You can apply to CVS Health entirely online through the company’s careers portal at jobs.cvshealth.com. The process involves creating an account, searching for open positions by location and job type, completing an application, and passing a skills assessment before you hear back about an interview. Here’s how each step works.
Choose the Right Career Area
CVS organizes its job listings into distinct career areas, and picking the right one saves you time browsing. The main categories are In-Store (cashiers, shift supervisors, store managers), Pharmacy (pharmacy technicians, pharmacists), Corporate (finance, HR, marketing, legal), and Warehouse, Fulfillment and Transportation (distribution center roles). You’ll also find listings under Clinical, Innovation and Technology, Customer Care, Students, and International.
If you’re looking for a part-time retail position, start with the In-Store section. If you want to work behind the pharmacy counter, you’ll apply through Pharmacy. Each area has its own set of open roles, and the qualifications and assessments differ depending on what you’re applying for.
Create an Account and Submit Your Application
Head to jobs.cvshealth.com, search for roles by keyword, location, or career area, and click on a listing that interests you. You’ll be prompted to create a candidate account through CVS Health’s Workday portal. You can also sign in with an existing LinkedIn or Google account to auto-fill some of your details.
The application itself asks for your contact information, work history, education, and availability. For hourly retail and pharmacy roles, a resume is helpful but not always required. For corporate positions, you’ll want to upload a resume and may be asked for a cover letter. Fill out every field completely, since incomplete applications can be filtered out before a hiring manager ever sees them.
Complete the Virtual Job Tryout
After submitting your application for most in-store and pharmacy roles, CVS requires you to complete a Virtual Job Tryout, or VJT. This is an online assessment that evaluates your work style, judgment, and attention to detail. It has five sections for general applicants, with an additional section for pharmacy technician candidates.
- Work with Customers and Colleagues: A situational judgment test. You’ll read a realistic workplace scenario and choose which of four possible responses you’d be most and least likely to take.
- What Drives You: You’re shown pairs of statements about work preferences and pick the one that best describes your ideal job.
- Tell Us Your Story: Questions about your work experience, personal traits, and skills. Think of it as a structured questionnaire rather than an open-ended essay.
- Describe Your Approach: Another paired-statement section where you indicate whether each statement is “most like me” or “somewhat like me.”
- Ensure Quality: You’re shown a customer’s prescription details alongside a photo of a medication bottle and asked to spot any discrepancies between the two. This tests accuracy and attention to detail.
If you’re applying for a pharmacy technician role, you’ll also complete a Fill Prescriptions section that tests basic math skills under time pressure. The entire VJT typically takes 30 to 45 minutes. There are no trick questions, but answering honestly matters more than trying to guess the “right” answer, since inconsistent responses across sections can flag your results.
What Pharmacy Roles Require
Pharmacy technician and pharmacist positions have additional requirements beyond the standard application. Pharmacy technicians generally need to have completed a board-approved pharmacy technician training program and hold the appropriate state registration or license. Most states also set a minimum age requirement, commonly 17 or 18 depending on the state. National certification through the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) is valued but does not replace state-specific training and licensing requirements in most places.
State registration fees vary but typically run between $50 and $150 when you add up application, licensure, and administrative fees. CVS does offer its own pharmacy technician training program for candidates who haven’t completed one elsewhere, so you may be able to earn your credentials on the job. The listing will specify whether prior certification is required or if CVS will train you.
After You Apply
Once your application and assessment are submitted, you can track your status by logging into the CVS Health Workday Candidate Portal. Click “Candidate Home,” then “My Applications” to see where things stand. Status updates might say things like “Under Review,” “Interview Scheduled,” or “No Longer Under Consideration.”
CVS does not publish a specific timeline from application to interview, but for hourly store positions the process often moves within one to two weeks when a location is actively hiring. Corporate roles can take longer. If a store manager is interested, you’ll typically get a phone call or email to schedule an in-person or virtual interview.
Before a final job offer becomes official, CVS conducts a background check. You’ll receive a separate disclosure and be asked to consent before the check begins. The scope of the background check can vary by role and location but generally covers criminal history and employment verification. Some positions, particularly in pharmacy, may include additional screening steps.
Tips for a Stronger Application
Applying to multiple locations increases your chances, especially for in-store roles. If there are three CVS stores within a reasonable commute, apply to open positions at each one rather than waiting on a single location. Availability matters too. Candidates who can work evenings, weekends, and holidays are more attractive for retail and pharmacy shifts, so be honest but flexible when filling out your schedule preferences.
For the Virtual Job Tryout, take it in a quiet setting where you won’t be interrupted. The situational judgment questions are looking for customer-first thinking and teamwork, so when you’re weighing response options, lean toward answers that prioritize the customer’s experience and collaborative problem-solving over shortcuts or avoidance. On the Ensure Quality section, slow down and compare each detail carefully. Rushing through the prescription-matching exercise is where most candidates make avoidable mistakes.