Updates - The Journey Begins..

So I haven't posted in a while - it has been SO hectic! I moved into my apartment, and began my management internship at Hollywood Studios! I LOVEEE it so far! I have just done in costume training in my location, and will be in training for about a month before I'm leading a team on my own. This is just a quick update - so I hope to update again soon.

Have a Magical Day!
Christina :)

Just Checking In...

Hi Everyone!

So I'm just writing a post as the days wind down to my arrival in Disney. It's crazy to think that I only have 25 days until I leave for Florida. I've booked the auto train and am now in the process of packing. I can't even begin to explain my excitement and anxiety. This role is everything I've ever dreamed of, and when your dreams come true it's actually very scary! I won't have much else to post about, but I'm sure I'll write some more posts when I'm all moved in and checking in for my program!

See Ya Real Soon!!

Christina

My Location!

So I got a call this morning from a 407 number but I couldn't pick it up because I was at work. I got a voicemail from Ellen who is an Area Manager at.....

HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS!!

I can't even begin to express my excitement. I'm going to be working the right block which is strollers, package pick-up, all the way down the Sorcerer's Hat. (the right side of stores as you enter Hollywood Studios) I spoke with Ellen after I got out of work and she gave me some more details about our duties, and let me know I would start location training on 6/15. :) This was my first choice of parks above all, and I'm so happy this is going to be my new home! :) On a side note, I got approved for an apartment today as well so it looks like everything is coming together! I know I won't be posting for a while until I'm getting ready to leave. So until then, See Ya Real Soon!

Christina :)

A BIG change!

So just when I thought things couldn't get any better..they have! Wednesday afternoon, I received a voicemail from Cayley at Disney Professional Recruiting while I was at work asking me to give her a call back because she had a few questions about my Fall Internship. I was REALLY nervous because I was thinking maybe something went wrong with my acceptance. I called Cayley back and got her back on the phone. She went over all the information that Randy did with me, and said "You accepted the Guest Experience Services Internship, is that correct?" and I said yes. Then Cayley says "Well, I'm about to make your life a little more difficult because I'm giving you a SECOND offer!! We are really happy to tell you that you have been selected for the Management Internship in Retail!" I almost fainted! I had stopped checking my dashboard because I thought all the offers for the Retail MI had already gone out! I immediately accepted the new role. I'm just so thrilled - and cannot wait to find out my location! :) Below are my congratulations email, my dashboard, and my welcome to the team email!

It was such an honor to get one offer, and the fact that I got two offers (and this one being my DREAM ROLE) is such an amazing gift. It's so surreal still. The second I know my location, so will you! :) See Ya Real Soon!

Christina :)

I GOT THE OFFER! :) :)

As you can see from the title...I GOT THE OFFER FOR THE ALUMNI ONLY: GUEST EXPERIENCE SERVICES INTERNSHIP!!! I cannot explain how happy I am! :) I got a call from Randy at Casting at exactly 10 am this morning. He went through a bunch of HR questions with me, and then asked that lastly I take his number down in case I had any questions on next steps. I was a little concerned because I thought I wasn't getting the offer, when he goes: "Ok, you have the number down?" and i said yes, and he goes "Ok I wanted you to write that down while you were still calm, because I'm making you an offer!" and I started FREAKING OUT! He went over my offer details with me - pay rate, main gates etc. Then he said "I want you to do 3 things: 1) Keep my number in case you have any questions. 2) Welcome Back to the Disney Family!! and 3) Get off the phone so you can call all your family and friends!" He made my day with how excited he was for and with me! :)  Below is my dashboard, my congrats email, and my Welcome to the Team email :

I'm so excited and so anxious all at the same time! Good luck to everyone still waiting to hear! Now I can actually say that I WILL See Ya Real Soon! :)

Christina :)

POST-INTERVIEW STAGE!!

Soooo- after my super melancholy post on Thursday... I left work Friday and while getting into my car, I saw I had an email..AND IT WAS FROM DISNEY!!! They emailed me to schedule a brief phone call regarding my application! (This is a GREAT sign that an offer is on it's way!) The earliest I could schedule my phone call is Tuesday at 10am and luckily I'm off from work that day! This is the email I received:

My dashboard now looks like this for my Guest Experience Services drop down:

I now also have a separate drop down for "Prof Intern Callback RG":

I'm about 99% positive that an offer will be coming my way on Tuesday! Keeping my fingers crossed and my hopes high! Thank you to everyone who has taken the time out to read along as my journey unfolds. I appreciate it so much. Until Tuesday, See Ya Real Soon! :)

Christina :)

This process is so draining!

I'm feeling particularly melancholy today - so I figured I'd write a post to get some of my thoughts down on virtual paper. (Haha I thought I was clever!) It's been ten days since my call with GES, and a bunch of people on the Facebook group got offers for the Retail MI. (My dashboard is still in interview stage). While the MI was a reach for me, I'm feeling like it's safe to say I didn't get it. I'm not horribly disappointed because I really love everything about GES! Not everyone that got the drop down was given a call like I was so I definitely feel honored - I'm just ready to find out if I got it or are NLIC. (No Longer In Consideration) I know someone in the FB group that got the call confirmed with their interviewer that GES has to have their decisions into casting by April 11 (WHICH IS TOMORROW YAY!) but casting can call anytime from tomorrow up until the deadline of May 2! With that being three weeks away, I'm realizing just how much of a toll this process takes on you!  I'm truly thankful to have made it this far, many people have gotten NLIC and I haven't - and that's what is keeping me positive. Thinking that I applied January 27, and going into the third month of this process - I look back on my posts and feel that it's gone so quickly, yet so slowly at the same time. In the grand scheme of things - three weeks is NOTHING to gripe about, so after I post this - I'm going to stay as positive as possible! (That's normally how I am, just once in a while I feel a little anxious and overthink my interviews and drive myself a little crazy.) Hopefully I will know more by next week. So thank you to everyone who has been reading- (550 views as of today! Woohoo!) and until I know more, See Ya Real Soon! :)

Christina :)

Staying hopeful!

So some people have started posting that their MI -Retail Internship has moved to Post-Interview Stage. (which basically means they'll be getting an offer) I'm freaking out a bit more than I thought I would. I'm not banking on any more movement tonight- just keeping hope for tomorrow! Until I know more, See Ya Real Soon! 

Christina :)

Call from GES!

So yesterday morning, I had just woken up when my phone started ringing with a 407 area code. Knowing this is a FL number I started to freak out - and answered. It was someone from Guest Experience Services, and they had a few questions about my application. He asked if now was a good time or if he should call back later. I let him know now was perfect, and to ask away! He asked me what I thought the GES dept did, and after my response he said I hit the nail right on the head. He then gave me an in depth background as to the day to day runnings of the office, and then asked what I felt I would excel at, and what would be something that I would need to improve. He asked me a few questions about my time in attractions, and a few other questions that I can't remember off the top of my head. At the end he asked if I had any questions, and I know you're supposed to ask at least one but I honestly could not think of any because I had spoken with a girl named  Emily who worked in that dept, and she answered a ton of questions for me. I let him know that, and let him know that after learning more and more about the dept, I really feel like it's the best fit for me, and that I hoped he thought so as well. He didn't tell me when I would hear by, but some people in the Facebook group said that this dept has to have their choices into casting by April 11, which is not so far away! So here's to hoping I get an offer for this dept! I'm still anxiously awaiting Retail MI offers to go out! :) Until I have more news, (hopefully an offer!!) See Ya Real Soon!

Christina :)

Drop Downs!! :)

So this past Friday, (3/28) I noticed the Facebook group was buzzing that people had started to receive drop downs for alumni only positions. A "drop down" is something that occurs when you apply to one general application that has many different internships in it, and when you are being further considered for one of the internships, you receive a separate job drop down in your applications. For example, I applied to the Disney College Program Alumni Only Professional Internship. In this internship application, I had to choose from a list of about 20 or so different internships and put a check mark next to the ones I wanted to be considered for. Well, I hadn't received a drop down, and I really had to stop procrastinating and get ready because I was going to dinner with my sister, her husband, my boyfriend and a few of our friends. In the car with my boyfriend, Mike, on the way to my sister's house, I was telling him that I was getting really antsy because I really wanted a drop down! While I'm explaining this I decide to refresh my dashboard, and sure enough, there is a drop down for the Guest Experience Services Internship! I was ECSTATIC! This is what my dashboard looks like now:

One step closer to going back to Disney! :) I was messaging with a girl from the Facebook group that currently works in Guest Experience Services, and she let me know that the managers received our résumés and are going through them to pick people to give a second interview to, and they'll hire 8 from those interviews. It's really nerve-racking but it makes me really excited to know that progress is definitely being made!!

Also, I decided to go back through last year's Fall Facebook group, and saw that background checks and offers started going out for Retail MIs the late first week and early second week of April! Seeing as April starts tomorrow, this makes me SO EXCITED!!! I'm hoping to hear news from either this week - whether it's an offer, or a second interview! When I know, you'll know! Until then, See Ya Real Soon! :)

Christina :)

MI Second Interview and Updates

So I know I haven't updated since scheduling my second interview so I figured I'd catch up on what has been going on, and how the interview went! So, the day of my interview- I got home early from work and and was prepping myself for the interview when I realized my Mac was acting up and WOULD NOT load the program for the webcam interview! Well, with a couple of minutes until the interview, I remembered my mom's iPad could be used for the interview! I downloaded the app and connected to the interview. I set the iPad up against the screen of my Mac so I didn't really notice the difference between using one or the other. But to the important part- the actual interview!

I was interviewed by a male cast member and two female cast members (i don't want to list their names). Right when we started- during me answering my first question- a third box popped up that another webcam was joining- and sure enough it was two other recruiters! The second they entered the videochat they realized they were in the wrong place, and it was really funny! They apologized a million times and made everyone laugh. When we got back to the interview, it really lightened the mood which made me soo comfortable. They asked me a TON of leadership questions: how I promoted safety in my role as a leader, an example of great guest service, how i dealt with working with a difficult co worker, name a time I led a project in a leadership role, what do I do to recognize my team, and about a time I reached a business goal. There were more but it's always hard to remember all of them after! I felt I did the best that I could have, so now the cards will fall where they may. I would LOVE the MI in retail, and would love to lead a team again :). 

Since the interview, I've been working..and then I took a trip to Disneyworld! :) I went to visit with my roommates from the college program, and am currently on my flight back from Orlando as I type this :) it was such a nice distraction from thinking about recruiting, and to really indulge in the Disney experience that I hope to create for guests soon! I also got to pick the brain of a current Manager in Retail at Magic Kingdom- and he gave me a bit more of an in depth look at managing in retail for Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. It made me realize even MORE how much I want this opportunity! 

Other than that, I'm starting to see drop downs happen for alumni PI roles- but none for guest relations yet. The Retail MI and Guest Relations are my absolute dream positions, so getting either of the two would be amazing. Last year, drop downs started to happen around March 28- so hopefully that means we'll see movement this week! Here's to hoping! 

Until I see movement, See Ya Real Soon!

Christina :)

MI - Retail - 2ND INTERVIEW!

So..YAY FOR MOVEMENT! After reading the Facebook group yesterday and seeing all of the potential MIs starting to get calls and emails for a second interview,  I was anxiously waiting for my phone to ring or beep that it had an email. When I didn't get any movement last night, I thought to myself - "Disney has THOUSANDS of applicants, and I'm over here getting antsy that they haven't contacted me just yet? Christina, you need to take a chill pill" And once I thought about that, I started to enjoy the rest of my day and night! I went bowling with some friends, and went shopping with my sister this morning. When I got home from shopping, I opened my email on my phone and there it was! An invitation to schedule a second interview for the MI in Retail!

I'm a little upset because I'll be in Disney from March 21-24, and the options for in person interviews are March 18-19 and 25-26. Oh well, a webcam interview will have to do! Once I scheduled my webcam interview, my dashboard updated! This is what it looks like:

I'm so excited to be considered, and now I'm taking the time to start preparing myself for the interview! Any words of wisdom would be greatly appreciated! (Not that anyone reads this anyway haha) I'll update after the interview is over with how it went! Until then, See Ya Real Soon!

Christina :)

Disney Professional Internships: Your Application

So I know it's been a little while since my last post, but after the phone screen I knew it would be a while before any changes or updates would be made to the dashboard. Today, there was some movement however! I received a background check email! I'm a bit confused because I know you normally don't receive a background check until much further into the admission process, and normally it's when you already have a drop down for a specific alumni internship. I'm definitely NOT going to complain, just wondering if they're changing up the process a bit this semester!

This is what the email looks like:

And this is what my dashboard looks like right now.

I mean, I'd love for things to start progressing, and I'd love to hear from the MI I applied for. I know of at least one person who was asked to schedule a second phone screen for the MI in retail, so let's hope there's some movement in the next few days!

Until then, See Ya Real Soon! :)

Christina

Phone Interview!

Well yesterday was my phone screen, and I honestly think I did really well. I don't want to list my recruiter's name, but she was an absolute sweetheart. I was asked something along the lines of the following questions:

- I see that you worked as an attractions hostess, what was the most rewarding part of that experience?
- What was the most difficult part?

Then she said she would interview me for my management internship first:

- What qualities do you think a successful leader has?
- Tell me about a time you had a conflict with a guest, how did you manage the situation?
- In a non leadership role, how did you handle a guest conflict by acting as a leader?
- What do you hope to gain from an MI?
- Tell me about a leadership position you have held.

PI - Alumni Only Questions:

- Why do you want to do a PI?
- What are your top choices for an alumni only PI?
- Why do you want to work in Guest Relations?
- What do you think the Guest Relations role is?
- I see that you applied for two HR related PIs, I see that you're interested in Guest Service, so why apply for HR PIs?
- Disney look questions.
-Do you have any questions?

Overall, I felt that I did a great job. I asked if she thought there was anything I could do to improve upon in my résumé or my interview techniques, and she said my résumé is written very well, and that my interview responses were very detailed and specific which is wonderful. She said she thought I did a great job and did not have any suggestions. It made me feel good to know that she felt I answered the best I could. Now here's to the waiting game! Hopefully I find out about a second interview for the MI sometime soon because those apps close on Friday!! If anyone has any questions on the interview process, please do not hesitate to ask! See ya Real Soon! :)

Christina

Interview Stage!!

Today, right when I got home from work, my phone buzzed that I had an email. I checked and it was Disney asking me to schedule a time for a phone screen! I was so excited, and was happy to see some movement the day after my application was reinstated!

They had an open interview slot for 10:30pm tonight, but I didn't feel that I had enough time to prepare myself, so I took the next available time which is 12:15pm on Saturday! Now my dashboard is at Interview Stage, and looks like this: 

 I'm taking the next few days preparing myself, but I'll make sure to post how the interview goes! Until then, See Ya Real Soon!

Christina

Back in the game!

I last left off with my being listed as a no rehire due to costuming, and then waiting to hear back from them. Well, today I decided to call casting because I sent an email to costume recovery a week ago and I still hadn't heard anything. I spoke with a woman at casting and asked if she could check my rehire status, and she let me know the restriction had been removed! I was so happy! Then I had to email professional recruiting to let them know my restriction was removed, and to ask if my application could be reinstated. They emailed me back in less than an hour and let me know that my applications had been reinstated!! I'm so excited! I'm currently "in progress" for my alumni only PI's and "In submission" for an MI Retail! Finally, I can get excited about the Facebook group again, and I'm hoping for a phone screen too! The internships I've applied to so far are:

ALUMNI ONLY PIs

- Casting Employment Coordinator Associate Internship

- Disney Hollywood Studios Operations Support Internship

- Disney Internships & Programs Service Center Coordinator Internship

- Disney Traditions Internship

- Epcot Operations Support Internship

- Guest Experience Services Internship

- Guest Relations Internship

- Magic Kingdom Project Support Internship

 Management Internship

- Retail

My top 3 are definitely Guest Relations, MI- Retail, and Guest Experience Services. I'm really on that "Quest for the Vest"! Good luck to all throughout this stressful time! See Ya Real Soon!

Christina

Off to a Rocky Start..

So I've had a whirlwind of a week. Unfortunately, I woke up on Tuesday morning with an email from Disney at 2:30 a.m. that said that I was restricted rehire and could not be considered for a position with Disney at this time. Now I was EXTREMELY confused, seeing as I had a perfect record card for my college program, and I was seasonal, but left the company when I could not complete my hours. So I decided to call casting, and was told my restriction was due to a missing costume. I returned my last costume on December 20th by mail (using the prepaid label Disney sent me) so needless to say I'm very concerned. The lovely woman I spoke with at casting said all I would have to do would be to get into contact with costuming, and find out what's going on with the costume. Unfortunately, you can only contact costuming through email, and you have to wait 3-5 business days for a response. I called Professional Internship recruiting, and Jeremiah (who was SO sweet and SO helpful) said that the costume was the only issue on my personnel file, and that once costuming removes the restriction, they will resubmit my application for me.  I'm on day 3 of waiting for a response and I constantly check my phone for an email that has yet to come. Now that people are starting to get phone interviews scheduled, I'm REALLY getting antsy!! I'll update as soon as I know what's going on! See ya real soon!

Christina

Applications have launched!!

So I woke up this morning to the PI Facebook group going crazy that the applications had been posted. Unfortunately for me, I had to get up to go to work right away, and wasn't going to get home until around 7pm that night. Needless to say, today was forever long. But finally I got home and was able to get to work. After all is said and done, I applied for 9 Alumni Only PIs, more than I wanted to, but I know that I'm qualified for them, so it can't hurt. I didn't apply to any MI's yet, but I am going to submit one for retail tomorrow evening. I'm looking forward to this nerve racking season, and I've already looked at my dashboard twice!! It doesn't even have "submission" on it yet! I wish everyone a great recruitment season, and I'll keep you updated on my progress!

Applications are going live next week!

So I had to post this because I'm already so excited- I read on the Disney Professional Internship Fall 2014 Facebook group that applications are supposed to go live Monday, January 27th! Now I just have to get my résumé up to date! Good luck to everyone applying!! 

Hello Everyone! My name is Christina, and I'm a Disney College Program Alumni! Before I start this blog with my life right now, you all should know about where my journey with The Walt Disney Company began.

Firstly, I was a proud part of the Disney College Program for the Fall of 2012. I worked in attractions at It's Tough to be a Bug in Disney's Animal Kingdom. Now I won't lie, when I received my location at Casting, I was not the happiest camper. Animal Kingdom was the one park that I felt I had no connection with. It was a park that my family normally spent half a day in doing the major rides, and then left. By the end of my program, Animal Kingdom became my favorite park! I loved EVERYTHING about my location. Working in the Tree of Life every day was truly something amazing, and my hours were pretty normal which was cool too. Even my hunter green bug costume was comfy and grew on me! I loved the park music, the restaurants, and I would go into work early sometimes with my friends to ride the safari first thing in the morning when all of the animals are really active, or before a closing shift we would all go get yak and yeti quick service and go into the tree early to eat lunch with everyone who was already working. I met my best friends working at the tree, and because it wasn't that many of us, we were all SO incredibly close. I have two best friends from different parts of Australia, one who still works there (he's a full time cast member that is my age) and a best friend from Texas! We all still talk to this day, and I think that being in a smaller park like Animal Kingdom is a big part of that.

Throughout my program I knew I wanted to do a Professional Internship. I applied for a few Alumni Only positions, and received a drop down for my first choice: Casting Employment Coordinator Associate Internship! I was so excited! I received background check information and completed all the documents. But after what felt like eternity, I eventually received a NLIC (No Longer in Consideration) for the drop down. (I'm the proof that a drop down and a background check does not guarantee an offer!) I was devastated. My two other roommates received offers for Professional Internships so I was the loner without an offer, even though I was super excited for them!
Towards the end of my program, I applied for an extension of my college program as either a concierge or character attendant, and I put my last choice as staying in my current location. I was offered an extension, but decided that staying in the same role was not what I felt would help my résumé to eventually get a PI, so I went home.

When I got home, I was a new college graduate, and now needed a full time job. I had worked for Target for years as an HR team member and as a sales floor team member, so I applied for a Team Leader position and was offered a Guest Service Team Leader position. After a few months of this position, I knew I wanted to be involved in a business where I could help clients and guests on a deeper level than my position at Target could offer me. So I got a job as a Branch Office Administrator position with Edward Jones Investments, and that's where I am now! I like my job, and I get to service clients on a much deeper level and assist them with scheduling meetings with their financial advisor, and help them through their paperwork and meeting their financial goals. Although I like my position, I've realized through both of my roles in guest service on different levels and in different industries, that my dream is to go back to the Walt Disney World Resort as a Guest Relations Intern where I can explore my love for this field with people from all over the world! As I plan to reapply for a Disney Professional Internship, I figured I could start this blog to chronicle my application process and hopefully help people along the way with their applications as well! I'm here to answer any questions, and would love to hear your stories if you are (or were) a Guest Relations intern (or any Disney Professional Intern for that matter!)  My next post will be when Disney Recruiting posts the applications for Fall 2014!So until then, "See Ya Real Soon!" :)