Archived The Path to becoming an ETL Intern and the bullshit along the way.

[cobycord]

Hey all as some may know I was chosen for the ETL internship for this summer. I've looked around the forum and I haven't seen anything recent about it and I've decided that I'm gonna make this post and tell all about how I got it, what I did to get it, the interview process, and when it finally starts in June the day to day experience of it all. I'd be more than happy to answer any and ALL questions anyone has and keep you posted ok all the shenanigans Spots about to throw at me.

 

[Rock Lobster]

You will be treated like the star quarterback in a small town. The purpose of the internship is retention and conversion of soon to be college grads. They want you to have a great time, feel like you are going to be an all-star, and loved and adored by any team they give you. You won't get the shaft at all in this deal, its the TLs who train you that get the short end of the stick. You will come in making more per hour than them and they have to train you on how to be their boss.

 

[cobycord]

That's what I've heard. It's so different I've heard from an internal interns viewpoint from an externals. I've had to deal with other TMs trying to sabotage me. My STL jumping through hoops (she says) to even approve me for the interview process. Then the fact that once I was offered going from TM to....you know now that you're gonna be an intern you're gonna have to take more of a leadership stance in front of your fellow TMs....eyes rolled lol

 

[sher]

How long were you a tm? Were you friendly with coworkers? Why are they sabotaging? My coworkers are always trying to get me either out of target (in a good way) or up the target ladder. They're a supportive bunch, though I'm sure there are people in the store they wouldn't support moving up.

 

[cobycord]

How long were you a tm? Were you friendly with coworkers? Why are they sabotaging? My coworkers are always trying to get me either out of target (in a good way) or up the target ladder. They're a supportive bunch, though I'm sure there are people in the store they wouldn't support moving up.

Well I've only been at the store a little less than 2yrs but I've moved around the entire store in that time. I've learned pretty much everything there is to know about the store other than the logistical part....my stores a GM for anyone wondering. I was hired on as a seasonal worker and fell in love with the fast pace and always changing of retail and started asking questions to get a better understanding of how things worked the way they did and why they did it that way. My store is one where the last TL that they hired was almost 7yrs ago. The VML was the first new TL they ever had and the other TLs talked about her and excluded her so much that she unfortunately quit. She was voted number one VML in the district she was so good. What I'm saying is that once you're there, if you're there more than a few years you're not going anywhere seems like. I'm one of the people who comes in and smiles and greets everyone when I come in and starts to do my work while the TLs pretty much do what they want and are "stuck in ther ways" the ETLs say and do the bare minimum of what needs to be done. Once my ETLs saw that someone was actually fitting the mold of what was supposed to be the "Target way" they started having me do projects around the store and promoting me to different depts to see how I would work out there. W But of course the ones who'd been there years talked amongst themselves and instead of helping me achieve the goals they would either not help or completely ignore me when I asked them how to do something. When some people found out I was going up for the internship out of the blue I started getting pulled into the HRETLs office and was told that someone said I said something to them that offended them, or I said something to someone else that offended them and was told to them, or who knows what else.....pretty much blatant lies. I'm still currently only a TM so I can't really say much to the TLs but I'm also the type where when I know I'm right I'll argue you down when you're wrong and that's also another thing that the TLs don't like about me but the way I see it is oh well, because if I'm golden in the ETLs and STL eyes then who cares what they think because I'm obviously doing something right.

 

[sher]

oh well, because if I'm golden in the ETLs and STL eyes then who cares what they think because I'm obviously doing something right.

Oh. This is why they don't support you. Well-liked etls are rare... And I don't think I'd like you as an etl lol. Good luck though.

 

[cobycord]

Oh. This is why they don't support you. Well-liked etls are rare... And I don't think I'd like you as an etl lol. Good luck though.

Lol well FUCK you too and thanks because the people that DO support me outweigh the ones who DONT. Maybe we'll get to work together one day and we can see if you're one those salty ppl who don't do anything except gossip and the bare minimum too

 

[AllThingsTarget101]

Your progress with Target sounds similar to mine, however, I was placed in a different store for my internship and that was the BEST decision by them. I entered that store as an intern there, so no one had any relationship with me as a team member. If I interned at my starting store, the whole experience would have been different. Now two years later, I have an intern and hope they have as good of an experience as I had in the program.

Also, I think you should put more focus on how you're perceived by your team, especially as an intern. You have to prove you can lead a team while in a position with absolutely no authority, less authority than a TL, and if your team does not like you, you can expect the effort they put forth to be minimal.

EDIT: In response to your response to Sher: Your professionalism, even on this forum is non existent, I wonder why team members don't like you at work...

 

[sher]

Lol... Chill. I'm not completely serious because I don't actually know you. You know that, right?

While I can't say whether I'd *actually* like you or not as an etl, I can say that not giving a shit about the tms opinion is not the road to being liked. But I don't necessarily think that being liked is important considering a lot of the etls aren't liked.

I'm gonna assume your temper is better in real life. Hope we do cross paths, because that would mean one of my etls is leaving lol. (I like 2 etls... Maybe 3 if the new girl is better than the lady she's replacing. We'll see.)

 

[cobycord]

Your progress with Target sounds similar to mine, however, I was placed in a different store for my internship and that was the BEST decision by them. I entered that store as an intern there, so no one had any relationship with me as a team member. If I interned at my starting store, the whole experience would have been different. Now two years later, I have an intern and hope they have as good of an experience as I had in the program.

Also, I think you should put more focus on how you're perceived by your team, especially as an intern. You have to prove you can lead a team while in a position with absolutely no authority, less authority than a TL, and if your team does not like you, you can expect the effort they put forth to be minimal.

I had asked to be placed as an intern at another store to get a fresh start but since that would mean they'd have to pay for travel and lodging they said no. I'll be in a completely different dept so I get to go there kinda fresh and asking questions to get a better understanding. Luckily the ETL I'm working with was an internal intern at his store so he knows the struggle and challenges of where I'm coming from. I'm excited to see what the entire process will be like.

 

[cobycord]

Lol... Chill. I'm not completely serious because I don't actually know you. You know that, right?

While I can't say whether I'd *actually* like you or not as an etl, I can say that not giving a shit about the tms opinion is not the road to being liked. But I don't necessarily think that being liked is important considering a lot of the etls aren't liked.

I'm gonna assume your temper is better in real life. Hope we do cross paths, because that would mean one of my etls is leaving lol. (I like 2 etls... Maybe 3 if the new girl is better than the lady she's replacing. We'll see.)

Lol sorry might have taken it the wrong way, my bad lol. I think I'm a likable person though, I get along with everybody I work with and my cashiers that I work with when I'm GSA say they like working on my shift the most so I feel like that might be a plus. But I'm also one of the types where I speak my mind. A lot of our TLs are rude and disrespectful to the point where it's sad and I'm one of the few who actually stands up for themselves when they try me. I think I have an okay temperament but I definitely speak my mind. Sorry again

 

[sher]

I initially thought you were saying an overwhelming amount didn't support you. Honestly I've had... Let's call them disagreements with my TL. And I've had multiple disagreements with other tms. But they all love and support me. There's a way to disagree and stand up for yourself without being mean. But idk the people you work with so I could be wrong.

TlDr: my experience with supportive co-workers made me curious about all your saboteurs because I thought you had an overwhelming amount of them for whatever reason.

 

[cobycord]

I apologize for the above comment to @sher theres no excuse whatsoever for how I replied and should have shown a little more professionalism as @AllThingsTarget101 stated. My response to some things might need to be worked on a little more in my learning process to becoming an ETL.

To clarify and make things clear I do have an overwhelming support from my fellow TMs and some TLs. When I clock on some people say they feel relieved because I joke and laugh but at the same time get my stuff done and help out anywhere I can. even after I come out of cash office at night I'll go help hardlines or softlines zone or put up strays so they don't have to stay all night.....plus I could use the extra hours, but there's the few (which I'm sure every store has) that would rather see you become a robot and do what they've done for the years they've been there instead of see you become someone that can lead a team and help them out also.

 

[DoWork]

Is this like an AMA?

Do you like small dogs? In particular, do you like Corgis? If so, what color? If not, why not?

 

[cobycord]

Is this like an AMA?

Do you like small dogs? In particular, do you like Corgis? If so, what color? If not, why not?

Ummmm not sure what AMA stands for

I like medium size dogs
Not a big corgi fan lol
And I'm not a fan because they just seem too low to the ground lol

 

[cobycord]

So after I've found out that I was offered the intern position I was contacted by a group HRBP from an entirely different group than I'm in and we've had two conference calls with what I'm guessing are all the interns in either my group or region because I looked at the sent list and there's almost 50 others.

me and 5 other interns in my district were sent an email from an STL who's overseeing our training and given our intern positions and mentors names and stated that he'd be in contact with us all through May until the internship started in June. I've been told that they don't know who's gonna fill my spot as GSA and if they'll even fill because then they'd be over headcount when I was done.

Still taking any and all questions about the internship because honestly when I first inquired upon it when being hired on by Spot I was told that it wouldn't be possible and that there's no way I could do it because I was so far away from graduation and of course they weren't looking for "internals". There's a lot of people ETL all the way down to TM that will tell you that somethings not possible, but ask the right people, at the right time, the right question, and things can change for the better.

 

[commiecorvus]

I want to say as a mod this is something I really like to see.
Two people having a misunderstanding, getting salty, then instead of it devolving into a flame war, they act like adults and work things out.
Thank you both.
Now if we could just get the whole world to do this.

 

[DoWork]

You're missing out. Corgis are fantastic.

 

[redeye58]

You're missing out. Corgis are fantastic.

Pembroke or Cardigan?