The short answer: Target publishes its own interview guide, and the five sample questions in it tell you what it is assessing: job knowledge, inclusivity, problem-solving, connection and drive. Depending on the role and location, you may interview by phone or video, in person, or through a recorded video interview. Prepare one true story for each of the five, practice saying them out loud, and answer in your own words: Target’s guide says candidates must respond “without reliance on external AI-generated assistance.”
How Target hires in 2026
Target describes its process on its careers site:
- Apply online. Every application goes through Target’s Workday system. You can type your details, upload a resume, reuse a previous Target application or autofill from LinkedIn. Some applications also ask for your availability or a short job-related assessment.
- Recruiting. Target’s recruiting team reviews applications and may contact you, or you may simply receive emails.
- Interviewing. Target uses “a variety of interviewing methods” depending on the role and location: phone and virtual interviews, in-person interviews, and recorded video interviews. You may have more than one.
- Offer and onboarding. Offers arrive through Workday or, in some cases, from a recruiter by phone and email. Onboarding continues through Target Welcome, its orientation.
If you get a recorded video interview
Some parts of Target use a recorded video system, and Target’s own page explains how it works:
- You receive an email from “Target Careers” with a link to practice and start when you’re ready.
- A practice question lets you watch your answer and adjust. Target “highly recommend[s]” doing it.
- If you don’t like a recording, you can re-record: “Target will only see the final recording that you submit.”
- Plan for about 30 minutes in total. Watch the introduction video all the way through, because you can’t replay it.
- A recruiter or hiring manager reviews your videos and gets back to you “within five business days.”
Target’s recorded interviews run on HireVue. Our one-way video interview guide covers how to prepare for that format.
The five questions Target publishes, and how to answer them
Target’s interview guide lists five sample questions and names what each one assesses. The questions you get may be worded differently, but these five competencies are the map. For each one below: what it’s assessing, an example answer and the mistake to avoid. The examples are illustrations, not quotes from real candidates.
Use the STAR structure for the stories: Situation, Task, Action, Result. Target’s guide suggests aiming for about five minutes per question in a live interview; in a recorded interview, watch the timer instead.
1. “Talk to us about your background, prior work, training or other experiences that have prepared you for this job.”
Target says it’s assessing: job knowledge.
Example (team member): “I’ve worked two years at a grocery store, first bagging and then on the register. I learned to keep a line moving while still being friendly, to handle returns without making the guest feel like a problem, and to restock fast before the morning rush. I’m applying here because I want more variety: working the floor, helping guests find things, and learning how a bigger store runs.”
Avoid: listing jobs without connecting them to this role. End every background answer with why it fits the job you applied for.
2. “Describe how you work with people who think differently than you do.”
Target says it’s assessing: inclusivity.
Example: “On a group project in college, one teammate wanted to plan everything in detail and another wanted to just start. I suggested we spend one meeting agreeing on the plan and then split the work so each of them led the part that suited them. We finished early, and both said they liked working that way.”
Avoid: “I get along with everyone.” Show one real moment where you listened to a different view and it made the result better.
3. “Describe a time you were confronted with a problem and had to help find a solution.”
Target says it’s assessing: problem-solving.
Example: “At the grocery store, the self-checkouts kept freezing on Saturday mornings, and the lines backed up. I noticed it happened when too many coupon scans came in at once, so I started directing coupon guests to my register. My manager asked me to write it down for the other cashiers, and the Saturday lines got shorter.”
Avoid: a problem someone else solved. Say clearly what you noticed and did.
4. “Describe how you partner and communicate with others to create strong working relationships.”
Target says it’s assessing: connection.
Example: “When I started, I made a point of learning everyone’s name and asking the closing crew what they needed from the opening crew. It sounds small, but it meant fewer surprises in the morning, and people started asking me to cover shifts because they knew I’d follow through.”
Avoid: describing yourself as “a people person” without an example.
5. “Describe how you make sure your work is impactful or successful.”
Target says it’s assessing: drive.
Example: “I set myself a small goal each shift. On the register it was speed and accuracy: I tracked my voids each week and got them to almost zero in a month. For me success means the guest leaves happy and my manager never has to fix what I did.”
Avoid: vague ambition (“I always give 110%”). Give a goal, what you did and the result.
Other questions Target candidates prepare for
Target’s five are the core, but candidates also commonly prepare for these:
- “Why do you want to work at Target?” Connect it to the work: helping guests, a busy store, the chance to learn different areas.
- “How would you help a guest who can’t find what they need?” Walk them there if you can, check stock if it isn’t on the shelf, and offer an alternative. Target calls its customers “guests”; using the word naturally shows you did your homework.
- “What would you do if you saw a coworker being rude to a guest?” Help the guest first, then raise it with the team lead privately.
- “What is your availability?” Be exact, including evenings, weekends and seasonal peaks.
Tips that make the difference
- Prepare five stories, one per competency. Job knowledge, inclusivity, problem-solving, connection and drive. Most questions can be answered with one of them.
- Read the job description before the interview and use its words when they’re true of you. Target’s own guide says to “get familiar” with it.
- Prepare questions for them. Target’s guide reminds you that “you’re interviewing us as much as we are interviewing you.”
- For a recorded interview, do the practice question. Check your camera, light and sound, and look at the camera, not at yourself on screen.
- Answer in your own words. Target’s policy is explicit about not relying on AI-generated assistance during the interview. Practicing beforehand is how you make the answer yours.
Applying to other retail and restaurant jobs too? See our guides to the Starbucks interview and the McDonald’s interview.
Practice your Target interview out loud
More company guides: Walmart, Starbucks, McDonald’s and all company interview guides.
Frequently asked questions
What questions does Target ask in an interview?
Does Target use recorded video interviews?
How long should my answers be?
Can I use AI during a Target interview?
How do I apply to Target?
What is Target's hiring process?
Sources
- Target, Our Hiring Process: applying, interview formats, offer and onboarding. Read on 29 September 2026.
- Target, Interview Guide and Tips: the five sample questions, timing and the policy on AI in interviews. Read on 29 September 2026.
- Target, Recorded Video Interviews: practice, re-recording, timing and next steps. Read on 29 September 2026.
Target is a trademark of Target Brands, Inc. Huru is not affiliated with or endorsed by Target.
