Archived ETL without a degree?

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Continuum

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Hello all. I have not been on in a while as things have been quite chaotic. I did here some rumors lately that caught my interest, and I thought I would reach out to find out if it is true.

I have recently come back to Target, and am now in a pg17 role. I was thankful to get here and am trying to Own and influence many facets of my store. I am going to school now too. While I only just started to further my education, I have a lot of management/supervisor experience from various roles. Enough blabbering though, I recently heard that you do not need a degree to become an ETL. I know I have to fulfill my 18 month role before moving on, but I may be interested in moving towards an ETL role, in hopes to one day get to District level. Is this information true? I know a couple of ETL's that have gotten there without a degree, but they were moved up years ago, after putting in a lot of years into Spot.
 
The number of ETLs in my district without a degree you could count on one hand.
They've been moved around but have yet to move up.
It may depend on your district leadership & the availability of college grads in your area.
 
The only ETLs I know of without degrees pick up many many years ago. As far as I know, a bachelor's degree is a requirement unless they are having serious problems filling spots.
 
Without a degree...walk away now. I have seen several, yes several non degreed ETLs "performances managed" out in the last 3 years. These problem ETLs had great BTS scores, the lowest turnover rates, completely green metrics and very respected by the team and other leaders. The reasons were laughable. Every conversation with the STL were considered "coachings". They were all told straight out that they should start looking for other employment. Target wants the degree, period. They are getting rid of any existing ETLs without degrees. Like I said I have seen this happening to several ETLs and each story is exactly the same. Hey its a business and if they want their team to have degrees fine. Just have the balls to let them know and then leave with dignity instead of destroying them in the process. These ETLs worked their asses off, cared about their teams delivered results and deserved to be treated better than they were.
 
Without a degree...walk away now. I have seen several, yes several non degreed ETLs "performances managed" out in the last 3 years. These problem ETLs had great BTS scores, the lowest turnover rates, completely green metrics and very respected by the team and other leaders. The reasons were laughable. Every conversation with the STL were considered "coachings". They were all told straight out that they should start looking for other employment. Target wants the degree, period. They are getting rid of any existing ETLs without degrees. Like I said I have seen this happening to several ETLs and each story is exactly the same. Hey its a business and if they want their team to have degrees fine. Just have the balls to let them know and then leave with dignity instead of destroying them in the process. These ETLs worked their asses off, cared about their teams delivered results and deserved to be treated better than they were.

They pushed all the ETLs without degrees out the door in my district in the early 2000's.

There are some (naive) TMs on this forum who actually believe they have a chance to promote to ETL without a degree.... usually after some ETL who wants to motivate them to work hard for the next few years told them so. Pretty sad really.
 
In my district the rule is now if you will graduate within a year you can become an ETL, I have seen 4 TL's this year promote with a degree. Things seem to be looking up!
 
In my district the rule is now if you will graduate within a year you can become an ETL, I have seen 4 TL's this year promote with a degree. Things seem to be looking up!

Economy turning around and it's getting harder for them to find people who want the jobs in that area?
 
Ok, so I've been with the Spot for going on 10 yrs. Was there 2yrs straight out of high school before I was promoted to TL logistics(BR) at 19. I have now been a TL for one of the best backrooms in the country, have been offered many positions to other locations. No promotions, but when that happens its usually ends up coming down to my store giving me more $ to stay. Now my ETL in Logistics may be leaving the company soon(15+yrs) and has told me that he will push to have me promoted with no diploma. The only thing is that I need to turn in the best self-review that I have ever written, this year. The pressure is a little overwhelming, and I want to get this right. I'm just not sure if I can write this. Will it be best to write a bullet point review or a few paragraphs per section. Any and all opinions will be greatly appreciated.
 
Ok, so I've been with the Spot for going on 10 yrs. Was there 2yrs straight out of high school before I was promoted to TL logistics(BR) at 19. I have now been a TL for one of the best backrooms in the country, have been offered many positions to other locations. No promotions, but when that happens its usually ends up coming down to my store giving me more $ to stay. Now my ETL in Logistics may be leaving the company soon(15+yrs) and has told me that he will push to have me promoted with no diploma. The only thing is that I need to turn in the best self-review that I have ever written, this year. The pressure is a little overwhelming, and I want to get this right. I'm just not sure if I can write this. Will it be best to write a bullet point review or a few paragraphs per section. Any and all opinions will be greatly appreciated.

Are you are srtl or key carrier log tl too? That would be a major step up for you.
 
We are store has 2 srtl and no key carriers, I'm just a regular backroom TL. Our srtl positions are said to be for possible etl promotions for one and another for a strong contributor with no degree.
 
Ok, so I've been with the Spot for going on 10 yrs. Was there 2yrs straight out of high school before I was promoted to TL logistics(BR) at 19. I have now been a TL for one of the best backrooms in the country, have been offered many positions to other locations. No promotions, but when that happens its usually ends up coming down to my store giving me more $ to stay. Now my ETL in Logistics may be leaving the company soon(15+yrs) and has told me that he will push to have me promoted with no diploma. The only thing is that I need to turn in the best self-review that I have ever written, this year. The pressure is a little overwhelming, and I want to get this right. I'm just not sure if I can write this. Will it be best to write a bullet point review or a few paragraphs per section. Any and all opinions will be greatly appreciated.

Hate to tell you this, but your ETL-LOG is full of it. He has basically zero ability to get you promoted to ETL for the following reasons:

1. He is leaving the company. That alone puts him on the STL & DTL sh** list. Once someone has announced they are leaving the company, their opinion about who should be in management positions pretty much means nothing to anyone above them. Actually, their opinion about who should even be cart attendant or cashier pretty much no longer means anything either, let alone who should be an ETL.

2. He is an ETL. He has zero authority to change company policy on the requirements for people to hold a position. (especially for someone holding the same "level" position as him) If it is policy in your group/district (which it sounds like it is) your DTL/GTL isn't going to simply change it because an ETL (especially one who is on the way out the door) wants them to.

3. The fact he is leaving the company pretty much means he is already no longer on favorable terms with his higher ups and/or the company, or he wouldn't be on his way out the door.

4. You have basically been a TL for 10 years. Ask yourself this - if they truly want you to promote so bad that they are talking about trying to find a way around company policy (the degree requirement), why the hell have they not already at least made you a Sr TL, which would be *much* easier for them to do without a degree?

5. They actually told you that it is all going to come down to your self-review? Wow, they are not even trying that hard to make the carrot and stick believable anymore. Dude, if they wanted you that bad, your damn self review wouldn't mean a damn thing. After 10 years, they should already know if they want to promote you or not. Or do you think your self review will actually tell them something they haven't already seen? You know what this is? It's called laying the groundwork to screw you. It will be "Oh gee, we really were going to promote you to ETL... but gosh, your self review just wasn't written that well so we can't do it anymore. But hey, work really really hard over this next year and maybe you can write an even better review so we can promote you to ETL!"

Sorry, but this has all the signs of the famous Target "carrot and a stick" garbage that they pull with damn near everyone. Take a look around this forum, read how many people have been promised that they are on the fast track to promote to GSA/TL/SrTL/etc and that all their leadership tells them that they want them so bad.... and then suddenly at the last minute the rug is pulled from under them and they are told "Oh don't worry, you are on the fast track in just a few more months!"

Dude, they are playing you. It is basically against company policy to promote someone to ETL without a degree. That's the sad reality of it. Want ETL that bad? Get a degree. If not, start pushing them for SrTL (which, btw, many people would say is better than ETL for several reasons anyway...).
 
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Unfortunately, the above says it all. Getting promoted without a degree is next to impossible, especially in Texas where they have people that actively recruit kids from UT, A&M, and UNT.
 
Sorry man but stateoftarget pretty much summed it all up.
They are playing you.
You should go for the key carrier, SrTL position.
 
Yea, in a way that all makes sense. One thing to add I work Overnight, I've heard from another peer that they wont promote a SrTl overnight because 2 things 1. were allowed 2 giving 1 to overnight would mean another ETL would have to fill that void. 2. Etl wont get the amount of days off like they do they'd all have to work 1 extra shift. I'm not sure how to ask or bring up the fact that 2 other overnight store all their TL(Flow,Plano,BR) are all TL/Key carries, We make way more that those guys. Again at this point in time I'm not sure if Id want anything more than a SrTL and I know they're already telling me not to expect an O for the 5 time in a roll, they say no ones getting one not even ETL's. idk, thanks you guys for the input, appreciate it.
 
If you're an overnight logistics TL, how are you not a key carrier?

At super high volume stores, they actually do have some overnight logistics TLs who are not key carriers.

Hell, my old store was a B volume store and we had an ETL-LOG, Sr TL-Log, and TL-Log. The TL-Log was not a key carrier because our Sr TL or ETL-Log would always be there with him. If for some reason they couldn't be, our other Sr TL or another ETL would be there temporarily. I suppose that was a way to screw our TL-Log out of key carrier pay and thus save payroll. (This was before achieving excellence rolled out though... after that they couldn't get away with it anymore)
 
If you're an overnight logistics TL, how are you not a key carrier?

At super high volume stores, they actually do have some overnight logistics TLs who are not key carriers.

Hell, my old store was a B volume store and we had an ETL-LOG, Sr TL-Log, and TL-Log. The TL-Log was not a key carrier because our Sr TL or ETL-Log would always be there with him. If for some reason they couldn't be, our other Sr TL or another ETL would be there temporarily. I suppose that was a way to screw our TL-Log out of key carrier pay and thus save payroll. (This was before achieving excellence rolled out though... after that they couldn't get away with it anymore)

That's odd. At my A+, we have two overnight ETLs, and yet both of our flow TLs and our overnight backroom TL are all key carriers.
 
If you're an overnight logistics TL, how are you not a key carrier?

At super high volume stores, they actually do have some overnight logistics TLs who are not key carriers.

Hell, my old store was a B volume store and we had an ETL-LOG, Sr TL-Log, and TL-Log. The TL-Log was not a key carrier because our Sr TL or ETL-Log would always be there with him. If for some reason they couldn't be, our other Sr TL or another ETL would be there temporarily. I suppose that was a way to screw our TL-Log out of key carrier pay and thus save payroll. (This was before achieving excellence rolled out though... after that they couldn't get away with it anymore)

That's odd. At my A+, we have two overnight ETLs, and yet both of our flow TLs and our overnight backroom TL are all key carriers.

This was more the case before "achieving excellence"... a lot of stores can't get away with this anymore. Before achieving excellence, my old B volume store that I worked at had 8 hard lines TL's, 7 soft lines TL's, 4 GSTL's, plano TL, price TL, back room TL, log TL, two Sr TL's, starbucks TL, food ave TL, consumables TL, electronics spec, MMB spec, jewelry spec, sign spec, two cash office specs, clerical spec, and an ETL for every major area. (Hell, there was even a time when we had two - yes two - ETL-HL's)

(DAMN! Those were good days....)
 
This was more the case before "achieving excellence"... a lot of stores can't get away with this anymore. Before achieving excellence, my old B volume store that I worked at had 8 hard lines TL's, 7 soft lines TL's, 4 GSTL's, plano TL, price TL, back room TL, log TL, two Sr TL's, starbucks TL, food ave TL, consumables TL, electronics spec, MMB spec, jewelry spec, sign spec, two cash office specs, clerical spec, and an ETL for every major area. (Hell, there was even a time when we had two - yes two - ETL-HL's)

(DAMN! Those were good days....)

Was that back when the hardlines TLs were only over certain areas (toys TL, etc.)? Apparently we're dropping an org chart, but I haven't heard yet whether or not we're losing one of our two ETLs-HL.
 
I can't speak for everyone. I have been around 8years and started as tm. I am currently SrTl without a degree, I'm working on it but in no way am I close to finishing it. I'm please to say that I am currently going for my first set of ETL interviews. And I also know of a GSTL that is going for interviews also. I am just grateful that i am being giving the opportunity to interview. It does happen, not as often as we would like but it does happen.
 
Have not been on in a while. Reading though this, I appreciate the honesty. I had a couple of people trying to look into it, but said it was slim. With the new AE rolling out, it will just make it more difficult. I will be patient, and continue drinking the kool aid until I get capped.
 
Have not been on in a while. Reading though this, I appreciate the honesty. I had a couple of people trying to look into it, but said it was slim. With the new AE rolling out, it will just make it more difficult. I will be patient, and continue drinking the kool aid until I get capped.

The one thing you will always get here is honesty.
Sometimes it's a bit warped by pain but it's always honest.
 
We have one ETL without a degree in our district. She's been with Spot for almost 20 years and has an 2 year degree, not a 4 year degree. She was promoted up from a cashier to TL to TL to ETL and has been an ETL-softlines for almost 10 years now in the same store.

Nobody likes her - because she's good. She actually expects people to do their jobs and do them well, not just well enough. She's strict, but it's clear she loves her job.
 
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