As far as major retail apparel stores are concerned, a TJ Maxx application offers a chance to work with one of the most popular and successful store chains in America.
This discounted retailer offers men’s, women’s, and children’s clothing, bath and beauty products, a wide variety of toys, shoes, and many other home products.
Is TJ Maxx Hiring?
TJ Maxx has a pretty high turnover rate so chances are, they are hiring right now in your area.
The best thing to do is to visit at least 2 to 3 stores in your area and see if they are hiring. Make sure you dress for the occasion so you can give a great first impression.
You can also visit the careers website and see which jobs available have already been posted. Always keep in mind that some jobs that are available at the present time are not posted on the website.
Working at TJ Maxx
Overall ratings by past and present employees who worked or have worked at TJ Maxx are generally very good.
Some of the positive and negative aspects are listed below.
Pros
- Stores have a friendly working environment
- There is plenty of room to grow within the company
- Management teams are generally very fair
- Management gives you your work schedule two weeks in advance
- Excellent break policy
- Good employee discounts
- You get yearly pay raises
Cons
- The pay is low compared to other retailers
- There are very few full-time employees at any store
- They don’t offer enough working hours every week
- Some customers are very difficult to deal with
- Training new associates could use improvement
History
In 1976, Bernard Cammarata founded TJ Maxx by starting another store named Zayre in Framingham, Massachusetts.
In 1977, TJ Maxx finally opened its doors and continually grew into the powerhouse retail store it is today.
TJ Maxx eventually expanded with stores overseas in the UK, Ireland, and Germany. Additionally, it began opening stores in Canada and it has since become that country’s most successful off-price clothing and home products retailer.
Jobs Available
TJ Maxx offers a variety of positions in their stores, corporate offices, and distribution and logistics.
This retail chain also offers college students and graduates a great opportunity to put their best foot forward with internship programs and development programs at the entry-level.
TJ Maxx is also active in hiring active military members as well as veterans and spouses of these workers. They have a proven record of success in hiring over 8,000 of these workers since 2013.
The following are the common jobs at TJ Maxx:
TJ Maxx Merchandise Associate
An associate position at this retail chain is the most common job at the store. You will be in charge of providing the best customer service possible and engaging with the customers to make sure they find what they need.
You will also be cross-trained in this position to be able to work in other areas, depending on your store’s needs.
Aside from ringing up customers’ purchases, you’ll be expected two have the ability to multitask and lift some heavy objects.
This is an entry-level position and the requirements are very flexible.
TJ Maxx Merchandise Coordinator
In this job, you’ll be responsible for the product displays and presenting products properly to increase sales.
At times, you’ll have to work the cash register if necessary.
This position requires you to have some creativity in making sure the displays are constantly attractive and fresh to customers.
You can apply for this job if you have at least one year of retail experience or 6 months in a leadership role.
Typically, if you are a merchandise associate and you can prove to be a dependable and capable worker, you can get promoted to this position within 6 months.
TJ Maxx Customer Experience Coordinator
This is probably the most stressful job you’ll find a TJ Maxx. You are in charge of encouraging cashiers and other frontline workers to have customers sign up for the rewards credit card.
District managers place a lot of emphasis and stress on store management to encourage their employees to get customers signed up for the rewards program.
In turn, supervisors are constantly pressuring employees to get customers to sign up for the credit card and fulfill the company’s monthly quota.
This can place a lot of stress on the customer experience coordinators.
Still, if you can handle this type of fast-paced job, all you need is 1 year of experience in retail or 6 months in some type of leadership capacity.
Usually an associate gets promoted to this position after proving themselves worthy.
TJ Maxx Loss Prevention Associate
This is an entry-level position where if you have excellent communication skills, you have a great chance to be hired.
With this job, you’ll coordinate your efforts with other loss prevention staff members to ensure retail theft is kept to an absolute minimum.
You will be observing customers as they check out with their merchandise, and you will be an effective theft deterrent by interacting with customers and making yourself visible.
TJ Maxx Loss Prevention Supervisor
This is a fairly well-paid supervisory position where you will be responsible for monitoring your own employees, catching thieves in the act at your stores, assisting local police agencies in making arrests, and testifying in court.
For this job, you’re going to have to conduct many investigations and interviews. Therefore, this is the perfect job for a retired police officer or anyone else in a security-type supervisory job.
You’ll need between 4 to 6 years of experience in a security or related field to get hired for this position. Also, a bachelor’s degree is preferred.
Some people who have worked his position say plenty of travel between stores is required.
Tj Maxx Assistant Manager
While taking a look at some of the reviews on Indeed.com, a few employees who work in this position have many positive things to say.
For one, they say that store management does everything possible to help employees advance within the company to the position of assistant store manager.
In some stores, it’s not uncommon to be promoted to assistant manager after just 1 year of hard work.
As an assistant store manager, you will be basically taking all the stress off the store manager by performing his or her duties on a constant basis.
You will be managing all the activity on the sales floor, in the back room, and in the front end as well as the cash office.
An important part of this role is to keep the store as profitable as possible. You reach these goals by delegating responsibilities to your employees and fulfilling all goals and sales expectations.
TJ Maxx Store Manager
Even though the assistant store manager will assume some of your responsibilities, with this position, you are in total control of your store.
You will oversee your staff as they conduct merchandising throughout the store. You’ll oversee customer service, operations, and manage store expenses and payroll.
In short, your role is to keep the store running as smoothly and as profitable as possible. You are expected to continue to grow profits at your store.
Warehouse Careers
Currently, TJ Maxx has distribution centers located in:
- Tucson, AZ
- Jefferson, GA,
- Bloomfield, CT
- Brownsburg, IN
TJ Maxx holds recruiting for these positions at their warehouses starting in September of every year.
They are always looking for college students to attend their internship program beginning the following May or hiring other personnel on a full-time basis to begin working from May to June of the following year.
TJ Maxx Warehouse Associate
This general warehouse associate position is the most common job at the TJ Maxx distribution centers.
Here, you’ll be in charge of handling shipments and packing or unpacking boxes.
You will be expected to lift up to 50 pounds frequently and occasionally, 75 pounds.
This is a highly physical position that can lead to other opportunities for promotion within the distribution centers.
How to Apply at TJ Maxx
There is still a possibility that you can submit a TJ Maxx application PDF at your desired store. TJ Maxx actually provides this form for you.
So, the best way to apply is to fill this out completely and march right down to the store and turn in your application.
One of the most important things to do when you apply in person is to try to make a great first impression. Therefore, dress neatly and be sure to match your clothing with your desired position.
For example, if you are applying for an entry-level position such as a merchandise associate, you can dress in business casual wear. This means you can wear neat clothing as long as you don’t wear jeans or sneakers.
For any other position, it’s important to dress in professional clothing.
For managerial or salaried positions, it’s best to apply online. This is because you can upload your resume and attach a cover letter as well as any supporting documentation.
So, if you are applying online for any type of position, here are the steps to follow:
- Visit the careers website.
- Click on either “Stores,” “Corporate,” or “Distribution and Logistics.”
- Click on the “Continue” button to redirect you to the TJX careers website.
- Enter your location, click “Search Jobs,” and scroll through the jobs available.
- Once you find a position that interests you, click on it and you will be redirected to a job description.
- Click on the apply now button.
- Register for a free account and begin applying.
TJ Maxx Application Process
Once you apply, you should get a callback for an interview within the first week. If you do not get called, make sure you follow up by visiting the store of your choice in person.
You will either have a group interview or a one on one meeting with a hiring manager. During the interview, the questions are very straightforward and simple.
If you meet the company’s expectations, you will sometimes get a background check including a drug test, and a written exam. Then, if you pass that, you will get hired within approximately two weeks.
You’ll then attend an orientation and begin working immediately after that.
Applications for supervisory positions can take a little bit longer due to a more extensive background check.
TJ Maxx Hiring Age
You have to be at least 16 years old to be able to work at TJ Maxx. Be aware that different states in the US have different laws regarding how many hours a 16-year-old can work on a school day.
Additionally, be aware the job of a part-time merchandise associate is very stressful. It’s a good idea to find out if there are any other young workers who have worked at TJ Maxx so you can ask them questions about how they like their jobs.
Does TJ Maxx Drug Test?
For entry-level positions, TJ Maxx usually does not drug test its employees before they are hired. As you would probably expect, this is a little different when it comes to salaried applicants.
It is best to play it safe and be drug-free if you are hoping to get a job in any type of retail store. I know it is not realistic to think that everyone is going to be drug-free.
However, if you are taking drugs and you can’t control them, TJ Maxx is probably not the best choice for you to gain employment.
Additionally, bear in mind that even if you pass the initial screening, TJ Maxx reserves the right to drug test you. This can happen once their suspicion is aroused or if you suffer some type of accident or liability issue at work.
Benefits
In order to get full benefits from this company, you must be employed full-time and working 30 to 40 hours a week for a year.
You will then begin receiving a comprehensive medical and dental plan, as well as paid time off, a 401k, and a few other perks.
According to some workers, the most difficult part of getting benefits is actually gaining full-time status as an employee.
Some say this retail chain is notorious for hiring workers on a part-time basis just so they don’t have to pay them benefits.
However, it is common practice in any type of retail store to hire workers part-time so they can weed out employees who are not willing to put forth the effort to become valued employees.
Final Thoughts
Getting a job at TJ Maxx at the entry-level is consistent with any other type of retail job. In these positions, you’re expected to put your best foot forward and work hard for the company.
The overall ratings by past and present employees on websites such as indeed.com and glassdoor.com are generally average for this retail chain.
This is not a bad thing because while one person may find working at TJ Maxx, not to their liking, another employee might say they love many things about working at this retail store or their warehouse.
I see a job at TJ Maxx as a solid retail position that allows anyone to begin working at the entry-level and progress rapidly through the system up to and including a store manager.
As far as salaries are concerned, this retail chain at the store level pays its entry-level employees poorly. With that said, there are alternatives.
Perhaps a career at Hobby Lobby, where the minimum hourly pay is $17.00 an hour for full-time employees, may suit you better! However, keep in mind many Hobby Lobby employees say you can only expect to get hired there part-time and you’ll have to work your tail off for at least a year before you can make that kind of minimum hourly wage.
