Archived Go Out With A BANG!

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redeye58 said:
Overheard my ETL-HR talking to an hrtm about a TM who'd left & she said they do NOT give references.
On the other hand, I've known several TLs who gave a personal ref for former TMs. It's just done on the QT.
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As a TL, I have given references for TMs that I felt were deserving several times during the years I spent as a TL. Yes, I knew it was against company policy. Yes, I didn't care. Yes, I was happy to help damn hard working TMs be able to move on to something better. No, I never let an ETL know I was doing it.

Actually, when I got my job with SCEA an ETL at my store (who once told me I was the hardest working TL he knew) gave me his personal number to give my manager at SCEA who wanted to verify some things about me. Yes, we did it on the down low and no one else at Target knew about it.
 
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I was told that Target would neither confirm nor deny I ever worked there, If I put them down as a reference. This was a year ago though, I really don't know much about the policy's.
 
I will admit that while I find all this stuff hilarious, I would probably never do anything to hurt the store or my fellow tms. I really like my job and only if I came into a bucket of money would I want to leave.

I might tell some guests a thing or two. Like those that stand and stare at the card reader after swiping their card. When I tell them what to do they all say the same thing, "All these machines are so different." Yeah, well that's why there is easy to understand instruction, why not read them for a change. For some reason it has always bugged me when guests can't keep their signatures inside the box and it thinks you want to pay another way. I want to yell "watch what you're doing!" But I don't I just smile, hit the right buttons and tell them to have a nice day. Then there are the ones who take forever to put their **** away, blocking the next guest in the process. I would love to be able to tell them to shift it, but I just stand and smile and when they make a comment about being in the way, I say "No not at all"
Yeah I think my last day is going to be about getting revenge on guests who annoy me. LOL
 
pzychopopgroove said:
So if I put down target as a reference for future job apps they wont tell me that I got ****canned because I walked out and didn't look back?
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Yup. If they say anything more, that you were termed for whatever reason, that would be grounds for a lawsuit.
Yrs ago, they could confirm that you worked there & when. Then the prospective employer could ask "If you could, would you hire this person back?" If the answer was "No", no reason could be given & it was up to the prospective employer to ask the applicant to elaborate & to determine if they thought the answer was truthful.
Nowadays, they can't even ask/answer that.
 
i got released on December 17th, which is earlier than usual for seasonal employees, they said i am eligible for rehire, more than welcome to reapply, and i have reapplied but have gotten rejected, i hate how people have to lie like that.
 
ComicLover, you've posted your plight on all 16 of your posts.
We got it.
Seasonal TMs are "at-will" employees, meaning they can be let go without cause at ANY time.
Several posters have offered suggestions. Call HROC if you want additional info (number should be on your TM packet).
 
redeye58 said:
ComicLover, you've posted your plight on all 16 of your posts.
We got it.
Seasonal TMs are "at-will" employees, meaning they can be let go without cause at ANY time.
Several posters have offered suggestions. Call HROC if you want additional info (number should be on your TM packet).
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I really wish people would get their terminology right....

Almost *everyone* at Target is an "at-will" employee. That includes your TLs, your ETLs, your DTL, etc. A seasonal TM is a "contingent employee". That is the correct terminology that you were looking for.

The only way someone working for Target would *not* be an at-will employee would be if they were covered under a union contract, or if they lived in one of the (few) states that does not allow at-will employment.

At-will employment also does *not* mean they can get rid of you for any reason. It just means they can get rid of your for *more* reasons than if you were not at-will.

If you are at-will, they can still not get rid of you for any protected class reason. (race, sex, pregnancy, etc.) They can not get rid of you if something contradicts what is stated in the employee handbook. For example, in most states it is legal to fire someone for being gay. However, Target states in the handbook that they do not discriminate based on sexual orientation. The handbook is basically like a contract between you and Target, (it is actually called an "implied contract" in legal terminology) so if they did fire you for that reason - even though it may not be illegal in your state - you could sue them.

At-will also does not allow them to fire you for blatantly unfair reasons. This is called the "good faith and fair dealing" exception of at-will employment. In other words, if the employer leads you to believe that they have no intention on letting you go, and you have been a good employee doing what you are supposed to do, if your STL suddenly fires you just to be an ass, you can sue them under the "good faith and fair dealing" exception.

There is also a "public policy" exception. This is basically them firing you for not doing something against the interest of the public at large. For example, you get called to court to testify against something Target did. Target management tells you to lie in court (commit perjury) otherwise you are fired. Or say your ETL tells you to open and dump motor oil from automotive in the sewer outside despite it being illegal in your state and says if you don't you are fired. All of that is illegal grounds to fire someone and is not covered by at-will employment.

The things you learn when you take employment law in community college....
 
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also, the fact i've at least been getting interviews lately, is that a good sign? because for a very long time in my life i struggled to even get an interview in the first place, but i've had 10 job interviews since January of this year, most recently 2 interviews last week, so i'm getting interviews but not getting hired, what is the difference between someone who applies for jobs, but they get no response at all, as in they never get an interview, versus a person who does get interviews but does not get hired? does it mean they look good on paper but not in person? or is there more to it than that?
 
Alrighty then, you're a CONTIGENT employee & - for whatever reason - Target cut you loose early.
Yes, they may have said you're rehirable but they just might not be hiring right now in your area. Call HROC to see if they can offer insight. Otherwise, let it go.
As to getting interviews but no offers, welcome to the current economy. I know several friends with advanced degrees in various fields (my husband is one) who are interviewing but not getting the jobs & we're in a state that is supposedly booming on the job front.
As another poster told you in another thread, volunteering is something that allows you to network, looks good on the resume (especially when you don't have a degree or prior experience) & gives back to the community. You said you "didn't care about giving back to the community"; fine & good but volunteering still serves the purpose of networking.
My husband volunteers while the kids are in school & some contacts have led to interviews. No job but he still keeps volunteering & mentoring because one of the things interviewers ask is what you've done while you've been unemployed.
If you're applying everywhere & not even getting an interview, have a 3rd party look at your resume or how you fill out applications for guidance (local workforce office). If you're getting interviews but no call-backs, look into your interviewing style & appearance.
Looking good on paper is only half the battle; backing it up in person is the other.
 
TokusatsuComic80s90sLover said:
also, the fact i've at least been getting interviews lately, is that a good sign? because for a very long time in my life i struggled to even get an interview in the first place, but i've had 10 job interviews since January of this year, most recently 2 interviews last week, so i'm getting interviews but not getting hired, what is the difference between someone who applies for jobs, but they get no response at all, as in they never get an interview, versus a person who does get interviews but does not get hired? does it mean they look good on paper but not in person? or is there more to it than that?
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It is a very good sign that you are getting interviews.

First that speaks well to the economy getting better.... it used to be that people couldn't even get interviews. If you had 10 interviews this year, that means you are averaging more than 1 a month, which is great. Sometimes people go a whole year and only get one.

Second, that means you look really good on paper. Actually, 10 interviews in a few months means you look damn good on paper. That means you are doing something right. (good work history, etc.)

The fact you are not getting hired though has *very little* to do with the economy, despite what the poster above said. If you were not getting interviews at all, then *that* would be the economy. When you get an interview, however, that means the employer is seriously considering hiring you. They don't call people in for interviews if they don't think they are going to hire you. That is a waste of their time. However, they only *think* they are going to hire you based on how you *look on paper*.

Since you had 10 interviews and didn't get the job in all 10, that means something is going seriously wrong with your interview. Something is happening that makes them say "Damn, I was seriously going to hire this guy based on how he looked on his application.... but after this interview no way!".

So you need to focus all your efforts on improving your interview. Make sure you are dressed properly. If not, then that could be what is messing it up for you.

Make sure you are not saying anything stupid. Honestly, after an interview go talk to someone and tell them what they said. Sometimes people say things that sound really stupid to other people, but they don't realize how it sounds. For example, maybe someone asks you at the interview "What would you do if you didn't like your job?". You might say "I would look for a new one". On it's face, that isn't anything that bad. Honestly, that is probably what a lot of people would do. BUT to an interviewer that can sound like "I wouldn't try to fix what was wrong at the job and would just quit". So you have to consider how people might interpret things differently than you do.

So seriously think about your interviews and try to find out what is going wrong. I promise, something you are doing that you are not aware of is probably the culprit.

Also - don't listen to that negative "the economy" bull sh**. If they are calling you for an interview, they are seriously planning on possibly hiring you. That has nothing to do with the economy. If it was "the economy" they wouldn't even call you to begin with because they wouldn't be hiring due to "the economy".

IMO "the economy" has become a cop out anytime something goes wrong in relation to employment. Just before I left Target, one of the TLs I worked with told me I was lucky to be leaving Target because "the economy made us so poor working here". I looked at him and said "Dude, we are not poor because of the economy. We are poor because we work at Target. I was poor way before the economy got bad. I am poor because 5 years ago before the recession I was making $11/hour as a TL".

The point is, people are using "the economy" to explain everything these days, even if it has nothing to really do with it.
 
StateofTarget said:
It is a very good sign that you are getting interviews.

First that speaks well to the economy getting better.... it used to be that people couldn't even get interviews. If you had 10 interviews this year, that means you are averaging more than 1 a month, which is great. Sometimes people go a whole year and only get one.

Second, that means you look really good on paper. Actually, 10 interviews in a few months means you look damn good on paper. That means you are doing something right. (good work history, etc.)

The fact you are not getting hired though has *very little* to do with the economy, despite what the poster above said. If you were not getting interviews at all, then *that* would be the economy. When you get an interview, however, that means the employer is seriously considering hiring you. They don't call people in for interviews if they don't think they are going to hire you. That is a waste of their time. However, they only *think* they are going to hire you based on how you *look on paper*.

Since you had 10 interviews and didn't get the job in all 10, that means something is going seriously wrong with your interview. Something is happening that makes them say "Damn, I was seriously going to hire this guy based on how he looked on his application.... but after this interview no way!".

So you need to focus all your efforts on improving your interview. Make sure you are dressed properly. If not, then that could be what is messing it up for you.

Make sure you are not saying anything stupid. Honestly, after an interview go talk to someone and tell them what they said. Sometimes people say things that sound really stupid to other people, but they don't realize how it sounds. For example, maybe someone asks you at the interview "What would you do if you didn't like your job?". You might say "I would look for a new one". On it's face, that isn't anything that bad. Honestly, that is probably what a lot of people would do. BUT to an interviewer that can sound like "I wouldn't try to fix what was wrong at the job and would just quit". So you have to consider how people might interpret things differently than you do.

So seriously think about your interviews and try to find out what is going wrong. I promise, something you are doing that you are not aware of is probably the culprit.

Also - don't listen to that negative "the economy" bull sh**. If they are calling you for an interview, they are seriously planning on possibly hiring you. That has nothing to do with the economy. If it was "the economy" they wouldn't even call you to begin with because they wouldn't be hiring due to "the economy".

IMO "the economy" has become a cop out anytime something goes wrong in relation to employment. Just before I left Target, one of the TLs I worked with told me I was lucky to be leaving Target because "the economy made us so poor working here". I looked at him and said "Dude, we are not poor because of the economy. We are poor because we work at Target. I was poor way before the economy got bad. I am poor because 5 years ago before the recession I was making $11/hour as a TL".

The point is, people are using "the economy" to explain everything these days, even if it has nothing to really do with it.
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yeah, well, maybe i sounded a bit too harsh when i said i did not care about giving back to the community, yes it is a great, positive thing to do, but most people have jobs, work to get paid, because we all humans have to work for a living, we all have bills to pay, rent to pay if we don't own our house property, or apartment, to buy food, etc. Or want to buy consumer goods without having to ask for our parents. Volunteering doesn't help in that case.

So then yes, i am right on what i said? the interview performance, the way a person presents themselves in the interview is what makes them get hired or not right? the resume, application is what is getting my foot in the door? It's just a lot of these interview questions i've encountered are tough for me because i've never dealt with those situations before, because a lot of them are situational-based questions.
 
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TokusatsuComic80s90sLover said:
yeah, well, maybe i sounded a bit too harsh when i said i did not care about giving back to the community, yes it is a great, positive thing to do, but most people have jobs, work to get paid, because we all humans have to work for a living, we all have bills to pay, rent to pay if we don't own our house property, or apartment, to buy food, etc. Or want to buy consumer goods without having to ask for our parents. Volunteering doesn't help in that case.

So then yes, i am right on what i said? the interview performance, the way a person presents themselves in the interview is what makes them get hired or not right? the resume, application is what is getting my foot in the door? It's just a lot of these interview questions i've encountered are tough for me because i've never dealt with those situations before, because a lot of them are situational-based questions.
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It sounds to me like you are misunderstanding what they are *really* looking for.

When I was a TL interviewing TMs, I honestly paid so little attention to the *details* of the answers that people were giving me that I wouldn't even have been able to repeat what they had said if I had to. Honestly, no interviewer cares (whether it is at Target, Wal-mart, Sears, etc.) "about a time you had to get something done fast".

I mean honestly, when I asked "Tell me about a time you had to get many tasks done at once". Do you really think I care if they said "Well, I had to get 5 different school assignments done at once" or "Well, I had to work 3 part time jobs at once" or whatever else they were going to tell me? No! No one really cares about the actual story. When you interview someone, the actual story is not what you are paying attention to.

Most interviewers are looking for good attitude, good personality, good responsibility, etc. That's it. Period. Basically everything that goes into a good personality.

So if someone comes in and has an incredible story for every single question I ask that just makes me think "wow! That's incredible you handled that situation before".... but all during the interview he never smiles, talks like he is bored, never looks at me, etc. Guess what? It's over for him. The fact is - it doesn't matter that he handled tons of hard situations in the past. What it comes down to is that he comes across unhappy and not motivated. How is he going to deal with guests and other TMs? Not well at all! Guests don't want to deal with someone who never smiles and isn't upbeat. So honestly, it doesn't matter that he had great stories because the bad attitude overrides all of it.

On the other hand, someone might come in and have really pathetic situations that they have dealt with that are completely common that everyone in the world has dealt with. "Oh wow you once had to stay up until 1AM doing homework? Never heard of anyone doing that before...." But guess what? That guy smiles all the time, has a great personality, and comes across really upbeat. More than likely he is going to get the job even though his answers were nothing special. Why? Because he obviously will be able to interact with guests well and work well on the team. The fact he had a lame story about doing homework doesn't mean he will be a bad TM, but if he had a bad attitude that WOULD mean that he would be a bad TM.

So yes - saying you don't care about giving back to the community was not good. It told the interviewer you might have a bad attitude.... and that is all what they are looking at - attitude and personality.

So when you do your interviews, don't focus so much on giving some incredible story every questions they ask. The story isn't actually that important. Instead, focus on being upbeat, positive, smile, etc. Trust me, you will do a lot better then.

True story - when I was doing my round robbins to promote from specialist to team leader - ****95% of my answers**** were stories about setting end caps and selling things at the boat. Not even kidding - I told our DTL 10 stories that all either involved setting end caps or selling things at the boat. They were the lamest, most boring, pathetic stories ever. But guess what? I came across super positive, upbbeat, motivated, etc. I kept making jokes about setting end caps, and was just injecting silly things like "Oh! That reminds me of what happens when setting an end cap goes wrong!". He was so interested in talking to me just because I came across with such a great personality during the interview I honestly don't even think he realized that every story I told him was about setting end caps or selling things at the boat! And yes, I got the promotion. You basically need to be so upbeat and come across with such a great personality that all the interviewer can think is "Wow, this guy has a great attitude!". Once you do that, you can tell them a story about how you sat around and watched paint dry and they won't even notice how pathetic your story is.
 
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There is one way that the economy is to blame but only in a general sense.
When they did the hiring for seasonal workers they didn't have to take folks who were good, who showed up for work every day on time, who tried to do the job they best they could and got along with folks.
There were enough of those, they just took the people who could do double the work of a normal joe and smile while doing it.
So it's a good idea to stop worrying about why you were let go and keep on trucking.
There is a job out there that fits you, people who will appreciate you.

SoT is absolutely right.
Attitude is everything, keep positive and be direct, smile and try to be the kind of person the interviewer would want to spend eight hours working along side.
 
StateofTarget said:
It sounds to me like you are misunderstanding what they are *really* looking for.

When I was a TL interviewing TMs, I honestly paid so little attention to the *details* of the answers that people were giving me that I wouldn't even have been able to repeat what they had said if I had to. Honestly, no interviewer cares (whether it is at Target, Wal-mart, Sears, etc.) "about a time you had to get something done fast".

I mean honestly, when I asked "Tell me about a time you had to get many tasks done at once". Do you really think I care if they said "Well, I had to get 5 different school assignments done at once" or "Well, I had to work 3 part time jobs at once" or whatever else they were going to tell me? No! No one really cares about the actual story. When you interview someone, the actual story is not what you are paying attention to.

Most interviewers are looking for good attitude, good personality, good responsibility, etc. That's it. Period. Basically everything that goes into a good personality.

So if someone comes in and has an incredible story for every single question I ask that just makes me think "wow! That's incredible you handled that situation before".... but all during the interview he never smiles, talks like he is bored, never looks at me, etc. Guess what? It's over for him. The fact is - it doesn't matter that he handled tons of hard situations in the past. What it comes down to is that he comes across unhappy and not motivated. How is he going to deal with guests and other TMs? Not well at all! Guests don't want to deal with someone who never smiles and isn't upbeat. So honestly, it doesn't matter that he had great stories because the bad attitude overrides all of it.

On the other hand, someone might come in and have really pathetic situations that they have dealt with that are completely common that everyone in the world has dealt with. "Oh wow you once had to stay up until 1AM doing homework? Never heard of anyone doing that before...." But guess what? That guy smiles all the time, has a great personality, and comes across really upbeat. More than likely he is going to get the job even though his answers were nothing special. Why? Because he obviously will be able to interact with guests well and work well on the team. The fact he had a lame story about doing homework doesn't mean he will be a bad TM, but if he had a bad attitude that WOULD mean that he would be a bad TM.

So yes - saying you don't care about giving back to the community was not good. It told the interviewer you might have a bad attitude.... and that is all what they are looking at - attitude and personality.

So when you do your interviews, don't focus so much on giving some incredible story every questions they ask. The story isn't actually that important. Instead, focus on being upbeat, positive, smile, etc. Trust me, you will do a lot better then.

True story - when I was doing my round robbins to promote from specialist to team leader - ****95% of my answers**** were stories about setting end caps and selling things at the boat. Not even kidding - I told our DTL 10 stories that all either involved setting end caps or selling things at the boat. They were the lamest, most boring, pathetic stories ever. But guess what? I came across super positive, upbbeat, motivated, etc. I kept making jokes about setting end caps, and was just injecting silly things like "Oh! That reminds me of what happens when setting an end cap goes wrong!". He was so interested in talking to me just because I came across with such a great personality during the interview I honestly don't even think he realized that every story I told him was about setting end caps or selling things at the boat! And yes, I got the promotion. You basically need to be so upbeat and come across with such a great personality that all the interviewer can think is "Wow, this guy has a great attitude!". Once you do that, you can tell them a story about how you sat around and watched paint dry and they won't even notice how pathetic your story is.
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Well often times people can instantly change that unmotivated, unenthusiastic attitude, mindset, mentality when they are hired, given a chance, they can instantly become the oppossite of that once they get hired, and people can't show responsibility when there is no work to be done, and working, having a job, gives people a responsibility.

Yes, i'm reluctant to Volunteer because it doesn't pay you, but i have no choice to do it since there is too much damn competition in this horrible economy. It is a generation where the inexperienced are screwed
 
I dream of the day when I can dump every bin of fixtures on the floor...and somebody else (that is not me) can clean it up for a change.

But I'm too nice to do that.
 
I realized last night that I was probably part of somebody's going out with a bang about 6 months ago-

I had 8+ callers in about a half an hour asking for the LOD and used her name in most cases....I then got a butt chewing after the last one because they were all asking about the status of their application.

Personally I want to go out with little fanfare but there are some nights that I feel like I am going to leave in a looney bin wagon after I go ballistic on somebody.
 
This is a great thread! I haven't read all of it, but I love it.

I really wanted to reprogram call boxes and take home equipment keys, but I was the good kid thinking I would leave on good terms...bahaha. Most people just left their shifts early.

Now I would love to go dump all the RTW clearance on the floor, clear a few shoe shelves, dump a slushie in the baby food aisle and "accidentally" drop a few of those chicken sticks finger food jars in it...but I can do this all as a guest!! mwahaha.

No worries...I'd only go to my old store and do this. When I'm at other Targets, I am very nice! :)
 
Not to give anyone ideas..but one of our br team members LOCU'd a large chunk of the br before he left..yikes!
 
Kind of hard to say. I wouldn't want to do anything that would directly screw with people I have no hard feelings against. But, if I had too...

- Get on the Wave, elevate it up as high as possible and climb down a steel. Walk away. Some people know how to bleed out the hydraulics, but I'm sure its a well kept secret.
 
If I remember correctly, you'll need a wrench (preferably adjustable).
 
Imerzan said:
**** if i won the lottery tomorrow i'd keep working lol. Feel like i'd be bored otherwise
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If I won the lottery lol I'd be driving a Lamborghini Diablo through every suburb in orlando FL at 100+ miles an hour just because i can!
 
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