Working at Target (corporate, ethnicity, Asians)

[gweilo845]

I actually worked as a contractor in Target's property management department for a few months. It was a pretty small area. There was like 5 or 6 people who each managed a region of the US, and they did a lot of traveling as they had to visit stores to try and resolve problems with the buildings. You might be able to get a support position (similar to what I was doing) where you are more of the first contact for the stores/on-site property managers, but at the time (about 2 years ago) they were looking to phase a lot of that out by installing an online issue tracking system at the stores.

The Nicollet Mall building is primarily for HR and product reps/buyers. That's why the employees are all around the same age, have similar looks, and that rah-rah red and khaki army attitude. The dress and culture at Target's other buildings (City Center and Brooklyn Park) is a little more laid back. Just basic business casual stuff and a wider variety of workers in looks, age, etc.

I worked various contracting jobs with Target for about four years total. As such, I was never really ensconsed in the corporate culture, and I was glad I wasn't. A lot of stuff like semi-forced/coerced volunteerism and donation. Also, I like to keep my work and personal life seperate, so I never went out with my co-workers after work, which made me stick out.

Rising up the ranks seems to be based on more who you know rather than your actual ability, and many people there seem unwilling/unable to change how they work, which leads to a lot of redunacy as everyone is too concerned with covering their asses and protecting their jobs instead of getting the task done right the first time.

As other people have noted here, the interviewing process at Target is a hassle. At least for the ones I did, you have to sign up on their website and then basically re-type your resume, then do a phone interview, then go in for testing, then two face-to-face interviews, and then a followup phone interview.

During my last contract, I applied for the position I had already been working on for over a year. The initial phone interview was with a totally clueless HR rep that didn't even bother reading my resume, instead asking me a long series of canned questions that had zero relevancy to the actual job. After that -- and combined with the long commute to get to their Brooklyn Park offices -- I lost any real interest in getting a permanent position with them.

[queenswake]

If anyone has watched the CNBC specials about Wal-mart, you'll see what these companies are like these days. Chants for all employees to say together at the start of the day or a new store openings. Near religious revivial shareholder meetings. The people walking around with a fake cheery smile all day will be the one promoted up. I can only imagine how many team building and other hand holding activities are forced upon you.

[jlawrence01]

If you are looking for a less traditional retailer, Meijer's which is based in Grand Rapids seems to be more open to hiring "non-traditional" types.

[west336]

Originally Posted by gweilo845

I actually worked as a contractor in Target's property management department for a few months. It was a pretty small area. There was like 5 or 6 people who each managed a region of the US, and they did a lot of traveling as they had to visit stores to try and resolve problems with the buildings. You might be able to get a support position (similar to what I was doing) where you are more of the first contact for the stores/on-site property managers, but at the time (about 2 years ago) they were looking to phase a lot of that out by installing an online issue tracking system at the stores.

The Nicollet Mall building is primarily for HR and product reps/buyers. That's why the employees are all around the same age, have similar looks, and that rah-rah red and khaki army attitude. The dress and culture at Target's other buildings (City Center and Brooklyn Park) is a little more laid back. Just basic business casual stuff and a wider variety of workers in looks, age, etc.

I worked various contracting jobs with Target for about four years total. As such, I was never really ensconsed in the corporate culture, and I was glad I wasn't. A lot of stuff like semi-forced/coerced volunteerism and donation. Also, I like to keep my work and personal life seperate, so I never went out with my co-workers after work, which made me stick out.

Rising up the ranks seems to be based on more who you know rather than your actual ability, and many people there seem unwilling/unable to change how they work, which leads to a lot of redunacy as everyone is too concerned with covering their asses and protecting their jobs instead of getting the task done right the first time.

As other people have noted here, the interviewing process at Target is a hassle. At least for the ones I did, you have to sign up on their website and then basically re-type your resume, then do a phone interview, then go in for testing, then two face-to-face interviews, and then a followup phone interview.

During my last contract, I applied for the position I had already been working on for over a year. The initial phone interview was with a totally clueless HR rep that didn't even bother reading my resume, instead asking me a long series of canned questions that had zero relevancy to the actual job. After that -- and combined with the long commute to get to their Brooklyn Park offices -- I lost any real interest in getting a permanent position with them.

What you are describing is corporate culture 101! CYA (or cover your a$$) is the name of the game and if you have a.) integrity, or b.) morals, you may have trouble fitting in with people who can and WILL throw you under the bus to look good. I've seen it SO MANY TIMES! I'm just glad to see I'm not alone in feeling this way, because I've been backstabbed and thrown under the bus so many times that it could be considered corporate murder!

[xandrex]

Target's culture (the overall culture, not just the corporate office) is definitely a "drinking the Kool-Aid" type of thing. It's really quite addictive. They do something between their lingo, their attitude, etc. that makes you like Target, even while you sometimes harbor anger at how they treat you.

It's bizarre because I've learned how Target functions so well, despite only working in the stores, that I feel almost like I'd be able to fit in at the corporate office. And really, I wouldn't mind it. My other job opportunities seem to pay less than Target offers. /rant

[sejinro]

How diverse is Target corporate in terms of ethnicity?

[Citykid3785]

Very. They have: blue eyed blond 24 year olds, brown eyed blond 24 year olds, and even some hazel eyed blond 24 year olds.........

[xandrex]

Originally Posted by Citykid3785

Very. They have: blue eyed blond 24 year olds, brown eyed blond 24 year olds, and even some hazel eyed blond 24 year olds.........

A lot of them are young, white kids, but to be fair, I worked at the Nicollet Mall Target store and the corporate office employees often came down and there was quite a variety. Yes, it trends young and white, but I saw plenty of people who didn't quite fit the mold. As long as you can get into the lingo, they're pretty okay with you.

[MSMCGirl]

I don't work for Target but I work across the street from Target HQ (on Nicollet Mall). Several of my friends do work for Target and when we go to lunch I have to try to get them all off topic of complaining about their Target Corporate jobs. It seems they used to be happy but the past couple years have brought layoffs and they all just feel their teams are understaffed and over worked. I also agree that while most of my friends who work at Target are in their 30's (but started in their early 20s!), the culture is VERY young....fresh out of college and trendy. I think the pay is pretty inline with other corporations (so pretty average).

[yoyoma02]

I’ve never technically worked for Target Corporate, but I have some experience with them.

Fresh out of college, I tried getting into their events and marketing department. I had a good friend from high school’s mom, who was VP there and set me up with a face-to-face interview. While I thought the meeting went well, she kinda brushed me off afterward and I never really heard much since.

I didn’t give up. I had a friend who had a friend who was in his mid-30s at the time who said he would help me out. He got me a interview on the phone with their recruiting HR rep for a Business Analyst position. They called and asked me tons of questions like, “tell me about a time when…”, “name a situation where…”, “how have you been a leader in the past?”…mostly all open ended questions that would get me to talk, and I remember thinking that one didn't go as well. Needless to say, I got a generic email a day later, that declined me.

Third time, I had a friend who set me up with a PA job with their video department (basically, the building next to the Corporate office). I worked for 2 weeks delivering film, reels, etc… to random spots downtown. It was a pretty easy gig and paid $15/hr. From there, I met some people who said they would help me get in the door. Again, I got a interview, nailed the open ended questions, and then had to take a online survey. I got an email back after the online survey saying that based on my answers, I wasn’t what they were looking for.

After 3 attempts, I gave up. I have to give it to Target, they are very diligent in their hiring process, and perhaps I didn’t have the right attitude that they were looking for in employees. However, I was excited and willing to do just about anything to work there (this was back in 2007). They lost me, who would’ve worked for next to nothing to start a career with them. Oh, well.

As far as culture, it’s a bunch of attractive girls, outgoing fellas, and a few older VPs that seem over worked. From what my friends who work there tell me, they pay seems pretty good (I know in 2007, the BA position was paying $48k – which is an entry level position).