How would you describe the culture at HQ? I have had friends tell me it’s like high school all over again… very young, fast pace, popularity is important, being cool is needed to get ahead. What has been your experience?
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It is indeed a younger workplace. HQ is often for the newly out of college worker or someone who's had just a few employers before they came aboard. I personally don't think it's a place too many people stay anymore either. It's been a while but at one point the average turnover was about 5 years IIRC? So young people come, they get some great experience, then leave for a better opportunity and then more young people replace them.
The high school thing, I've heard that forever. I think there's a lot of truth to it. There's a lot of currency in being young, conventionally attractive, well-networked, etc. It can be cliquish and Mean Girls-y. Some departments are worse than others. Getting ahead is possible if you're not in the in crowd, but it will likely take longer and be harder to achieve. You always need allies and people who think you do your work well. That's probably true of lots of workplaces.
My best advice for someone coming to TGT HQ is this: your job is to be an ambassador for yourself, your work, your team and your leader. People move roles all the time and being on good terms with a lot of people goes a really long way. Be careful what you say and who you say it to - it can be gossipy. Don't go above and beyond too many times because it just gets expected. Systems and tools don't work as well as leaders think they do.
I had a little different experience than most. I was hired externally at ~30 y/o and was in an area (supply chain) that tended to be more male and older than merch, etc. c1+1kn8qrpqs is pretty spot on for the main culture though. FWIW, if you're looking to meet 23-27 y/o women who are almost uniformly hot and decently intelligent, it's a great place to be...
Your “leader” in most cases is clueless. Promotions are based on the lack of work you do and on how many potlucks you organize. If you are a straight white male your chance of getting promoted is about 1%.
Very high female presence; just be prepared in case you are a male. This is not a bad thing, so please folks don't take that the wrong way. It's a very retail/merch/fashion-driven company that usually attracts women. It's very white; so be aware. As a POC, I didn't feel out of place, but from a representation perspective as a white TM once told me prior to joining; it's a "sea of white faces". It's changing slowly and that was what DEI meant for us: balancing things out with representation of QUALIFIED applicants; not just brown faces to fill a quota (for the Trump Troll out there). Especially in a company that is trying desperately to draw in more POC (considering not every brown woman is into Joanna G.), representation is key in Design and Merch.
It is very young in some areas, but also lots of HQ TMs have been with TGT since right out of college; so you will definitely find a balance of 40+ and up. It is definitely fast-paced considering it's retail; and get ready for last minute pivots. In terms of popularity: yes, there is definitely (at least from my perspective) some favoritism, and some get noticed more if they are extremely extroverted and kiss-a-s.
Source: Ex-TGT HQ employee
It is like a HS clique - except you’re at your 20 year reunion and all the popular kids still have never left their hometown.
Same people, just stodgier, meaner, and even more closed minded than they were at 17.