Target Executive Internship Week One

This was the first week of my executive internship with Target. My internship will be ten weeks and I will be shadowing and working with my mentor and executive team leader, Julie, other team members and the store team leader, Melia. Through this internship, I will learn more about the Target corporation, its brand and its culture. Through training and working with other team members, I will get a overview of the operations of Target and all the different departments that make up the store, such as Human Resources, Logistics, and Sales, etc. As an intern, I will help in running the store as well as leading its team members. Also, at the end of the summer, I will participate in a project that will require me to implement the knowledge I learn from the internship that addresses an area in the store that needs improvement, whether it be with safety, maximizing sales, or service, and come up with a solution. This project will be presented in the tenth week of the internship to the district team leaders.

The first week started with a lot of training both on the computer and spending a lot of time on the sales floor. By spending time on the sales floor, I will be able to learn how to cashier, learn where products are located, stocking shelves, and inventory. My first impressions of this internship are very positive. Although I already had a good impression from Target, I respect this company even more after learning so much more about the company. Target is innovative and is always changing. They are involved with the community and donate millions to education. They really care about their guests and service is very important. I have to say it was very overwhelming this first week just with all the information I am learning. Target has its own language between all the acronyms it uses! Although I have been overwhelmed with all that I have to learn and am expected to do, I still had a lot of fun and am very excited for the upcoming weeks. I am also enjoying the new connections I am making with the other interns and getting to know other team members. It was interesting to learn that some of the employees have been there for a number of years, and that they have so much respect for the company. This really shows that Target really cares about its team members as well as their guests (customers). They want to foster an inclusive environment, one that is diverse and safe for their employees.

Overall, I think this internship will benefit me very much just with how much leadership will be involved and also with the experience of leading a number of people as well as running a store and learning about the business aspects of retail. The next nine weeks will enable me to learn so much knowledge both about business, communication, leadership, retail, networking, and the list goes on. In the following weeks, I will be training in departments such as the Pharmacy, Human Resource, Asset Protection, Inventory, Logistics, and Sales. I am nervous but I know it will be very exciting and a good opportunity for the future!