How Old Do You Have to Be to Work at Home Depot? Roles & Experience

If you have a parent who works in the trades or does a lot of DIY projects with you at home, then Home Depot is a great option for an after-school or weekend job. Exactly how old you have to be varies a little by where you live—typically, 16 to 18 is the minimum age.

In Canada, the minimum age is 16 to be employed at Home Depot. This is generally a part-time hourly position in various entry-level roles. Moving a little to the south, 16 is also the minimum age in some parts of the States. However, in some states, the minimum age for employment is 18.

Entry-Level Roles for Young People

There are a few jobs that are perfect for young people who are just entering the workforce.

Sales Associate

This is one of the primary positions in a Home Depot. Essentially, this role is responsible for providing customers with assistance in finding products or deciding between different products. This position does require a reasonable amount of product knowledge. Usually, a youth worker will work their way up to this position. They will often get really good in one or two departments and spend most of their time there.

Cashier

After the sales associate has helped the customer, the next stop for the customer is making their purchases. Although the registers do most of the work as far as math goes, a cashier still needs to have decent math skills and a good customer service attitude. A good candidate for a cashier position will also be able to work quickly and efficiently to keep lines moving smoothly.

Lot Associate

If the other two positions were the wheels that keep the store moving, a lot associate is the grease for those wheels. This role requires quite a bit of manual labor, so a good candidate will be fairly strong. The lot associate does several tasks, including cart retrieval or helping customers load bulky products into their vehicles.

Does Home Depot Require Previous Experience?

Many jobs nowadays require a lot of previous experience or schooling to even get into an entry-level position. However, Home Depot is one of those corporations that allows someone—such as youth looking for an after-school job—to begin getting their work experience for later in life.

That being said, if you approach a job at Home Depot with even a little bit of experience, you may be able to get your desired position right away as opposed to working up to it. Even if your previous experience was in a similar type of store, you might be eligible for a slightly higher starting pay rate.

Product Knowledge

Product knowledge is key when it comes to experience—especially in a store like Home Depot. Let’s say you have absolutely zero work experience, but you spend a lot of time in Home Depot. Chances are pretty good that you can demonstrate a reasonable amount of store knowledge.

And if you’re doing lots of DIY projects at home with your parents, you’ll likely be able to demonstrate good product knowledge.

This gives you a shot at a slightly higher starting pay rate and potentially more options for different entry-level positions.

Entry-Level Doesn’t Guarantee a Job

Even though there isn’t a high bar for employment at a Home Depot doesn’t mean that you’re guaranteed a job if you apply. During your interview, the manager will be looking to see if you possess the necessary qualities—even without experience.

For example, because Home Depot is a customer service-based job, you’ll need to have a friendly and approachable demeanor. Enthusiasm and a go-getter attitude are also beneficial attributes in this type of role.

Putting your best foot forward is important—especially if you lack experience and product knowledge. A smile and a good attitude are almost more important than those two things in customer service jobs anyways.

Closing Thoughts

Starting your work career at Home Depot is a great option because of the low experience requirements. As long as you’re 16 in most places, you’re eligible to apply for most positions in the store. And once you’re 18, you can apply at all of them. Just remember smiling and an enthusiastic attitude goes further than lots of work experience in most cases.

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Featured Image Credit: Pratchaya.Lee, Shutterstock