Use 'January 2023' or '01/2023' consistently throughout your resume. Avoid ranges like '2020-2023' without months — the parser often misinterprets these, assigning incorrect start and end dates to your positions that you must then manually fix in the form wizard.

critical

Match Your Resume to Workday's Taxonomy

Workday uses structured skill taxonomies and job families. When Costco's posting lists specific skills, use those exact terms in your resume. The system may map your skills to internal categories during parsing. If your terminology differs from the taxonomy, your skills may not populate correctly in the typeahead fields.

recommended

Include Full Company Names in Work History

Workday's parser attempts to match your employers against its company database. Use official company names rather than abbreviations or informal names. Write 'International Business Machines' alongside 'IBM' on first reference. This helps the parser correctly identify your employers and populate the company name fields without manual correction.

recommended

Separate Each Position as a Distinct Entry

If you held multiple roles at the same company, list each as a separate entry with its own title, dates, and accomplishments. Workday creates individual records per position. Combining multiple roles into one block causes the parser to merge them, requiring you to manually split and re-enter each position during the form review step.

recommended

Keep Bullet Points Under Three Lines Each

Workday's work history fields have character limits that vary by company configuration. Long narrative paragraphs may be truncated during parsing. Use concise bullet points — two to three lines each — focused on measurable accomplishments. This ensures your full impact statements survive parsing and display correctly in recruiter views.

recommended

Include Degree Type and Major Explicitly

Workday's education parser looks for structured degree information. Write 'Bachelor of Science in Computer Science' rather than 'BS, CS' on your resume. Include your graduation date as a clear month and year. The parser maps these to dropdown fields — explicit formatting reduces the corrections needed on the education review page.

nice_to_have

Prepare a Master Version for Your First Application

Your first Workday application at Costco populates a reusable profile. Upload a comprehensive master resume containing all positions, skills, and education. Subsequent applications will pull from this stored profile. Invest extra time on accuracy during your first submission — every future Costco application benefits from that initial effort.

recommended

Quantify with Retail Metrics

Lead with revenue impact: comp sales growth percentage, units per transaction, average transaction value, and foot traffic to conversion rate. For operations roles, cite shrink reduction percentages, inventory accuracy rates, and labor cost as a percentage of net sales. Customer satisfaction scores (NPS, CSAT) and associate retention rates demonstrate leadership effectiveness. Ecommerce candidates should include AOV, cart abandonment reduction, and fulfillment speed improvements.

ATS System: Workday

Workday is an enterprise-grade applicant tracking system used by many Fortune 500 companies and large organizations. It is part of Workday's broader Human Capital Management suite, which means the ATS is deeply integrated with HR, payroll, and employee management systems. For applicants, the most distinctive aspect of Workday is its multi-page application wizard. Unlike single-form systems, Workday requires you to create a candidate account, then step through separate pages for personal information, work history, education, skills, and compliance questions. The system parses your uploaded resume to pre-fill these fields, but the parsing is often imperfect — you will likely need to correct dates, job titles, and education details on each page. Workday stores your profile at the company level, so subsequent applications to other Costco roles reuse your stored data. The system is known for lengthy application times, averaging 30-45 minutes for a first application. Workday powers career sites with URLs containing 'myworkdayjobs.com' or 'myworkdaysite.com.' Once submitted, you can track your application status through the candidate portal by logging back in.

  • Create your Workday account and complete your profile before applying to save time
  • Review every pre-filled field after resume upload — Workday's parser frequently misassigns dates and titles
  • Your Workday profile persists across all Costco roles; keep it updated
  • Use the candidate portal to check application status rather than emailing recruiters
  • Save your progress frequently — Workday sessions can time out after extended inactivity

Complete Workday Resume Guide →

Interview Culture

Retail hiring moves quickly, especially for store and distribution center roles.

Hourly positions often involve a single interview with a store manager or shift supervisor, focusing on availability, customer service orientation, and reliability. Group interviews are common during seasonal hiring surges — candidates may be evaluated alongside others in role-play scenarios involving customer interactions. For distribution center roles, expect questions about physical demands, safety protocols, and experience with warehouse management systems. Corporate and district-level roles follow a more structured process. Expect competency-based interviews centered on merchandising results, inventory management, and P&L accountability. Retail values operators who can translate floor-level experience into business decisions — interviewers want to hear how you managed shrink, improved conversion rates, or coached underperforming team members. District and regional manager candidates should prepare examples of multi-unit oversight, including how they balanced performance across locations with different customer demographics and staffing challenges. Ecommerce, supply chain, and data roles within retail increasingly mirror technology sector interviews, with technical assessments and case studies. However, even for these roles, retail-specific context matters: demonstrate understanding of omnichannel fulfillment, demand forecasting, or customer lifetime value to stand out from candidates who lack industry exposure. Buying and merchandising roles often include a presentation component where candidates analyze sales data and recommend assortment or pricing strategies. At a company of Costco's scale, expect Three to five rounds over four to eight weeks, often including multiple screening stages before reaching the hiring team. spanning Two to six weeks after final round. Offers require multiple levels of approval including compensation review, headcount confirmation, and sometimes VP-level sign-off.. The typical format involves Expect a structured, multi-stage process: recruiter screen, hiring manager call, technical or competency assessments, and a final panel or loop day with four to six interviewers. Many mega-corps use standardized interview frameworks and scoring rubrics. Virtual interviews are common for early rounds.. Allow Send thank-you notes within 24 hours to each interviewer. Allow two weeks before following up with the recruiter — internal approvals take time at this scale. before following up.

What Costco Looks For

  • Customer service excellence with concrete examples of problem resolution
  • Flexibility with scheduling including weekends, holidays, and peak periods
  • Proven ability to meet or exceed sales targets and KPIs
  • Experience with point-of-sale systems and inventory management tools
  • Team leadership and ability to develop frontline associates
  • Loss prevention awareness and shrink reduction strategies
  • Comfort with fast-paced, physically active work environments
  • Multilingual communication skills (valued in diverse market areas)

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does the hiring process take at Costco?
The typical hiring timeline at Costco involves Three to five rounds over four to eight weeks, often including multiple screening stages before reaching the hiring team. over Two to six weeks after final round. Offers require multiple levels of approval including compensation review, headcount confirmation, and sometimes VP-level sign-off.. Allow Send thank-you notes within 24 hours to each interviewer. Allow two weeks before following up with the recruiter — internal approvals take time at this scale. before following up on your application.
What resume format should I use when applying to Costco?
PDF is the recommended format for Workday applications at Costco. Use a single-column layout with standard section headers to ensure reliable parsing.
Can I apply to multiple positions at Costco?
Yes. Workday treats each role as a separate application, so applying to multiple positions at Costco is expected. Tailor your resume to each specific role.
Why does the Costco Workday application take so long to complete?
Workday uses a multi-page wizard that collects structured data separately from your resume. You must verify parsed work history, education, and skills across individual pages. First-time applications average 30-45 minutes. Subsequent applications reuse your stored profile and are significantly faster.
Can I update my Workday profile after applying to a role at Costco?
You can update your candidate profile at any time by logging into your Workday account. However, changes do not retroactively update submitted applications. Only future applications will use the updated profile. For critical corrections to an active application, contact Costco's recruiting team directly.
Does Costco hire seasonal or part-time workers?
Most retail companies including Costco run seasonal hiring campaigns, particularly before major holidays and back-to-school periods. Part-time roles are common in stores and fulfillment centers. Seasonal positions frequently convert to permanent offers, so highlight your availability, scheduling flexibility, and reliability on your resume.
What should I wear to a retail interview at Costco?
Business casual is standard for store-level interviews at most retailers. For corporate roles, business professional is appropriate. Research Costco's brand identity and target customer — dressing in alignment with their aesthetic shows cultural awareness. When in doubt, aim one level above what employees on the floor typically wear.
How many open positions does Costco have?
Costco currently has 2,067+ open positions. Browse all available roles on their careers page.

Open Positions

Costco currently has 2067 open positions.

Check Your Resume Before Applying → View 2067 open positions at Costco

Related Resources

Career Guides for Costco Roles

Similar Companies

Sources

  1. Costco Careers — Costco
  2. Workday Application Guide — Resume Geni