In short
- Coles hires supermarket team members into departments: checkouts, nightfill, dairy, deli, bakery, fresh produce and grocery all appear in its job titles.
- Coles says many store roles don’t need previous experience, and store team members don’t need a resume to apply.
- The application includes a 10-minute online assessment. The interview is a walkaround in the store with up to three other candidates.
- Pick the department you apply for on purpose. A nightfill job and a checkout job are very different jobs, with different hours.
- OzWorkly is independent and doesn’t recruit for Coles.
What does a Coles supermarket team member do?
What Coles says (Store Teams page, checked 15 October 2026): “Supermarket team members help keep our shelves stocked, assist customers with a friendly attitude, and contribute to a great team environment every day.” The Store Team Member page says you could be “packing delicious treats in the bakery, helping customers at the checkout, serving up slices in the Deli, or restocking our shelves”.
In practice, the department in the job title tells you most of what your shifts will look like. When we looked at Coles’ Search and apply page on 15 October 2026, store team member listings usually ended with a department name, such as Checkouts, Nightfill, Dairy, Deli, Bakery, Fresh Produce or Grocery. The full ad for each job is where you check the hours, the type of employment and anything specific to that store.
Which department suits you?
Here is how we’d think about each one. These are our descriptions of the work in general, not Coles’ job descriptions, so read the ad as well.
Checkouts and customer service
You serve customers at the registers and self-serve area, answer questions and keep the front of the store moving. This is the most customer-facing job in the store. In Coles’ Day in the Life video, a customer service team member talks about “getting everything prepared for the day so that we can provide the best customer service”.
Good fit if you like talking to people and can stay calm when a queue builds up.
Nightfill
Nightfill teams restock the shelves, usually when the store is quiet or closed, so customers find full shelves in the morning. Expect lifting cartons, working against the clock and a lot of walking. Coles’ general pages don’t set out nightfill start or finish times, so read them in the ad and check how you’d get home at the end of the shift.
Suits you if late hours and steady physical work are what you want.
Dairy, grocery and fresh produce
These teams keep their own section stocked, rotated and tidy during trading hours, which means you work around shoppers and answer their questions as you go. Produce also means checking fruit and vegetables for quality and taking out anything past its best.
Good fit if you like keeping things in order and can switch between a task and a customer without losing your place.
Deli and bakery
These are counter and preparation roles. Deli staff serve customers at the counter, and bakery staff help produce and pack fresh goods. Coles lists Baker as a separate store role on its Store Teams page and says some positions, “like Bakers or Delivery Drivers”, may need specific skills or licences.
If you like food and can follow food safety rules every time, this is the counter for you. Check the ad for early starts.
Our tip: if you’re not sure, apply for the department that matches the hours you can really work. Someone who can only work evenings will find nightfill or late checkout shifts easier to land than a bakery role.
What does Coles look for?
What Coles says (My First Job page, checked 15 October 2026): under “What we’re looking for” it lists “Enthusiasm and attitude”, “A passion for customer service”, “A safety-focused approach”, “Reliability and trustworthiness” and “Pride in your presentation”. For reliability it says: “Honour your commitments, arrive on time, and build trust by being someone your team can count on.”
You don’t need shop experience to show these. You need short, true examples from school, sport, volunteering, family or any job. Here are three areas to cover.
Serving people
Example answer (ours, for someone with no retail job): “At my cousin’s market stall I looked after the cash tin on Saturdays. When a customer said we’d short-changed her, I counted the change again in front of her, found I’d made a mistake and fixed it straight away. She came back the next week.”
Keeping things in order
Example answer (ours, for a nightfill or grocery role): “In my last café job I unpacked the milk delivery. I started putting the newest milk at the back of the fridge so the older stock got used first. We threw out less, and the manager asked me to show the others.”
Working in a team
Example answer (ours, for a group interview): “In our netball team I wasn’t the best player, so I took on organising lifts and reminding everyone about game times. When two players were sick, I found replacements the night before.”
Our tip: keep each example to about 30 seconds: what happened, what you did, and how it ended. Our retail interview practice guide helps you build more.
How do you apply?
Coles describes the same steps on its Store Team Member page and its Our Recruitment Process page.
The application and assessment
What Coles says (Store Teams page and FAQ, checked 15 October 2026): if you apply for a Supermarket or Liquor Team Member role, “you’ll be required to complete a short online assessment as part of your application.” It “takes around 10 minutes to complete, and no preparation is needed.” The link in your email “will remain valid for 48 hours”, and the assessment “can’t be accessed through the candidate hub”. Coles’ assessment guide for candidates (version of June 2026) adds that for each situational question you pick a tick “for the best response” and a cross “for the worst response”.
There are no right answers to memorise. Answer as you’d really act on a busy shift. If you need an adjustment, Coles asks you to email InclusionRecruitment@coles.com.au.
If no job is open near you, submit the Expression of Interest from the Store Team Member page. Our guide to working at Coles explains how it works and why it can be slow.
The walkaround interview
What Coles says (FAQ): “Onsite interviews are held in store with the manager and up to 3 other candidates.” They give “a realistic job preview”. The My First Job page suggests “smart casual” for the interview: “neat jeans or pants, a clean shirt or top, and tidy shoes.”
A walkaround means you’ll likely see the department while it’s working. Watch what the team does, ask a question about it, and talk to the other candidates. Group settings reward people who include others, not people who talk the most.
Our tip: bring a written copy of your availability to the interview. The manager has to fit you into a roster, so clear answers about your days help.
After an offer
Coles’ FAQ says you’ll get login details for myhub, its team member portal, and complete the Onboarding module with your bank, super and tax file details. The My First Job page says to wear “a plain black t-shirt with black pants and closed-toe black shoes” on your first day until your Coles polo arrives.
What should you check before you accept?
Coles’ general pages say store shifts run “across mornings, evenings, and weekends”, but they don’t give hours or pay for a particular job. Read the ad and ask the store manager:
- Which department and which days would I start on?
- What are the usual start and finish times for this team?
- Is the role casual or part-time, and how are rosters set?
- Will I be trained on the registers, or only in my department?
- Your weekly availability, written day by day.
- One email address that only you use, as Coles asks.
- Three short examples: serving people, keeping things in order, working in a team.
- A neat smart casual outfit for the walkaround.
- Your ID and working rights documents, ready for when Coles asks for them.
- A simple resume if you have one. Coles says you don’t need one to apply.
If you’re new to retail, our general guide to retail assistant work covers the basics of shop work in Australia.
OzWorkly is an independent information site. We are not Coles, we are not connected to Coles Group, and Coles has not reviewed this page. We can’t see vacancies before they’re published, track your application or influence hiring. Apply only through Coles’ official careers site. Read how we check facts in our editorial policy, find out who we are, or tell us about an error.