Pre-Screen Interviews

DUN DUN DUN!!!! Today’s the day! Woke up this morning feeling very excited- and very nervous! I did my hair and make-up, packed my bag- making sure not to forget any important paper work like my CV- got dressed and called a taxi to take me to the station. Although I could have gotten the bus- or even walked- I wanted everything to day to be as smooth and carefree as possible, even if it meant paying a few quid more here and there. I travelled in comfortable clothes as it was a good couple of hours to get to London from Sheffield, where I go to Uni. I had a pre-booked train and my friend who’s from London lent me her Oyster Card to use once I was down there- luckily I’d visited her a few times in the past so I had a good idea of how to get around on the tube station! Journey itself was fine- nothing went wrong and so I arrived at Waterloo tube station with plenty of time. After just a few minutes walk I found the Pizza Express I would be meeting the other interviewees at- which happened to be literally next door to the restaurant where the interviews were held! There were a few girls nervously waiting outside, so I approached them and was relieved to find they were here for Disney also!  Within 10 minutes there must have been about 20 of us- so when we went in to sit down the waiter nearly had a heart attack!

Most of us were too nervous to eat, so we just had chips or a drink (I love chips, but don’t recommend the Pizza Express ones!). Talking to everyone really calmed me down- I’d woken up earlier than my flatmates and so had’t really spoken properly to anyone all day so it was really nice. Got my voice box working again at least! Conversation flowed quite easily, and I couldn’t help but look around and think wow I could be working with these people in a year! There was a real mix of people, from ages 18-late 20’s (I think) and people that had applied 5 times (wow!) to people who were applying for the first time, like me.Then I did a sneaky change into my smart clothes in the toilet- at least they were nice ones. About 12 we saw a massive group of people in suits leaves the Restaurant- obviously they had had the morning interview slots. From talking to people we reasoned that those who had furthest to travel were given the later slot to give us time to travel down- which was cool as if I had the 9 o clock slot I would have had to travel down the night before and pay for a hotel.

We headed into next door at about 1:45 and saw probably another 15 people, who probably hadn’t contacted people before hand and arrived on their own. I got chatting to a few of them, before heading into the back room. We met the Yummy Jobs team, who were so so friendly, and they gave us a presentation about the programme which lasted about an hour. I knew most of it anyway because of all the research I’d done, but it still got me pumped up and I just wanted to go even more- the energy in the room was so high as everyone was obviously feeling exactly the same! Before I arrived I felt like my pure enthusiasm for the job could get me through, but seeing so many other people who felt the same put things in perspective that I am not the only Disney nut in the world! We then got told what times and who with our group interview would be- I was to be interviewed at 2 ( so straight after the presentation ) with Louise. I really liked Louise so I was happy with this, though initially I wanted a later time in order to prepare. In retrospect though it was best to go earlier for me as I was so pumped from the presentation it helped me get my enthusiasm across!

So as to the interview itself for those who would like some tips. There was a group of 7 of us, all girls (there certainly seem more girls involved with Disney than boys). We sat in a sort of semi-circle across from Louise, and she collected out CVs, and we had a piece of paper attached to our CVs where she made a few ( and I mean only a few) notes. Now, other blogs will say this and you may not believe them, but trust me the interview bloody flies past! It lasts for between 45 minutes and an hour but feels like about 15. Seriously, although there were questions, there was no set order in which to answer, so answers or comments were flying across, and everyone would respond to another’s answer. It really did feel like a chat or a conversation. Louise was great in making sure everyone had chance to answer, and no-one always spoke last or first. I’ll try and remember the questions we were asked, and also ones other people were asked:

• Why do you want to work for Disney? (Because it’s amazing- duh!)
• How could you contribute to the Company?
• Why should Disney employ you?
• How would you deal with a difficult customer (wanted to say clip them round the ears, but thought it may be inappropriate…)
• What sort of things would you like to do in America other than Disney?
• What motivates you?
• 3 words to describe yourself
• What would yo tell a customer about the UK and/or your home city?
• What Disney character would you say you were most like?
• Do you have any tattoos and/or piercings?
• Why the CRP experience?
• What’s your availability for the programme?
• How would you deal living away from home/with other nationalities?

So this may look like a lot, but only a few will be asked because it will be a discussion after each one, not a one word answer from each interviewee. The questions may also be worded differently. I would really advise people to only prepare rough answers and basics- don’t come with ready formed ones because they need to be fluid to adapt to different questions. But possibly more important than the actual answers is the way you present yourself- smile, be interested ( ‘be’ not ‘act’) listen to everyone and respond to show that you can build friendly relationships quickly. I really believe they look for personality more than experience, so be enthusiastic and there’s a good chance you’ll get through. May sound silly, but practice handshaking so you don’t crush the other’s hand through nerves, and if you can give a few seconds break after the question has been asked and take a deep breath to make sure you keep your mind in order and don’t jumble out the words.

The item that I decided on taking in the end was an anthology of Shakespeare which contains his sonnets, other love poems and the most Romantic scenes from his plays. Stratford, where Shakespeare was born, is not very far from where I live and counts as the Midlands so I feel I can lay some sort of claim! The book itself is beautiful because it’s bound in a lovely red silk, and I talked about how it’s relevant to me being and English Literature student. There was quite a range of items- another girl was from Birmingham and bought Cadburys- I had nearly done that and was so glad I hadn’t- and some ornaments of castles and things.

I guessed that probably one in three of us would get through to the next round as that makes sense in terms of cutting down the numbers, so during the interview I closely watched everyone, but I really couldn’t see who would go as everyone seemed so strong- which worried me! Half way through I became concerned that I was appearing to quiet- I was terrified of talking over people as it’s a bad habit of mine when I’m excited- so half way through I upped the ante and tried to smile and laugh a bit more.

The only awkward moment was when we were asked which Disney characters we would be. I had already prepared mine and hoped to god no-one else had the same one- the idea is to stand out and with that in mind I had chosen Grandmother Willow. She’s the calming, philosophical influence in Pocahontas and likes to try and look after everyone, but she’s also a bit silly and jokey which is quite like me! I specifically chose to not say a Princess because I thought they would be common- and this was the case ( especially when I spoke to people afterwards). Three (yes- three out of seven) In our group had the same character- they chose Ariel. When the first girl said Ariel the girl next to her looked visibly annoyed and uncomfortable. When she reasoned why this was her character, it was exactly the same reason as the first one- so it started to sound very scripted, same with the girl two seats down. It was such a shame as you could see all three were a bit panicked afterwards- in such a strong room I think everyone felt that the smallest mistake could mean them not getting through- and I understood that!

And all of a sudden BAM! the interview was over! We thanked Louise and walked out- I felt happy with my performance but I honestly knew that in such a strong room I may not compare, so left with mixed feelings. Went out for a drink with a group of the other candidates as I had a little while before my train was due to take me home, meeting even more of the others. I didn’t really stick with anyone through the day, just drifted between different people which was nice. I ended up grabbing a McDonalds with a few other people at the station. I was worried about getting too friendly and then them getting through and me not, even though I couldn’t help but get attached to some people even in the short space of time. I know its unrealistic, but there were so many people there I wanted to get through. Will just have to wait and see now!

Fingers Crossed!

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Pre- Screen Interviews preparation, and application forms

Applications on the Yummy Jobs Website closed on 8th February, and for this last week I’ve been a bit of a wreck. I had no idea how long it would take for Yummy Jobs to get back to us- 1 day? 5? 2 weeks? I wasn’t even sure that they email if you get a no or just leave it. So not a comfortable week!

After the initial applications you may get invited to a pre-screen interview, where Yummy Job employees interview you in groups. This is to get an idea of your personality, if you suit Disney, and to see how you interact with other people being interviewed. From reading other blogs I got the idea that they aren’t looking for highly qualified people- just people who are happy friendly and can interact well with others.

I was sitting in the living room on Fridaywith my flatmates watching TV and waiting for my friend Emma from home to come up as she was visiting me for the weekend. Being  a Friday late afternoon I figured I definitely wouldn’t be hearing anything back until the Monday so was starting to relax. And then at half 4 my phone buzzed with an email- I had got through to the pre-screen! YES! 

They’ve asked us to bring along to the interview, other than the normal sort of paperwork, “One item that you feel authentically represents the United Kingdom or your home town.” On all the other blogs I had read I had never heard of this. So I’ve been thinking and thinking about what to bring- but I’m still not sure!

Now that I’ve gotten through the first stage, I’ll let you guys know what I did on my application form that got me through- hopefully it’ll do the same for if you apply. My CV was 2 pages long- nothing longer than that. I made the layout very clear, and every section was in a blue box, which added colour, and made the sections clear. The boxes were : Contact Details, Qualifications, Employment, Achievements and Skills, with each header being in a bold blue. This colour scheme and layout, along with a small head shot of me smiling, made the CV look a little friendly, but still clear, concise and professional.

I kept everything succinct- don’t ramble-, and only talked about stuff I’d done since the end of college. I remember my teachers in years 9-11 banging on to do work experience to put on your CV, but that experience should have gone to getting experience immediately after school, and so is no longer relevant. Three quarters of my last page were “Achievements and Skills” where I listed everything that I couldn’t put under grades or employment. So, university societies, other skills and qualification, work experiences that don’t quite fir into employment, a little on stuff you do for fun. I mentioned my time abroad in Vietnam- both the living/social side and the working side. The job is to work within the context of culture remember, so try and mention any sort of international experience.

So today my Dad came up to visit me and take me shopping for my interview outfit. I want to look smart, but not overly- I don’t know how Dad coped with me all day discarding nearly everything he suggested! I eventually picked a dress from Next- grey with a high scoop neck, tight down to the hips and then it flowed out a little bit like Alice’s dress in Alice in Wonderland. Got some new tights, a blazer from Dorothy Perkins and some patent heels with a little bow on the front.

Remember that this is Disney, and so everything needs to be pretty wholesome looking. Ill-fitting stuff, or low necked or short skirts for ladies really wouldn’t suit. Disney want wholesome looking people working for them, so remember to dress this way- this also includes hair and make-up. Nothing too colourful or OTT!

I plan to spend this week preparing as much as I can- walking around in my heels, practising my hair and make up- probably  light curls in my hair and pretty nude make-up, and clear nail varnish. I’ve already been over loads of blogs looking for advice, and became really worried I was going to over prepare- or would under prepare??? I Don’t want to appear unnatural but I don’t want to flounder at the questions either! I googled Walt Disney World International Programmes Forum, and signed up which allowed me to connect to others who were applying. I would highly recommend this. Even though you are all after a job, it’s not only for one person at a time- a group of you will get it- and so everyone wants to be friends and help. One girl had highlighted already on the group that it wasn’t a good idea to wear a sleeveless dress- which mine was- so I quickly added a black shirt to wear under my dress. Talking to them is already calming me down. I was added into the facebook group and arrange to meet with them at the Pizza Express near Waterloo station- near where our interview would be- for lunch. I have booked my train tickets, informed my lecturers I won’t be around, google mapped the area and practised and researched possible questions. I was going to try and keep this interview quiet- I knew of a few people who didn’t get a job after they’d told people about the interview and it was usually a bit awkward, but I still can’t help telling everyone I meet! I’m just so excited! Pressure is on to do well.

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