Applying for a Job at DL

[Nicole220]

Hi! :wave: I'm 17 and am looking to get a job at Disneyland starting this summer, and I have a few questions.

1- If I wanted to start working in the summer, when would be a good time to apply? My dad says I should go in next week because they will be getting a lot of people applying for summer, but I don't know...:shrug:
2- What can I expect during the group interview? I know a smile is huge, but are there any specific/big questions I should be prepared for?

This will hopefully be my first job, and I've never been in an interview except for my high school entrance one.

I'm hoping to go into attractions and any information would be very helpful! Thank you!

 

[kcw]

hey!! just so ya know, most of the people on these boards are more connected with Disney World instead of Disneyland, but your questions are pretty general and would probably be the same for both parks...

i would say go ahead and apply now, but make sure you tell them you're availability isn't until summer! Good luck!

 

[Nicole220]

hey!! just so ya know, most of the people on these boards are more connected with Disney World instead of Disneyland, but your questions are pretty general and would probably be the same for both parks...

i would say go ahead and apply now, but make sure you tell them you're availability isn't until summer! Good luck!

That's what I figured.

Thank you!

 

[Nicole220]

Anyone? :shrug:

Has anyone gone through the interview at WDW? I assume they are very similar....

 

[Tigggrl]

I would suggest that you dress nicely. You wouldnt believe the people who interview who come in tshirts and shorts or sweats! I remember they ask where you would want to work, and why, and things like give an example of how you turned a bad situation into a good one. Availability is key as well, and the more flexible you are, the better. Speak clearly, and above all, remain positive!
Good Luck!

 

[Nicole220]

I would suggest that you dress nicely. You wouldnt believe the people who interview who come in tshirts and shorts or sweats! I remember they ask where you would want to work, and why, and things like give an example of how you turned a bad situation into a good one. Availability is key as well, and the more flexible you are, the better. Speak clearly, and above all, remain positive!
Good Luck!

Thank you very much for your suggestions! It has been very helpful! I'll definitely try and remember all this! :wave:

 

[Tigggrl]

You are so welcome! Disneyland is a wonderful place to work, where people are generally super nice. Several of the people I worked with are leads or supervisors now...They were lots of fun! Good Luck!

 

[Nicole220]

You are so welcome! Disneyland is a wonderful place to work, where people are generally super nice. Several of the people I worked with are leads or supervisors now...They were lots of fun! Good Luck!

I'm glad to hear that! Once again, thank you! I really appreciate your help!

 

[kcw]

Anyone? :shrug:

Has anyone gone through the interview at WDW? I assume they are very similar....

wish I could tell you more but mine was a phone interview.... it's cliche but just be yourself- don't try to be what you think the interviewer is looking for- you'll come across fake and that's no good. And if it's a group interview make sure that you let the others have a chance to talk and don't try too hard to be in the spotlight, but on the other hand, make sure that you do put in comments and are active- you want them to remember you were there!

 

[MerHearted]

Good luck!!! :wave:

Maybe I'll join you in a few months.

 

[Nicole220]

Good luck!!! :wave:

Maybe I'll join you in a few months.

Cool! Good luck in whichever route you choose!

And thank you!

 

[Nicole220]

I just wanted to let anyone who is thinking about applying to Disneyland know how the whole process goes these days.

I have read over the past few weeks about how you go in, fill out an application, and have a group interview. Well, it is not that way anymore. I went in today, filled out my application and waited 2 hours. While waiting, I noticed that I was 1. The only white person and 2. One of the very few who dressed nicely. They finally called me and 4 other people. We went into a room to watch a video on being a CM. Then we headed into our interview...........






.......an online interview/ survey! I was shocked! They ask you questions reguarding how you work, if you are on time, if you help people, blah blah blah. I picked the answers that applied to me and that sounded the best to get the job. After you finish they call you in one by one and tell you if you got the job. I was first and the lady said, "Based on your survey results, you did not get the job. You can re-apply in 6 months."

I was sad, but wasn't extremely depressed. First of all, I was told for the first time that because of my age, I can only go into food or stores, not attractions like I wanted. I don't want to do stores or food at all. Second, I'm more angry than sad because of how they handled everything. How do they expect to hire great CMs if the only thing they can find out about them is a stupid little survey? They don't try to get to know you at all, they don't care if you smile or frown the whole time, or show up in pj's. They just base their yes and no on a survey!!

I don't think I want to work at DL anymore because I don't know what I can do differently. I picked all the answers that would have been good. Plus, I have to wait a year to get the job I want, and by that time I'll be getting ready to go off to college. So I just wanted to warn you all about the new process....Good Luck! :wave:

 

[MerHearted]

Really? My friend applied last October and she got an actual person interviewing her. She made it sound like it they would take anyone. I'm sorry to hear it didn't work out for you. I'm kinda shocked. That is so weird!

 

[Nicole220]

Really? My friend applied last October and she got an actual person interviewing her. She made it sound like it they would take anyone. I'm sorry to hear it didn't work out for you. I'm kinda shocked. That is so weird!

I know! I've talked to a lot of people that have interviewed with in the past year or so, and they've gotten a real interview as well. You would think that with a great company like Disney, they would be more professional about it....Oh well.

It's ok about the job. I couldn't get the one I wanted anyways, so it works out alright.

 

[Scar Junior]

I know! I've talked to a lot of people that have interviewed with in the past year or so, and they've gotten a real interview as well. You would think that with a great company like Disney, they would be more professional about it....Oh well.

More professional about a frontline CM job? Don't flatter yourself. They may be important, but professionalism has nothing to do with these positions.

 

[SFOG]

How do they expect to hire great CMs if the only thing they can find out about them is a stupid little survey?

I am currently a Managerial Supervisor at a Six Flags park. Two years ago, Six Flags went to an online job application survey system. Who knows if this is anything remotely like what Disney uses, but...

When the system was new to us, we did not know what to make our "minimum" hiring score. So, we did a little research. What we found was that most of the people who were terminated for theft, dishonesty, insubordination, or rash safety violations got survey scores below a certain number. Now we have made that number our cutoff for new hires.

So, as much as we hate to say it, these systems do work pretty well. That's not to say that every once in a while someone good slips through the cracks by making a mistake. I guess that's why they told you that you could reapply in six months. (At Six Flags it is 12 months).