Guest Post: MU Senior with great internship

Allow me a moment for me to introduce myself. My name is Thomas McGlennen and I am currently a senior at Marquette University and will complete my double Mathematics and History majors in the spring. Now to the real reason everyone here is looking at this! Over this past summer I interned with Target for their Executive Team Lead Internship and I loved it! Interning at Target over the summer was a lot of fun as every day was completely different. I won't get into all the small details about the internship, but I thought as a fellow student it would be nice to have a first-hand account of my experiences there.

First off, the internship was not what I expected it to be at all. I was not given any busy work, didn't have to sort files, or go on coffee runs for the rest of the Team. Instead I was given keys to the store and real responsibility. The first few weeks there I spent learning the different work centers of the store, but right from the beginning I was on my feet and constantly being presented with new information. I worked with all the other ETLs (Executive Team Leads) in the building and they were continuously offering new ways to lead the team of about one hundred and fifty people and how to handle whatever may come throughout the day. What I found to be especially unique about my time as an intern was the constant feedback I was given. Every Friday I would meet with the STL (Store Team Lead or store manager) and he would give me feedback on what was going well as a strength and what were some opportunities I could work on the next week to improve upon. Target is all about developing its people and helping them grow to be better leaders, which to me was fantastic. I really learned that being a leader requires you to set the example as you are constantly in front of the rest of the Team. The fact that I was with the rest of Team and constantly interacting with people kept each day fun and interesting—no cubicle work here!

Now, it may seem fairly easy to set a daily agenda with a list of priorities for the Team to focus on, but as the day develops different situations and obstacles come up all the time. Trust me, if it can happen it will happen, which really adds an extra element of fun as each day is different from the next. One of the more eventful days during the summer happened when the city construction crews outside of the store managed to break a water main to the store. I spent a good part of the day driving around to the various construction crews around the area trying to figure out what had happened and why all the water to the store had been shut off. Occurrences like this really require one to be on their toes and able to use their critical thinking skills in order to approach and handle the random events of everyday.

My favorite aspect of my internship was the relationships I made with the other interns in the area and the friendships I made with the store Team. The people working at Target put a lot of effort into their jobs, but at the same time are great people to work with and the amount of respect I have for them is immense. They are a fantastic group of people which permeates throughout the entire company as everyone is more than willing to lend a hand. I hope this gives a little insight into my experience over this past summer. If any of you have any questions about my experience, or would like to learn more about the internships—or even ETL positions if you’re a graduating senior this December or next spring—available for this next summer do not hesitate to email me at: https://mail.target.com/owa/redir.aspx?C=28b1d35b857f4c1b841cb60dfd089348&URL=mailto%3Athomas.mcglennen%40target.com. I am currently a Campus Liaison to Marquette for Target during this school year and will be taking an ETL position this summer after graduation. I hope to hear from some of you soon!

Thomas McGlennenMarquette Campus Liaison G196 ¤Target

Target Careers. See Yourself Here. Learn more<http://sites.target.com/site/en/corporate/page.jsp?contentId=PRD03-000483>

• Target scores top ranking of 100 on Human Rights Campaign Corporate Equality Index – 2009


• Target ranks 8th on Business Week’s “Best Places to Launch a Career” – 2009


• Named “Top Socially Responsible Brand in Retail” – Alloy Media 2008


• Target 11th, "America's Most Admired Companies" - Fortune Magazine 2008