target is bogus

Well, I have never applied for a job at Target BUT, I did get a really sweet deal once. They were having a sale on a TV, I called to see if they had in stock [you know the switch & bait bs] - was told yes, by this young gum chomping male whose name escapes me now. I went to go get it, asked for him, then told him I wanted the TV that was on sale. He didn't recognize my voice, obviously, told me he'd have to go check the inventory. Came back and said they didn't have any -- told him to go get his supervisor as it was he who just told me less than 5 minutes prior on the phone that they had 10. When the manager came out he asked me what the problem was, I told him, and this kid flat out lied and I explained to the supervisor that he was still chomping on his gum. The supervisor then took me over to the row of TV's and pointed to the one I really wanted once in the store but was like $100 more and said we'll sell that one for the same price. I, being the over 40 woman, played really stupid and asked if it was comparable to the one that was on sale -- this was a better quality TV all the way around and I knew it, but sometimes, playing a stupid female will get you the better deal when it comes to electronics and you know what is better. I understand that they want to bring in the younger for less $$$ and to do some molding BUT if all the companies wipe all of the over 40's --- they will reap what they sow. And pretty soon all of us over the 40's who can't get jobs will become the younger generations problems and the govt, state, and corporations as we will all be homeless and sitting on their steps begging for food, shelter, and the younger one's who are only working to pay their car insurance because they live with mom & dad -- will soon realize what he has to look forward to in his/her future.

Patrick-Minnesota in Saint Paul, Minnesota said: Dont worry, Target gives the run around to EVERYONE. I interviewed at Target and was willing to take a pay cut (as Target pays crap) for the an 1-2 year exp. position. I got rejected just like you. Later I got hired by a big 4 firm, got my CPA and will make manager this year. Now I'd never give Target the time of day. You should look at being rejected by Target as your calling card to success!!! It means you're not a phony, overdressed kissa**. Keep your head up.

ya know? I sure am glad I read all these reports on Target. We are getting one built in our town of Waconia and I won't waste my time appling for a position. All I can say for Target rejecting all you who have degrees is maybe they want you to have a job that goes somewhere...not stuck at at an obviously dead end job.. Good Luck in your searches.

Justme Andmeagain in Upland, California said: I know we can't all wait for opportunity's to reach us, but according to national age statistics-- in about 5 years the companies who refused to hire us "over 40's" types will be begging for any workers to fill their jobs because the end of the younger worker's enmasse availability ends about then. You see, about 20-30 years ago we had the Peace Generation (remember?) and many of them didn't have children, so.... in about 5 years companies like Target will really feel the pinch. It's already starting in some industries, IT is of course overcrowded with young groupies, but many other area's are already hard-hit, and need people on a constant basis. Look in your area, see where ELSE your background fits, and apply there. Don't wait for your old career field to catch up to you, find a new one!

Well said - although IT is not as bad as you would think. I'm 43 and yes I have had to make plenty of shifts in my career as well as "retool". However, I've always progressed and thankfully have been able to have the 6th sense to know when to dodge a bullet for most part. It's involved consistent research about the job market and tons of networking to avoid becoming "redundant". I completely agree with self-assessment from time to time as well as talking to others in the industry.

Yes, 41 I just took the high road went back to school again. We are the first generation to earn less then our PARENTS and we have more education and training. Good luck in your job search

R U Kidding? in Silver Spring, Maryland said: Herb in St Louis,
Your reply is funny as s***. I cant stop laughing. BUT it's kinda cruel. It's not easy finding a job. People who are on this forum are usually searching for a job. I am an out of work, high level 6 figure earning management person in her 40's. The more qualified or compensated you are, the harder it becomes to land a position. Are you in you're mid career phase of life???? Probably not. At James isnt beating himself up! But thanks for the laugh!!

I got the job. It was like any process you must go through when applying pursuing a career position.

Target Employee in Minneapolis, Minnesota said: I got the job. It was like any process you must go through when applying pursuing a career position.

congratulations...can I just ask you a few questions though? AGE,race, Im just trying to find out if there is indeed a correlation between the people target actually hire and the demographic information.

Yeah, Target is also good for laying off the 40 to 50 year olds after 20+ years of service.

Jut about every 2 or 3 years they do that and hire younger people.

They also like to outsource the computer work to India.

Great Corporate American company. I'm not sure what the companies in America are thinking. If we don't have jobs, we can't buy your products!

internal referral, 23, white, BA, straight acting homosexual, interesting.

rejected in Saint Paul, Minnesota said: Yes, I have a degree, the reason was that supposedly they had another "more qualified" candidate. which I know for a fact that they did not.

/ That is such BS!!!!!!!! I worked in that hell hole, and they had some idiot in their who had a bachelors in POTTERY!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Unbelievable what a bunch of losers they are!!!

You are just pissed off get over it and move on and stop whinning. I have been turned down for jobs I am qualified for its called such is life.

ok...your resume may look good....your phone interview may go well too...and even your 1-1 interview may go well...but the tests and the reccomendation of the "psych" doctor will probably lead to the "sorry, we found someone more qualified" comment you are referring to. The process is long and grueling, but it seems that Target is more interested in the potential of a person they can shape into their way of thinking, than hiring the proven leader.

You need a college degree in any subject to be an exempt...huh? So what if you are a forrestry major...how does that apply to leading people. Someone with 5-10-15 years experience in leading in an area is NOT considered, if they do not have the sheep skin. Target misses the boat on this one...they judge a book by it's cover.

They hire kids fresh out of College with little to no management or leadership experience to supervise seasoned employees. Sure these kids come cheap and are easier to minipulate than a vetern supervisor, but the employees pushing the boxes on the floor are the ones who suffer the most, which adds to the turn over, which leads to more recrutiing and training, and turn over...an endless cycle.

Seems Target is trying to hire leaders and turn them into managers...problem is that you don't build teams by managing people........you build teams by leading people.

Remember sometimes it is just easier to hire a newbe fresh out of college and train him the Target way. It is like the military shape a private the way you want him to act. Can't do that with a General.

Target employs people of all ages, races, genders, sexual orientation and any other classification of human. They pride themselves on it.

If you were not screened, interviewed or hired there was a honest reason for it. From the comments above, it is safe to say target HR made a wise choice in refusing you as applicants. Wisdom is a tough sell when dealing with a fresh and flexible organization.

I wish onto all of you all the energy I possess to stay positive and optimistic while pursuing a new career or a career change. It is out there for you.

My hockey coach always said, "if you aren't tired after 45 seconds, you didn't work hard enough". The following comment echos that to you all. If you aren't tired after every application you submit, you didn't try hard enough. After all, creating a well crafted cover letter, tailored resume, email submission, and a follow-up phone call/letter requires serious energy and dedication.

Warm regards,
This Guy

I totally agree with your comment. I have never heard so much crying in my entire life. When I was a hiring Manager the first thing I looked at was attitude. I don't care if you had a Doctorate degree. I would deny an applicant because of a whinny attitude that there is reason enough to kill team spirit in a short amount of time.

Please refrain from personal attacks in the forums.
Thanks!

I worked for Target for 26 years. Some time in the stores and a few other depts at HQ ending up in their IT area. Most of that experience was good.
However, Target is not what it was and what is happening under the guise of 'Looking for the cream of the crop.' is really looking for candidates that fit a mold and that mold doesn't necessarily equate to competent behavior. This has been a downward spiral for the last 5-6 years.
Target HQ is not a happy place right now. They can't fill many positions. They end up looking for contractors, if they can find a contractor who hasn't been tarnished by a bad experience with them. It used to be a flexible place that encouraged innovation. Now Target is completely inflexible.
The interview process for external and internal candidates in my view unethical and I'm surprised something hasn't really hit the fan yet. The review process is abusive. You won't be reviewed on accomplishments. You'll be reviewed subjectively on whether your manager thinks you show appropriate empathy,etc. Annual raises are pre-determind and your review will need to fit your alotted raise. Which means high performers will get comparatively poor reviews.
The fantastic talent that once was Target is demoralized and people are leaving after being beaten down. The remaining staff are toxic.
Target has self corrected before, and hopefully will do this again soon. Until then, look elsewhere.
I left Target after a career of good to great reviews and forward progress capped off with the last couple toxic abusive management that worn down my confidence and no matter what I did, dismal reviews. HR is not your friend. They see abusive management. They know it's wrong. They will do nothing. This pattern is being repeated over and over again.
I do have to say this. I had great training. While my last boss painted me as someone who was incompetent, my new employers pay me a hell of a lot more and think I'm exceptional at what I do.

Continued:
Target is not a place to be right now. I see some people replied that if you didn't get hired there was a good reason. Sometimes yes, but that really is a slap given Target's current practices.
If you feel you were short shrifted by Target. The interview processes is carefully controlled and you have to answer a certain way. A hiring manager may want you, but you don't fit the profile and your hands are tied.
The decay from within will eventually show.

Lee in Colorado in Aurora, Colorado said: My Dr is in Management and I like the people aspect of corporate America. I have applied for teaching as well. Just as political. You are right, everyone who posts on here are less qualified than every person chosen ahead of them. Thank you very much for the insight and take care.

Not always. With Target it's a good possibility that person was not more qualified. It's more likely that the position was never filled as it was posted. Many positions are posted, there are interviews, the hiring department doesn't know what it wants to do. Let's it slide. Then re-interviews or just moves the work to already filled positions.

Target actually has a difficult time filling positions. Very few people fit the mold. If they do, you probably don't want to be working with them.

Sean in Minneapolis, Minnesota said: I am very qualified, and in my 30's....I believe they are the snootiest...(is that a word) company I have ever dealt with. I know people that went to their company and left very fast. They will have to back off on their hiring techniques or face some issues down the road. Walmart is still kicking their butt in sales and store count and volume...so I guess the down to earth attitude still works...although walmart has added a few issues in the last 5 years.

Yes, they are arrogant.

Westmin in Medford, New Jersey said: If I had a MBA and DR I would not be applying to Target. Why not teach?

Target recently did a shift in hiring ETLs and STLs to recent college grads. BTW those are store and department head acronyms. Anyway, they have put tons of resources into building their company culture.

Just accept it, they want people they can train in the Target mold, and typically those are young college folks.

As far as the first comment about not getting the positions. The other people who got hired are more qualified. Your probably only the best in your own head.

Target does put a lot of money and effort into the illusion of their corporate culture. The don't put much into having their leadership make that illusion a reality.

LoveTarget in Stamford, Connecticut said: I actually know a lot of people who worked at Target, interview at Target, shop at Target and love Target. I even know the hiring manager for this position. Target is a VERY competitive organization and they place less focus on skill set and more focus on growth potential. The hiring process is very rigorous and designed to select the cream of the crop. I would encourage those who have applied to keep trying and solicit as much feedback as possible

Target culture and feedback. That's a can of worms. Theortically constructive feedback is good. Unfortunately, feedback at Target has taken a dysfunctional turn as a weapon.

You're right that Target is not focused on skill set. But on a whole they are not focused on potential either. They're looking for people who don't question leadership. It probably has more to do with lowering salaries than any real goals.

There are many things not right there at the moment.

I am in my mid-30s (married, 2 kids) and worked for Target for the duration of 12 months. Before then, I was declined by HR because they didn't think they could "pay me enough." Eventually, I got my foot in the door (Detroit is a horrible job market) and busted my rear for 2 months. I was recommended for the executive internship program and participated for 10 weeks where I was judged as an effective leader, but was not offered an ETL position (possible age discrimination).
I was reassigned to help a struggling logistics department bring up their numbers- where we went from 70 to a sustained 100 in six months time, lifting the relevant productivity percentages to very GREEN, with help from the team's efforts as a result of proper motivational techniques (respect and trust, foreign to Target).
After being told that getting this dept. green would be quite an accomplishment and guarantee me an ETL position, the response I was given by my STL and ETL HR was that my motivational philosophies were "too empathetic" and my ETL suggested to me that I was not to be recommended for the promotion that I felt I earned.
At the same time, I was completing my B.A. in Business Management and being educated mostly to the opposite theories and strategies that were being demonstrated by my bosses (that I was supposed to adopt as my own).
Eventually, I decided that my sanity was worth much more than the scraps that I saw on my paycheck, which barely covered my mortgage, and I left on my own terms.
Unfortunately, I believe that having Target on my resume hurts me more than it helps.
Good luck to you all.

rejected in Saint Paul, Minnesota said: I applied for this job. they made me take a 2 hour psych profile assessment. I interviewed with 5 different people , all who supposedly had an opening for the same type of positon. about a week later I got a phone call f

were do i go to fill out an application for target

"AP Latent Print Examiner"

Wow! This company takes itself WAY too seriously...

Joanna in Ontario, California said: I have applied many times for jobs that I am very qualified for and Target NEVER calls. I don't think they even review any applications/resumes that are sent...... don't waste your time filling out the lengthy on-line application. I was also told that they only prefer to hire former military personnel.

Sorry, but they are not even partial to former military. I and several friends (all military-honorable) also applied but not even an email for rejection or acceptance. Don't know what their hiring pratice is but I didnt want to work there bad enought to apply several times. Once is enough for a low paying job.

jimbo in alabama said: I have a degree in marketing. I graduated in 2003 and I'm in my mid 40's. It's been tough finding a decent paying job. The job market is awful in my area, but I would consider relocation for the right opportunity. I've concentrated my job search on sales positions, but the lack of sales experience is killing me. My job experience is mostly retail. Any suggestions?

Find a Stock Brokerage House who is hiring, most of them are. They like mid career change people and will give you the sales training you need. Tough gig to get started in but if your any good you can make real money.

Sean in Minneapolis, Minnesota said: I am very qualified, and in my 30's....I believe they are the snootiest...(is that a word) company I have ever dealt with. I know people that went to their company and left very fast. They will have to back off on their hiring techniques or face some issues down the road. Walmart is still kicking their butt in sales and store count and volume...so I guess the down to earth attitude still works...although walmart has added a few issues in the last 5 years.

Target doesn't consider themselves competitors of Wal Mart. Target's demographic is a higher class of shopper (with a higher income) than those who frequent Wal Mart. I mean, c'mon, tell me you don't see a difference when shopping one place vs. another. It's rather obvious.

Funny to hear someone describe themselves as a "high level 6 figure earning management person." Hate to burst your bubble hon, but you're only as qualified as your current means of employment grants.

R U Kidding? in Silver Spring, Maryland said: Herb in St Louis,
Your reply is funny as s***. I cant stop laughing. BUT it's kinda cruel. It's not easy finding a job. People who are on this forum are usually searching for a job. I am an out of work, high level 6 figure earning management person in her 40's. The more qualified or compensated you are, the harder it becomes to land a position. Are you in you're mid career phase of life???? Probably not. At James isnt beating himself up! But thanks for the laugh!!

I applied for a Sr. Attorney position at Corporate.

I received very general phone screening. (Examples: Can you work in the US? Do you have a high school degree? My resume shows a law degree and bar admission) The screener said I would hear back from them in 3 weeks.

They called me for midlevel position in distribution in Binghamton, NY. I told them this was the wrong job. I was told that I would be contacted again within 10 business days.

I received a general rejection letter.

They seem slow and poorly organized.

ps

age 53, white male

I am very familiar with the comments I've read on many different fronts. I did apply for Target and an ETL position, but after reading this blog I'm going to keep applying elsewhere. I felt that the process was quite long but experienced that getting hired with my current company as well.
Hopefully if it was meant to be, it will happen. I'm feeling kind of guilty for being 40, former military and an experienced manager. Seems like those skills may not be successful in this environment. Hope I'm wrong.

Target doesn't consider themselves competitors of Wal Mart. Target's demographic is a higher class of shopper (with a higher income) than those who frequent Wal Mart. I mean, c'mon, tell me you don't see a difference when shopping one place vs. another. It's rather obvious.

Okay, Camille, are you telling us that you are buying into Target's Packaging??? Cmon, who cares, Colgate is Colgate, Tide is Tide, why wouldn't you want it for a lower price??? Also, the people at Target are the exact same people I see at Walmart...AND why would I give a care (want to use a different word here) if my fellow shoppers have nice cars or fat incomes...I am there to get what I need. I wish that Target would do as much for the community as Walmart (many people can now afford the things they need thanks to Walmart).

P.S. The Walmart by my house is WAY nicer than the Target...

P.P.S. Still waiting for a Target Representative to get into this discussion and tell us what their deal is with regard to their seemingly discriminatory hiring processes...

I have read the comments on this page with some humor in my heart. I too applied for a Target affiliate position after temping there for a short period, and was told simply that I was not "Target material". Being a bit miffed at the comment, I asked what that meant, and was told to look around at the people there. Indeed, all younger, impressionable persons that would like nothing more than to tell their parents they landed a job at the infamous "Target" corporation after spending 4+ years in college. Admittedly, the persons I know that work there have commented, "Well, I won't be leaving for a while yet today, Target hasn't gotten their 12 to 15 hours out of me yet". Having heard that, I paid closer attention to others that said the same thing, and decided that I was given good advice. It didn't seem to matter that in my short tenure there I actually saved Target $50,000+, I didn't fit their mold. So, I considered it good advice given my 27 years experience and balanced life, and I would urge anyone else to consider same. Perhaps it will take some of the bitterness out of your hearts for a company where young execs are hiring other young execs because of the "Target profile", who really have no clue. Take all that well earned knowledge and experience to a place where it will be appreciated, and where you will be too.

RG in St. Paul said: Perhaps it will take some of the bitterness out of your hearts for a company where young execs are hiring other young execs because of the "Target profile", who really have no clue. QUOTE]

What that reminds me of is The Hartford Insurance Company. They went through a corporate period where they hired some young guys who decided they knew how to save the company money. They started auditing their agents and then their outside attorneys...

Eventually, they started suing their outside attorneys after the audits... they actually told us that they were coming in to audit us and we were going to give them run of our office for a full week and ALL our clients files (even if they were not Hartford cases!).

Well, other than the fact, that it is illegal for attorneys to give over client case info without permission from the insured (the insurance company IS NOT the client, the insured is), we were not going to give them assess to our office and our cases for them to mess with and then sue us. <b>So, we fired them.</B> We billed them out, notified the courts, and boxed the cases up. It hurt us seriously financially, but it was the right and ethical thing to do. They had to hire new attorneys and pay them 3x what we were billing to get the same expertise, and it cost Hartford money to allow youth and inexperience mess with their 100 year old corporate framework.

Now, the "kids" are either working in corporate Siberia or gone, but not before destroying years of trust and professional relationships both inside the company, as well as outside. It was a dismal experience for all of us. Sounds like Target is going that way, also.

rejected in Saint Paul, Minnesota said: I applied for this job. they made me take a 2 hour psych profile assessment. I interviewed with 5 different people , all who supposedly had an opening for the same type of positon. about a week later I got a phone call f

My experience was a little worse. They strung me along for about 2 months for team Lead at the DC. After many smoke and mirrors with their HR department; such as the test taking 20 min (took over an hour), and many other things. After my last interview I was told that they would make a decision. I was really banking on this job, I was sure that the interview went well. I feel that I am quite qualified for the position that I was interviewing for. I have a MA, and over 2 years of management experience. I called R. Armstrong for a week. She refused to return my phone calls. After all the time that I spent with my phone interview, taking tests, filling out paperwork, and interviewing with these people face to face all I get is an email. A form email - that said this -

"Thank you for considering employment opportunities with Target's Distribution Centers. We enjoyed having the opportunity to discuss your career interests and to tell you about our organization.

We have carefully reviewed your qualifications and interests and, at this time, it does not appear as though your skills and interests effectively match our current openings. Should an appropriate position become available in the near future, we will be back in touch with you.

We would like to extend our best wishes to you for success in your career. Again, thank you for your interest in Target.

Sincerely,

Distribution Human Resources
Target

**Please note this e-mail is being sent to you from an e-mail box that cannot receive incoming e-mail. Please do not reply. **"

Bogus is about the nicest way to put it. Completly unproffesional is a better way.

To discouraged: Perhaps by now you might have noticed that HR has the proverbial inked sword like so many other cos. It used to be that a company had the courage to speak with you in person about a rejection. As we have grown in the computer age, it is so much easier to hide behind the screen and not face uncomfortable situations. As a professor at a local private college stated recently while touring their school for my daughters, "not everything electronic has meaning". We can all take that a different way, but to me it means the person hiding behind the screen has no meaning, as most HR personnel seem to be lately. In fact, most all HR persons don't even know what the position entails they are interviewing or testing for, let alone the pitfalls that could occur if the wrong person were hired. Perhaps that is what happened in Man o Man's experience with the Hartford. I find it difficult to believe that experienced upper management wouldn't have seen something like that happening. So, to put your trust in HR is no longer a viable option people. The question now is, do we keep complaining? Or can something be done about it?

well that's not true

I don't get what the big deal is for wanting to work for Target. I work for target, for nice years now. Seriously "It's Retail" there's nothing great about working in retail. No matter what company you are working for. The benefits are fair not great, the pay is ok but for retail it matches other retailers. And unless you hope to be STL one day and have your own store. You have no future with the company. And yes there has be a change on who they are hiring for ETL positions. They want college grads at a lower pay grade who they can mold. Who do not have experience in management in retail. So apply, make 15-20 thousand less a year then the existing ETL's and hope ...

Everyone here is making Target out to be discriminatory when it is not from what I have seen. I was recently hired out of college and placed into the ETL training program. My training class consists of 5 college grads that are mixed sex and race and a 30 year old. Granted this is young, but the people training in the class before ours were all over 40. I would say that Target hires a lot of ex military types from the people I have met. And for anyone that wants to know why they were not hired I can tell you for sure that it was either you were not fun enough for their culture or you did not display good enough leadership qualities. Leadership is by far the number one thing they are looking for. Just a little FYI

Exmiltiary types huh. Kind of proves the point. IDK about leadership experience. Speaking about me personally, I have had years of leadership experience in every position that I have had. Also included years of management experience. No offense to the ex military types out there but they could very well be classified as sheep. Good at taking orders and little questioning of decisions made by upper management. That is what it all about, sheep in leader's clothes, IMO. Have a sip of that Kool-Aid for me.

R U Kidding? in Silver Spring, Maryland said: Herb in St Louis,
Your reply is funny as s***. I cant stop laughing. BUT it's kinda cruel. It's not easy finding a job. People who are on this forum are usually searching for a job. I am an out of work, high level 6 figure earning management person in her 40's. The more qualified or compensated you are, the harder it becomes to land a position. Are you in you're mid career phase of life???? Probably not. At James isnt beating himself up! But thanks for the laugh!!

it's even harder to find a job when you're in your 80's and command a 19 figure salary like me. i finally had to accept a minumum wage job as a salad taster.

Justme Andmeagain in Upland, California said: I know we can't all wait for opportunity's to reach us, but according to national age statistics-- in about 5 years the companies who refused to hire us "over 40's" types will be begging for any workers to fill their jobs because the end of the younger worker's enmasse availability ends about then. You see, about 20-30 years ago we had the Peace Generation (remember?) and many of them didn't have children, so.... in about 5 years companies like Target will really feel the pinch. It's already starting in some industries, IT is of course overcrowded with young groupies, but many other area's are already hard-hit, and need people on a constant basis. Look in your area, see where ELSE your background fits, and apply there. Don't wait for your old career field to catch up to you, find a new one!

Very bright person who wrote the above comment...kudos to you!

I've enjoyed reading your intelligent, insightful feedback and comments.
I am curious, being that you are an educated, experienced recruiter; in a sense your fingers on the pulse of the workforce to locate favorable candidates for your clients--with that insider industry insight---who, where, what companies are hiring, fully embracing and utilizing the talents and skills of 35 plus somethings that possess education, experience, good work ethic, positive attitudes, and other numerous desirable qualities?
I look forward to your insight.

To: Gina in Tampa....... I've read and reread your comment and can't figure out if you have a question, or if you are looking for insight. Who from, if either?

Sorry for the confusion. To clarify, I intended to direct this question to the recruiter, Gina in Minnesota.

To any of the so-called "HR Professionals" out there:

When you have a prospective employee's resume in front of you, what does the phrase "At Will Termination" mean to you?

Would you ever consider a prospective employee who has been terminated At Will?

An employment attorney has informed me that basically this cannot happen to me if I am a member of a "protected group." I was informed that a "protected group" consists of union workers, people of color, non-males (especially if you're pregnant), etc. So... what makes up the "unprotected group?"

To Everyone Else:

Just remember. Your employer DOES NOT have any requirement to continue to employ you no matter how good a job you may have done. No matter that you have never received even a single write-up. No matter the 10 to 12 hours a day you have given the company for the last 5 years. No matter what. At any time, your employer can decide that they want another person in your position and you have no recourse. It's called At Will Employment. You can be terminated without notice for any reason, or FOR NO REASON AT ALL. This is supposed to make things equal for the poor employer whose employees are free to leave to take another job at any time of their choosing.

The only problem I see with the whole scenario is that prospective future employers look at the employee who was "At Will-ed" as being defective. After all, who would terminate an employee who was doing a good job? Your former employer cannot, by law, say anything bad about you to prospective employers. By doing an At Will termination, your employer is saying you were not an acceptable employee without have to open themselves up to litigation. It also gives them the opportunity to rid themselves of an employee who may be 50 years old or over and is making a decent salary. They can now bring in someone much younger who will do the same job for half your salary, again without opening themselves up to litigation that would surely be forthcoming.

To OhLOL: you are so right on in your comment!!!!

Of course you will notice that no "HR Professional" will admit that no prospective employer will see him as anything else than an undesireable prospective employee. So now he has to find another field to take up after over 15 years.

I guess I have been naive. I always assumed that if I did a good job and didn't get in trouble with my boss, I could continue to be employed. I never thought that my employer could fire me after 5 years of employment for no reason at all thus implying that I was a bad employee and making it impossible for me to continue working in my chosen field!

Sounds whiney, doesn't it? But there it is. No write-ups. No "talking to's". No excessive absences. In fact, no absences at all that weren't scheduled vacation days. Also, when others in his department couldn't be reached on the days they were on call, his employer called him because they knew they could always reach him! Of course no prospective employer will ever know about these facts. His former employer refuses to give any reference that is not in writing and accompanied by $35.00.

It's been a year and a half.

WOW! I was looking for information on Target and boy did I ever find it! Does anyone have anything positive to say about them? I was contacted by a rep. last week who found my resume online and arranged a phone interview for me next Tuesday. I have no idea what to expect in this conversation.

P.S I apologize for bringing this matter to everyone's attention once again. Please forgive me, I just joined today.