WalMart's Management Training Program

Answer 1

While being a Wal-Mart Manager pays well (a store manager can make $200k + per year, ASM make around $40-50k per year), being a manager at Wal-Mart is no easy task. Be prepared for 70 - 80 hour weeks, bitchy top-level management above you, as well as being the guinee pig for the store manager (unless your the store manager, then you are the guinee pig of corporate office).

In order to be considered for management, I would suggest working as an employee first, as they tend to hire from within. While working there, obtain a degree in business management (PHD degree is usually fine). While the degree is usually not required, it piuts you ahead of the other 10,000 people applying for mamagement at Wal-Mart.

Also, it helps if you "Work your way up". By this i mean don't hire on as a cashier and then apply for management 2 months later. You have a much better chance if you work with the company at least 2 - 3 years (which will give you time to get your degree). While there, try to work your way up to CSM (Customer Service Manager) if you start as a cashier, or Dept. Manager if your sales associate. Greeters, ICS and Cart Pushers have little chance of advancement, so my suggestion would be move to either Cashier or Sales Associate.

Generally, They are much more willing to promote CSM's, which means starting as a cashier is your best road to management. Dept. Manager is the same thing as CSM, only instead of front-end management they manage the different departments as well as floor staff.

Overall, to become a manager at Walmart, you must have guts, determination, work experiaince in retail (preferable with the company), and usually a degree in business managment (You don't need an MBA, although this would not hurt I'm sure).

Have fun!

Just as a note i have seen people go from greeters and cart pushers up into management. True its harder to get recognition in positions like that but it's not impossible. I've been with wal-mart for about 16 months, and I started out in tle, worked there for 9 months, and then moved to ics, and last week I was promoted to ics supervisor. Hopefully in a year I will be headed into the training program. My advice to anyone tryin to move up, is to let it be known that your trying to advance and then work everyday to prove that fact.