As part of the internal job advancement process, I was identified as a "high" potential manager. I was partnered with mentors and participated in manager development training. After great performance in the stores I worked in, I was selected to interview for store manager positions slated for the future. The interview process involved a "round robin" session involving 3 sets of panel interviewers in one day. After 48 hours our so, I received feedback that I "passed" the round robin and now need to interview at the regional level which consisted of another set of panel interviews. I traveled over 500 miles to the regional interviews about a month later. I passed the interviews and was set up to meet with the VP of the region and other peers. After meeting with the VP and his team, I passed the whole process and was "benched" until a store manager position came open. Now there were several others who shared the "bench" with me . Therefore, depending on the need, developmental strategy, and senority on the "bench", several benchees were waiting for a store. The placement process was lengthened due to economic changes that drove sales down. Therefore, new stores scheduled to be built were post-poned or discontinued. This caused anticipated positions to be stretched out over 4 years. Perceptions: Target is a great developmental organization for managers. However, the perceived viewpoint is that promotions are made to those who "look" pretty or handsome and don't have over 10 years of work experience. Many of the recruited ETL's are straight out of college and are given a chance to manage a process in the store to prove their potential. This is great only if they understand how to deal with adversity and failure.