Internship profile: Honors College student gets hands-on management experience at Target


This story is part of an occasional series that looks to highlight the benefits students derive from doing internships. FIU students are encouraged to seek out internships by working with FIU Career Services, professors and mentors who can assist in identifying these opportunities. Read more internship profiles here.

Jonathan Ricci at Nation Night Out Hollywood community event during his internship at Target.

Jonathan Ricci at Nation Night Out Hollywood community event during his internship at Target.

Jonathan Ricci, 21, a senior in The Honors College, landed a full-time job with Target before graduation thanks to a summer internship with the retailer. Ricci found out about Target’s competitive, paid internship program through the Professional Development Honors Hour from The Honors College. Shortly thereafter, he was accepted as an intern for the Target store in Hollywood, FL. Today, he is the FIU Campus Liaison in the HR – Talent Acquisition department where he is charged with hiring interns and executive team leaders for Target in South Florida.

Last year Target hired more than 1,300 interns nationally, paying them from $14.50 to $17.50 an hour for 40 hours a week. Target’s internship touts Target’s “Fast, Fun, and Friendly” corporate culture while focusing on developing interns’ leadership skills. As part of his internship, Ricci was paired with a mentor.

“With my mentor by my side, I was given the responsibility to make decisions, lead ‘team huddles’, and manage a team,” Ricci said.

His favorite part about the internship was being hands-on and behind the scenes at a $42 million Target store and seeing what goes into making the well-oiled machine work. The toughest part of his internship, he said, was learning to manage a diverse team while maintaining a resilient yet adaptable leadership style.

When his internship drew to a close, he was offered the full-time position. Now, on most days, you can find him at MMC recruiting for Target.

Target currently has internship and executive team leader openings in the South Florida area. Interested students or recent FIU graduates (who graduated two years ago or less) can contact Ricci at jonathan.ricci@target.com.

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