Pre-Interview Prep, Part 1

On October 15th, Kristen sent an invite to a private Facebook group. This group was put together by Disney alumni for all prospective Canadian CRPs. This was a really good idea. It allowed us to connect and get familiar with the other applicants. I really enjoyed chatting with everyone leading up to the interviews. It was a great way to share excitement for the program and just Disney in general.

 

This Facebook group is where I was first introduced to Disney blogs. These were written by past CRPs who documented the whole process - from the application to events at Disney. These blogs proved to be a wealth of information! They were really helpful in preparing for the interview. I could see the kinds of questions being asked. They also helped to put me at ease - most of the bloggers said the interview was more like a casual chat, nothing to be concerned about. And if it's possible, these blogs made me even more excited for Disney. I could see snapshots of their amazing year, and I wanted more than ever to have that experience myself. I hope this blog I'm writing here can be half as helpful to future Disney applicants.

 

On October 22nd, Kristen sent another update. The interviews would be held at Ted Rogers School of Management at Ryerson University. We would need to arrive at 8:30am to be seated before the Disney presentation at 8:45am. After the presentation, our interviews would be scheduled. Again, we would be required to spend the whole day and come dressed in professional/business attire.

 

We were required to bring the following items to the interview:

1. 3 photocopies of your main passport page (picture page/passport number).
2. An up-to-date copy of your resume.
3. The Walt Disney World Online Application Form.
4. Photocopies of any past U.S. visas - if applicable.
5. A black pen to complete the role checklist at the interviews.

We were asked to email Kristen by October 25th to ensure our seats for the interviews were reserved. Once they received confirmation, we would receive a link for the Disney application form. Again, Kristen congratulated us on reaching this stage in the recruitment process. She and Walt Disney World looked forward to meeting us. I emailed her thanking her for the update and confirming that I would definitely be attending the interviews on Monday, November 12th.

 

At the end of October, I emailed Kristen asking her if she had any advice or tips she could share in preparation for the interviews e.g. the format of the interviews (group or one-on-one), what we can expect the day to look like itinerary-wise. I just wanted to be as prepared as possible.

 

She got back to me giving me a brief overview of the day - the presentation in the morning and then an interview scheduled for the afternoon. Between the presentation and the interview, we would be able to go out and about in the city or stay and meet fellow applicants. Most times there will be groups of applicants that may go out for lunch - this is a good idea as they could be your future roommates and cast members! The interview itself would be one-on-one with the Disney recruiter.

 

The week before the interview, Kristen offered these tips:

• Just be yourself, Disney wants to see you!
• Be excited!
• Have all your paperwork ready to go and, of course, SMILE! :)