Employment at HEB
HEB is an independently owned grocery store with almost 400 locations in Texas and Mexico. They’re notably innovative and treat their employees well, providing competitive salaries and benefits for both part-time and full-time employees.
This article will summarize the information you need to know to successfully apply to HEB for an hourly position. We’ll briefly go over the positions available, describe the HEB application process, talk about what HEB looks for in its applicants, cover helpful information about HEB, and finally go over what to do to prepare for the HEB interview process.
HEB Application
These are the various positions you can work in at HEB and what departments the positions are available in (if applicable). Some HEB stores have more positions available – it will depend on how large your store is and what their needs are. These are some of the most commonly available jobs.
Entry Level Positions at HEB
-
-
- Checker
- Customer Service Assistant/Bagger
- Maintenance Representative
- Parking Lot Attendant
- Night Stocker
- Customer Service Representative
- Grocery
- Drugstore
- Cosmetics
- Texas Backyard
- General Merchandise
- Healthy Living
- Food Service Representative
- Deli
- Bakery
- Perishable Representative
-
- Aguas Frescas
- Floral
- Market
- Produce
- Seafood
-
Management Positions available at HEB
- Hourly Manager
- Curbside
- Meat Market
- Drugstore
- Produce
- Bakery
- Market
- Floral
- Loss Prevention
- Seafood
- Texas Backyard
- Central Checkout Operations
- Catering
- Food Demo/Sales
- Food Safety Leader
- Store Director
- Assistant Store Director
- Sous Chef
- Director
- Perishables
- Non-Perishables
- Food Service
HEB Application Process
To begin an HEB application, you should apply online. In some cases, you may be able to apply in-person depending on your local store and whether they accept in-person applicants. If you’re interested in applying in-person, call up one of your local HEB stores and ask if they accept in-person applicants. There is no printable application online available for you to take in.
- Visit HEB’s retail careers page to read a general overview of positions.
- Click on either “Apply to Hourly Store Jobs” or “Search Store Management Jobs” to view the current job openings at HEB.
- You will now be on a page that lists available positions. On the left-hand side, you’ll see the option to filter the available jobs by location and part-time and full-time availability. Enter your preferences to return a list of jobs in your area that will fit your needs.
- Click on a job listing to get more information about salary, expectations, requirements, requested availability, and a thorough job description. If you intend to apply in-person, you can use this information to go to your HEB store of choice and apply for the position. If you are applying online, keep reading.
- Once you’ve found a position you’d like to apply for, hit the “Apply Online” button at the top of the page and you’ll be directed to a login page.
- Create an account and log in to access the HEB application.
- Upload your resume.
- Fill out the required information: You’ll have to provide general personal information and then answer some questions about your previous employers, your education and related experience, your background, your availability, and your eligibility.
- Once you’ve filled out all the necessary information, use eSignature to sign your HEB application.
- Review your entire HEB application for any errors and submit it.
Minimum Age for Employment at HEB
Most positions at HEB hire ages 18+, but there are a few options available for ages 16+.
If you’re 16-17, you can apply for these positions:
- Customer Service Assistant/Bagger
- Checker
These two positions are also your most likely entry point if you have no job experience. They don’t require any specific experience, and like all HEB careers, they provide extensive on-the-job training.
HEB Hours of Operation
The hours of operation at HEB vary by location. You can head to the company website to find the hours of operation at HEB stores near you.
Entry Level HEB Careers and Income
These HEB careers don’t necessarily require prior experience working in retail or at all. Depending on the location and position, some of these positions ask for a high school diploma. Most of them are looking for friendly personalities who would be comfortable working in a fast-paced retail environment.
Customer Service Assistant/Bagger
Starting pay: Around $8/hr., minimum age 16.
As a customer service assistant (CSA), you will bag items that are scanned by the checker, load bags into their cart, and help customers to their car when necessary. You can build up your customer service skills with this position and be eligible to transfer to almost any other hourly position within the store. As a CSA, you are an integral part of keeping the checkout lines short and often the last impression a guest is left with upon leaving HEB.
Checker
Starting pay: Around $10/hr., minimum age 16.
Scan items and complete transactions while providing excellent customer service. This is a great position if you’re a people person! HEB encourages their checkers to chat with guests about their day and about the products they’re buying. Many HEB employees begin their careers as a checker.
Maintenance Representative
Starting pay: Around $10/hr., minimum age 18.
Maintenance representatives are responsible for keeping the store clean. In this position, you will contribute to one of the most important parts of the customer experience by making sure your HEB is free of dirt and debris. If you are seeking a career with HEB but doesn’t yet feel confident in your customer service skills, becoming a maintenance representative would be a great opportunity to develop them at a pace that’s comfortable for you, as this position is not generally customer-facing.
Customer Service/Perishable/Food Service Representative: Various departments
Starting pay: Around $10/hr., minimum age 18.
As a department representative at HEB, you will get to know your assigned department well. You’ll be the face of your department during your shift for guests who may be looking for something or who need help. By seeking out those customers who seem to be struggling, greeting all guests you encounter, and familiarizing yourself with the various products stocked in your department, you can excel in this position.
Parking Lot Attendant
Starting pay: Around $8/hr., minimum age 18.
As a parking lot attendant, you will retrieve carts from the parking lot and bring them back to the front of the store. You’ll also be able to practice your customer service skills by helping customers to their car and assisting with unloading groceries.
Night Stocker
Starting pay: Around $12/hr., minimum age 18.
Night stockers at HEB usually work overnight shifts, restocking the shelves and preparing the store for the following day. They help provide a great customer experience by clearly displaying and merchandising inventory so that guests can easily find what they’re looking for. If you get hired for this position, be ready to do a lot of walking, lifting, and sorting. This is a great option for those who are night owls or needs to find work around a second job’s hours.
If you’re wanting to begin a career and move up within the company, HEB is a wonderful choice. They’re regularly praised for their promote-from-within policies and they offer their employees free training and abundant opportunities to rise within the ranks.
HEB Careers in Management and HEB Online Application
HEB has a strong promote-from-within policy, which gives their current employees preference over someone on the outside, but they do hire management from outside the company as well. HEB gives preference to management applicants with 3-5 years of experience in a leadership position or equivalent education. If you’re applying for a management position, make sure to craft a statement about your previous experience to include on your HEB online application. Tell a story about how you lead a team to victory or about how you motivated a team to reach a specific goal.
Additionally, before you’ll be able to take on a management role at HEB, you will have to complete their management training program. This program is called the School of Retail Management and involves on-the-job, classroom, and online instruction. After successful completion of this program, you may be eligible for various management roles within the company.
Benefits of Working at HEB
HEB has an incredibly competitive benefits package for their full-time and part-time employees. You will be eligible for more exciting benefits if you are a full-time employee, but even part-timers can receive these great perks:
- Low-cost health insurance including dental and vision;
- Employee discount (10% off store brand);
- 401k plan with company match;
- Partner stock plan;
- Various discounts on travel, phone plans, family activities, and gym memberships;
- Sick leave;
- Vacation time;
- Bonuses (For Christmas, meeting quarterly goals).
To be eligible for the 401k plan and the health insurance benefits, you must work at HEB for 1 year and at least 1000 hours during that year.
If you are working in a full-time management position, you may also receive paid time off.
Basic Tips for Applying at HEB
Customer Service Skills are Important
HEB prides itself on delivering great customer service, so you will have an advantage over other applicants if you have prior customer-facing retail experience. If you don’t have any previous customer service experience, you can demonstrate that you would do well in the position by studying up on customer service basics and making sure your interviewer knows that you understand the importance of making customers feel welcome and appreciated. Include a statement on your HEB application about customer service.
Be Skilled at Working Under Pressure
Another quality that HEB looks for in its potential employees is the ability to work in a fast-paced environment. Mention to your interviewer that you do well under pressure and enjoy working in an environment where there is always something to do. The last thing you want to include on your HEB application or mention to your interviewer is that you are looking for an easy, slow-paced job.
Communications Skills Are Imperative for a Team’s Success
Touch upon communication skills as well – they are essential for all positions at HEB. If you have previous job experience, make sure that you prepare a personal statement about how important effective communication is to you. If possible, include a story about a time that effective communication skills created success for a project you worked on with a team. Alternatively, you could tell a story about a failed project and why better communication could have saved it. Either way, establish (on your HEB application as well as in your interview) that you value good communication skills and that often, they make the difference between a team’s success or failure.
HEB Interview
Most applicants for hourly positions at HEB will have to undergo a phone interview, followed by a group interview as well as a one-on-one interview. Prepare yourself for all of them by doing the following:
- Have a list of questions to ask your interviewer. You will not be taken seriously as an applicant if you don’t ask questions in your interview.
- Make sure to dress cleanly and appropriately. Business casual is a safe bet if you can’t decide what to go with.
- Study up on common behavioral-based interview questions. You will likely be asked several of these.
- You are likely to be asked a question about what your weaknesses are. Do not conclude that you don’t have any weaknesses. HEB wants to see that you understand the areas that you have an opportunity to develop your skills in.
- You will probably be asked a question like “What would you do if you saw a fellow employee stealing from the store?” Have your answer ready beforehand.
Working at HEB
By starting your HEB application today, you’re taking the first step to employment at a company that takes care of its 10,000+ employees and gives back to the community. They give 5% of their annual pre-tax earnings to various charity programs as well as fund their own food bank assistance and disaster relief programs. HEB is consistently given stellar reviews by employees and continues to lead the way in the grocery industry.
To discover other popular job applications read here: