To many, jobs in retails sales bring to mind the cashier at a local department store, or a sales clerk. But there are opportunities for growth in the retail industry if you know where to look.
Nick Conway, 26, is on the fast track. "Currently I'm executive team leader in training, specializing in hardline -- which is everything in the Target store on the tile -- nothing on the carpet."
Conway is four weeks into the six week training program at Target. He is excited about the opportunities he sees in working for the second largest discount retailer in the country -- a career opportunity he didn't see at first.
Executive Team Leader-Human Resources Julia O'Dea said taking advantage of those opportunities is up to the employee. "That was something that I really hadn't considered either. I learned a lot about it during the interview process with target, but we have so many different layers, both personally and professionally, for development," said O'Dea, "I think here at Target anybody can go anywhere, the sky is the limit."
Entry level, part-time, and hourly team members can expect to make around minimum wage. But leadership positions, such as executive team leader, store leader, and district leader command a very competitive salary.
"A store team leader, store manager, at a store like this is a very high volume store with over 300 employees, locally that one of the highest positions," O"Dea said.
O'Dea, who held a number of positions at Target before moving into human resources, said if you are on the career track, having a college degree in business does help, but is not required. The retail giant recruits heavily from Fresno State and other colleges. Target also reaches out to students through its internship program.
"I graduated from Fresno State in 2010 and went out to Chicago -- consulting out there -- and was recruited by District Team Leader here locally," O'Dea said.
Nick is not shy about his ambitions. He said his goal is to supervise six or seven Target stores. For him, it doesn't matter if he is stacking fruit, picking up trash, or assisting a customer -- every job is important. "From the team member level, up to the executive team leader, no job is too small."
If you want to know more about opportunities at Target, go to the company's career page on their website. A seasonal job is a good starting point to get your foot in the door. Managers at the River Park store in Fresno said they will be looking to add at least 100 people during the holidays.
