Do You Wanna Do A Phone Interview?

So I had my phone interview today for the Fall 2016 DCP! It was bright and early at 8:15am my time. Kathy called me about 5 minutes late, which was totally fine, and it lasted about 30 minutes, maybe a hair more. I think overall, it went well!

We opened the interview with some general housekeeping questions, like verifying I had a valid U.S. driver's license, and making sure whether or not I was an international student in the U.S. on a visa. We also reviewed the Disney Look, so I talked about having some earrings and a nose piercing, but that I would take them out on stage like I did on my last program. I also told her about my tattoo and how big it was. Since it would be covered by almost every costume, it should be fine!

Then we moved on to talking about my last program. She asked me a lot of questions about my experience overall, and some role specific questions about merchandise and attractions. I think I'll put a list of questions I had at the end. She did not ask me any scenario-type questions, but that's not necessarily a bad thing for me, just different! I think most of my phone interviews before have involved at least one.

She mentioned that since I had put interest in a lot of roles, she may not mention them by name, but I would still be considered for them, and the answers I had might apply to other roles as well. She asked me about Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique and PhotoPass which was a little unexpected. She then asked a few questions about Vacation Planner and my sales experience. Since I worked as a Group Sales Intern during my baseball internship, we had a lot to talk about! She went pretty in depth with this role, because she said she's had people show a lot of interest in this role, and when they start, they don't realize how sales-heavy it is. Having a number/target to reach is not for everyone, and she wanted to drive home certain points about the role to make sure I understood what it involved.

At the end, she asked if I had to choose, would I rather work in a park or a resort. I said a park, since I loved picking up shifts in the parks doing merchandise, and I really liked working in a park at Thunder Mountain. The environment is so different than at a resort!

I asked two questions at the end. I asked her which classes she recommended for networking, and then I asked to make a location request. I asked if I were offered a role that could work in a park, I would love to work at Hollywood Studios, preferably near Sunset Blvd.

So, at the end, she told me the basics. Check my dashboard twice a week to make sure I don't miss anything. Once she passed on her notes, she said it could take until mid-April to hear back, but that's the last day. Most people will be hearing back before then, in February and March.

So, fingers crossed I get to go back home! Now, all I can do is wait.

'Til next time!



Questions:
Do you understand the Disney Look/are you willing to follow it?
Do you prefer a fast pace or slow pace?
Do you prefer working outdoors or indoors? (She asked me a variation of this, asking if I preferred working outdoors in attractions or indoors at a resort)
She asked if I was comfortable speaking any other languages? Would I be willing to take a test?
What was my favorite responsibility in my past work experience, overall?
What was the toughest responsibility in my past work experience, overall?
How would I handle multiple responsibilities, such as helping a guest, another guest approaches with a question, and a leader is calling for me on a walkie?
She asked me to tell her about my living situation on my first program? This was a very broad question.
How did you handle conflicts with your roommates?
Did you ever handle an emergency situation while working at Thunder? How did you handle it?
Why do you want to come back to Disney?
How do you feel about being trained on computer systems, ticketing systems, or even reservation systems?
Are you comfortable handling large amounts of money and achieving sales goals?
How do you work while under pressure?
Do you have any experience using DSLR cameras?
Do you have any experience doing hair styling?
Are you comfortable lifting heavy items as part of your job responsibilities?
Which 3 roles do you feel you are most qualified for?
If you had the choice, would you rather work at a park or a resort?

The Phone Interview... Dun Dun Dun

So I had my phone interview yesterday! I'll preface this by saying this season seems to be a lot different than previous seasons.

My interview lasted about 29 minutes which is only a few minutes longer than Michelle, my interviewer, said it would take. She asked the basic questions, such as Spring or Spring Advantage, confirming my information, etc. Then we got into the meat of the interview.

We discussed how I would feel living with people in an apartment, far from home. We talked about the Disney Look, if I had a valid driver's license, what was my favorite job I've had, and a few other smaller questions.

The big differences were that while I was asked this question, many people have not been asked why they want to do the College Program. I found this interesting, but it seems they're changing a bit of their interview process.

Also, instead of asking which roles are in my Top 3, which I was most interested in for example, she asked which 2 roles I felt I was most qualified for. Hopefully this works in my favor, because I really do feel I'm qualified for a lot of roles, especially merchandise, which was one of the 2 I mentioned.

She asked me a lot of questions about different roles, everything from attractions and vacation planner which were high interest, to lifeguard and character performer, which were moderate and low. She also asked me about guest interaction and how I felt about it fitting into a role.

The biggest change, and we'll see how this ends up panning out, was when Michelle told me that they would be making the majority of hiring decisions in late October. OCTOBER. I guess it's not a huge deal because when apps would drop the first week of September, a lot of people would find out in October, but since they dropped 2 weeks earlier, I hope we don't have to wait that long!

And it looks like it's a possibility that this might take "pending" status out of the equation. We may not get any communication from Disney about this until October. Below is a screenshot of the "Thank you for Interviewing" e-mail I received late last night.

I will be going to WDW in mid-October so I would love absolutely nothing more than to know if I was accepted before I got there. Hopefully I can keep my mind off this within reason until then! I know I have a few ideas for blog posts so I'll still update!

'Til next time!