Lowe’s Application – Lowe’s Employment

Lowe’s is a chain of retail hardware, home improvement and home appliance stores based in the United States. It has recently expanded with stores in Canada and Mexico, and has a partnership with a retail home improvement chain in Australia. With more than 1,700 locations in the United States, it is the second largest hardware chain in the country and in the World, behind Home Depot. It has more than 160,000 employees and it ranks 43rd on the Fortune 500 list of US companies. In 2012, it had sales in excess of $50.52 billion, with net income of $1.959 billion. Lowe’s is a great company to start a career in, whether you’re looking for your first job, or if you’re a seasoned executive looking for a great place to move to. If you’re looking for a workplace where there are challenges and plenty of opportunity for growth, Lowe’s is where you’ll want to be.

Interested parties can send in their Lowe’s application and join the company through their retail stores in the United States, or at the company’s corporate offices in North Carolina.

Lowe’s Job Application Online

The application process at Lowe’s is the same as others. It starts with an application form filled in correctly with your personal details as well as your previous work experience. It is important to write everything that you think will improve your chances of getting hired. Among what Lowe’s is looking for are communication skills and people skills. In stores, you will be dealing with people from all walks of life on a daily basis. Some may be truly knowledgeable about their purchases, while others may not have a clue. It is your responsibility, as an employee of Lowe’s, to guide clients and help them make informed decisions about the products they want to buy. Employees are also expected to know the different items being sold in the store in order to make an honest and credible comparison between similar merchandise. If you think that you have this kind of attitude and a sincere desire help to people, Lowe’s wants you to become part of their team.

Prospective applicants can submit their Lowe’s application online at the Lowe’s Careers page: http://careers.lowes.com/default.aspx. Applicants can browse for positions on that page as well, as there is a continuous stream of available positions. Applicants submitting their Lowe’s application for corporate positions will be processed at the regional or main office, and those applying at the retail level will be processed at the store of their choice.

As a retail chain, there is a need for qualified floor personnel. Job seekers may fill out an application for Lowe’s via the careers website. This is a mandatory part of the hiring process.

Besides the stores, corporate offices also have openings for different departments that support store function. There are openings in accounting, IT, HR, delivery, logistics, purchasing, security, training and other administrative jobs. Filling out a Lowe’s application form for these jobs can be done through the corporate website. Remember to give the company a few days in order to evaluate and respond to your application. For upper management positions, the screening process can take as much as a week to complete.

Lowe’s Careers and Income

As a retail chain specializing in home improvement and home appliances, working at Lowe’s entails direct and extended contact and interaction with customers. Applicants are expected to be able to connect with their customers. They should be willing to help clients with their needs, and answer questions on how to solve their home improvement problems. It may be necessary to provide solutions which a customer may not even realize are available to them. This is an aspect of customer relations that requires an applicant to have problem solving skills. Prospective applicants with the aforementioned skills can send in their Lowe’s job application to see if they have what it takes to work for the company.

Lowe’s carries a long line of home improvement products. They started out as a hardware chain, and as such, the applicant should be interested in these products and their use. A knowledge of DIY home improvement is appreciated. Even though there are less and less people engaged in DIY home improvement, Lowe’s has maintained an increase year-to-year on their products. The prospective applicant should also be knowledgeable with tools, their specifications, and how to use them. Nowadays, the typical question is more along the lines of what tool to use and how to use it. Most sales stem from the associate being able to answer these questions.

There is ample room for advancement with the company. Employees are segregated according to departments and sections which denote the categories and type of tools. The employee can get a boost in their career by participating in company-sponsored training and seminars. With proper motivation, an employee easily climb the corporate ladder, and the first step to getting hired is filling out and submitting a Lowe’s application form.

The salary range at Lowe’s is competitive to the retail industry. Assistant Managers at Lowe’s can expect a salary between $39,000 to $70,000, depending on their experience and the store’s location.

Within the store, a Department Manager should expect to earn between $25,000 to $51,000 per year, and Lowe’s Zone Manager can earn between $39,000 to $55,000. Zone Sales Manager take home a bit more, at $41,000 to $61,000 a year.

A Lowe’s Store Manager can earn between $60,000 to $105,000 per year depending on their experience, and the store’s size and location.

Apply At Lowe’s – Basic Advice

Applications are always welcome at Lowe’s. For store personnel, being motivated and interested with the job is an advantage, and so is being a people person. With a hardware and home improvement store, customer interaction is prolonged. People who come to Lowe’s want to know how to solve a problem, so expect that this type of interaction will make up much of your time spent at work.

The prospective applicant should ask himself if he wants to help other people with their home improvement projects. They should also be interested in home improvements, renovations, and repairs themselves.

The prospective applicant should be able to present themselves as a capable people person who knows their tools. Sometimes it may be as little as knowing how to mix paint, or even how best to screw a bulb on. It may seem simple, but customers ask these questions because they have no idea how to do it. Back in the 1990s, people who went to Lowe’s knew what they were doing – but nowadays, it’s fairly common for people who have no experience in home improvement to come to the store asking for help.

As store staff, Lowe’s personnel must be able to help customers. Sometimes it can be as easy as pointing them to the right store section, and other times, it is to explain the difference between a super-absorbent artificial chamois sponge and a new microfiber sponge. Associates must also have the patience and know-how to explain technical / specialized knowledge in layman’s terms.

Apply At Lowe’s – Advanced Tips

Store management jobs require a leadership style which motivates employees. A store manager should be able to manage expectations from the team members, customers and regional and corporate management.

Lowe’s stores are of two types:  traditional, smaller stores still present in small communities, and the larger big-box stores that look like huge warehouses. Each type of store requires a different approach to customer interaction. Customers also behave differently when in these two kinds of stores. Customers in smaller stores take more time talking with staff. This interaction necessitates a very personal relationship where the associate needs to be on very friendly, neighborly terms with the customer.

In contrast, big-box stores are more impersonal, customers move a bit faster and expect that store employees also move faster. Prospective Lowe’s applicants have to be more motivated in larger stores. There are more customers, and less time to help them.

Lowe’s managers do not all come from internal promotions. Sometimes, managers are invited to apply, are recruited, or referred to by other employees. Whether for store staff or  management positions, applicants have to submit their Lowe’s job application form online. The Lowe’s online application form is a standard information sheet where the applicant fills out information about himself and their relevant work experience. For store manager positions, prior experience is an advantage, and in addition to running the store, managers also have to do paperwork, recruitment, store administration, community relations, and manpower scheduling.

Section managers and supervisors are also expected to be familiar with the items being sold in the store. They should not only know where the item is, but also how to use it, what its specifications are, and what alternatives they can provide.

Working for Lowe’s can be a rewarding lifelong career, and associates can easily start at the bottom and work their way up. The dream to work for the second largest retail home improvement chain starts with a Lowe’s online application!

Lowe’s Benefits

Lowe’s strives to provide a comprehensive benefits package for their employees. Lowe’s benefits package include:

• comprehensive medical plan
• dental plan
• vision plan
• life insurance plans
• flexible spending accounts
• disability benefits
• matched 401(k) options
• an employee stock purchase plan
• free wellness programs, which include
  • the Family Assistance Program
  • the Quit For Life smoking cessation plan
  • the My Life Track wellness plan
• Other employee benefits
  • caring for Dependents
  • child care resource and referral services
  • elder care resource and referral services
  • paid and unpaid time off
    • paid holidays (including floating Holidays)
    • vacation
    • family & medical leave
  • sick Pay
  • on-site nurses (corporate campuses and distribution only)
  • on-site pharmacy (Mooresville corporate campus with extended service to the Wilkesboro campus)
  • on-site work/life seminars (corporate campuses only)
  • workplace flexibility
  • flextime and compressed workweeks (corporate campuses only)
  • seasonal schedules (stores and distribution only)
  • financial support
  • tuition reimbursement
  • discounted online university programs (Kaplan, Strayer & Capella Universities)
  • free and/or discounted tax preparation services
  • discounts on a variety of products and special orders
  • scholarship programs
  • employee Discounts

The above list of employee benefits is for eligible full-time regular employees. Part-time employees benefits also cover most of the above items.

Things to Know About Lowe’s

Lowe’s was founded by Lucius S. Lowe in 1921 in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina. When Lucius died, his daughter Ruth took over the store but sold it to her brother Jim shortly after. During World War II, Jim and Ruth’s husband, Carl Buchan, served in the war, leaving the store operations to Ruth and her mother.

After the war, the second store was put up in Sparta, North Carolina. Even with expansions, the store was privately owned until 1962 when Carl Buchan died of a heart attack. The management team decided to go public during the same year. It has not had a losing year since it went public. It was listed at the New York Stock Exchange in 1979.

Lowe’s Careers page: http://careers.lowes.com/default.aspx

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