Archived The Pipeline

[Catfish Rita]

Hi leaders/other people reading this thread! Kind and fabulous Cashier/Hardlines TM here...

I was recently approached by my ETL, and she along with the STL claim I would be a good fit for the Pipeline program. She seriously was asking me if I wanted to spend the next few decades with Target. Now, I am a forward thinking person, so I'm giving it some consideration. But what are the perks? I mean, I think I would be a good TL; but obviously now isn't a good time to be a TL since I haven't even surpassed my 90 day mark. However should I be some sort of leader one day, I feel I would have the ability to direct and approach things in a very neutral, and progressive fashion, and I would absolutely be able to relate to most any concerns someone would have, especially after I have some significant experience under my belt.

But I guess my real question(s) have more to do with the program, and not necessarily the tasks associated with the jobs. Does the Pipeline program pay for college tuition? How long does it take to move up the "ladder"? Whats it like to have a management job in retail? Can I advance to a corporate position one day? Will my duties involve nothing but REDcards (since that's all my job is now)? Can I leave the Pipeline if it gets stressful? Should I try to impress my DTL? Is there some sort of competition between people in the Pipeline?

Jesus I have so many more questions. If you read all that, Thank You for listening to me babble! If anyone here can provide some insight, please give it to me. I'm looking for any guidance I can get! *steps down from up&up soap box*

-CR

 

[ManageTalent]

Hello and Congrats! First let me start of by saying "pipeline" is not a program.... It does not pay more... It does not come with any benefits.... Other then you'll be a TL one day or either you got yourself a degree so they might be talking about ETL w.e the case may be. Now if they are talking about it with you under your 90 days it's because they've seen potential in you and want to start getting you in line for a promotion, but all "Pipeline" really means is exactly what it sounds like, your in line for a promotion. How long it takes to move up? Well that's entirely up to "right person right time" motto, as well as how many leaders quit/ get promoted in your store, so it can literally take a few weeks or a few month or even a year. It all depends on location. Think about if your in a store with 10 TLs it would take much longer than a store that has 40... So it's hard to say... Yes one day you can advance to corporate, but I believe your going to definitely need your college degree for that! Your duties will include at this moment nothing more then what you are doing. But! You will be expected to go above and beyond more so now than before being that you are expected to be a leader one day soon. So don't be surprised if they hold you to a higher standard even if you still are a Team member. And finally, you can leave the pipeline when ever you want simply by F*****king up royally or a simple "I'm not interested in becoming a TL" comment to your leaders. And being a TL isn't so bad, yes a lot of the workload is on you, you do the real running of your department not your ETL and it's very fast paced usually. And really the sky is the limit with bullseye as long as you make the right connections.

 

[Hardlinesmaster]

Aka being on tl bench:
Being on the bench is when you have already passed the interviews and you're waiting for a position to open up. "In the pipeline" is when your leaders see you getting promoted someday, but you haven't gone through any interviews yet (maybe you aren't quite ready for the interviews), so it's the step before the bench.

If you're on the bench (passed the interviews), it means they'll definitely look at you when the next position opens up. There could be other people who were already on the bench and will get the promotion before you do. There could be people who were put on the bench after you who are either better for that specific position that opened up, or who are just better overall. You could get promoted tomorrow! Or it could be a few months...

Xanatos, Nov 27, 2015