How to Apply to Costco (2026): Step-by-Step

Costco hires overwhelmingly for part-time, entry-level warehouse jobs — front end assistant, food court, member service and merchandise stocking — plus depots, business centers, pharmacies and optical, with a smaller corporate and IT operation in Issaquah. Applications start on careers.costco.com, but Costco describes the listings there as examples of typical positions rather than confirmation that a warehouse is hiring, and the Apply button hands off to an iCIMS site. Two things catch applicants: online applications expire after 90 days, and Costco openly suggests introducing yourself to a manager at the warehouse after you apply.

Where the Costco application lives

Official careers site: careers.costco.com. Applications run on iCIMS.

• Warehouse, business center and depot roles — Location-based listings; Apply hands off to Costco's iCIMS tenant (careers-costco.icims.com).
• Information Technology roles — Costco IT openings sit on a separate Taleo career center with its own login.

Step by step: applying to Costco

1. Browse careers.costco.com by location or category. The same title is posted for many warehouses, so open the ones you can actually reach.
2. Click Apply. You are sent to Costco's iCIMS site to create a candidate account with your email, then fill in work history and availability.
3. State availability honestly. Costco says candidates should generally be prepared to work its busy hours, which are typically nights and weekends.
4. Some positions require you to demonstrate skills or pass a business-related test; Costco says it selects on transferable skills, prior experience and member service ability.
5. If a warehouse is interested you interview in person; employees commonly describe two interviews, often one with a supervisor and one with a manager.
6. Employees report a drug screen and background check after the offer and before orientation; Costco also participates in E-Verify nationwide.

What an iCIMS application is like

• You create a candidate profile in the employer's iCIMS portal (some employers run several portals for hourly, corporate and campus roles, each with its own login).
• Resume upload pre-fills the profile; the parsed work history and dates usually need correcting before you can continue.
• Expect the employer's screening questions — availability, work authorization, sometimes an assessment link sent by email afterwards.
• Your dashboard shows each application and its status, and the same profile can be reused for other openings at that employer.

Tips from Costco applicants

• Your online application expires after 90 days. If your preferred warehouse has not called by then, submit a new one to stay in the applicant pool.
• Costco says each warehouse receives hundreds of applications and suggests introducing yourself to a manager at the location after applying; a short, polite visit is expected here.
• New warehouses accept online applications roughly 12 weeks before opening, and Costco hires year-round rather than only for seasonal peaks.

How long the Costco process takes

Employees on Indeed most often describe two to three weeks from application to orientation, with two interviews close together and a drug test soon after, though some reported a month or more depending on the warehouse.

Before you hit submit

Two quick wins: check your resume against the posting with the resume keywords for your role, and attach a tailored letter — see the cover letter examples by role. Decide your answers to the standard screening questions once — see desired salary and work authorization — and keep a record in a tracker.

Apply faster

Costco applications run on iCIMS, which JobRizzer autofills. Install the extension, open the Costco application, and JobRizzer fills the standard fields from your profile — you review every field and click submit yourself.