Becoming a TL

[Dream Baby]

A fellow TM MIGHT be asked to be a TL.

The last couple of TMs that were made TL were from our store or external hires.

I did mention to her that she could be placed anywhere in the district in any department.

In regards to the district how do you find out what stores are included.

 

[MrT]

Very rarely are tms asked to be TLs without going through the ringer and getting put on the so called bench. If they are asked they will be interviewed and would know what position and where. If they are not they are just getting the carrot on a stick promise. As far as knowing where they can always look at available jobs in the area and see. TL isn't like ETL where they get moved from store to store and expected to be ok with it so they can deny the opportunity if they want.

 

[Dream Baby]

Is interviewing without a specific position TL being discussed just BS then?

 

[YugTegrat]

It's not. Corporate wants stores to build talent reserves and make the bench a thing again. TMs will interview with their ETLs/SD and be placed on the bench if they pass. That gives the store immediate options should they need TLs rather than it becoming a long, drawn out process while the position sits vacant.

Earlier this year (or late last year.. it's all kind of blurred together), they made a change in how PG45 positions were handled. External hires are supposed to be a last resort now, making internals the focus. Stores are supposed to be building their pipelines and establishing their benches to pull from when needed, basically pre-vetting TMs for leadership positions that may not yet exist.

 

[MrT]

Is interviewing without a specific position TL being discussed just BS then?

No if they interview you without a position available then it's for the bench/talent pool/ whatever else they want to call it now. It's possible it's legitimate.

 

[Dream Baby]

,

 

[Dream Baby]

I also just realized that she is a student but planning to move to go to a different school in the Fall.

 

[Lights]

It's not. Corporate wants stores to build talent reserves and make the bench a thing again. TMs will interview with their ETLs/SD and be placed on the bench if they pass. That gives the store immediate options should they need TLs rather than it becoming a long, drawn out process while the position sits vacant.

Earlier this year (or late last year.. it's all kind of blurred together), they made a change in how PG45 positions were handled. External hires are supposed to be a last resort now, making internals the focus. Stores are supposed to be building their pipelines and establishing their benches to pull from when needed, basically pre-vetting TMs for leadership positions that may not yet exist.

THIS! My ETL, Senior ETL, and Store Director recently discussed and explained these changes to me after their big meeting with corp. You couldn't have said it better.

I don't want to be an ass about external hires because sometimes they turn out to be what the company needs. When they don't it's easy for us to say not-so-nice things about external hires and why an internal promotion would have been better. All of us can be an external hire at one point and I'm sure we would want a chance just as much as an internal hire. Companies start their growth from external hires, without a choice. I believe, that if there is an internal hire with the capabilities, the attendance, the potential, and most importantly communicated their intentions to become a leader, then leadership should give them a try.

 

[Dream Baby]

IMHO Target doesn't want external hires because they rather save a few bucks and promote a TM.

It needs to do both.

However if you are "On the Bench" or whatever they call it how long is a TM going to what to get promoted?

 

[Lights]

IMHO Target doesn't want external hires because they rather save a few bucks and promote a TM.

It needs to do both.

However if you are "On the Bench" or whatever they call it how long is a TM going to what to get promoted?

It can be any amount of time really. Depends first if they are next up on the bench, and it can only happen when moves are made like someone retires, quits, transfer, maybe yearly "modernization" when they like to change stuff a move can happen. For example in my store recently we had two ETL's retire and one got fired so they promoted one internal TL to a ETL and one internal TM (yes from TM to ETL without a degree), and they hired one external ETL. In the summer a TL is leaving to Florida so that's a future move. Also as far I know two more leaders are on the chopping block for performance so my store is pressured to start finding or building leaders for the bench.

We can't control these moves but they can happen right now or in a few years.

 

[Ashfromoldsite]

IMHO Target doesn't want external hires because they rather save a few bucks and promote a TM.

It needs to do both.

However if you are "On the Bench" or whatever they call it how long is a TM going to what to get promoted?

Could be 6 months. Could be 3 years. There’s no guarantee. There are too many factors.

It took me a year to promote to tl. And another 2 1/2 years to promote to etl. I had to interview prep with the sd at my store before she would send me to interviews at the district office with other sd’s for both. how I interview is a reflection on my sd. They don’t want to be humiliated so they make sure you’re good to go to interviews.

 

[YugTegrat]

You don’t even need to interview with the DSD anymore for a TL position. Just the ETL and SD for the applicable store.

 

[Dream Baby]

You don’t even need to interview with the DSD anymore for a TL position. Just the ETL and SD for the applicable store.

That's smart to talk to whom you are actually going to work for and with.

Also leaving HR out of the picture is good.

 

[Ashfromoldsite]

You don’t even need to interview with the DSD anymore for a TL position. Just the ETL and SD for the applicable store.

My old district still does. But the district office is a mere 5 mile drive.

 

[Yetive]

My district interviews with the DSD.

 

[Dream Baby]

I also just realized that she is a student but planning to move to go to a different school in the Fall.

They just asked ANOTHER TM who is planning to move away to school in Fall.

It's like they just want to add TMs to the "pool" just to pump up the numbers.

Other TMs at our store don't want to move up because of chronic understaffing.

 

[bymoonlight]

You don’t even need to interview with the DSD anymore for a TL position. Just the ETL and SD for the applicable store.

my location is SD and DSD/HRBP

 

[MrT]

I didn't even interview I was just offered the job.

 

[NotCynicalYet]

Very rarely are tms asked to be TLs without going through the ringer and getting put on the so called bench. If they are asked they will be interviewed and would know what position and where. If they are not they are just getting the carrot on a stick promise. As far as knowing where they can always look at available jobs in the area and see. TL isn't like ETL where they get moved from store to store and expected to be ok with it so they can deny the opportunity if they want.

Where I work the carrot and stick is real. The bench fucking sucks lol. I've seen good people passed up too many times. I was lucky and my boss quit, and I was the only TM who asked for the job while the kids on the bench were sitting around waiting to be asked. So no bench, no bullshit, just give me the job or no hard feelings, I'll find something else. Maybe it's just my store, but Target seems to love manipulating people into taking on more responsibility without promotion.

 

[Dream Baby]

"So no bench, no bullshit, just give me the job or no hard feelings, I'll find something else."

The bench is so you don't quit and go somewhere else for a promotion. If I was in the bench I would wait six months ask for an update then start looking for another and leave after another six months.

"Maybe it's just my store, but Target seems to love manipulating people into taking on more responsibility without promotion."

They have been doing this for months in the Front in my store since the ETL left. In another thread I mentioned the person that they supposedly "ghosted" Target.

 

[MrT]

Where I work the carrot and stick is real. The bench fucking sucks lol. I've seen good people passed up too many times. I was lucky and my boss quit, and I was the only TM who asked for the job while the kids on the bench were sitting around waiting to be asked. So no bench, no bullshit, just give me the job or no hard feelings, I'll find something else. Maybe it's just my store, but Target seems to love manipulating people into taking on more responsibility without promotion.

Oh absolutely

 

[Dream Baby]

I have noticed corporations drag out promoting people because they think you are not looking somewhere else.

In a related matter I see companies that interview you but leave you hanging for weeks on end.

You probably have my email address so just take a minute to reject me.

 

[Nauzhror]

You don’t even need to interview with the DSD anymore for a TL position. Just the ETL and SD for the applicable store.

My store definitely had people interview with the DSD. I recently left Target, and interviewed for a TL position with another retailer. I was expecting the process to be similar to Target's, where I'd interview with a salaried manager, and then a store manager, and then a regional/district manager, simply because that's what I was most familiar with. There though I only actually interviewed with their equivalent of an ETL.

 

[Dream Baby]

My store definitely had people interview with the DSD. I recently left Target, and interviewed for a TL position with another retailer. I was expecting the process to be similar to Target's, where I'd interview with a salaried manager, and then a store manager, and then a regional/district manager, simply because that's what I was most familiar with. There though I only actually interviewed with their equivalent of an ETL.

How long did it take to get the new job from the first contact and your start date?

 

[Nauzhror]

How long did it take to get the new job from the first contact and your start date?

Not sure, still not started. I applied for Customer Service Team Leader, HR emailed me, asked me to come in and interview for it. I then interviewed with a GM/Service Lines Leader (it was at Meijer, this is the equivalent of an ETL), they told me the position I applied for was actually already filled, but they had openings for GM, Bakery, and Deli TL's, and offered me any of the three I wanted. I chose GM. The Lines Leader told me she was going to go get the store manager during the interview, but about 10 minutes later she returned and told me he was busy, but that they'd be offering me the position without him actually interviewing me at all. She said I'd receive an official offer via email either yesterday (I didn't) or Monday (not arrived yet)

Most of my experience at Target was front-end, but I was at least trained in the whole store to a cursory level. Never had an official job title other than Guest Service TM, Guest Service Attendant, and then Guest Advocate, but when I was a GSA, I was one of the first people in the store trained to do SFS - when it was a pilot, I was a closing GSA for 4 days a week, and did SFS the 5th day usually. After we had an official fulfillment team I mostly stopped being scheduled to do fulfillment, but still did it whenever overtime was being offered. I think I'd have been a better Customer Service TL than GM TL personally, just based on my previous experience - but that wasn't what they offered me.

Based on the interview, TL's at Meijer make much less than TL's at Target, but still more than Target TM's. But also sounds like at Meijer you get three raises within the first year, which pretty quickly narrows the pay gap. Specifically, they get raises based on # of hours worked. 1 raise at 700 hours, another at 1400, then a third at 2100, and then every 1000 after that till you top out. 2100 hours though at 40 hours a week is 52.5 weeks, which is pretty much a year, so that's 3 raises in the first year more or less.