Here's What is Currently Wrong With Disney ...

[Wilt Dasney]

Might the closed door have something to do with the economy? It's not like anybody is anxious to hire these days.

I'm just talking attractions. For example, their forced online "application" only allows 1. I had over ten great references

If that's what faces potential frontline CM's (the most necessary hiring category in terms of sheer manpower needed), then it suggests to me that breaking into the executive ranks from outside would be next to impossible.

 

[mousegeezer]

With the current volume of applications, employers misguidedly use some obscure screening tactics. Unfortunately they look for reasons to exclude people rather than reasons to employ them. The good employers actually read applications and resumes. You may well have an answer to one of the biggest problems they have. But, because they don't have the foresight or time to really look at every applicant they will never get the answer to their biggest problem. Because you have not worked for Pepsi or Coke they will not get your fresh perspective. Their loss.

 

[Lisalyn]

This^ !! I'm sure you've been placed on the dreaded Disney "Obsessed CM Wannabe List" !!:shrug:

I was thinking the same...borderlines on stalking???:veryconfu

And might I add....please don't take my comment the wrong way. I do hiring for a company. However, if I was flooded by a lot of resumes (and 500 is HUGE dude! LOL)...it would tend to make me a bit weary of exactly what the prospective employee was trying to achieve. Usually I can see 3 or 4 from the same person. 500 over 7 or 8 years makes me feel the person is obsessed...again in my own opinion. Luckily, from reading what you have posted, that is not the case with you. However, the hirers to be at Disney don't know that nor do they appreciate that....because you haven't been given that chance for the interview. Take a prior posters advice - show up in person.

 

[Big Cheese]

I just wanna drive a bus man!!:sohappy::sohappy:

 

[Rinx]

Several positions in the company, like many have stated, come from already within. Certain career opportunities are favored towards people who have done the college program and career start programs. I have a feeling that if 7 years ago you applied for a job such as attractions or something of the like you'd get it without a doubt. Then, from there, you'd climb up the ladder.

 

[tomman710]

Several positions in the company, like many have stated, come from already within. Certain career opportunities are favored towards people who have done the college program and career start programs. I have a feeling that if 7 years ago you applied for a job such as attractions or something of the like you'd get it without a doubt. Then, from there, you'd climb up the ladder.

Well, of course, seven years ago I was not applying for positions that I would apply for today. The positions, as experience was gained, evolved over time.

The fact still remains that the hiring process seems to be flawed and not in line with what Walt's original vision for emphasis on cast members should have been.

 

[OliveMcFly]

Tomman, what caught my eye in your post was that you believe there is a problem with the current management team. I've worked in 3 separate departments at WDW and I've had quite a bit of issues with management. I have had some great managers, mostly from my first area at Studios. Managers that I still will go out of my way to stop and hello to. Most recently I have had problems with managers having no regard for my safety in a costume, a problem with sight in the costume (that's all I can say). I've had managers lie to me and misdirect me. I guess it's true with any company that some people do it because they love it and have our best interest at heart or they do it because they can call themselves a manager. I know a lot of them have started as hourly and they move up. Although, I did train a manager at Studios who before Day 1 had not stepped foot in WDW. Seems a little strange to me.

 

[tomman710]

Tomman, what caught my eye in your post was that you believe there is a problem with the current management team. I've worked in 3 separate departments at WDW and I've had quite a bit of issues with management. I have had some great managers, mostly from my first area at Studios. Managers that I still will go out of my way to stop and hello to. Most recently I have had problems with managers having no regard for my safety in a costume, a problem with sight in the costume (that's all I can say). I've had managers lie to me and misdirect me. I guess it's true with any company that some people do it because they love it and have our best interest at heart or they do it because they can call themselves a manager. I know a lot of them have started as hourly and they move up. Although, I did train a manager at Studios who before Day 1 had not stepped foot in WDW. Seems a little strange to me.

OF course, I don't mean to make lump every one who works there in this statement by any means. In fact, I cannot recall any bad experiences I have ever had with any cast members while I have been in the parks.

However, it does seem like lately there have been more and more threads about poor CMs, and although I have not seen it, I did have this one experience which I wanted to share and see if there is any correlation to any other experiences.

My fear was that it was trending in a bad direction ... I wonder if your experiences echo this sentiment or if everything is just unrelated. I do believe that in a company as large as Disney, even speaking about just WDW, not every employee, manager, etc. will love their job or even be duly qualified for their job.

 

[EpcotServo]

If that's what faces potential frontline CM's (the most necessary hiring category in terms of sheer manpower needed), then it suggests to me that breaking into the executive ranks from outside would be next to impossible.

^Indeed.

The way it used to work was that you'd wait in a line at casting, you'd talk to a person, then get an interview on the spot, either over a phone line or in person. Now you HAVE to go through pretty much an overly simple form registration online, then get turned away on the spot over the internet with a blunt "We may or may not call you".

:dazzle:

 

[fosse76]

The problem with your argument is that you are making a broad assumption that there aren't any other candidates out there with equal or better qualifications than yours. If there is an open position, I would venture that Disney gets hundreds of Resumes. When they whittle it down to those who are actually qualified, they are not only looking for minimum qualifications. They look for candidates with similar experience to the position they are hiring. And this goes to the corporate culture argument I've been making. As another member here stated, Coke and Pepsi are such huge global brands enshrined into pop culture that Disney instantly relates to that company and feels that people who have worked for those companies will have the best chance for success. Not everyone can handle working in a corporate environment. And yes it is limiting, and the entertainment industry is extremely incestuous with its hiring, but that's how it works. You keep attributing this "problem" to Disney, but it is extremely common in the job market. If I manage a McDonald's and I have two equally qualified job applicants, yet one worked for a local mom and pop stand and the other worked for Burger King, I would probably go with the applicant from Burger King, all else being equal.

And as someone else pointed out, most people who are overqualified are instantly excluded from the candidate pool, and for several reasons, one of which is a higher salary demand. Another is the potential for you to get bored on the job. At which point the frightening aspect of trying to "change the way things are done" might occur. We had an IT woman in our office who quit after 6 months because she just didn't like the administartive policies and found them burdensome, and she came from a small firm. She was more than qualified, but the firm had to spend more money hiring and training a new employee. Companies don't want to do that.

 

[dweezil78]

Well, of course, seven years ago I was not applying for positions that I would apply for today. The positions, as experience was gained, evolved over time.

The fact still remains that the hiring process seems to be flawed and not in line with what Walt's original vision for emphasis on cast members should have been.

Well, heck, there's a lot going on that's not in line with Walt's vision. I could go on for days/months/years about that. But Walt also wasn't around to see the birth of the internet and the increase in job-seekers over the past 50 years either. The problem you've identified isn't unique to Disney -- it's merely a simplification of the hiring process due to mass volume of interest.

It's no different than searching for something online. When you have that many results, you have to do whatever you can to get your pool down to a manageable size. I know I went in the direction of the Coke/Pepsi references yesterday, but the reality is, that was the line you got from 1 person within the company. And again, I'd be willing to bet this person has nothing to do with the hiring of the top brass within Disney who DO come from other backgrounds quite often.

Take a look at the current management team and you'll see that many of them actually do come from finance backgrounds:
http://corporate.disney.go.com/corporate/management_team.html

 

[tomman710]

You keep attributing this "problem" to Disney, but it is extremely common in the job market. If I manage a McDonald's and I have two equally qualified job applicants, yet one worked for a local mom and pop stand and the other worked for Burger King, I would probably go with the applicant from Burger King, all else being equal.

I am not implicitly saying there IS a problem but I am asking the question; is there a problem?

As I stated before I understand there has to be ways to whittle down the amount of resumes, I understand that relevant experience is vital to perform a job, and I have worked in enough companies in executive positions to understand the cost of training and employee worth. With this knowledge is how I base my arguments.

I think your illustration is flawed. Pop-Culture is not an industry. Just because Coke or Pepsi is engrained in Pop-Culture doesn't mean that someone that knows how to market a beverage will know how to market a new theme park attraction, it doesn't mean they won't though either. You see I am of the opinion that if you are talented at sales or marketing, you can do it across the board for any item, providing you believe in it which yes comes with some understanding. I believe you see things different so to argue your point I would say Coke is no similar to Theme Park Attractions than it is financial planning, stocks, or commercial real estate.

If you use your illustration to the exact scenario that I was told it and in my particular situation it would be; yes McDonald's is hiring but we will only accept applicants who have worked at Wal-Mart, even if people have worked at say Taco Bell, Subway, or Exxon, while still multi-million or billion dollar companies, we won't even speak to them unless they have worked at Wal-Mart.

While that is perfectly within their right to do that ... all I wanted to do was ask the question of is this too limiting? Walt looked for talent everywhere and was always on the cusp of innovation ... are we getting our full innovation potential with such limiting structures?

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

Your culture isnt my culture.

 

[tomman710]

I know I went in the direction of the Coke/Pepsi references yesterday, but the reality is, that was the line you got from 1 person within the company. And again, I'd be willing to bet this person has nothing to do with the hiring of the top brass within Disney who DO come from other backgrounds quite often.

Take a look at the current management team and you'll see that many of them actually do come from finance backgrounds:
http://corporate.disney.go.com/corporate/management_team.html

Exactly ... this is why I brought this up as a point for discussion because, yes it was only one person but my discussion point was do we see this has a trend towards limiting talent or as an unforuntate road block of red tape or as just one person's opinion on a particular day?

And yes, most of the executives do not have big entertainment or theme park experiences ... but they are good leaders ... well sort of ... we can have that discussion another day ... ha.

 

[skyhawk8519]

I am not implicitly saying there IS a problem but I am asking the question; is there a problem?

Your OP was titled "Here is what is Currently Wrong with Disney..." and began with going over your personal experience. I just have to say that you are not really going to be able to wean the personal out of this argument. You also keep quoting the recruitment employee that stated that you didn't have "Coke or Pepsi Experience" I'm sure that is not the official policy, it probably was with someone speaking and shooting from the hip. If I were Disney Management, and saw this post, you would be on the "Banned from Consideration" list...

So, here's my question. If you are going to say this is what is currently wrong with the company, why would you want to work for them.

Believe me I am not trying to attack you here, I realize you want to work there, but getting mad that HR isn't hiring you and then stating it is because Disney isnt the correct approach! Maybe it just isnt your thing. Again, good luck, and please take this constructively?:shrug:

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

Just when you thought this place couldn’t get anymore patronising.
This is Disney, they are always correct in their actions its just that you have failed to appreciate the infallibility and wonderfulness of the mouse and all who sail in it.

 

[tomman710]

Your OP was titled "Here is what is Currently Wrong with Disney..." and began with going over your personal experience. I just have to say that you are not really going to be able to wean the personal out of this argument. You also keep quoting the recruitment employee that stated that you didn't have "Coke or Pepsi Experience" I'm sure that is not the official policy, it probably was with someone speaking and shooting from the hip. If I were Disney Management, and saw this post, you would be on the "Banned from Consideration" list...

So, here's my question. If you are going to say this is what is currently wrong with the company, why would you want to work for them.

Believe me I am not trying to attack you here, I realize you want to work there, but getting mad that HR isn't hiring you and then stating it is because Disney isnt the correct approach! Maybe it just isnt your thing. Again, good luck, and please take this constructively?:shrug:

You are 100% right ... my title is wrong and does not fit with the rest of the thread. However, if you read the actual original post under the title, I just ask the questions because frankly I don't have the data to support this theory and thereby say this is exactly what is wrong concretely.

Now two comments on your post; whether the theory or questions come back negatively at the end of the day it's a company I so greatly believe in and with that in mind it's a place I would want to work for, even if there may be some bad direction currently.

And secondly, I am not mad that HR is not hiring me, I'm questioning the fact that they are not even speaking or intitially interviewing me, or should I say a large segment of highly qualified individuals like me. This is not bitterness about not being hired because in reality if I had ever even been interviewed this would not be an issue with me personally.

My point of contention is that why would you not interview someone that has worked at a company like Merrill Lynch in favor of someone that has worked at Coke? Those companies aren't wildly different it's not like someone that is fresh out of college and has only worked for local employers or retail chains and then request an audience with a VP. So it's a question of the screening process and is it too limiting even in the first stage of basic interviews?

I'm glad you don't work for Disney and I am not banned. Fortunately, I'd like to believe Disney would not do that because what kind of backwards logic is that to ban someone for asking a question of, "are we doing things the best possible way and/or is there a better way?" Every company wants to improve, no one wants to get stagnant. Additionally, most big companies LOVE employees who ask those questions and try to improve a process.

My day dream hope is that maybe Disney has asked these questions and maybe they have found the best system ... I was just asking the questions to see what other thought.

 

[skyhawk8519]

It just seems like you want to work for the company you THINK is Disney in your mind.

Oh this is pointless, Good luck!!

 

[Lord Pheonix]

this comes down to buisness economics.

why pay you, for the sake of argument, $50,000 a year when they can take someone from a collage program or other simular program and have them do the same job for 50% to 75% less, then justify it by calling it an apprenticship, or something simular.

its the same thing thats happening to the tr__________g industry. the companies like usa truck, swift, shneider, etc, profit more by training 100 student drivers and paying them $.25 cents per mile then hiring 50 experianced drivers and having to pay them $.40 cents per mile. over the life of the truck, usually 2 to 3 years, the student is more likely to get fired or quit for whatever reason, which meens they get another student and pay them the same. and experianced driver is way more likly to remain in the same truck for its entire life, which also meens they have to keep raiseing his pay. 2 identical trucks, but the cost for the student is alot less then the cost for the vetran. not to mention they get goverment grants and tax breaks for taking and training students vs hiring experianced personel.

personally, id be happy being the guy that walks around with a dustpan and broom sweeping up crap off the walkways, lol. at least id be in my most favorite place on earth.

 

[EpcotServo]

Just when you thought this place couldn’t get anymore patronising.
This is Disney, they are always correct in their actions its just that you have failed to appreciate the infallibility and wonderfulness of the mouse and all who sail in it.

:lol: