Dollar General Hiring Process: Job Application, Interview, and Employment

Dollar General Hiring Process: Job Application, Interview, and Employment

The hiring process at Dollar General involves various stages, including the job application and interview processes you must complete to gain employment with the Company.

Please, continue reading to learn about the Dollar General recruitment process and increase your chances of getting employment with the Company.

Dollar General Corporation Overview

Dollar General Corporation is an American variety chain store and has its head Office in Goodlettsville, Tennessee.

Dollar General began as a family-owned business named J.L. Turner and Son in 1939, at Scottsville, Kentucky.

It started its operation buying and liquidating bankrupt general stores In October 1939, with an initial investment of $5,000 each from James and Cal Turner.

By mid-1950s Turner had 35 department stores in Kentucky and Tennessee, but modified to a retailing business years after.

In 1955, Cal Turner established a retail store selling goods for a dollar and changed the name of the business from J.L. Turner and Son to Dollar General Corporation.

He got the inspiration for his business from the Dollar Days promotions held at other department stores and converting Turner’s Department Store in Springfield, Kentucky into the first Dollar General Store.

The change to retailing resulted in a boost in annual years to above $2,000,000 in the early 50s.

After the death of Turner In 1964 J.L. his son Cal Turner led the organization and took it public on the New York Stock Exchange, in 1968.

Dollar General has grown to become one of the most profitable stores in the United States, was recognized by Fortune 500 in 1999, and was reported to have revenue reaching around $21 billion in 2017.

It operates around 15,400 retail locations in 44 states; 16 distribution centers and 135,000 employees on its payroll.

The Dollar General Hiring Process

If you are interested joining the Dollar General workforce, there are standard procedures they follow to hire new employees, which include the following:

Job Application

The first step in the Dollar General hiring process begins with filling out an application and submitting it online or offline at their stores or distribution centers.

But the primary means of application is online via the Dollar General career website.

To apply for a job position, you can fill out a simple online form which has been created for the various positions available at the organization on their job portal.

You could also use buttons of the desired position to assess the application form online.

When applying online for the first time, you’ll need to create an account with Dollar General’s application system.

Next, you should use the Proximity Search function to find jobs closest to your location, click on the link to find the job description, and then click on “Apply to Job” to commence the application process.

You will be required to provide profile information, previous work experience, and Social Security number.

You will also be required to complete 111-question assessment test which can only be done once. It will take at least 20 minutes to complete and you cannot exit to complete later.

However, there is also the option of printing a PDF application form which seeks mostly information on previous work experience and your education.

Then you should use the store locator to find your local store and call them for application instruction, so you can submit to the in-store application center. But, the online method of application is preferred.

2. Assessment

After you have submitted an application, you will be scheduled for further assessment by the hiring manager, if your information provided suggests that you are fit for the job.

It is important to note that the assessment you will be required to take depends on the position you have applied for and you may be required to take multiple tests.

But, overall, it is a battery of questions designed to test your judgment, personality, and core skills and to ascertain how you might respond to certain situations that will most likely arise from your daily experience on the job.

Here are some of the assessment tests Dollar General applicants are required to take:

Sales Assessment Test: This test presents a set of questions aimed at checking if your personality type is fit for handling a sales position.

It seeks to understand factors that inspire you, your perception, values, behavior, and hard skills.

Customer Service Test: This test is designed to assess if the job candidate has the personality traits and competencies crucial for success in dealing with a variety of people and situations required of a customer-oriented position.

Hence, they would want to measure you on factors like cooperativeness, assertiveness, patience, diplomacy, customer focus, willingness to help, positive attitude, etc.

Other factors, including your sales perspective, problem-solving, multitasking skills, processing speed, and quality service will also be evaluated.

3. Interview

If you are successful with the assessment test, then you will be invited within a week to meet with the store manager or district manager for an interview.

The Dollar General interview requires that you answer a set of questions, management takes note of responses provided, and the entire process may take about 30 minutes to complete the meeting with a manager.

The Dollar General interview questions that will be asked may be position-specific, but here are some examples you can expect:

Tell us why you think you qualify for the chosen career in Dollar General?
Are you open to travel for work?
Can you tell us your major professional goals?
Could you please tell us how you handled a stressful situation you were forced to work in?
What is your reason for leaving your previous leave employer?
What does integrity and dependable mean to you?
If faced with a difficult customer, how will you handle the person?

To ace your interview, it is important that you understand the company values. The main focus of the Dollar General Core Value is “serving others, working to excel, and desire to succeed”.

So, you must be confident during the interview and show that service to others is important to you as well. Also focus on how you have excelled at your previous jobs, volunteer work, or even school assignment.

Taking the organization’s core values into consideration in responding to the interview questions will greatly increase your chances of success.

4. Orientation

To familiarize you with the responsibilities of the job and culture of the company, 3 days external training will be offered at a store training center plus 2 weeks of training with a training manager.

You will also be required to undergo a computerized training module which is to be completed during work hours.

How Long Does Dollar General Hiring Last?

After a Dollar General interview, successful applicants will be notified by the hiring manager about employment within a week, and will begin their employment shortly after the interview process.

Dollar General Jobs and Career

The major job positions available at Dollar General are sales-related and stocking positions. Here are some jobs you can hope to find in the company:

Sales Associate: This is the most available job in the Dollar General organization. They are responsible for working with customers to assist them in finding needed products, handling the cash register, tidying the store area, and notifying management of the need to restock products.
Lead Sales Associate: This is also a sales-related position; they perform similar duties with the sales associate, but in addition, they are responsible for occasionally opening and closing the stores.
Assistant Store Manager: This is a supervisory position with responsibility for supervising store employees, maintaining stock, and opening/closing the store at least a couple of days a week.
Store Manager: This employee is responsible for managing the store and ensuring that all employees are contributing to the store goals, working well together, and treating the customers appropriately.
Perishable Manager: Takes responsibility for running the Perishable unit and support customers in picking out meats, frozen foods, and other perishables.
Warehouse Supervisor: This position is responsible for the supervision of the warehouse and guarantees that merchandise required for the local stores is received and shipped out promptly.

What to Expect Working with Dollar General

According to comments from employees, getting hired at Dollar General is an easy and enjoyable process, but work can be overwhelming, and you may have to work long hours occasionally.

As an employee with Dollar General, you can expect to have benefits covering:

Medical, dental, and vision plans.
Life insurance, disability insurance.
Paid Time Off (PTO): vacations, holidays, bereavement leave.
Retirement: 401(k) plan.
Performance bonuses, stock options, employee stock purchase plan.
Employee discounts, tuition assistance, and mobile phone discount are also offered to Dollar General employees.

Conclusion

Dollar General is one of America’s fastest-growing retailers with a mission of Serving Others each and every day, and at the center of everything they do is the customers and communities they serve.

There are various career growth and development opportunities at Dollar General through award-winning training.

If you are desirous of joining the company, we have provided detailed information in this article to help you go through the hiring process with ease and be successful finding employment.