When I applied for the Target Executive Team Leader (ETL) Internship, I honestly didn’t pay too much attention to the job description. I was already interested in the opportunity because of Target’s reputation and the chance to gain real-world leadership experience, especially after talking with the recruiter at the career fair. The description mentioned that the role was “very team-oriented and results-driven,” but that alone didn’t really influence my decision to apply.
After starting the internship, though, I realized how accurate the job description actually was- even though I did not pay to much attention to it. It said I would learn how to impact financial, team, and operational performance—and that’s exactly what happened I feel like. I spent most of my time up front being guest facing, helping facilitate daily operations and making sure the team was properly staffed and positioned to keep things running smoothly. I also had to think ahead and communicate with team members so everyone was set up for success, and manage the age gap I had with a lot of my team members.
One part of the description that stood out was about working closely with a mentor and eventually leading their department. That was definitely true—I got a lot of support from my mentor Pat and gradually took on more responsibility over time. I actually had a cool opportunity where he had to leave on vacation 3 weeks in so I got to take over fully. The ongoing developmental conversations they promised were also something I appreciated. I always felt like my growth was a priority, and they wanted to invest in me to come back post grad.
Overall, even though the job description didn’t play a major role in my initial decision, it turned out to be a really good preview of the internship itself, and I would reccomend the read to someone. It was a strong match for what I actually experienced, especially when it came to leadership, teamwork, and hands-on learning.
