Vans Application Online: Jobs & Career Info

Headquartered in Cypress, CA, Vans operates as a premier athletic shoe retailer offering styles geared toward extreme sports enthusiasts. The retail chain also looks for athletic-minded individuals to fill store roles in customer service and sales.

Vans Employment Opportunities

As an international company, Vans provides job opportunities in several regions throughout the world. In the United States, the shoe store and athletic apparel chain maintains a presence in all major areas of the country. Applicants may find work in the Midwest, Northwest, South, Southwest, New England, and Central Plains regions of the U.S. offering competitive pay scales, ongoing training programs, career advancement potential, and comprehensive work benefits packages. Job seekers may even find work throughout the Hawaiian Islands. However, due to company origins, a majority of recurring employment opportunities become available through California-based retail locations.

The basic concept of the retail chain incorporates elements of life in Southern California, mostly centering on the prevalence of extreme sports. Along the interior walls of most locations sit giant depictions of the undersides of typical Vans shoes, which serve as sales racks from which customers may browse. Associates generally work in fast-paced, loud, and high-volume settings which mirror a trip down the boardwalk along Californian beaches. While store layouts alone often attract patrons, the retailer remains popular for excellent customer service and wide selections. Applicants must demonstrate dedication, energy, and personal interests in footwear and apparel to impress hiring managers. Product knowledge prior to submitting hiring forms may best serve aspiring employees.

Vans Jobs and Salary Information

Vans requires applicants to hold no formal experience prior for entry-level employment. Individuals must solely meet the minimum hiring age of 18 to receive hiring consideration. Some stores may prefer to hire workers with previous experience; however, employment decisions generally center on attitudes toward work and ability to perform manual labor throughout given shifts. Hiring takes place for the following shoe store jobs:

Sales Associate

• Most of the tasks charged to sales associates working for Vans include repetitive motions, standing on foot, and verbal communication with customers and fellow employees.
• The shoe store hires applicants who demonstrate excellent abilities in assisting patrons in making selections.
• Daily responsibilities include fitting for style, recommending merchandise, and ringing up sales.
• Weekend and night shifts prove typical for sales associate employees, as the entry-level job offers part-time hours, in most cases.
• The retailer often starts new-hire associates out at minimum wage.
• Pay increases may result in hourly rates as high as $9.00 or $10.00 an hour.

Floor Supervisor

• Motivated entry-level workers may eventually gain enough experience to assume floor supervisor roles.
• The position serves as a supplementary post to assistant managers and store managers.
• Employees maintain product levels and organization of sales floors, supervise subordinate staffs, and enforce company policies.
• Additional job duties primarily include entry-level responsibilities, such as completing transactions, assisting in sales, and retrieving merchandise from back storage areas.
• Workers must possess at least one year of previous experience in retail.
• High school diplomas or GEDs also satisfy base hiring requirements for the job.
• On average, floor supervisors make around $11.00 per hour.
• Promotion into upper-level managerial careers, like assistant manager and store manager often produces annual salary options in excess of $40,000 to $50,000, depending on location.

Tips For Applying

Vans looks to hire individuals able to maintain professional attitudes and dedicated work ethics in high-volume shopping environments. Daily business often results in noisy and crowded store settings in which sales associates, floor supervisors, and managers must thrive. During the hiring process, applicants must demonstrate the ability to meet sales goals and exceed expectations regardless of store commotion or bustle. Prior experience working in retail may benefit prospective associates; however, no real preference serves as company policy for hiring new employees.

Application Status

Job seekers may use the company online careers portal to fill out applications and post resumes. Workers may check back on the status of each application after completing hiring forms and submitting the documents. While some workers receive phone calls to schedule interviews before the necessity to follow up with management arises, some applicants may wait as long as two or three weeks to hear back regarding a specific job. During which time, candidates may check on the status of applications individually using unique user profiles accessible by email and password only. Phone calls and emails also serve as acceptable methods of contacting management regarding employment opportunities.

Benefits of Working at Vans

The laidback, casual, and energetic atmospheres of Vans stores often serve as excellent introductory work benefits. Locations sometimes allow skateboarding and rollerblading in store and encourage employees to create professional relationships with customers rather than focus solely on sales goals. New-hire workers immediately enjoy up to 50% off of merchandise. Other job benefits available to qualifying associates include:

• Medical, dental, and vision plans
• Employee assistance programs
• 401(k) retirement plans
• Life insurance
• Holiday pay
• Paid vacation and sick days, and
• Ongoing service and recognition awards.

Some employment benefits may require full-time job status.

Further Details on Vans

As a proponent of extreme sports, the retail chain takes an active role in sponsoring large events. Each year, Vans promotes an international surfing competition referred to as the World Cup of Surfing, which the shoe store hosts in various destinations around the world. Other sponsorships include support of extreme athletics like snowboarding, skateboarding, rock climbing, BMX, and motocross, for which the chain assembles ongoing teams of professionals for competition.