United Parcel Service, generally known as UPS, is a multinational delivery and supply chain management company.  Headquartered in Sandy Springs, Georgia, the company has more than 1,800 facilities worldwide.

As of today, it employs over 481,000 people and services 220+ countries and territories. Thus, as expected, the United Parcel Service offers a wide variety of career opportunities in different areas that include:

• Delivery & Warehouse
• Technician & Fleet
• Engineering
• Customer Solutions
• Marketing
• Information Technology (IT)
• Finance
• Global Business Services

Below we will examine UPS’s hiring process based on the experience of previous applicants and current employees.

UPS Hiring Process

The United Parcel Service’s hiring process is very straightforward. Nonetheless, depending on the position you are interested in, it can also prove to be very extensive.

Looking for Open Positions

Before beginning your job quest, you will first need to research which positions are available within the company. To do so, I suggest you visit their careers website: www.jobs-ups.com/.

UPS has one of the user-friendliest platforms when it comes to finding job opportunities. You can choose to filter your search by type of job (e.g., part-time, full-time, seasonal), category (e.g., delivery and warehouse, engineering, corporate), location, and level of expertise (e.g., students, level-entry, executive).

Moreover, the site even has an online chat called ‘UPS Jobs Chatbot’ available 24/7 to help you through the process.

Online Application

After choosing the position you are interested in pursuing, you will need to submit an online application through their careers’ portal.

To do so, you must create a profile and fill out a basic questionnaire that takes about 15-20 minutes to complete. Be prepared to give out your detailed contact information, upload your resume, answer a few standard questions about educational background, previous employment, why you are interested in the job, and comply with other legal formalities.

After completing the questionnaire mentioned above, you will able to apply. In case you need more time, you can always re-visit the form before submitting it. Make sure you take your time because once you submit the form, you will not be able to edit your answers.

Interview at UPS

Successful applicants will then be contacted by a representative from the HR department to schedule an interview. Generally, the meeting takes place at a nearby facility. However, depending on the job and location, the interview process may vary significantly.

It is important to note that UPS does not have a set process; meaning that the hiring procedure may vary from one facility to another. For instance, in some cases, a phone screening or first interview is required before being able to sit down at a local office. Usually, the phone screening takes only 10-15 minutes to complete and is done to corroborate that all the information provided on the online application is correct.

If you are only asked to attend an in-person interview, do not worry that is entirely normal. Once you are there, you will most likely receive a tour of the facilities before meeting 2-3 interviewers.

Expect questions such as:

• What can you tell us about UPS?
• Why do you want to pursue a career with the company?
• Why do you think you are the right fit for the job?
• Where do you see yourself in 5 years/10 years from now?
• Do you rather work by yourself or as part of a team?

Assessments & Tests

If you are applying for a job within the ‘Delivery & Warehouse’ or

‘Technician & Fleet’ categories, after the interview, you may be required to take the following test:

DOT Test

DOT stands for ‘Drug and Alcohol Testing Program,’ and it is a standard drug testing procedure needed from individuals that wish to work in transportation. It is required by the U.S. Department of Transportation and takes only two minutes to complete.

Driving Test

Like any other regular driving test, you will need to pass a web-based assessment that includes theoretical content on the best driving practices. If completed successfully, you then will have to pass an actual driving test. It is nothing out of the ordinary, so no need to stress.

If you are applying for an engineering or corporate position, after the interview, you will be required to pass a few other assessments.

UPS uses mostly assessments developed by the Kenexa Company. These examinations are used to assess a candidate’s psychometrics, as they tend to evaluate different categories, including:

Logical & Verbal Reasoning – used to asses a person’s communicational and reading comprehension skills.

Numerical Reasoning – administered to review a candidate’s ability to interpret numerical data and graphs. Some presentation even includes operations that evaluate job-specific tasks (e.g., calculating profit margins).

• Career Fit – used to select the most suitable candidate based on workplace preference.
• Culture Fit – in certain industries, employees need to show a particular set of characteristics. Thus, a culture fit test will determine whether or not a candidate is compatible with the brand’s values/believes.

Other assignments that may not be directly related to the Kenexa tests include:

Situational Judgment Test – these are very important, especially at high-level posts given that they examine your attitudes and reactions to work-related situations. Sometimes, the company includes video clips or animations to present the situation with written response options.

Caliper Profile Test – similar to a personality test, the Caliper Profile, examines character traits and contrasts them with those required for the job to which he/she is applying.

Bennett Mechanical Test – it consists of an aptitude test that evaluates your understanding and capabilities to solve basic mechanical problems.

Keep in mind that they might be other tests or assessments you will need to complete to land the job. Above we mentioned only the most common.

There you have it, the complete hiring process when applying to UPS! We suggest you do some additional research to make sure you are 100% ready to ace your job application. Remember that there are a lot of components that come into play (apart from your resume and interview.)