Archived Need Help making a decision

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Hello,
I recently just finished College got my degree in Communications with a minor in Marketing. Last year while I was still working on my degree my STL pulled me aside and asked me if I was interested in furthing my career with Target, I said yes. Later on my ETL-Sales Floor came up to me and asked if I was interested in TL or ETL and I said ETL due to I will already be having a degree, for a year or so it’s been known that I want to be an ETL and that was my understanding until recently with all the discussions they’re sort of making it seem as they don’t want to give me the ETL position anymore and want me to be a TL. The ETL-GE came up to me and asked if I wanted to be a GSA-TL I said no and we continued to talk and she mentioned that she thinks that if they were to promote me to an ETL I have to work hard (which I do) and that she doesn’t think they’ll give me a promotion like that instead they will offer a TL position, the ETL-GE is fairly new to the store maybe 4 months working here so she hasn’t really seen all I put into my job and the times I do work with her I do get everything done, I had mentioned to her that I’m not interest in being a Team Lead for matters of I feel like me taking a TL position now that I have a degree is sort of a set back, I don’t need a degree to be a TL and I feel like it’ll be a waste of time. I’m confused and I don’t know what to do and how to tell them I’m interested in being an Executive over a Team Lead. I’m scared of them telling me I’m not capable of being a ETL. How do I go about this?
 
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Hello,
I recently just finished College got my degree in Communications with a minor in Marketing. Last year while I was still working on my degree my STL pulled me aside and asked me if I was interested in furthing my career with Target, I said yes. Later on my ETL-Sales Floor came up to me and asked if I was interested in TL or ETL and I said ETL due to I will already be having a degree, for a year or so it’s been known that I want to be an ETL and that was my understanding until recently with all the discussions they’re sort of making it seem as they don’t want to give me the ETL position anymore and want me to be a TL. The ETL-GE came up to me and asked if I wanted to be a GSA-TL I said no and we continued to talk and she mentioned that she thinks that if they were to promote me to an ETL I have to work hard (which I do) and that she doesn’t think they’ll give me a promotion like that instead they will offer a TL position, the ETL-GE is fairly new to the store maybe 4 months working here so she hasn’t really seen all I put into my job and the times I do work with her I do get everything done, I had mentioned to her that I’m not interest in being a Team Lead for matters of I feel like me taking a TL position now that I have a degree is sort of a set back, I don’t need a degree to be a TL and I feel like it’ll be a waste of time. I’m confused and I don’t know what to do and how to tell them I’m interested in being an Executive over a Team Lead. I’m scared of them telling me I’m not capable of being a ETL. How do I go about this?
Do you have any management experience?
 
Well, taking the team lead position with a degree wouldn't be a set back in my opinion. It's a great experience when it comes to managing and may make a transition into becoming an ETL much easier in the future. If you want to tell them that you're interested in ETL over TL, you need to bring it up and lay it on the table. If they tell you that you're not capable of being an ETL, then you could show them why you are capable as a TL. I wish you the best!
 
Do you have any management experience?
No I don’t, Target is my second job, I started as a Cashier and moved to guest service and then onto to the floor, but I have worked and am Trained in every department at my store
 
Well, taking the team lead position with a degree wouldn't be a set back in my opinion. It's a great experience when it comes to managing and may make a transition into becoming an ETL much easier in the future. If you want to tell them that you're interested in ETL over TL, you need to bring it up and lay it on the table. If they tell you that you're not capable of being an ETL, then you could show them why you are capable as a TL. I wish you the best!
Thank you so much! I’m just confused because if they wanted to make me a TL so bad they could’ve promoted me a year ago rather than making me wait a whole year? My STL has been waiting for me to finish school so I’m sort of confused why now do they want to bring up a TL when it’s always been ETL
 
You need some experience in managing, albeit, a small team. Why are you stuck on Target though? .with your education apply elsewhere, test the waters. Trump needs someone to sell the wall to America. He’ll pay you later though.
 
The ETL position goes great with my degree that I got and it will be something that opens many doors in the future. I personally like Target, yes every company has its faults but in my experience with them I haven’t had any complaints.
 
The ETL position goes great with my degree that I got and it will be something that opens many doors in the future. I personally like Target, yes every company has its faults but in my experience with them I haven’t had any complaints.

I'd say since you have no managerial experience to take the TL. Build yourself up then in 18 months talk about ETL. The ETLs who get their jobs with no clue how to lead usually are shitty leaders and have high turnover.
 
I'd say since you have no managerial experience to take the TL. Build yourself up then in 18 months talk about ETL. The ETLs who get their jobs with no clue how to lead usually are shitty leaders and have high turnover.
Thank you for your advice! I’ll definitely be talking to my leaders. I’ve been given tasks of creating a routine for my department and also leading the Ship from store team once the TL has clocked out so I’ve had opportunities to lead a team but to actually have a position in it, I don’t.
 
Honestly it's a huge honor to be considered for TL. It is challenging and may not be all you want right away but you have to think a TL at Target manages just as many team members as an assistant store manager at a smaller store.

I have known TM's who are still waiting to go from TM to executive and that's really a matter of planets aligning (ie: Your ETL HR getting an emergency move to be STL because someone got fired)...
 
I don't recommend GSA to anyone (I'm temporarily backfilling an LoA and will happily go back to TMing in the spring), but being one has given me a glimpse (because I've always had GSTLs/Leads who were fairly transparent) into what TLs do. Under modernization (at least in my district) TLs carry keys and learn virtually everything the LODs of old do. I also know an ETL who started out as a GSA and worked up. If I were you and interested in staying with and moving up within Target, I'd take a TL offer.

(Edited because I clopened and that other business made no sense. Apologies.)
 
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I'd say since you have no managerial experience to take the TL. Build yourself up then in 18 months talk about ETL. The ETLs who get their jobs with no clue how to lead usually are shitty leaders and have high turnover.

The vast majority of ETLs don't have any managerial experience either. Most of them don't have retail experience or even a degree in anything related to business for that matter.

If you can't get anywhere with your store's leadership, keep Target as a 2nd job and pursue a career elsewhere.
 
There is no way I would take a TL position with a degree. I know they don't usually promote from TM to ETL, but it does happen. Truth is if you were not employed by Spot right now, you could apply as an ETL and chances are pretty good you would get interviewed and potentially hired. I had an ETL with a Art History degree, one with a music degree and one with a History degree. I have been along on recruitment visits. You have a degree and you are breathing you got an interview. If you are a TL you could stay in that position for a year or 2 and then maybe a year as a SRTL then maybe an ETL interview. TLs at target now are not leading any teams because there is no payroll for teams. They are the team. Please make sure you talk to some people who have chosen the path you are thinking about. I think you will get a clearer picture of what the reality is.
One more thing... "being a TL at T is an honor" I laughed out loud at that! Thanks for the laugh
 
If you are internal you should promote to TL. It will make the most sense honestly, you'll thank us later. I came to Target with over a decade of experience and I'm glad I started in a Sr. TL Role, there's a lot to get acquainted to.

Now, it's true becoming a Lead will hold you back from promoting if you don't excel at your job. But if you aren't cutting it at a Lead role, you are not going to cut it as an ETL.
 
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