Retail giant Target is offering a slate of interview tips and guidelines to make it easier for prospective employees to join its team.
The company issued an "Interview Prep Guide" that includes tips on understanding the company's interview process.
The company reminded prospective employees to keep the interview conversational, keep responses down to five minutes per question, and reminded them to "discuss important factors, people and resources worth considering when solving problems related to your line of work."
A cashier places a bag of items in a customer's shopping cart at a Target Corp. store in Chicago, Illinois, U.S., on Saturday, Nov. 16, 2019. ( Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)
The company also offered example prompts for employees to practice their responses. These prompts include:
- Talk to us about your background, prior work, training, or other experiences that have prepared you for this role.
- Describe how you work with people who think differently than you do.
- Describe how you partner with others to find creative solutions.
- Describe how you make sure your work is impactful.
Target recruiters also offered insight into their interview process and what they look for in candidates. Many of them reiterated the importance of being prepared and reading up on the company beforehand.
"It is always impressive when a candidate takes the time to research what we are doing outside of Target’s four walls," Lindsay, a target recruiter wrote. "Some ideas include our community efforts or looking at what our leaders are sharing externally."
Employees restock toys at a Target Corp. store on Black Friday in Dallas, Texas, on Friday, Nov. 24, 2017. (Laura Buckman/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)
Likewise, the recruiter added that although it's okay to have noted, "try not to look down at them too often." Instead, she said to "make sure you’ve spent time reviewing them beforehand and use this time to really engage with your interviewers."
Another recruiter also noted the importance of being clear and concise when responding to questions.
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"It helps to jot down a few experiences at work or school where you’ve played a significant role, then pull out the most impactful pieces," Kate wrote. "That helps to showcase your work, while not getting lost in the details of how you got there."
The tips are a way to attract more applicants to the company during a time when the U.S. job market continues to strengthen.
An associate stock shelves in the women's wear department at a Target store in New York. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews / AP Newsroom)
Since the pandemic struck in 2020, many Americans have remained on the sidelines of the job market, a trend that has contributed to the worker shortage in many industries.
However, the Labor Department said in its monthly payroll report released earlier this month that payrolls in March rose by 431,000, slightly missing the 480,000 jobs forecast by Refinitiv economists.
The unemployment rate, which is calculated based on a separate survey, fell to 3.6%, the lowest level since February 2020.