How to Apply to United Rentals

Key Takeaways

Customize your resume for each United Rentals role using exact terminology from the job posting — include OEM names, certification acronyms, and rental-industry metrics that Workday recruiters search for.
Create your Workday profile at ur.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/URcareers and meticulously verify every auto-populated field after uploading your resume, correcting any parsing errors before submitting.
Lead your resume and interview responses with safety credentials and safety culture examples — this is the single strongest cultural alignment signal at United Rentals.
For sales roles, prepare to discuss specific revenue numbers, quota attainment percentages, and customer acquisition strategies — vague references to 'exceeding targets' won't suffice in this metric-driven environment.
Research the specific United Rentals segment you're applying to (General Rentals, Power & HVAC, Fluid Solutions, Trench Safety, CES) and reference segment-specific equipment and customer use cases in your application.
Prepare for practical, scenario-based interview questions rather than theoretical ones — practice articulating how you've solved real equipment problems, closed competitive deals, or resolved urgent customer issues.
Highlight any CDL, NCCCO, ASE, OSHA, or MEWP certifications prominently and early in your resume — these are high-value filters that can determine whether your application is reviewed.

About United Rentals

United Rentals is the largest equipment rental company in the world, commanding a dominant market position with approximately 1,500+ locations across North America and a fleet valued at over $20 billion in original equipment cost. Listed on the NYSE (URI) and a Fortune 500 mainstay, the company provides construction and industrial equipment, specialty solutions, and technology-driven services to contractors, industrial facilities, and infrastructure projects of every scale. Its business segments span General Rentals — covering earthmoving, aerial, and material handling equipment — as well as Specialty divisions including Power & HVAC, Trench Safety, Fluid Solutions, and Custom Equipment Solutions (CES). What sets United Rentals apart culturally is its blend of operational grit and corporate ambition. This is a company rooted in jobsites and branch operations, where safety isn't a buzzword — it's a condition of employment measured, tracked, and rewarded daily. Employees frequently cite the company's promote-from-within philosophy as a major draw; mechanics become branch managers, inside sales reps advance to territory-level outside sales roles, and the structured Sales Development Program serves as a fast-track pipeline for early-career talent. The pace is fast, the environment is metric-driven, and the expectation is accountability at every level. People want to work at United Rentals because the company invests heavily in training, offers competitive compensation with performance-based bonuses, and operates in an industry experiencing sustained demand driven by infrastructure spending, energy transition, and reshoring trends. If you thrive in a results-oriented culture where you can see the tangible impact of your work — literally, on the skyline — United Rentals offers a career path that's hard to replicate elsewhere in the equipment rental space.

Application Process

1
Explore Open Positions on the United Rentals Workday Careers Portal
All United Rentals positions are posted exclusively through their Workday-powered careers hub at ur.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/URcareers. Use the search filters to narrow by job family (Sales, Service/Mechanics, Operations, Corporate), location, and employment type. Pay attention to the distinction between General Rentals and Specialty segment roles (Power & HVAC, Fluid Solutions, Trench Safety), as these operate differently and require different skill sets.
2
Create Your Workday Candidate Profile
Click 'Apply' on any role to be prompted to create a Workday candidate account. You can sign in with LinkedIn, which pre-populates many fields, but you should still manually review every section for accuracy and completeness. Your Workday profile persists across all future United Rentals applications, so invest time upfront in building it thoroughly — including work history, certifications, and CDL or equipment-specific credentials that are critical for field roles.
3
Submit a Tailored Resume and Complete Application Questions
Upload a resume formatted for Workday's parser (clean formatting, standard section headers, no graphics). United Rentals applications typically include screening questions about equipment experience, CDL status, willingness to travel or relocate, and availability. Answer these precisely — they function as knockout criteria. For sales roles, expect questions about CRM experience and revenue targets; for mechanic roles, expect questions about specific OEM certifications and hydraulic/diesel diagnostic capabilities.
4
Phone Screen with Recruiting or HR
Qualified candidates typically receive a phone screen from a United Rentals recruiter or HR representative within one to three weeks. This call commonly covers your understanding of the equipment rental industry, your motivation for choosing United Rentals specifically, logistical requirements (location, shift availability, travel capacity), and a high-level review of your relevant experience. For field roles, expect direct questions about safety record and OSHA awareness.
5
Hiring Manager Interview (In-Person or Virtual)
The hiring manager interview is where United Rentals evaluates both technical competence and cultural alignment. Branch Managers conduct interviews for field and sales positions and tend to favor practical, scenario-based questioning — expect to walk through how you've handled equipment downtime, difficult customer situations, or high-pressure sales targets. For corporate or regional roles, this interview may be conducted via Microsoft Teams. Come prepared with specific metrics and examples from your work history.
6
Skills Assessment or Ride-Along (Role-Dependent)
Mechanic and technician roles frequently include a hands-on skills assessment — you may be asked to diagnose a fault on a piece of equipment, demonstrate welding proficiency, or complete a written technical test. Outside Sales candidates may be invited for a ride-along with an existing sales rep to observe territory operations. Sales Development Program applicants sometimes complete a behavioral assessment or case exercise. These steps are designed to validate that your skills match real-world branch demands.
7
Background Check, Drug Screen, and Offer
United Rentals conducts thorough background checks and pre-employment drug screening for all positions — this is standard across the heavy equipment industry and non-negotiable. Candidates for driving roles will undergo MVR (Motor Vehicle Record) checks. Once cleared, you'll receive a formal offer through Workday. The onboarding process includes United Rentals' proprietary safety orientation, which underscores the company's commitment to zero-incident operations from day one.

Resume Tips for United Rentals

critical

Lead with Equipment-Specific and Industry-Relevant Keywords

United Rentals hires across highly specialized roles — your resume must speak the language of the equipment rental industry. For mechanic roles, include specific OEM names (Cat, JLG, Genie, John Deere, Kubota, Wacker Neuson), diagnostic systems (CAN bus, Tier 4 engines), and certifications (ASE, MEWP, NCCCO). For sales roles, reference rental industry metrics like fleet utilization, time utilization, dollar utilization, rate management, and rental revenue. Workday's parser indexes these terms, and recruiters search by them.

critical

Quantify Safety Performance and Compliance Track Record

Safety is foundational at United Rentals — it's embedded in every job description and performance review. Dedicate resume space to your safety record: years without a recordable incident, OSHA 10 or OSHA 30 certifications, experience with LOTO (Lockout/Tagout) procedures, JSA (Job Safety Analysis) participation, or safety committee involvement. A candidate who lists 'zero recordable incidents over 5 years' immediately signals cultural fit in a way that generic 'safety-conscious professional' language never will.

critical

Use Clean Formatting Compatible with Workday's Resume Parser

Workday's ATS parses uploaded resumes to auto-populate your candidate profile fields. To ensure accurate parsing, use standard section headings (Work Experience, Education, Skills, Certifications), avoid tables, text boxes, headers/footers, and multi-column layouts. Stick to common fonts (Arial, Calibri, Times New Roman) and save as .docx or .pdf. If Workday misparses your resume data into the wrong fields, take the time to manually correct each field before submitting — recruiters see the structured data, not your original document.

recommended

Highlight Revenue, Utilization, and Operational Metrics for Sales Roles

United Rentals is intensely metric-driven, particularly in its sales organization. Inside and Outside Sales resumes should feature concrete numbers: monthly/annual revenue managed, account growth percentages, customer retention rates, cross-sell and upsell performance, and CRM (Salesforce) pipeline management experience. If you've worked in equipment rental, staffing, or any B2B transactional sales environment, draw explicit parallels. The Sales Development Program specifically targets candidates who can demonstrate competitive drive backed by measurable results.

recommended

Feature CDL Status, Equipment Certifications, and License Classifications Prominently

Many United Rentals field positions require a CDL Class A or B license, NCCCO crane certifications, aerial lift (MEWP) operator credentials, or forklift certifications. List these near the top of your resume in a dedicated 'Licenses & Certifications' section — don't bury them in a skills list. Include license numbers (or note 'available upon request'), issue dates, and expiration dates. Recruiters for Equipment Operator and Field Mechanic roles often filter candidates by these credentials before reading anything else.

recommended

Demonstrate Progressive Responsibility and Internal Mobility

United Rentals values career trajectories that show growth, adaptability, and loyalty — reflecting their own promote-from-within culture. If you've been promoted within a company, show each role separately with clear date ranges. If you've moved between functions (e.g., operations to sales, or technician to supervisor), call this out explicitly. This mirrors the career paths United Rentals builds internally and signals that you'll thrive in their development-oriented environment.

nice_to_have

Tailor Your Summary Statement to the Specific Role and Segment

Avoid a generic objective statement. Instead, write a two-to-three sentence professional summary that mirrors the language of the specific United Rentals job posting. If applying for a Power & HVAC Mechanic role, your summary should reference temporary power generation, load bank testing, and climate control systems. If applying for a Credit Specialist role, reference credit analysis, collections, and accounts receivable within a high-volume B2B environment. This alignment helps Workday's relevancy scoring and immediately signals to human reviewers that you've done your homework.

ATS System: Workday

United Rentals uses Workday Recruiting (hosted at ur.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com) to manage its entire hiring pipeline — from job posting through offer acceptance. Workday parses your uploaded resume into structured data fields that recruiters search and filter, making accurate parsing essential. Your candidate profile is persistent across all United Rentals applications, so maintaining it is an ongoing investment.

Always review and correct the auto-populated fields after Workday parses your resume — misaligned dates, job titles, or employer names hurt your visibility in recruiter searches.
Use standard section headers (Work Experience, Education, Skills, Certifications) so Workday's parser correctly categorizes your information.
Avoid tables, columns, text boxes, images, and graphics — Workday's parser handles single-column, linear text formats most reliably.
Mirror exact keywords and phrases from the United Rentals job description in your resume and application fields — Workday allows recruiters to search and filter by specific terms like 'fleet utilization,' 'hydraulic systems,' or 'Salesforce CRM.'
Complete all optional fields in your Workday profile, including certifications, licenses, and language skills — United Rentals has bilingual needs (e.g., French-speaking Credit Specialist roles in Canada) and specialized credential requirements that recruiters filter on.
Save your resume as a .docx file for optimal parsing accuracy, with .pdf as a secondary option — avoid .pages, .odt, or image-based PDFs scanned from paper documents.
If applying to multiple United Rentals roles, customize the resume you upload for each application rather than relying on your stored profile resume — Workday allows role-specific uploads.

Complete Workday Resume Guide →

Interview Culture

United Rentals interviews reflect the company's operational, safety-first, metric-driven culture.

Expect a no-nonsense, practical approach rather than abstract brain teasers or whiteboard exercises. The process typically involves two to three rounds depending on the role level, and the entire timeline commonly spans two to four weeks from initial phone screen to offer. For branch-level roles — mechanics, equipment operators, inside sales — you'll likely interview with the Branch Manager and possibly a District or Regional Manager. These interviews tend to be conversational but direct. Hiring managers want to know: Can you do the work safely? Can you handle the pace? Are you reliable? For mechanic roles, expect technical questioning about hydraulic systems, electrical troubleshooting, diesel engine diagnostics, and familiarity with specific OEM platforms. You may be asked to describe how you'd approach a specific equipment failure scenario in real time. Sales interviews lean heavily on behavioral and situational questions. United Rentals' sales culture is competitive and quota-driven, so anticipate questions about how you've handled lost deals, built customer relationships from scratch, managed territory growth, and met or exceeded revenue targets. The Sales Development Program is particularly selective and may include a multi-step process with panel interviews, behavioral assessments, and presentations. Cultural fit signals that resonate at United Rentals include: a strong work ethic and sense of urgency, comfort with early mornings and physically demanding environments, genuine enthusiasm for the construction and industrial sectors, and a demonstrable safety mindset. Name-dropping specific United Rentals values — safety, customer focus, teamwork, and continuous improvement — lands well when it's authentic and backed by examples from your own experience. Prepare questions that show you understand branch operations: ask about fleet mix, utilization targets, key customer segments in the territory, or how the branch collaborates with Specialty divisions. This signals that you're thinking about the business, not just the job.

What United Rentals Looks For

Demonstrable safety mindset — candidates who can articulate their personal safety philosophy and cite specific practices (JSAs, pre-trip inspections, PPE compliance, incident reporting) from their work history
Equipment rental or adjacent industry experience — prior work at Sunbelt Rentals, Herc Rentals, BlueLine, H&E Equipment, or in construction, industrial maintenance, or heavy equipment dealerships carries significant weight
Mechanical aptitude and hands-on diagnostic ability for technician roles — particularly with hydraulic, electrical, diesel, and Tier 4 Final emission systems across multiple OEM platforms
Competitive sales drive backed by measurable results — quota attainment, account growth, cold-calling volume, and CRM discipline matter more than polished pitch delivery
Reliability, punctuality, and physical readiness — branch operations run on tight schedules, often starting before dawn, in all weather conditions, and roles frequently require lifting 50+ pounds
Adaptability and willingness to learn across equipment categories — United Rentals' fleet spans thousands of product types, and the company values employees who embrace cross-training
Customer-first orientation with a sense of urgency — rental is a service business where a contractor's project timeline depends on your responsiveness, making speed and follow-through non-negotiable
Technology comfort and data literacy — United Rentals invests heavily in telematics, its Total Control platform, and digital customer tools, expecting employees at all levels to engage with technology

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does the United Rentals hiring process typically take from application to offer?

Based on commonly reported experiences, the United Rentals hiring process typically takes two to four weeks from initial application to offer, though this can vary by role type and location urgency. Branch-level positions like mechanics and inside sales reps often move faster — sometimes within two weeks — because branches have immediate operational needs. Corporate, regional, and Sales Development Program roles may take longer due to additional interview rounds, assessments, or panel interviews. Staying responsive to recruiter outreach and completing any requested assessments promptly helps keep your process on the shorter end of that timeline.

Should I submit a cover letter when applying to United Rentals through Workday?

Workday's application interface for United Rentals typically includes an option to upload additional documents, including a cover letter, but it is not always required. For branch-level field and sales roles, a strong resume with relevant keywords and certifications generally carries more weight than a cover letter. However, for corporate positions, management roles, or the Sales Development Program, a concise cover letter that connects your experience to United Rentals' specific business — referencing their market leadership, safety culture, or the specific Specialty segment — can differentiate you. Keep it to one page and lead with what you bring to the role, not what you want from it.

What resume format works best with United Rentals' Workday ATS?

Use a single-column, chronological resume format saved as a .docx file for optimal Workday parsing. Avoid tables, text boxes, headers, footers, multi-column layouts, and embedded graphics — these cause Workday's parser to scramble your data into incorrect fields. Use standard section headings: Professional Summary, Work Experience, Education, Skills, and Certifications. After uploading, always click through your Workday candidate profile to verify that job titles, dates, employer names, and certifications parsed correctly. The structured data in Workday — not your uploaded PDF — is what recruiters actually search and filter against.

Does United Rentals hire candidates without direct equipment rental experience?

Yes, United Rentals regularly hires candidates from adjacent industries and backgrounds. Their Sales Development Program is specifically designed for early-career professionals who may have no rental experience but demonstrate competitive drive and learning agility. For mechanic roles, experience from automotive dealerships, fleet maintenance, agricultural equipment, military vehicle maintenance, or heavy truck shops translates well — the key is demonstrating diagnostic ability across hydraulic, electrical, and diesel systems. For sales roles, B2B experience in staffing, industrial distribution, building materials, or any transactional service business provides relevant parallels. Frame your transferable skills in rental-industry terms to help recruiters see the connection.

What certifications give me the strongest advantage when applying to United Rentals?

The most impactful certifications depend on the role category. For mechanics and technicians: ASE certifications (especially T-series for truck and A-series for automotive), OEM-specific training credentials, EPA 608 (for HVAC roles), and hydraulic system certifications are highly valued. For equipment operators and drivers: CDL Class A or B, NCCCO crane operator certification, and MEWP (Mobile Elevating Work Platform) credentials are frequently listed as requirements. Across all field roles, OSHA 10 or OSHA 30 certification signals safety awareness. For sales and operations roles, Salesforce CRM certification or proficiency is a notable differentiator. List all relevant certifications in a dedicated section near the top of your resume.

What is the United Rentals Sales Development Program, and how competitive is it?

The Sales Development Program is United Rentals' structured fast-track entry point for sales professionals, designed to develop associates into high-performing Outside Sales Representatives through a combination of classroom training, mentorship, ride-alongs, and progressive territory responsibility. It's targeted at early-to-mid-career candidates with sales aptitude, competitive backgrounds (including former collegiate athletes), and a willingness to work in a physically active, customer-facing outdoor environment. The program is selective, commonly involving multiple interview stages and behavioral assessments. Highlighting measurable achievements — whether from prior sales roles, internships, or competitive pursuits — is critical. Understanding rental economics (utilization, rate management, fleet ROI) before your interview gives you a significant edge.

Does United Rentals offer remote or hybrid work options?

United Rentals is primarily a branch-based, field-operations business, meaning the vast majority of roles — mechanics, equipment operators, inside sales reps, and outside sales reps — require on-site or in-field presence. These are hands-on jobs serving active construction and industrial sites. Some corporate functions based in Stamford, CT, or other regional offices may offer hybrid flexibility, and certain specialized roles (such as invoicing or credit specialists) could potentially include remote components depending on the specific team's structure. Job postings on their Workday portal typically specify location requirements clearly. If location flexibility is important to you, filter for roles labeled as remote-eligible or review the full job description for work arrangement details.

How should I prepare for a United Rentals interview for a mechanic or technician role?

Come prepared to demonstrate hands-on technical knowledge in a practical, conversational format. Branch Managers and Service Managers typically ask scenario-based questions: 'Walk me through how you'd diagnose a JLG boom lift that won't elevate,' or 'How would you troubleshoot a no-start condition on a Tier 4 diesel engine?' Review hydraulic schematic reading, electrical multimeter use, and common failure modes for aerial lifts, skid steers, and generators. Be ready to discuss your experience with specific OEM platforms and any specialty tools or diagnostic software you've used. Equally important: articulate your approach to safety — pre-task inspections, proper PPE use, and how you handle situations when you identify a safety concern. Bring copies of your certifications and any maintenance logs or work samples that showcase your diagnostic methodology.

Can I apply to multiple United Rentals positions at once through Workday?

Yes, Workday allows you to apply to multiple positions using your single candidate profile. However, a critical best practice is to upload a tailored resume for each specific application rather than relying on the same generic document. Each United Rentals role — whether it's a Power & HVAC Mechanic, Inside Sales Rep, or Credit Specialist — uses different keywords and qualifications that Workday indexes for recruiter searches. Applying to roles that genuinely match your experience is important; submitting blanket applications to dozens of unrelated roles can work against you, as recruiters can see your full application history and may question your focus. Target two to four roles that align with your skill set and customize each submission.

Sample Open Positions

Check Your Resume Before Applying → View 344 open positions at United Rentals

Related Resources

Career Guides for United Rentals Roles

Similar Companies

Sources

United Rentals Careers Portal — United Rentals / Workday
United Rentals Company Overview and Investor Information — United Rentals, Inc.
United Rentals Employee Reviews and Interview Insights — Glassdoor
Workday Recruiting: How Candidate Applications Are Processed — Workday, Inc.