Archived Chances of going from TM --> ETL?

[redcharmander10]

Yesterday my mom asked me about what ETLs do (she read my TM magazine that came in the mail) and I told her what they do and then she asked me about qualifications, etc. She said that since I have a college degree (I'm currently a full-time student going for a second degree) and I will be going on 1 year at Target this fall, I should consider that as an option.

The chances I'll actually go for ETL at this point are slim to none, but what would be the chances of going from TM to ETL if I ever wanted to?

 

[sigma7]

If they like you, see leadership potential in you, and are in need of ETLs in your district, then your chances are good. If not, you'd probably have better luck quitting and then applying at an on campus job fair or something like that. Although, if your degrees are geared towards something other than management (or a specific skill like accounting, chemical engineering, etc) I would aim at finding a job that would actually use that degree. There is money to be had in Target store management. Pretty good money. But it comes at the expense of working nights, weekends, and holidays, and an extreme amount of stress right now. And it's not even fourth quarter.

 

[missionimpossible]

i've seen a couple of people do it.

 

[looseseal]

A TM from my store was actually in the interviewing process to become an ETL. Not sure what became of it though, but it's definitely possible.

 

[Hardlinesmaster]

Go for internship!

 

[JuicedSoftball1]

We have had a handful of TMs to do this.

 

[doxie71]

I've been wondering about this too. Do I wait and see what they do with me or if I see an ETL position open in my area do I just go ahead and apply for it?

 

[SeniorAP]

if you've already told your ETL's prior to this post that you have a bachelors degree and they haven't asked solicited you into becoming an ETL, your chances are slim. Honestly, you have a better chance becoming an ETL if you're hired directly as one, versus getting promoted into one from a TM position

 

[cihyfthedoor]

We had a TM do this in our store. 3 years ago he started as a TM (I was his trainer). Less than a year later, he became a salesfloor TL. Late last year, he became a Senior TL. Last month, he became an ETL.

The key seems to be extreme gregariousness and extroversion. "Being ETL material" appears to require some large degree of this; if you have enough of this, ability matters very little. The more of it you have, and the more successfully it's geared toward the store leadership, the less actual ability you need and the easier of a time you will have at it. Like others have said, it seems to be easier to just quit and reapply. If the goal of having an 80% pass rate of people going through "business college" that someone mentioned on here a while back is true, then it definitely seems like the easier route.

 

[ShopliftersNightmare]

Do it! It's more money! Seriously though, you don't like it. Then go after a different job if retail isn't your thing

 

[wageslave1138]

can you not do anything more productive with your degree(s)?

 

[Eshana]

I have a BS in corporate communications, which I let them know repeatedly in my interviews. The problem I am facing is that in this small town, the TM job I applied for was literally the only one open. I watch the site every day to see if new positions open up, though, and I plan on applying to be an ETL should the occasion arise.

 

[doxie71]

can you not do anything more productive with your degree(s)?

Believe me, I have be trying to find a job outside of retail. I probably apply to anywhere from 2-10 EVERY day. Just never works out for whatever reason...

 

[insiteful1]

Done. Seasonal TM to ETL in 2 years 8 months. Play the game. Get your experience and go from there.

 

[wageslave1138]

I have a BS in corporate communications, which I let them know repeatedly in my interviews. The problem I am facing is that in this small town, the TM job I applied for was literally the only one open. I watch the site every day to see if new positions open up, though, and I plan on applying to be an ETL should the occasion arise.

maybe you should look outside of your "small town' and find a job commensurate with your degree.

 

[stateoftarget11]

I have a BS in corporate communications, which I let them know repeatedly in my interviews. The problem I am facing is that in this small town, the TM job I applied for was literally the only one open. I watch the site every day to see if new positions open up, though, and I plan on applying to be an ETL should the occasion arise.

If you have a substandard degree from an "online school" like University of Phoenix or Devry, then your chances of finding an actual corporate position that requires such a degree is extremely low.

If, however, you graduated from a state school or a non-for profit private school, there is absolutely no reason you should not be able to find a corporate job that requires your degree. Will it be necessary to relocate? Probably - but you can definitely find such a job if you are willing to do that.

 

[Eshana]

My degree is from the city university of New York, not 'university of Phoenix', and I did re-located...from NYC to a small town, due to being married and whatnot. We're going to be here until 2017, and then we're moving back to New York. Until then, there aren't any real options for me here...trust me, I looked for months.

 

[commiecorvus]

My degree is from the city university of New York, not 'university of Phoenix', and I did re-located...from NYC to a small town, due to being married and whatnot. We're going to be here until 2017, and then we're moving back to New York. Until then, there aren't any real options for me here...trust me, I looked for months.

The whole 'relocate' thing is easy to say but not so easy to do.
I moved from a state where I had a good job in my field but because I got married, moved and found that in this state there are literally a thousand people lined up ahead of me for those jobs.
Small job field, going from small populace state with good contacts to huge populace with no contacts.
But my wife has tenure and family here so I work retail.

 

[RedDog]

I have a BS in corporate communications, which I let them know repeatedly in my interviews. The problem I am facing is that in this small town, the TM job I applied for was literally the only one open. I watch the site every day to see if new positions open up, though, and I plan on applying to be an ETL should the occasion arise.

If you have a substandard degree from an "online school" like University of Phoenix or Devry, then your chances of finding an actual corporate position that requires such a degree is extremely low.

If, however, you graduated from a state school or a non-for profit private school, there is absolutely no reason you should not be able to find a corporate job that requires your degree. Will it be necessary to relocate? Probably - but you can definitely find such a job if you are willing to do that.

I once thought that was true being I payed a small forutune at a well respected school for my degree with a lot of help from the GI Bill. I have found however lots of people with degrees from places like the Universiry of Phoenix and such seem to have no problem getting jobs that require degrees. Of course at this point the entire college system is designed to make money and turn out grads so I guess the stigma of an online schools has faded away.

 

[ReadCL]

I got my degree six months into being a TL, and was told that I wouldn't be able to even apply for an ETL position until I'd been a TL for eighteen months, but that if I had not been a TL, I could have applied right away. If that's true, it sort of feels like discrimination....

 

[go ahead]

I've known a ETL who started as a seasonal TM moved up the ranks to ETL. He had no college degree but this was 10+ years ago, things probably have changed since.

 

[pzychopopgroove]

I've known a ETL who started as a seasonal TM moved up the ranks to ETL. He had no college degree but this was 10+ years ago, things probably have changed since.

To me, an ETL that worked his/her way up from the trenches as a lowly TM gets much more respect than a fresh out of college 22 year old.

 

[Santee]

My old TL started as a TM then got promoted to TL then became ETL, and thats how I got my job now. I was pushed too.

 

[ShopliftersNightmare]

I've known a ETL who started as a seasonal TM moved up the ranks to ETL. He had no college degree but this was 10+ years ago, things probably have changed since.

To me, an ETL that worked his/her way up from the trenches as a lowly TM gets much more respect than a fresh out of college 22 year old.

And that's how it SHOULD be! Someone who has dealt with the BS as a team member knows how to train new team members. Fresh out of school with no job experience gets you no respect

 

[ReadCL]

We've got a mixture, but most of our ETLs have no corporate experience outside of Target. Great for Target, because it provides loyalty, bad for anyone who DOES have experience outside of Target because it means we know that Target takes advantage of them. The only way I would be an ETL now is if they paid me a bare minimum of three times what I'm getting now, and that's not going to happen.