Target Job Applications For Employment and Careers

If you’re looking for a logical choice while trying to get a retail job with a future in your hometown, you may want to consider Target job applications as one of your first choices. With well over 2,000 stores in the United States, this retail chain offers many positions and places itself firmly and consistently in the top 5 major retail stores in the United States.

People count on this store for their everyday needs such as groceries, toiletries, cosmetics, and electronics. Even though online shopping has become extremely popular, people still make the trip to these stores out of necessity and convenience.

Below, you’ll see:

What it’s like working at Target
The recent pay increase
Store jobs available
Target warehouse jobs
Hours of operation you can expect
Whether you can apply in person with a PDF
Minimum age to get hired
How to apply at Target
The interview process
If they test for drugs
Benefits offered

Working at Target – What to Expect

Target offers thousands of entry-level jobs for people willing to put in an application and work hard for them. It takes customer satisfaction very seriously, so if you are a person with the ability to multitask and treat people well, you have a great chance to join this major company.

This retail chain has always been a big community supporter and volunteer. At the same time, it has been a major supporter of its own employees and loves to hire and promote from within.

By applying for a job at Target and getting hired, you’ll be exposed to how this company places community service as a big priority. As a matter of fact, 5% of its profit goes directly to local communities to support community projects and grants.

If you would like to work there, you should know that they are very team-oriented and they offer a rewarding career for those individuals willing to put forth a great effort.

Target not only hires individuals with disabilities; it also provides any needed services for them when requested in order to fill out and complete the application process, whether in English or Spanish.

Target Job Applications for a Living Wage

Target announced it would permanently increase the minimum pay for its workers to $15.00 an hour starting July 5, 2020. This pay raise affected over 275,000 employees in distribution centers, headquarters, and store positions.

This is great news for anyone wanting to work in a retail job. You can actually earn a living wage and work for a company with a future!

As an example, if you worked at Target while making the previous minimum wage of $11 an hour, and you worked 35 hours a week, you would have made approximately $20,020 a year. With the new $ 15-an-hour minimum, you can make $27,300 per year working the same amount of hours!

Target Jobs Available

There are many Target part time jobs and full-time positions available including cashier, guest service attendant, sales associate, electronics associate, court attendant, sales floor representative, and management.

Although the majority of job openings are entry-level, there are many positions that have specific requirements. As an example, if you’re applying for a management position, you need to have experience in retail and some experience as a supervisor.

When looking for careers as a Target cashier, stocker, or floor associate, you should come with plenty of enthusiasm and willingness to do whatever it takes to make customers happy. Certain positions will require you to lift objects that are fairly heavy and you will definitely see some jobs that will require you to stand for many hours on end.

Target prefers to hire people who are enthusiastic and motivated. It wants people who can follow the company‘s vision of providing the absolute best customer service available.

Additionally, if you let them know you can work on weekends and the difficult schedules such as in the late hours or early morning, you will have the advantage of getting hired quickly. Another interesting thing to note if you are looking for a management position is that Target requires plenty of retail floor experience.

Therefore, if it has a similar candidate with lots of retail experience trying to make it to a management position, Target will probably hire that person from within.

Something you may also be interested in is the links to apply for Target jobs in India.

Target Guest Advocate

In this position, you are responsible for a variety of responsibilities. Here, you’ll find that to learn how to be a cashier at Target your main focus will be welcoming and thanking customers and doing your best to exceed their shopping expectations.

Your job is to make their shopping experience an easy one. For example, one moment you may be helping them find a specific product. Shortly after, you may be helping them at the self-check-out counter.

You’ll possibly be handling the cash register and retrieving carts in the parking lot during the same shift.

It’s important to be able to handle the cash register in an efficient and accurate manner. You also need to be able to pay attention to detail and multitask.

This position also requires you to be able to lift from 15-40 lbs. and to work a flexible schedule including nights and weekends.

Typically, a guest advocate starts out at the new minimum pay and makes about $15 per hour. Even so, the hourly rate for a cashier can range from $15.00 to $18.00.

This amounts to an average annual salary somewhere in the neighborhood of $27,000 to $35,000 a year. This also depends on how many hours you work every week.

Target Specialty Sales

Here, you will be in charge of displaying and selling merchandise while providing solutions to customers.

You will be working with other employees as a team in the Apparel and Accessories and Beauty and Tech departments.

The atmosphere for these types of jobs is meant to be fun, exciting, and fast-paced. You will be selling products and also stocking and setting up displays as you see fit.

For this position, there is plenty of training available. However, the position requires someone with strong knowledge of their respective departments.

It’s also important to be able to communicate with others effectively and to have problem-solving skills.

The average salary for this position is currently $15.00 an hour which translates into approximately $28,000 to $30,000 per year.

Target Food Service Team Leader

There are Pizza Huts and Starbucks in some Target stores and this is where you come in; this position is all about providing food service to customers.

The food service department maintains adequate food inventory and replenishes it whenever necessary. As a team leader in this department, you’ll take charge of presentation and promotional strategies to sell food and drinks.

You will establish sales goals, maintain a clean and safe food area in the back of the house, and manage your team members.

The requirements for the foodservice team leader are:

a high school diploma (G.E.D. also acceptable)
you must be at least 18 years of age
excellent communication skills

The salaries for this position range from $18 to $25/hr. and that means roughly $30,120 to $52,000 per year.

Target Applications Online for Distribution Jobs

Target has a variety of warehouse positions:

Operations – you control all the packages coming in and out of the warehouse facilities. This is a very strenuous job and perfect for someone who doesn’t mind physical work
Packing – you will pack all the merchandise coming in from vendors to the store cartons for distribution and merchandise display
Transportation/Logistics – in this position you will be in contact with the parcel carriers and coordinate everything that goes in and out with your shipping/receiving department
Food Distribution – here, you will inspect everything coming in to make sure it meets quality standards and you will maintain all the food product inventory
Clerical/Administration – this is a position that requires solid and accurate clerical work as you will process reports and invoices
Engineering/Facilities – you will be in charge of making sure every piece of equipment is functional and perform the necessary repairs when required to do so
Human Resources – this is a position that places you into the hiring process while working with several team members

What Are the Target Hours of Operation?

The hours vary by location but it’s safe to say that the regular hours are Monday through Saturday from 8 AM to 10 PM and Sunday from 8 AM to 9 PM.

With that said, there are stores that are open much later than the hours just described.

Is There a Target PDF Job Application?

No, there are no printable Target job applications. You’ll have to go to the official career site and begin your search after creating your profile.

What is the Minimum Age to Work at Target?

The minimum Target hiring age is 16 years old to fill out a job application. Additionally, if you are under the age of 18, expect to only land a part-time position until you are an adult.

Management positions require past retail experience and a certain level of education. If you are going to apply for one of these positions, you must be well prepared just as in any other professional salaried job application.

That’s not to say that you cannot get hired from within, after a certain amount of experience. Still, you must meet the requirements listed on the official careers website.

How to Apply For a Job at Target

The official Target careers website is loaded with information that can benefit you while you are trying to apply. For example, on the front page, it explains:

The employee benefits
How Target works and the opportunities available
Where the available jobs are located
How to receive job alerts
A frequently asked questions page
A link to internships
Corporate and store distribution center positions
A search engine where you can place a keyword to start searching for your desired position

Online Applications for Target Require Research

Conduct some research on the company. Figure out if there are any potential positions that match what you want to do. Take note of the requirements for your desired positions and make sure you can match them.
Visit the store you want to work at and try your best to meet someone in management. If it seems too difficult, think about approaching a cashier or other worker. Ask someone if it’s possible to speak with a manager.
If you are able to speak with a manager, introduce yourself. Make a great first impression by showing off your wonderful personality. Let that person know how excited you are to be able to apply and hopefully be considered for a job.
Ask that manager how to apply. He or she will probably tell you to fill out your application at the store’s kiosk. Or they may say to go home and apply online. However, they might be so impressed, that they will give you any other helpful information such as telling you to call them once your application is submitted.
Either way, create a profile on the official Target careers website and submit your application.
Once you have sent in your application, wait no more than two weeks without getting a call back in order to call them and ask about the application you turned in two weeks ago.
If you are not able to get through to them or if you are not making any progress, it’s time to visit them in person!
This time, really come prepared! Show up looking very professional and ask to speak with someone in management once again. If you already have a solid contact at the store, ask that person if he or she is working on that day!
Politely ask the manager if someone can check the status of your application. Here’s what you could say; “I don’t mean to inconvenience you, you must be so busy, but I’m really hoping you can check on the status of my application because I can’t access any information on the online system.”
Thank the manager for his or her time spent with you. Then, hand them a business card with your name and email on it. Ask that person to please keep you in mind if a position becomes available.

How to Get Hired at Target

How to get a job at Target relies on being more aggressive than the next person.

In other words, imagine how many people apply to this major retail chain every single day.

Now, imagine how difficult it is for the designated people trying to pick winning prospective employees from hundreds and thousands of applicants.

If you are able to put your name at the top of the pile by networking and meeting the right people, you will gain a tremendous advantage over everybody else.

So, follow the above-mentioned tips to get your foot in the door much sooner than the average person. It is without a doubt, the easiest and fastest way to get a Target job application in front of the eyes of someone important enough to help you get hired.

Can you apply in person at Target?

Unfortunately, everyone has to fill out and submit Target job applications online. However, it’s a great idea to visit the store of your choice first to introduce yourself to management or human resources. By doing so, you are actually networking and giving yourself an advantage over other applicants.

During your conversation with a representative of the company, let that person know you are highly interested in joining their company. Ask that person for the best method to apply at their particular store.

Let the person guide you on what you need to do. Before you leave, give that person your contact information and say you will be following up after you apply online.

Is it hard to get hired at Target?

It is fairly difficult to get hired at Target because you are competing with dozens of other applicants at a time. However, you can increase your chances of success by following these few tips:

If you know someone who works in the company, ask that person to recommend you. Networking is important in any business. This is because people like hiring other people that they are familiar with or who come recommended. If you don’t have any contact person to help you get hired, that’s ok.
Dress nicely in business casual clothing. Visit the store, find someone in management or human resources, and introduce yourself as discussed above.
Indicate on your application that you are available to work any shift on any day.
Practice answering common interview questions such as the ones listed below, in the next few paragraphs.
Make sure you stay on top of your application. Follow up on your application if you are not contacted within a reasonable time.

Target Interview Process

From a time span of 1 day to 4 weeks after you submit your Target job application, you will either get an invitation to an actual interview or a rejection letter thanking you for your interest in applying to Target.

During your first interview, the setting will be very laid back. The interviewer will be asking simple questions to see if it’s worth taking you to a second interview.

They will be trying to gauge what kind of personality you have. The most important thing for them is whether you would fit in with their plans and goals.

They may ask you questions such as:

Can you tell me about yourself?
Why do you want to work at Target?
What is your experience in retail?
Can you explain what customer service is?
What kind of co-workers do you like to work with?

How to Get Hired at Target With One Important Point

Throughout the whole process, it’s important for you to drive the following point home; you are very big on providing excellent customer service and you get along well with co-workers because you are a team player.

There are plenty of articles and videos on the Internet that can help you in this area. I suggest you study this part of the retail business industry because of its absolute importance. To help you right now, see how the Target job interview process works.

It is critical that you know how to provide customer service. It’s just as important to be able to describe how you can provide it!

Does Target Drug Test?

Generally, Target does not drug test during the job application and hiring process.

They do, however, drug test if you are applying for a position where you operate a vehicle or heavy machinery. They also do it if they need to test you randomly after some type of incident that brings up liability.

Please keep in mind that they reserve the right to drug test you. However, most people who have been hired say this seldom happens.

Target Job Benefits

Target offers a comprehensive benefits plan to its employees. Here’s a list:

Health Benefits

Medical
Dental
Education resources
20% discount/Wellness
Hospital indemnity insurance and accident and critical incident coverage
Vision
Pharmacy

Financial Benefits

Paid vacation, holiday, personal day, and well-being
Life insurance
Education assistance program
10% Target discount (includes online)
Family leave
401(k) plans
Flexible spending account for daycare and healthcare
Annual bonus
Adoption assistance reimbursement
Gym, childcare, and vacation package discounts

Is Target a good place to work for?

Target is a great company to work for. The company is committed to building and maintaining a culture where team members are valued, respected, and connected to the company’s business strategy.

Target has an employee-focused culture that focuses on the happiness of its team members. They have a strong emphasis on diversity, which helps them in hiring the best people for the job.

How to Reapply for Target Job

Target has a policy that you have to wait at least six months before reapplying for the same job.

One of the reasons for this policy is to ensure that candidates are not applying repeatedly to the same position, and Target wants them to explore other positions as well.

For example, if your application was unsuccessful due to not meeting the minimum qualifications or not meeting the experience requirements, then you can reapply after 30 days. Simply use the Target application login to start.

Next: Consider a Walmart job application →

Featured image courtesy of Jay Reed, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.