Archived More Promotion Woes

[Tired Grunt]

As some may know, I've been trying to obtain an ETL position since I joined target a few months ago... I finally went through with the first stages of interviews for ETL with store ETLs and STL. I was told I did great...

Fast forward a week, despite doing well, they told me there was just too many ETLs on the bench from previous internal promotions and students coming out of the internship programs in training. They advised me to take a TL position and wait a while for positions to free up. I'll be locked in for 18 months, but ETL prep can start within the year, and they'll keep me in the same store as a TL as I wait.

What do you guys think? Any merit to their reasoning? I've been with Target under 6 months, so I trust you guys know Target politics much better than I do. Just a little guidance to what you guys would choose to do. Much appreciated and much thanks in advance!

 

[Hardlinesmaster]

You got tricked by spot. You ask to see if you can transfer to another region for the etl job. I would look for other jobs, as a 2nd option. Quite a few folks have gone to Lowes or Starbucks. Better pay & mgt jobs.
I would not take a srtl job.

 

[Tired Grunt]

As I suspected... best clean up my resume and move on then...

 

[tgtguy]

I agree with @Hardlinesmaster . Spot is dangling the carrot in front of your face. Thinking you will do whatever THEY want to get whatever YOU want . Chances are you could find something better with better pay hours etc. I would just keep searching .

 

[DoWork]

There may be truth to their statements, but it's not worth waiting for if you can find something better, which in all likelihood, you will. ETL's are treated horribly, anyway. Why someone would want to be a Target ETL is beyond me unless they have no options

 

[tgtfla]

I agree,especially with Hardlinesmaster,DoWork only people who actually work for Target know how bad it actually is,but it spite of that there is a permanent line around the block waiting for that wonderful job,everyone wants to think it will work out better for us then anyone else when the truth is that it will be about the same and unless you are one of the special chosen ones and are passing through on the way up,your life as an etl will be relatively short and miserable.

 

[Hardlinesmaster]

Before you sign your life away...

 

[Target Team Leader]

I was in that same predicament back in the day, after I graduated college, with a business degree, I applied at Target, I was also offered by our STL a TL position instead of an ETL position, and was promised to be interviewed for an ETL spot after 18 months. I was given one of the ETL's as a mentor to help me progress to become an ETL. I took the offer thinking that it would get me lined up for a promotion easier, than someone coming from outside. My mentor was awesome, and I learned a lot from her.

Well guess what, in my first 6 months, my mentor got transferred to another store, and in less than 18 months, the STL that promised me an interview left the store, so now I'm stuck. If I were you, I wouldn't take it, just get a job somewhere else. I ran a green work center every year and never really got me anywhere. It is tough to swallow when you see new ETL's coming right out of college, with no experience, meanwhile you are working hard as a TL, hoping to get that promotion. STL's and ETL's come and go, and its possible that those people that promised you a promotion, won't be there after your 18 months.

At the end of the day, the decision is all up to you, I am just letting you know where I am coming from. To be honest, I don't even know if my current ETL's know that I have a degree, since the STL and the ETL's that interviewed me aren't in our store anymore. If I could turn back the time, I would have denied the TL offer and get a job somewhere else.

As a TL though, you will definitely learn and gain plenty of experience. You will get to work with your team and get to know them better than your ETL does. You will be able to assign different tasks to your team that are 'feasible' to complete, rather than telling them to do a task that are impossible to complete. ETL's in our store will tell you to zone the whole C block in 30 minutes and finish x amount of strays at the same time, when you know that it can't be done. Easy for them to say because they have never done it, but as a TL, you would know how much time certain projects are going to be completed. Lets just say, you will have a more hands-on approach than an ETL.

 

[Hardlinesmaster]

Welcome! Thanks for the answer.

 

[Tired Grunt]

Thank you all for your input, it is all much appreciated. I'll probably stick around Target while I search for other jobs. I do agree, STL and ETLs come and go... I've only been around about 5 months, and I've already seen 2 different STLs and bunch of new ETLs. Again, thanks for all the replies!

 

[Hardlinesmaster]

I am sorry about that fact. But, spot is good for a 2nd job

 

[thetargetman]

I hope they are not lying and planning to make you do the work of the ETL without having to pay you as one. My suggestion is take the TL position for maybe 6 months or so and see what happens, if something opens up and you get the ETL job than great but if not just look for something else! Good luck!

 

[Joejoe12]

ASANTS but none in my district follow the 18 month rule anymore. If they feel you are ready and you kiss enough ass they will send you: as others have said there are other places to go to that pay better than spot. Lowes for instance pays a whole lot better especially with the end of year bonus. Only down fall is you don't have every other week end like spot. They only do 2 weekend a month. Good luck though

 

[BlueSide]

Only down fall is you don't have every other week end like spot. They only do 2 weekend a month. Good luck though

Two weekends or two weekend days?

 

[Joejoe12]

You get one full weekend off a month. Other than that it could be anything. I know some who had there full weekend off then worked everywhere end the rest f the month.