Let me start by saying, I do not mean to bash or belittle the company I love so dearly, but this is more of an open forum/letter to the current administration and a chance to see if I am entirely off base by hearing my fellow forumers thoughts. However, I think my points are nothing new because from reading the boards over the years I feel like my following sentiments are echoed by the great majority of the board members.
If I can briefly relate a personal experience, very briefly. Since 2002, I have attempted to get a job within the Disney company, practically every month for over 7 years now I have sent multiple applications for jobs. My rough estimate is that I have sent over 500 applications. Now, without being overly effusive about myself, let me just state that I have an extensive education and over 10 years of experience (currently I am vice president of sales and marketing for a national construction corporation). So I am not reaching or misjudging my abilities or experience, in fact all the jobs I applied for I was either ideally suited for due to the stated criteria or over qualified for in some cases.
In those seven years and 500 plus applications, not once, have I ever even been asked for an interview. Not once. I find that very odd that someone with experience, too much education, and the obvious desire does not warrant at least one interview.
However, my point about all this is not to whine about myself, because in reality I am very happy with my current secular situation but I do believe my point illustrates a big problem with the current management team; so here's the point of it all:
After an exhaustive search for answers I finally was able to get a Disney recruiter on the phone. The recruiter examined my education, experience, and so on, she admitted, and validated my own thoughts, that I was perfectly suited if not more than qualified for the positions I applied for. So why did I never get an interview? Her response was that I never worked for "Coke" or "Pepsi" ...
What? Obviously, she didn't implicitly mean I had to work for only one of those two companies but the implication was that I hadn't worked for someone like that. This type of logic is so misguided and short sided.
I understand they must get thousands of resumes, if not more, ands they need a way to pare it down. However, to make the criteria based around working for a company such as Coke or Pepsi is so incredibly myopic because truthfully, no offense to the sales and marketing of those companies, but how hard is it to sell or market a product that is so concretely branded into the public's conscience? I'd wager to bet that no matter how those products are marketed or sold that it would not largely affect the profits from those companies in the slightest ... because everyone is always going to drink Coke or Pepsi. In fact people are always going to drink Coke or Pepsi more so than people will always support a Disney movie or Disney theme park. In that way Disney requires something more ...
Now contrast that with someone that has had to work at a smaller corporation, relative to those companies but not mom and pop by any means, and how they have to be inventive, imaginative, creative to sell something that in most cases people have not ever heard about? It takes almost zero effort to sell Coke or Pepsi.
This brings me to my ultimate summation; this situation is a small one and specifically is about sales, marketing, and management positions however if this is the same principle they apply to other positions, projects, and plans then it shows a severe lack of vision, foresight, direction, and really the basic guiding principles that Walt built the company on. Which was looking for the best people regardless of station, experience, or background.
It shows that they take an easy way to cut corners, to eliminate actually looking through applicants that in all likelihood may be incredibly well suited and fresh for the company ... and applied globally shows that they are probably cutting corners everywhere in favor of doing a little bit more work to ensure the best quality product is presented.
My fear is this isn't just a management or recruiting ideology but something that sums up the way the entire company is currently operated. I hope it is not but all indications seem other wise ... especially with the lack of vision shown recently, save for the Fantasyland expansion which ... we don't know how it well eventually turn out because if this same ideology is applied what can we actually expect from it?
I wonder what 2010 will bring?
If I can briefly relate a personal experience, very briefly. Since 2002, I have attempted to get a job within the Disney company, practically every month for over 7 years now I have sent multiple applications for jobs. My rough estimate is that I have sent over 500 applications. Now, without being overly effusive about myself, let me just state that I have an extensive education and over 10 years of experience (currently I am vice president of sales and marketing for a national construction corporation). So I am not reaching or misjudging my abilities or experience, in fact all the jobs I applied for I was either ideally suited for due to the stated criteria or over qualified for in some cases.
In those seven years and 500 plus applications, not once, have I ever even been asked for an interview. Not once. I find that very odd that someone with experience, too much education, and the obvious desire does not warrant at least one interview.
However, my point about all this is not to whine about myself, because in reality I am very happy with my current secular situation but I do believe my point illustrates a big problem with the current management team; so here's the point of it all:
After an exhaustive search for answers I finally was able to get a Disney recruiter on the phone. The recruiter examined my education, experience, and so on, she admitted, and validated my own thoughts, that I was perfectly suited if not more than qualified for the positions I applied for. So why did I never get an interview? Her response was that I never worked for "Coke" or "Pepsi" ...
What? Obviously, she didn't implicitly mean I had to work for only one of those two companies but the implication was that I hadn't worked for someone like that. This type of logic is so misguided and short sided.
I understand they must get thousands of resumes, if not more, ands they need a way to pare it down. However, to make the criteria based around working for a company such as Coke or Pepsi is so incredibly myopic because truthfully, no offense to the sales and marketing of those companies, but how hard is it to sell or market a product that is so concretely branded into the public's conscience? I'd wager to bet that no matter how those products are marketed or sold that it would not largely affect the profits from those companies in the slightest ... because everyone is always going to drink Coke or Pepsi. In fact people are always going to drink Coke or Pepsi more so than people will always support a Disney movie or Disney theme park. In that way Disney requires something more ...
Now contrast that with someone that has had to work at a smaller corporation, relative to those companies but not mom and pop by any means, and how they have to be inventive, imaginative, creative to sell something that in most cases people have not ever heard about? It takes almost zero effort to sell Coke or Pepsi.
This brings me to my ultimate summation; this situation is a small one and specifically is about sales, marketing, and management positions however if this is the same principle they apply to other positions, projects, and plans then it shows a severe lack of vision, foresight, direction, and really the basic guiding principles that Walt built the company on. Which was looking for the best people regardless of station, experience, or background.
It shows that they take an easy way to cut corners, to eliminate actually looking through applicants that in all likelihood may be incredibly well suited and fresh for the company ... and applied globally shows that they are probably cutting corners everywhere in favor of doing a little bit more work to ensure the best quality product is presented.
My fear is this isn't just a management or recruiting ideology but something that sums up the way the entire company is currently operated. I hope it is not but all indications seem other wise ... especially with the lack of vision shown recently, save for the Fantasyland expansion which ... we don't know how it well eventually turn out because if this same ideology is applied what can we actually expect from it?
I wonder what 2010 will bring?
