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I woke up the morning after the United States won the 2015 FIFA World Cup title with a smile on my face. I turned off my alarm, stretched, and put on my very own uniform. My uniform does not display my last name across the back, nor is my country represented on the chest. I won’t be greeted by a stadium filled with millions of fans cheering my name, and the likelihood of me leaving with a trophy is very slim. However, today, and every day, I am a part of something bigger than myself. I am a Target Intern, and I am proud to wear red and khaki. Target teaches us that its people are its greatest asset. From the moment I joined Target’s team, I could feel the spirit in what those words truly meant. I am seen, heard, and understood every day. My mentor challenges me, pushing […]

I wanted to share with you all an awesome story about where Target has taken me in my career. I was recruited as a Pharmacy Technician around 8 years ago and immediately felt at home. In this environment I grew to understand my worth and what having great developmental support can do for a person. I credit this support and encouragement for helping me pursue my dream of becoming a Pharmacist. After being accepted into Pharmacy School, I transferred to a Target store in Savannah, GA. I worked as an intern while I attended South University. I was able to really focus in on my studies because I knew that I wanted to stay with Target as a Pharmacist. Again, Target’s support and development helped me graduate number 1 in my class! After school I returned home to Pensacola, Fl. and began my pharmacy career with Target as a floater […]

My name is Henry, a graduate from Salisbury University (Perdue School of Business). While attending Salisbury I was afforded multiple opportunities, one of which was participating in Target’s internship program. Prior to pursuing an internship with Target, I was offered an opportunity to intern for another company. This presented a major challenge for me, because I wanted to make the right decision. I began to research both companies, and what really stuck out to me about Target were their inclusive culture, focus on training and development, and the opportunity for growth. When I completed my Target internship, I had learned so much about how to be a leader and how to develop the individuals who report to me. It was an amazing experience and I didn’t want it to end. While interning with Target I was offered the opportunity to become a Campus Liaison which means I would be a […]

As an Executive Team Leader, the 4th quarter is like the “Super Bowl” of retail because it consists of a high sales, high traffic and high focus being around the holidays. For me, this is my favorite time of year. Not only was I able to be a strategic thought partner and create plans for the entire store in order to drive sales and initiatives, but I am able to walk through the execution with the entire team, getting them excited and prepared to have a successful holiday season. When I talk about the 4th quarter being like the “Super Bowl” this means as a team, we have worked hard to get to this point, and now we are putting the finishing touches on the season. The holidays consist of collaboration with peers and the entire store! You feel as if you are one big family, because we are all […]

The year was 2006 and I was in my senior year at Iowa State University (Go Cyclones!). I was six months away from graduating and like many of my peers, I was looking for a job. Once I spent some time actually applying, reality hit quickly and I realized it was going to be more challenging than expected. I began to worry I may not find the “Dream Job” I was looking for.  I decided to look at some opportunities I hadn’t considered before and applied at Target for a retail management position. Fortunately, I got the job and started as an Executive Team Leader in Target Stores. Truth be told, I never saw myself as a retail manager and considered this an option only until I found something more suited to my degree. That was 8 years ago. The “Dream Job” WAS Target. The level of responsibility and trust […]

B.A.L is a simple acronym that stands for “Be a Leader!” Target loves acronyms so, I thought it was fitting to use one from my personal life to show case what leadership means to me and how I apply it to my career. The term stems from way back when I played high school football in New Jersey. It was my first game starting at quarterback and to ease my nerves, and my coach wrote “BAL” on my wrist tape. He said if I focus on leading and making sure the team is all pulling for a common goal, I’ll get the outcome I wanted. [Then he ripped up some end zone grass and made me eat it. He said you need to want to score so bad you can taste it.] I tell you this not so you can know my life story, but so you can see how […]

I was given the honor of attending the National Black MBA Association (NBMBAA) Conference in Houston, TX to do some recruiting and networking for Target this fall. Target’s commitment to diversity was ever-present and the event outstanding. I’ve been doing campus recruiting for a couple years now, but this was on a whole other level. This year’s theme was “Courageous Leadership” which was echoed throughout the conference. The NBMBAA is a non-profit organization in existence for over 40 years whose aim is to lead in the creation of economical and intellectual wealth through providing knowledge, access and resources to professionals. They boast 45 chapters and 27 collegiate chapters nationwide. The conference was broken down by day. Day 1 began with breakfast and a moving keynote address from Judy Smith, author and Co-Executive Producer for ABC’s Scandal. Not watching the show before the speech, I was really intrigued by her story which […]

I have a tendency to let my passion take over and get myself into adventures that make me feel like I’m in way over my head. The latest project was titled Run for the Arts! A 5k walk/run to raise money and awareness for fine and performing arts education here in Omaha. If you ever think planning a 5k is an easy way to raise money; I’m here to tell you that it’s not. Luckily for me I had the support of my store and district. With just one email, I was able to fill every volunteer position. The run quickly became a well-known volunteer event for my store and Target volunteers helped cover everything from helping set the course, setting up food and handling registration. I never could have imagined the amount of support I received. For its first year, the fundraiser was a great success raising over a […]

Now, I know what you’re thinking. “Didn’t we just get out of school … why is Target already setting up for back to school and back to college?” Well the answer is simple. We don’t want you to enjoy your summer. Okay, I’m joking (you’ll get used to my sarcasm quickly). The real answer is we have to stay one step ahead! We always stay a season ahead so our guests can be armed with the best deals as soon as possible. Who wants to be the one to move back into their dorm without the coolest new gear because the local retailer didn’t have it out in time? It takes a ton of strategizing, organizing and planning to pull off a successful Back to College season at Target stores. We hold planning meetings, assign leaders to “captain” a different crucial aspect to the event as well as partner with […]

Hello all! My name is Vinton and I wanted to share a little about my path to (and through) the great company that is Target (many of you know us as Tar-jay or Tah-git depending on what part of the country you’re reading from). You may ask – “Did you want to be in retail management your entire life Vin?” Well, the answer to that is no, and for no better reason other than I had a false sense of what it was like to work in retail. So now, I’ll go ahead and educate the masses on the things that I didn’t know about retail, Target and all things in between that could have essentially kept me from an AMAZING career. First things first. I grew up in a small town in Northern NJ (no not near the Jersey Shore, but just over the Hudson from NYC) and had big dreams […]

Hello, my friends! It’s been a while since I’ve posted because I’ve been pretty busy… with vacation! That’s right, now that the sun is shining in the beautiful state of Wisconsin and we’re actually getting some warm weather around here, I’ve been spending a few weeks recently dodging mosquitoes, enjoying patios at restaurants around the city, and taking in the sun. But while I’ve been out of the store, I completed a big personal accomplishment– I ran in a quarter marathon here in Milwaukee. I chose this goal a few months ago, and of course: it all started with Target! One of the coolest things about Target has been their commitment to what we like to call “well-being”– okay… so what is that? Breaking it down, well-being is essentially being the best “you”; and Target has a lot of tools and resources available to help each team member realize that potential […]

When you walk into a Target store, you may notice our “Service Desk” area right at the front. Take a look up at the overhead sign (I included a picture of my store’s sign for you)—Notice how it says “Guest Service”? Oh yes…this post is going to be all about you, the customer, and how I get to drive customer service here at Target. I often give presentations to college students and I always ask what they think of when I say “Target”. The students usually respond with “clean and easy to navigate stores”, “the color red”, “fashion forward merchandise”– just to name a few, but the one that I really get to influence as store team leader is around “Guest Service”. You notice I’m now calling it “guest” instead of “customer”; let’s pause for a Target lingo moment: We say “Guest” because it’s that much easier to help demonstrate […]

Tell me you’ve never walked into a Target store, headed for your favorite shampoo or box of cereal– and STOP: it’s not there. You know it’s always been there…in that spot, but it’s gone! You ask a team member while frantically looking around, and there it is– one aisle over! Why did this happen? How did this happen? That is the magic of what we call “transitions” in the stores; the updating of departments with new products, signing, and layout to create a fresh feel. If you read the other blogs on this site like Jessica (the buyer) and Reid (a lead product engineer), you know that people are constantly behind the scenes sourcing and creating new products for us to sell in the stores. A few times a year, every department in a store gets to go through a transition to add these products, and let me tell you– it’s a […]

I can’t believe it’s already February! It’s by far one of my favorite times of the year– the craziness of the holiday season is well behind us, my team has settled into their new year routines, and Valentine’s is just around the corner. In addition to all this, February is a big time for us to ramp up campus recruiting for our stores’ executive team Leader in training and executive intern positions! I have been actively involved in campus recruiting with Target since the start of my career. I usually head back to my alma mater, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, every semester to participate in a wide range of recruiting events like career fairs, on-campus interviews, classroom presentations, and more. Campus involvement is not a requirement of all store team leaders, but many of us, as well as our district team leaders and executive team leaders, get involved to help generate […]

It’s during this time of the year that I always think about a phrase you hear a lot around Target—Work/Life Balance. It really is a great time of the year; one where you can spend quality time with family and friends, attend holiday parties, and go sledding at the neighborhood hill. However; I consistently hear from my friends and family who think I am at my store from open to close, seven days a week, and they think I’m only making it through this time of the year with caffeine and a prayer. Not true! It really is amazing how much consideration my manager puts into me maintaining a balance of my work life and personal life during this busy time, and that translates into how I help my team be able to enjoy the season too. We do our best to stick to scheduling basics—5 days a week, maintain […]

When I tell people outside of Target about Black Friday, their first inclination is to make a face or offer a comment like “That is a crazy day—I wouldn’t go out shopping that day.” Most assume that it is also the most stressful day of the year to work at Target; which I will now tell you is just not true! By far and large, Black Friday is the event that my team and I look forward to the most every year. What other day of shopping do I have all my leaders working, all my team members in the store, and when you simply think about the time we put into planning—there is no way it can go poorly! We started planning this year’s event back in September by identifying key positions for our team like crowd management control leader and preliminary planning. Just two weeks ago, my leadership team and […]

As you walk down the hall in our ‘offstage’ area, you may encounter a small group of team members huddled around a certain communication board.  You may ask yourself what all of the excitement could be about—perhaps some new sales figure or an updated schedule? Shame on you for being so focused on ‘the business!’  It’s not at all uncommon to see such a gathering of team membersat the beginning of each month when the newly updated ‘FFF Event Calendar’ is posted for the new month. Take my word for it—the FFF Calendar is one more thing (or celebration) that separates Target from the pack.  Every month, we take the opportunity to unite as a store and celebrate the events that make our team special.  This month alone, we celebrated eight birthdays and fifteen employment anniversaries!  Throw into the mix the myriad of other events we celebrate with our teams, and you’ve […]

It’s not what you would expect to hear in this setting… “Did you ever hear about Corduroy pillow cases? They’re making headlines!” “What’s brown and sticky?  A stick!” (or my favorite) “What do cats eat for breakfast?  Mice Krispies!” Where would you guess I am?  An elementary school?  A children’s birthday party?  You would be (quite) wrong, as these jokes were told at the front of an actual Target store by my DTL and STL during a visit on a talent development day!  I know, I know—you have multiple questions at this point.  Why such bad jokes?  What is a talent development day?  What’s with all of the acronyms?! Allow me to explain it like this:  Bad jokes are about as funny as watching a stranger walk into a spider web – you feel so guilty, but it’s so hard not to laugh!  Because of that, they’re an outstanding icebreaker […]

Looking for some high-level examples of what a day in the life of a Target leader may look like?  Read on. Six Months Ago: –Up at 6 a.m., jump in the shower, and off to work! –Enter the office at 7 a.m. and create a plan for yourself and three direct reports (team members) –Utilize the latest camera technology, computer reporting, and law enforcement partnerships to protect Target’s assets. –Facilitate an ”in-stock” store by making real-life, fast-paced decisions that prevent Target merchandise from leaving the store through unauthorized means. –Ensure the safety and security of the building, Target team members and guests by leveraging a variety of internal and external partners. –Communicate directly with a global audience, using operational knowledge and peer relationships to drive for results. Today: –Up at 3 a.m., jump in the shower, and off to work! –Hit the sales floor at 5 a.m., prepared to lead […]

Let’s play twenty-questions: When was the last time a colleague or employer took the opportunity to say “thank you” for a job well done?  How about the last time you returned the favor?  Would you be surprised if I told you that “thank you’s” are a key part of what makes Target a Fast, Fun, and Friendly (FFF) place to work, as well as a workplace where team members are valued for any number of various contributions?  At Target, we refer to these “thank you’s” as recognition.  For those who are unfamiliar, I wish you more recognition in your immediate future—the definition is as follows: recognition (n) appreciation: appreciation of the value of an achievement Recognition is just that—appreciation of an achievement, regardless of the complexity!  During the course of a given day, team members are recognized multiple times for achievements such as assisting guests by asking “Can I Help You Find Something?” (CIHYFS?), […]

If I told you that I worked this past Friday evening, what would be your response?  It may be something like “I’m sorry” or “too bad!”  You may be surprised to learn just how excited I was to have the opportunity to do so!  If you haven’t yet realized, this Friday marked an adventurous midnight movie release event for Target: Twilight Breaking Dawn Part 1.  While not a through-and-through fan of vampire (or werewolf for the ‘Team-Jacob’ fans) flicks, the 12am Saturday release was an excellent opportunity to partake in what those of us who are ‘Target-ized’ would refer to as a Fast, Fun and Friendly event.  Fast, Fun and Friendly events can consist of something as simple as a movie release, volunteering at a food bank, or taking time to read at an elementary school.  This particular event was created to provide Target ‘guests’ the opportunity to purchase their […]

As I look ahead to the month of February and the rapid approach of March, I’m reminded that once again it is time to begin planning what will most certainly prove the largest of this year’s in-store community events: National Night Out.  If you are not familiar with it, National Night Out is an annual opportunity (and long supported by Target) for communities across the nation to show support for law enforcement and each other as they establish a united front against local and organized crime.  My store hosts an annual event that is a much-anticipated opportunity not only for the community, but for the (incredible) team of Target volunteers who lend their support and enthusiasm at every opportunity. Last year’s NNO event was organized by local law enforcement partners and hosted by Target in our store’s parking lot.  The volunteer turnout was unparalleled, with participation from multiple Target stores, […]