Target Reviews in Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN Area

Pros

great development opportunities with respect to leadership

Cons

work life balance issues and the company tends to do a lot of campus recruiting

Advice to Senior Management

work life balance needs help

Pros

Pay, Benefits, Training. Great place for a young person to start a career. I can not see myself working at corporate an balancing my family and work.

Cons

Work environment is toxic. Everyone is only interested in their next promotion and what is in it for them. Not enough flexibility on how to get work done.

Pros

Good benefits, good salary, most of the people are good to work with.

Cons

Target is all about fitting into the corporate culture. If you are ok with fitting into the prototype leadership mold then you will do well. If you are more self aware and aren't comfortable adapting to that model then you will not be promoted as quickly. Overall it's not a bad place to work but it's not for everyone.

Pros

Great people
Young professionals
Very Helpful
Feedback Culture

Cons

Work is repetitive and mind numbing
Not much variation outside of merchandising.

Pros

Target is a feedback driven culture with innumerable opportunities for career advancement. The pay is competitive and the management is competent.

Cons

Entry-level positions are very data heavy and require excel expertise. Target's inclusive environment has the potential to diminish open communication because political correctness is key.

Advice to Senior Management

Target is an excellent place to start your career and Target leadership should be very satisfied with its role in making Target such an admired corporation.

Pros

Job Security
Good Work Life Balance
Leading Practices
Good Reputation/Highly Respected Company
Focus on Development
Growing Company
Commitmen to Community

Cons

Large Organization - takes lots of collaboration to make things happenm
Overly Collaborative Organization
Performance Prone to Changes in the Economy

Pros

Good first job, good people, great life lessons.

Cons

HQ doesn't budget enough for raises - full time veterans would get raises of $0.09 annually.

Advice to Senior Management

In store management is great. Corporate needs to reward in store employees better. It's sad that an average Target employee makes 33% less than a Walmart employee.

Pros

Target is a great place to start your career and to gain leadership experience right away.
Promotes Team work
Competitive pay across retail industry

Cons

Lack of work life balance (especially during the holidays and most recently because they keep adjusting the holiday hours with short notice to team members - (next year it is a sure bet Target will be open on Thanksgiving and even later on Christmas eve leaving little to no time to spend with your family).
Heavy workload and pressure to achieve company goals with limited resources
Developmental and promotional opportunities are available, but is takes a lot of time and extra work to get to the point of interviewing for the opportunities.

Advice to Senior Management

Don't sacrafice the quality and happiness of team members for small gains at the stock exchange.

Pros

Strong focus on feedback and developmental. If you have a good manager, there is flexibility with work/life balance (eg work from home or comp time). Fair number of resources to get the job done. Smart people and high energy culture.

Cons

Despite efforts, the culture is not at all diverse and not at all inclusive. There is an overemphasis on how you get things done, meaning the number of layers you need to connect with before getting something done is a little too much - it inhibits creativity and a sense of speed (again, despite talking about "speed is life"). Knowing the future of retail looks different, there isn't an emphasis on new skillsets needed to succeed (and if there was, we wouldn't look to "buy" the talent, but instead focus on promoting only from within).

Advice to Senior Management

Admit when we don't know how to do something or when we make mistakes. Be willing to look outside our company for this expertise and take some risks to help the company figure out where to evolve to. And be transparent with the "mold" that Target does create - it's okay - we know it's a large company and that means structure and process - but don't pretend it doesn't. Really focus on diversity and make it a priority to get not such multicultural diversity, but diversity in thought, approach, and experience - and then be open to it!

Pros

Company values are clear and respectable
Personal development is always in conversation
Work life balance is good most of the time
Benefits package is incredible - preventive care 100% covered
Responsibilities given based on performance not age

Cons

Slow to adopt change in strategies that will push target to be the retail leader
Resistance to devote resources to Target.com for e-commerce needs
Feedback driven culture can be overwhelming
Career development and path is clear but rigid within merchandising
Company culture is passive-aggressive and not direct, yet conversations about direct topics are daily - makes in-person interactions awkward
Overall Minnesota culture is very reserved, passive and high school esque - all of which is evident at Target

Advice to Senior Management

Recognize that good talent will need to be promoted at an above average rate and not everything fits the cookie cutter Target model