So after submitting my application online on the 18th July 2016, a month later, on the 17th August around 3.30pm I received this amazing email.
The email is pretty explanatory but basically congratulated me and provided me with strict and specific instructions for my given interview date and time, provided me with the address and told me I should bring:
- a copy of an up to date CV
- a passport style photo
- a copy of your passport page
Again, I wanted to stick to the Disney Look, so used this photo for my 'passport style photo':
The interviews usually span over a week and this year, people were told the news in order of their given interview day. So i was in the first batch to find out, and given a Monday interview, where Thursday interviews found out on the fourth batch of emails. There are two sets of interviews in one day, one at 9.15am and one at 2.15pm. I was given the 2.15pm interview so travelled down on the morning and then back on the evening. Be prepared to travel as for the past few years, all of the pre screen interviews have taken place at Yummy Jobs office in Epping, Essex, whereas in previous years they've travelled around the country to Scotland etc..
It does say on this email that the event would be done by 6.30pm but my interview went over and we didn't leave until past 7pm so I'd definitely recommend booking flexible travel options, there's plenty to do in London if you have spare time but you don't want to have to rush away to catch a train!
When I arrived in Epping I arranged to meet some of the other applicants (via the Facebook page, someone will make one for applicants and this makes interviews less stressful and you could end up going to America with these people so get to know everyone!), we met in Costa and there was 30+ of us sitting chatting about Disney which put me at ease, I also met an alumni (someone who has previously completed the program) who gave us tons of advice which was lovely! We then headed over to the office, its kinda hard to find, it's literally just a door between HSBC and The Art (i think), opposite the road from Starbucks and Costa. But Epping is super small and Google Maps is your best friend!
To get there, I got the train from Durham to Kings Cross, then the Piccadilly Line to Holborn Station where I switched lines to Central Line to Epping. It took around an hour from Kings Cross.
Once inside, Yummy Jobs bring you up some stairs to a quite a small little office which has Disney graduation hats everywhere and the castle on the wall, they also play Disney music and at this point everyone is just freaking out and you're so happy at the thought of going, all nerves disappear!
YJ then give about an hour long presentation about the program, show you some pics, hand out information sheets and tell you all about housing, program fees, travel, roles etc..
We were then given a list of the roles: Attractions, Merchandise, Character Performer, Character Attendant, Full Service Food & Beverage, Quick Service Food & Beverage, Lifeguard, Custodial, Recreation and Costuming and were told to tick the ones we'd be interested in. My advice is to just tick ALL of them, even custodial (which is basically cleaning). At this point it doesn't mean much as your official list is done online when you're offered a final interview, at this point they just want to see you're flexible and really passionate about working for the company no matter what role you get. At the end of the day, even if you get a job cleaning. You're cleaning WALT DISNEY WORLD!
On arrival you're also given a little sticker with a team name and an interview slot. I was given Team Dumbo! So you and another 5-8ish people are in the same team and can either chill in the office or go and wander the small town of epping. My interview was 4.30pm so we just sat around for an hour and got to know each other! Luckily, it was the Macmillan Cancer Coffee Morning so there were lots of tasty Disney treats to tuck into whilst we waited- and for a good cause too!
There are 3 Yummy Jobs interviewers: Adam, Luke and Anna, who are all LOVELY which puts you at ease immediately! They've all done the program before and now work for recruitment so they've been in the same shoes which is really comforting too! The 3 interviewers split up and you are allocated to one of them, we got Anna and she was such a darling! When it was our turn we were called in, my group was me and 5 other girls who were all really lovely so it was nice to bounce off each other! I was really lucky because all of the girls in my group were quite quiet so no one overshadowed each other or talked too much, everyone was given space to speak, which was perfect for me because my biggest worry was my nervous and anxious personality coming across really badly!
I really struggle remembering the interview which is really bad but this is what I can remember:
We were all sat in a semi circle with Anna sat opposite behind a desk. She firstly made us speak to the person next to us, find out their name, where they go to uni, an interesting fact about the person, and their favourite Disney memory. Then you had to feedback to the group about what you learnt about the person! My interesting fact was that my little pinky finger is permanently bent for no reason, and doesn't straighten, and the girl next to me also had a funny problem with her thumb! So don't worry about the interesting fact being anything intense or serious, it's Disney so show little quirky character things like that!
Then, Anna went around the room and asked us all individually if we had any tattoos or piercings (be honest. you are allowed them in Disney, but they need to know so that your costume can cover them!) and asked us why we wanted to do the program. Before my interview I jotted down bullet points in a notebook, on things I really wanted to remember to say! I quickly looked at this before my interview but basically again, like the online application, really focused on the cultural aspects of the program as well as the fact that I'm a film and media student, and Disney is the biggest entertainment company in the world, so it links to my area of study and career!
Then as a group, we were asked:
- How would you deal with living in dorms/what would we do if we had a messy room mate?
For this question I spoke about past experience living away for university and just said I would approach the problem in a friendly way, maybe have a cleaning rota. Someone else suggested having a cleaning day with Disney Music to make it more fun etc..
- What is your top role choice and why?
My top role choice was attractions so I spoke about how it would be the most interactive role, speaking with guest after guest, and also about how safety was important to me as I'm quite a scaredy cat on rides haha!
- How would we deal with the job being the same day in, day out?
To deal with the job being repetitive, I said I would just take a moment to look around me and remind myself of how lucky I was to have the chance to be working for Disney and that would keep my spirits high and make sure I was giving 110% 24/7 no matter how tired I was, and said there was plenty of time to sulk when I was home!
- Scenarios- If you were a lifeguard monitoring a pool and a guest was asking for your attention but your training had strict rules about watching the water at all times, what would you do?
This question threw me off a little but I had a spark of genius and remembered seeing a lifeguard at Typhoon Lagoon with a walkie talkie so explained how I would explain to the guest that I couldn't leave my post, that I wasn't being rude but guests safety was my top priority and that I would use my walkie talkie to ask someone to give the lady assistance so I could stay at my post!
- Which Disney Character would you compare yourself to and why?
For this I said Baymax. Panicked. Then blurted 'I mean, I hope I don't bare any resemblance to him!', which thankfully made everyone laugh, then explained that i meant how he's friendly and loves to look after everyone and make sure everyone is happy and healthy 24/7 just like me!
I spoke to some other girls from other groups and they were asked things like:
I spoke to some other girls from other groups and they were asked things like:
- What aspect of housing are you most looking forward to?
- How to deal with a roommate if there was a language barrier?
- How would you cope with the heat?
- What are your nicknames at work?
- How would your fellow colleagues describe you in 3 words?
- A scenario question on what to do if a ride breaks down
And I think that was pretty much it! I thanked Anna for her time as I left and we were on our way!
My biggest piece of advice is just to smile! Really listen to other peoples answers and seem interested in what they're saying, they want to know you can work with others not just for yourself! Let others speak but don't stay too quiet. Just be yourself and everything will go fine!
Dress Code
The Dress Code for this interview is business casual, most of the guys wore suits and girls just nice dresses, skirts and some in smart trousers. This is what I wore:
In hindsight I probably should have worn a longer skirt/skort but thankfully it didn't effect anything!
Here are some photos from the day!
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| Yep, this is the car I saw on the way to my interview, 'WDW' in the reg plate. It was fate from the start! |
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| The lovely gals I met, 2 of which are also coming to Florida next summer, congratulations girls! and i'm so sorry Leah, I'm still heartbroken for you and wishing you were joining us :( |
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