What it does: One of the ‘Big Two’ supermarket chains, accounting for about a third of the Australian grocery market.
Staff stats: Over 130,000 team members spread across 2,200 supermarket and liquor stores, manufacturing locations, distribution centres and store support centres.
The good bits: Great starting salary, potential for fast progression, variety of work.
Where future leaders are made – are you next?
From day one as a Coles Group Graduate, you’ll feel the connection your work has to our purpose, to "helping Australians eat and live better every day". Our award-winning Grad Program offers two years (three years for Finance Graduates) of hands-on learning designed to help you grow into a future leader, as well as giving you a taste for meaningful work.
You will be accountable for making decisions in providing food, drink and home solutions that are delicious, sustainable and healthy for our customers and ensuring to deliver a consistent experience for our customers every day, both in-store and online.
As we live and breathe our Strategy and Values, we’re committed to attracting and employing people that represent the communities we work in. At Coles, we support our team members regardless of age, disability, race, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, family responsibilities or cultural background to ensure they feel safe and included at work.
Diversity & Inclusion Initiatives
As part of our Better Together strategy, we’ve committed to a number of diversity and inclusion initiatives to be achieved by December 2023. The program includes five key focus areas – Belonging, Gender Equity, Accessibility, Pride (LGBTQI+), and Indigenous Engagement. Each focus area has ambitious goals that are supported at the executive and board levels and worked towards by all team members.
How to apply
It's simple to apply for the Coles Graduate Program! There are 4 stages to the recruitment process, and we will keep you informed at each stage.
Before submitting your application, please make sure you check that you meet our eligibility requirements:
If you have any questions during the process, please drop us a note at emergingtalent@coles.com.au and include in the subject line the Stream Function of the Graduate Program you are applying for.
1. Apply Online
It's simple to apply for the Coles Group Graduate Program! There are 3 stages to the recruitment process, and we will keep you informed at each stage of the process.
If you have any questions during the process, please drop us a note and include in the subject line and the Function of the Graduate Program you are applying for.
If you’re interested in applying, please complete our online application form.
This helps us capture information about your background, experiences, and skills. We want to hear why you are the right fit for us! Make sure you check to see that you are eligible for the program before completing your application.
Completing an application form will take you approximately 30 minutes, and once our applications close, you can expect to hear an update on your application within 5 days.
2. Online Assessment
This stage of the recruitment process helps us understand more about who you are. Not just your skills but your preferred ways of working and how you approach certain situations. It also provides you with an opportunity to see what the types of situations you could expect to experience when joining the Coles Graduate Program.
This combined psychometric online assessment is an immersive experience that closely mirrors a typical working day by selecting one of the four response options. After completing this you will be introduced to the video section, for each question in the video interview, candidates watch a recorded video and then record their response. After completion of the assessment, you will be emailed an automated feedback report on your performance.
The online assessment is not timed, but should take about 45 minutes to complete, including the video interview.
3. Discovery Centre
The Discovery Centre gives us the chance to meet you and an opportunity for you to interact directly with us! You will participate in a range of activities during the session, but most importantly, we want to ensure you walk away from your time with us with an impactful experience where you gain some valuable insights and understanding of yourself, and of Coles. Our Discovery Centre will be a 3-hour session and look to provide you with an update following your attendance in the following week.
Step up and apply to our Graduate Program
Future leaders bring courage to the table, applications open 24 March 2025 and will close 27 April midnight.
Not only is Coles Group a great place to work, you’ll have access to a range of exclusive benefits and programs that support, reward and inspire team members.
Our grads undergo a combination of on-the-job learning, exposure to senior leaders, mentoring and an active support network to develop their skills and expedite their careers. The SSC Graduate Program is only the beginning of your career with Coles, with a guaranteed role at the end of the program.
You are supported through:
People & Culture Graduate at Coles
Master of Human Resource Management at University of Melbourne
Technology Graduate at Coles
Bachelor of Information Technology (Business Information Systems) at Monash University