I applied online. The process took 3 weeks. I interviewed at Target in May 2017
No offer
Positive experience
Difficult interview
Application
I applied through a recruiter. The process took 1 day. I interviewed at Target (Suffolk, VA) in Apr 2012
Interview
A recruiter from Target contacted me via e-mail to ask if I would be interested in this position. After replying, we spoke on the phone and went over the basic "interest/strengths/weaknesses" questions. Next, I was asked to complete an online assessment. A 2nd staffing person called and set up a face-to-face interview that consisted of 3 groups of 2 interviewers taking turns asking questions. These were all behavioral questions like "Tell me about a time when..." and you were encouraged to follow the STAR format. I also received a tour of the facility. Overall, Target left me with the impression that they were generally interested in me. They took the time to thoroughly vet my candidacy and make sure I would be a good fit in their organization. I was impressed by the time their HR staff and Distribution Center staff took to talk to me about the business and my candidacy.
There were a few negatives:
1) I really did feel like each interview session consisted of the same questions, just set up differently. Maybe it was my inability to detect the nuances of each question variation that led to me not receiving a job offer. However, there are only so many ways to respond to a question about helping your teammates or counseling a direct report.
2) What type of position is this? I was unclear about what type of candidate Target was really looking for. I am in my mid-20's and have 2 years of shipping industry experience on the back of 7 years of customer service experience. I currently manage a fleet of about 80 truck drivers. That's solid experience for my age. I have to use problem solving skills on a nightly basis to deliver good service to our customers. However, the other 2 candidates interviewing at the same time as me hadn't even graduated college yet. In fact, and not to get too personal, they seemed like sorority girls and had no real interest in the industry. I do not know if they were offered a position, but I would be genuinely surprised given the fact that I was not.
With these 2 observations in mind, it seems like Target is trying really hard to find "their" match. And that's perfectly OK! If I wasn't going to be a good fit for their company, that's fine. I was just really, really surprised given the people I talked to during the interview and the background I brought to the table.
Interview questions [2]
Question 1
Tell me about a time when you had to give negative feedback.
I had three rounds of interviews. Each interview asked four behavioral questions. They also give you an open forum at the beginning of the interview so be sure to have an elevator speech ready to tell them about you and your experiences. I was interviewing for a position that is in another state so first two interviews were over the phone and third interview was on Skype. I found most the interviewers to be positive in tone and polite. The last interviewers I had could not figure out how to turn their own cameras on and had a very negative tone in their voice from the very beginning of the interview. Wish they were more prepared before the interview started and had figured out all the issues prior to having a candidate ready for their interview. Very unprofessional.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Tell us a time where you didn't get along with a co-worker.
I applied through a recruiter. The process took 3 weeks. I interviewed at Target (Tucson, AZ) in Mar 2017
Interview
I do not recall where the recruiter received my information, but I was first contacted by email from a recruiter. I was set up two phone interviews, one informal and one formal. And example of a question from these interviews would be "Explain a time you were curious and what the result was." I was required to take a personality/ logic test. It wasn't difficult. An example would be 'James always arrives at work before Sarah. Kim always arrives at work at the same time as Lenny. Sarah always arrives at work after Lenny. Which one of these statements is true?' Then an A-E option. This section is timed. Later I was scheduled for an in person interview at the facility. The process began with a tour throughout the building and an introduction to the type of operation. Later, there was a introduction to the particular position I was interviewing for. After that, there were two separate interviews, both times being interviewed by two management personnel. I was contacted two days later.
Interview questions [2]
Question 1
Explain a situation in which you required criticism.
I applied through university. The process took 3 weeks. I interviewed at Target (Midway, GA) in Mar 2016
Interview
I met with the recruiters from Target at a Career Fair at my university. I had an on campus interview with a recruiter. I then recieved a phone call to go to the distribution center in Midway, GA for an interview. I was given a tour of the distribution center, then had an interview with two Senior Group Leaders, then an interview with the general manager. I received a phone call about 3 days later with a job offer.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
"Tell me about a time when a project you were working on didn't go as planned." They wanted the problem, the solution you came up with to fix the problem, and then the result.