Archived Interviewing for GSA soon - I need some advice

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Hello all. I was hoping to get some advice about interviewing for GSA. I started with Target about 6 months ago and was hired as a TPS. I have done well, but expressed my wish to move outside to either the front or hr. So recently the ETLAP from one of the stores where I did my TPS training visited my store and asked me if I would be interested in interviewing for GSA at her store. She said she thought it would be right up my alley and that I would be able to use my AP experience and knowledge to help her out indirectly. I have a degree, but no other retail or management experience before Target. Do I have a chance?

I am planning on emphasizing the importance of the Vibe in the interview.

Any advice would be appreciated.
 
make sure you have good answers involving providing great guest service and leading a team, working on your own, etc. Show your enthusiasm for driving sales through redcards. (that is huge!)

Google situational interview questions and practice those.

When i interview someone for a gsa position the biggest thing i look for is their excitement around redcards as I need the GSA to keep that going when the other GSTL and I are not in the building. I also look at their conversion score and make sure that is green or at least very very close to green. Since you aren't a cashier that wouldn't pertain to you though.

Good luck! let me know if i can help you with anything else!
 
Don't do it!!!!! GSA job is very stressful and underpaid. TPS is n09 and GSA n07 so you will lose at least 50 cents pay! I highly recommend you dont. Pm me if you have questions.

@redand, GSA/gstl should still be getting Redcards at least once a week for a green conversion. I would always get at least one by walking and talking with people or when I came to assist with an advanced return/etc.
 
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Don't do it!!!!! GSA job is very stressful and underpaid. TPS is n09 and GSA n07 so you will lose at least 50 cents pay! I highly recommend you dont.


Not where I work. GSA gets more than TPS. And I want to do this because my ETL HR said that I would be most suited to the front or HR and said that really the only way I would get leadership experience necessary to become a TL is through GSA.

Also, the ETL AP at the store where I will be interviewing said that there will be some movement in GSTLS in the coming months. She said this in such a way as to suggest that if I do well as a GSA I can go up.

TPS is also very stressful. Believe me.
 
Well when you sign your job offer just make sure your pay isn't cut. It should say exactly what your pay is for GSA so make sure you look before you sign.

GSA is a good position to move up to TL, but spot has a really terrible track record of promoting within compared to other companies. Ymmv.
 
They will want you to be a GSA for at least 18 months before you even can try to promote. Don't go in thinking you will become a TL in a few months because it probably won't happen
 
i passed my TL interviews 3 months after becoming a GSA and only sat on the bench for 3 months until a GSTL position at my store opened up. I could have transfered to another store as a TL as there was a position open but i wanted to stay at my store.
 
GSA isn't one of the positions that requires an 18 month stint before switching departments because they aren't really considered leadership at all.
 
It might not be required but some still prefer it. I was a GSA for one month before being promoted to a GSTL
 
I did the GSA interview. It really isn't that bad. Just smile a lot and be prepared for the usual questions, like why do you want to be GSA and how you interact with the team. It is underpaid, but it's a good stepping stone to being a team lead. You just have to drive that conversion.
 
I did the GSA interview. It really isn't that bad. Just smile a lot and be prepared for the usual questions, like why do you want to be GSA and how you interact with the team. It is underpaid, but it's a good stepping stone to being a team lead. You just have to drive that conversion.


Doesn't sound too bad. Do you think a lot of whether or not you get the job has to do with the vibe you give the interviewer? I have always thought so. If they like your energy and get a good sense of you as a person you have a good chance. Maybe a lot less so for non- entry positions.
 
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I did the GSA interview. It really isn't that bad. Just smile a lot and be prepared for the usual questions, like why do you want to be GSA and how you interact with the team. It is underpaid, but it's a good stepping stone to being a team lead. You just have to drive that conversion.


Doesn't sound too bad. Do you think a lot of whether or not you get the job has to do with the vibe you give the interviewer? I have always thought so. If they like your energy and get a good sense of you as a person you have a good chance. Maybe a lot less so for entry positions.

Oh, definitely. GSA, just how the job title sounds, is all about guest experience and the vibe. They don't want a surly, unfriendly team member trying to resolve guest problems and managing cashiers. They want someone upbeat, motivated, and friendly. If you exude positive energy in the interview, that's really what you need with at least decent interview answers. :) I hope you get it!
 
Thanks!

I was wondering would dress shoes, dress pants, a nice belt, a tie, and a long-sleeved dress shirt be adequate or should I go for something else?
 
Thanks!

I was wondering would dress shoes, dress pants, a nice belt, a tie, and a long-sleeved dress shirt be adequate or should I go for something else?

I would have to say, if you know when it is, definitely dress up. You always want to dress for an interview one step above what you would normally wear, and what you described sounds great. Dressing more formal will show that you are serious about wanting the position and you care about the interview. In my store, every team member dresses up for any interview they have. Besides, dressing nice would not hurt you in any way.
 
Hello all. I was hoping to get some advice about interviewing for GSA. I started with Target about 6 months ago and was hired as a TPS. I have done well, but expressed my wish to move outside to either the front or hr. So recently the ETLAP from one of the stores where I did my TPS training visited my store and asked me if I would be interested in interviewing for GSA at her store. She said she thought it would be right up my alley and that I would be able to use my AP experience and knowledge to help her out indirectly. I have a degree, but no other retail or management experience before Target. Do I have a chance?

I am planning on emphasizing the importance of the Vibe in the interview.

Any advice would be appreciated.
Figure up examples and incidents of quick thinking, problem solving, difficult employees or customers. Depending on your store, they might be just be considering you. But they just want to interview for formality or to see how you react during questions. Always have something to say.
 
Most of them are "tell me about a time..." questions. Have some good examples of things gone right in your life (and target) that pertain to being in a group, etc. And they'll probably ask why you want the job (hint, the answer is not, "because you all want me to have it, and the raise would be nice." I didn't say it, but that was my thought.
 
Thanks everyone for the help! Overall I think I should be fairly composed at this point. I do need to work on coming up with my wins and opportunities though
 
Ok so today I talked at length with the ETL who is getting me the interview. She told me that the position and her store were tough. She said the STL is "brutal," and that the GSTL is hard to please and critical. The guests are rough too. She said it is a position with a lot of responsibility, but that if I do well I can move up easily. She said she was telling me all this because she didn't want me to be surprised. She said that they have gone through three GSA's because they couldn't handle it due to a lack of leadership.

I feel really bummed out. I was so excited about the interview before, but now I am just worried. What do you think?
 
Green it is a demanding role in a lot of stores, and its not a position to be taken lightly (I am guilty of this ill admit...)

If you have second thoughts, maybe think about it before you dive into it.
 
I was a holiday GSA, and guests really aren't that bad. Besides, it's ETL's that handle the guests that are. I say go for it. If it doesn't work out, ask to work in a different work center. You won't know if you don't try though. And if you do like it and can work as GSA, that make you look awesome to your leaders.
 
I was a holiday GSA, and guests really aren't that bad. Besides, it's ETL's that handle the guests that are. I say go for it. If it doesn't work out, ask to work in a different work center. You won't know if you don't try though. And if you do like it and can work as GSA, that make you look awesome to your leaders.

I did that and my leaders hung me out to dry for wasting their time.... Lol.
 
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