Rejected from Target.... now what?

[GreyFox2002]

I'm graduating in May. I consider myself an excellent candidate: internship experience, very high gpa, extracurricular/leadership activities on my resume, years of previous experience of working with the public. I had a phone interview and two face-to-face interviews that I thought went very well, and I was told I did a great job on their online assessment. Yet I got rejected anyways.....

Is this common? Is Target typically much more difficult to get hired then other corporations? Anyone have an idea the applicant to hire ratio? Should I be discouraged? The market I'm in is pretty saturated but I told them I was flexible with regards to relocation.

Also, I was quite surprised regarding: A. the fact that I was never interviewed by a pharmacist. I'm not ignorant in that individuals from different backgrounds, particularly business backgrounds, I'll have to deal with if I work retail B: The amount of situational questions I received. I felt it was almost overkill, and these questions are extremely difficult to respond too. They are also rather difficult for a graduating pharmacist, aka a lifelong student, to respond to regarding areas of leadership/coaching/your role as a supervisor. How is anything I cite going to compare to someone who has been practicing in the field for 10 + years?

I feel that new pharmacy graduates are at a serious disadvantage. I'm lucky to even have gotten interviews. I know students who haven't even heard a thing from a recruiting stand point? What are we going to do if we graduate and we get no offer? How in the world do we pay back > $80,000 in student loans? Oh and by the way, I do attend a very competitive school with a great reputation, if it matters.

Thanks for your input

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[DRxUGS]

All you can do is move on.

Target was my top choice, and given my 6.5 year (non-pharmacy) work history with them, I thought that would give me an edge. Maybe it did to a certain point, but it didn't work out for me.

Getting rejected made me re-evaluate what I did/didn't want in a job and I'm glad to say I've already accepted a job offer from a hospital that I had rotations at.

 

[pharmkj]

I'm graduating in May. I consider myself an excellent candidate: internship experience, very high gpa, extracurricular/leadership activities on my resume, years of previous experience of working with the public. I had a phone interview and two face-to-face interviews that I thought went very well, and I was told I did a great job on their online assessment. Yet I got rejected anyways.....

Is this common? Is Target typically much more difficult to get hired then other corporations? Anyone have an idea the applicant to hire ratio? Should I be discouraged? The market I'm in is pretty saturated but I told them I was flexible with regards to relocation.

Also, I was quite surprised regarding: A. the fact that I was never interviewed by a pharmacist. I'm not ignorant in that individuals from different backgrounds, particularly business backgrounds, I'll have to deal with if I work retail B: The amount of situational questions I received. I felt it was almost overkill, and these questions are extremely difficult to respond too. They are also rather difficult for a graduating pharmacist, aka a lifelong student, to respond to regarding areas of leadership/coaching/your role as a supervisor. How is anything I cite going to compare to someone who has been practicing in the field for 10 + years?

I feel that new pharmacy graduates are at a serious disadvantage. I'm lucky to even have gotten interviews. I know students who haven't even heard a thing from a recruiting stand point? What are we going to do if we graduate and we get no offer? How in the world do we pay back > $80,000 in student loans? Oh and by the way, I do attend a very competitive school with a great reputation, if it matters.

Thanks for your input

Actually Target is pretty infamous for stringing people along as LONG AS POSSIBLE. I originally interned at CVS as a student and told myself I wouldnt work for them as a pharmacist.. So I instead applied to Target during rotations.

Like you I had a phone interview, and then my first face to face was with a front store and regional manager. I then did the online assessment, and then had another interview with a different manager and a pharmacist, and they told me that I would probably get Store XXX blah blah blah... Then 1 week (almost into two weeks) later I get a call saying they will be going in a different direction. I knew they string people along, yet I went and traveled to interview with them...

My offer with CVS was long gone by the time I got rejected by Target.. and after passing the boards I waited and hoped a position would open up at CVS ... it never happened even though I knew and had a good relationship with the regional manager and recruiter, the best they could offer me was part time (but really it would be a per diem). I applied to every retail chain in my state... and no luck.. Thank god I did score transfer.. so now I moved out of state and am working for CVS in a highly desired area for that state so Im happy Im not out in the middle of nowhere...
I found it harder to get a job as a graduate because alot of the company's recruiters were more focused and more willing to help students who were still in school... If anything try you to get a job before graduation ...