From Seasonal Hire to Full-time Career: Four Target Team Members Tell Their Stories

October 13, 2017 - Article reads in
team
Six team members stand in a huddle near the checklanes talking and laughing

The holidays are around the corner, and our teams at stores and distribution facilities across the U.S. are getting ready for the busiest (and most fun!) shopping season of the year. To make sure we’re fully staffed and ready to serve guests, we’re giving our current team members the chance to add the extra hours they want to their schedules—and we’re in the midst of hiring more than 100,000 seasonal team members to help them out.

Maybe you’re thinking of joining the team at one of our 1,800+ stores across the country, but you’d like a little more info, or the chance to talk to some of our team members in person. Stop by one of our stores to talk to the team, or apply anytime here. All new seasonal hires at our stores will start at or above $11 an hour.

Fun fact: Each year, tens of thousands of seasonal team members stay on at Target after the holidays, and many go on to build their careers here over the years. Meet a few of our team members who got their start working seasonal positions:

Chrissi, Store Team Leader

Her story: “I started as a holiday hire at my Target store in Chanhassen, Minn., 12 years ago. I was in college and wanted a seasonal job to stay busy and make extra money during winter break. I applied at my local store’s kiosk and was hired on the spot! I worked as a cashier first and loved interacting with all the guests doing their holiday shopping. I also liked that I was scheduled exactly when I was available, and the team there was so nice. I came back the following year for another holiday season, and eventually applied for an ETL position at a career fair and got the job—the rest is history!”

Best part of the job: “I love the fast pace and energy of the workplace, all the products, and especially the people. I’ve met many of my best friends here, including my husband! It’s so rare to love both a job and team this much—I got lucky.”

Favorite tradition: “We kick off the holiday season on Halloween day—there’s a meeting where the team dresses up, plays games and eats breakfast. It's a great way to get us all together to share information and also have fun before the busy season begins.”

Melissa, Sales Floor Team Member

Her story: “I joined back in 2008 as a seasonal team member and eventually trained to work in all of Target’s work centers throughout the store. My husband and I live seven months of every year in Arizona and the other five in Minnesota as he travels back and forth for his job. So I split my time between two Target stores, and appreciate the scheduling flexibility and transfer options that allow me to do it.”

Best part of the job: “Everyone’s so nice and helpful! I look forward to seeing my fellow team mates again when I come back after being away at the other store.”

Favorite memory: “Making homemade boxes with our leaders that we use to ship online purchases to guests through our ship-from-store capabilities. I enjoyed learning to make a special box that’s used to ship large chairs from our backroom. It makes for some great laughs and lets us use our creativity to get products to our guests.”

Adam, Backroom Team Leader

His story: “Back in 2014, I hadn’t worked a regular job in 27 years. I’d been a musician, a novelist, a web designer, an independent business owner. I made my own hours, answered to no one. Business was slow, so I wanted to pick up some seasonal work to get my family through. So I joined Target in a seasonal role and joined in the rush of the holidays. I loved it. By the time the New Year rolled around, I was no longer hoping for freelance to come up, so I asked to stay on full time.”

Best parts of the job: “Believe it or not, the physical work—it’s kind of like a workout I get paid to do. (I lost about thirty pounds over the first six months I worked in the backroom!) My teammates and leaders really make things fun too. As someone who was self-employed for so long, it’s nice to not be working alone.”

Favorite tradition: “Our team’s annual holiday meal. I always look forward to spending time with team members outside of my work center.”

Kaitlyn, Ship-from-Store Team Member

Her story: “I’ve been a team member for about two years now—I decided to apply after one of my friends told me how much fun her seasonal job at Target was. I was hired on as a ship-from-store team member, and my absolute favorite part was packing up the products. The team was great and helped me get the hang of it even during a super busy time. I liked the job so much I wanted to stay on—for the atmosphere, the people and the way we all work together.”

Favorite memory: “Last year during our busiest week, we were working extra hard in the backroom. Our leaders were so supportive, and the entire team was just back there jamming to music, eating snacks, and accomplishing something together. That made it a lot of fun!”

Team tradition: “The holidays are always a lot of fun. My favorite tradition is eating a special holiday meal with the team in the breakroom, and all the festivities that take place throughout the season.”

Want more info about seasonal opportunities at Target with a chance to develop new skills? Take a look at the full list of positions available in our stores, distribution and fulfillment centers to learn more about our opportunities and to apply, or stop by your local store anytime. We can’t wait to meet you!

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