Learning the retail ropes. Bonding with team members (and sharing a few laughs). Serving guests and their communities. Building and developing skills in business, technology, management and more. Those are just a few things on the menu for Target’s summer interns. Nearly 1,000 of them just kicked off 10-week programs at our stores, distribution centers (DCs) and headquarters buildings across the U.S., in almost every department.
Now that the summer (and their new gigs) are in full swing, six of our interns gave us a look at what they’ve been up to these first few weeks—and what they’re hoping to learn from their experience.
Karime S.
Software Engineer Intern, Minneapolis headquarters
Her story: I’m an incoming senior at the University of Texas at Austin, majoring in Electrical and Computer Engineering. This is my second internship with Target—I came back because I really like the culture and how well they treat team members.
Her summer gig: Working with the Finance Sales to Cash team to develop a custom, cloud-enabled application to be used at all Target stores. It’ll count the cash that comes in and out of the store and interface that data into another application at headquarters.
Can’t wait to: Build my technical skills as a software developer. I want to learn as much as I can about new technology being used in the industry.
Favorite part so far: Team coding sessions. One person codes for 20 minutes, and then the next person codes for another 20 mins, and so on. Every time someone’s coding time ends, they have to share a fun fact about themselves with the group. It’s cool because, besides being a nice break, it helps the team get to know each other.
Hector N.
Transportation Analyst Intern, Minneapolis headquarters
His story: I’m an Industrial and Systems Engineering major, heading into my senior year at Georgia Institute of Technology. I interned at Target last summer on the Merchandise Planning Operations team and loved it!
His summer gig: I’m on the Fleet Operations team in Domestic Transportation, working in food routing within the Food Distribution Centers (FDCs) to improve interactions between systems and team members. Basically, I use transportation data across various platforms to make sure orders get from vendors to the stores in the best way possible.
Can’t wait to: Build my technical and project management skills. That means learning how to handle different software and effectively plan and communicate results to my team.
Favorite moment so far: Sitting in on meetings about rolling out new distribution methods to enhance Target’s supply chain. It’s given me a great outlook on how Target handles large projects with multiple teams.
Daniel F.
Arrows Supply Chain Intern, Cedar Falls, Iowa FDC
His story: I’m finishing up my MBA next year at the Tepper School of Business at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Penn. As an undergrad, I majored in Mechanical and Electrical Engineering at Monterrey Tech in Mexico. I decided to intern at Target this year because I wanted to be a part of the new and exciting things happening here, and I like the ‘work hard, but have a good time’ attitude.
His summer gig: I’m one of the first group of interns to take part in Target Arrows leadership development program. Each Arrows intern spends 10 weeks within a DC working on a complex project built around a specific business need in Logistics/Supply Chain, and we develop solutions with the larger team. My project is focused on order fulfillment, so I’ll be interacting with teams across the FDC, supply chain, merchants and buyer liaisons at headquarters.
Can’t wait to: Learn how the entire supply chain works and how I can best use my skills and expertise—in areas like data analysis and visualization—to help address them.
Favorite moment so far: Seeing how my previous work experience and, more recently, my prep for school fits into Target and my role so well. I feel empowered with the skills and tools to help the team get ahead.
Kellie M.
Operations Manager Intern, Cedar Falls, Iowa, FDC
Her story: I’m going to be a senior at Iowa State next school year, majoring in Supply Chain Management. At college, I took a class Target sponsored, where I got to see its entire supply chain operation—from the store and DC to the port of LA, the port of Shanghai, and the manufacturer in China. I wanted real-world experience running a team in a fast-paced environment, and thought a Target internship would be a great fit.
Her summer gig: Working with the Inbound team at the Cedar Falls FDC. Every day, I meet with the team at the beginning of their shift and warm up for work. I work with them to get rid of any obstacles and help make sure we’re hitting daily goals and staying productive.
Can’t wait to: Learn about managing diverse teams with different levels of experience and at different stages in life. My new team knows so much about the business. Some have been working at the FDC since it opened in 2009, and they’ve taught me about different changes the building has seen. I like hearing about the progression over time.
Always in her Target cart: No matter what I go for, I always come home with a new toy for my dog.
Sam B.
Stores Executive Intern, Fort Collins, Colo.
His story: I’m a student at Colorado State University, and I also manage Intramural sports during school year. I chose to intern at Target for a second year in a row because I fell in love with the people that work here and the challenges on the job—they’ve made me not just a better team member, but a better person overall.
His summer gig: Prepping the Fort Collins Super Target for any assignment that I might get once I graduate and board full time. My schedule looks completely different each day and can change at a moment’s notice. That's what I really like about retail—it's exciting and it keeps me on my toes!
Can’t wait to: Learn the ins and outs of the business on a deeper level. Last summer, my role was all about leadership development (which I loved). Now, I hope to apply what I learned to growing the business and helping us consistently make the experience better.
Favorite part so far: I love getting to know everyone and their individual stories—how they got here and why they stay. A lot of amazing people have come out of the internship program, and I want to keep the tradition going and raise the bar for future interns.
Favorite place to shop in Target: I'm always getting food at the café—I love all the goodies there. Or I'm getting a new pair of socks. I express my personality in my socks, and my sock game has gotten pretty strong since joining the Target team.
Casey D.
Stores Executive Intern, Liberty, Pa.
Her story: I’m going into my senior year at the University of Pittsburgh. I joined Target as an intern because of the valuable hands-on leadership experience, and I felt that the company culture and values would be a good fit for me.
Her summer gig: I’m an executive intern at the East Liberty Target store. I can’t wait to improve my managerial and decision-making skills. I’m also interested in learning and understanding the various store operations.
First impressions: My Target team has been great. Everyone’s been extremely welcoming, helpful, and patient as this is my first experience working in retail.
Favorite thing so far: Getting to know my mentor, Angelica, and the rest of the team. It’s made my first few weeks easy to adjust.
Target tech of choice: Cartwheel is my new favorite app! I like its ease of use and it’s been a great talking point to engage guests.
Sounds like fun! Check back in August—we’ll follow up to hear how the interns’ programs played out.
Want more info about Target’s internship programs? Check out our Careers resources for College Students. Interested in learning more about opportunities to build skills as part of a career at Target? Explore Careers and meet more of our team members and interns on The Pulse blog.
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