Lost Name Tags

Well I managed to make it a whole month without loosing my name tag... But go figure, last Saturday it was all sorts of windy and rainy, I came to clock in (outside) and my name tag popped off, I picked it up, put it back on, and while I was standing around waiting for roll-call (not even moving) it popped off again... Once again, I picked it back up, put it back on my jacket... Roll-Call finished, I went into the key-room, picked up my car-keys, looked down, the name-tag was fine... Got in the car, drove from point-A to point-B, got out of the car, where a Lead asked me where my name-tag was... I look down, gone!

Luckily I found out, your first name tag replacement is free.

Disneyland Resort Hiring Process (Onboarding)

After I scheduled my "onboarding" appointment I was sent a conformation email:

Dear _______,

Congratulations on your new role at the Disneyland® Resort. This message is a confirmation of your scheduled onboarding appointment at the Disneyland Casting Center on _______ at _______.

Reminders in preparation for your onboarding appointment:

• Arrive at least 10 minutes before your scheduled appointment time
• Allow at least 30 minutes up to an hour to complete the appointment
• Please bring with you two (2) forms of identification for proof of employment eligibility

If you need additional assistance, or require a translator or Sign Language Interpreter during your appointment, please call (407) XXX-XXXX.

Prior to the day of your appointment, please visit our onboarding website at www._______.com. Here you’ll find important information, including tips on how to complete your new hire paperwork, travel directions and what to expect as a new cast member at the Disneyland Resort.

Best Regards,
Disneyland Recruitment

       I printed and filled out the packet of new hire papers the recruiter had sent me (Employment Eligibility Verification, W-4 Form, Union Forms, The Walt Disney Company and Associated Companies Acknowledgment, The Walt Disney Company and Associated Companies Confidentiality Agreement, Equal Employment Information, Direct Deposit Form) as well and locating my drivers license and social security card as employment verification.

 

       I arrived at the casting center (same place as the interviews) 30-minutes prior to my appointment time. I let the cast-member at the front desk know I was there for "onboarding" and she directed me around the corner, past the lobby, and instructed me to sit at the grey tables under the sign that said "paperwork". Slowly new employees showed up, there were about 10 new employees in our group.

       First a cast-member called us five at a time into a room filled with computers. We had to fill out online forms for a background check. When we finished the background check, we were given union papers specific to our jobs (that I know of, all Disney jobs are union). We sat down at the grey tables and filled them out. When we were finished we were called one by one back into the room where a cast-member went over our paperwork and entered information into the computer. This appointment was full of a lot of sitting and waiting for everyone else to finish their paperwork/reviews; I think I was there for about two and a half hours.

       After everyone turned in their papers, a cast member came out and handed us all blue folders that contained lots of random job information. He explained that the next step would be for us to attend our "traditions" class and handed us a separate brochure that contained information on that. We verified that our name and hometown were correct (this was for our cast-member name tags) and he reiterated the importance of adhering to "the Disney look" for traditions and other training classes that we would attend. Finally he directed us to another room with camera equipment and computer were set up (DMV style) and we took our photos for our ID's and were allowed to leave. Like I said, this whole process took probably about two and a half hours.

Disneyland Resort Hiring Process (I got the Job!)

A few hours after my [second in-person] interview, I received a phone call from the recruiter who had set up the appointment for me. She asked how I thought I did, I was honest, I told her I didn't know, that the manager was really hard to read but I was trying to stay hopeful. She says "Oh really? Hmm... [long pause] Because he told me he liked you... [long pause] I just wanted to call to say congratulations you got the job" ...Oh the build up and suspense, these recruiters must love playing coy and then dropping the good news on you when you least expect it.

The recruiter told me that she would be sending me a few emails (well that was an understatement) and that one would contain information on setting up an "onboarding" appointment to turn in all my employment/tax papers.

• I received one email congratulating me on my new role at the Disneyland® Resort.
• I received another email letting me know that I had 48hrs to schedule my "onboarding" appointment.
• Then I received that email giving me links on how to schedule my "onboarding" appointment.
• I received another email requesting additional information (turns out they just wanted me to confirm my birthday)
• and finally received another email with the new hire paperwork (PDF file) attached.

I quickly scheduled my "onboarding" appointment, unfortunately the first available appointment wasn't until next week.

Disneyland Resort Hiring Process (Second Interview)

       Like my first in-person interview, I arrived at the"casting center" 30 minutes prior to my interview, parked in the Simba parking lot, went through security check-point, and let the cast-member at the Casting Center "help desk" know I was there for a follow-up interview. Like last time, she directed me to the lobby to wait. After about two hours of waiting and watching the special directors cut of "The Princess and the Frog", I was called into a interview room by a manager for the department I was applying for. This gentleman was more straightforward than the chatty recruiter I interviewed with before. He was very quick to ask me to tell him about myself, why I believed I was qualified for this position, he asked why I wanted to work for Disney, and where I saw myself in five years.

       After he was done with the questions, he told me the specific requirements and responsibilities the position entailed.  He asked asked if I had any questions, I asked a few and he answered. He then asked me if I had any felonies, moving (vehicle) violations, any viable tattoos, and if I accepting joining the union IF i got hired. After the interview, I really wasn't' sure if it went good or bad, this gentleman was SOOOOO hard to read, he said either way I should be expecting a call letting me know if I got the position or not. I thanked him and let myself out.

Disneyland Resort Hiring Process (Waiting)

After a week of not hearing anything, I called the Casting Center thinking maybe there was something wrong with my contact information. I was told all information was current, I was still on the wait-list, and that there was no telling how long the list was or when I might be expecting a call for an open position. A week after that I called back to verify I was still on the wait list, and again the week after that.

A month to the day of my initial in-person interview, I received an email:

Dear _______,

Thank you for your continued interest in the Disneyland® Resort. We greatly appreciate your patience. We will continue to review your information and our current openings.
You are currently on the wait list for a _______ role. We would like to confirm your continued interest in employment with the Disneyland Resort.
Within seven (7) days from receipt of this e-mail, please click on the link below to confirm your interest. Your response will ensure we keep your interest up-to-date while we continue to look at our employment opportunities.

If we do not hear from you, we will assume you are no longer interested in a position and will close your application.
If you have any questions or need assistance, please call us at 1-800-XXX-XXXX.
Thank you for your interest in the Disneyland Resort.
Best Regards,
Disneyland Recruitment

I immediately confirmed that I was still VERY interested in the position... And then heard nothing. I became VERY discouraged that they were polity trying to reject me. Three weeks later (and when I finally stopped calling the casing center every week) I finally received the email I had been waiting for:

Dear _______,

Thank you for your continued interest in employment at the Disneyland® Resort. At this time, we have _______ positions available that potentially match your qualifications as discussed in your in-person interview.

If you are still interested in potential opportunities with the Disneyland Resort please respond by calling us at 714-XXX-XXX.

If no one is available to take your call, please be sure to leave a message with your name, phone number and a preferred time for us to call you.

If we do not hear from you within two (2) business days of this message, we will assume you are no longer interested in a position and will close your application.

Thank you for your interest in the Disneyland Resort.

Best Regards,

Disneyland Recruitment

I called the number provided, it was a different number than before, and directed me to a specific recruiter's answering machine, I left my name and number and waited for her to return my call. The recruiter called later that afternoon and set up a second in-person interview with one of the managers from the department I was applying for. The interview isn't scheduled for another week.

Disneyland Resort Hiring Process (In-Person Interview)

       I arrived at the"casting center" 30 minutes prior to my interview. I was instructed to park in the Simba Parking Lot (to the left of the building, not the parking structure). Walking from the parking-lot towards the buildings, there is a security check-point where they will ask to check your bags, the reason for being there, and direct you to where you need to go.

       The casting center itself (building 700) is to the left (apposed to the administrative buildings that are strait ahead from the security-check-point)

       Once you enter the casting center doors, there is a "help desk" to your left, which always has at least one cast-member manning it. I let them know I was there for my initial in-person interview, they checked my name of of a list and directed me around the corner to the lobby. I was the only person in the lobby; they had "The Lion King" playing on the TV's which was nice, it helped take my mind off of the interview and calm my nerves a bit.

       One by one job candidates showed up, when there were eight of us sitting there, the cast-member from the "help desk" walked back and called our names one by one into a room filled with desks and a video monitor. We watched a brief (15 minute) introductory video talking about "the Disney look" and why Disney is such an amazing company to work for. After the video concluded the cast-member from the "help desk" walked back in, reiterated a few points from the video and asked if anyone had any questions. When we all shook our heads no, we were directed back out to the lobby and told we would be called one by one for our interviews. 

       I was the first candidate to be called, my interview lasted about an hour. Partly because I had applied for a position that the recruiter felt I was over-qualified for, but wanted to talk to me about the other positions that were available in the park.

       The recruiter was VERY nice, she was very personable and put me at ease. She asked me general questions about why I wanted to work there, past work experience and general customer service questions. She also asked me to give her an example of a time I had to deal with a difficult customer and how I had resolved a complaint in the past.

       When she was done asking me questions, she stated that she felt that I was over qualified for the position I had applied for and wanted to check to see what other rolls they currently had available that I might be interested in. She suggested a few positions that would be opening up "soon" that she wanted to "wait list" me for. I expressed interest in two different rolls, she handed me two different papers that explained what each position entailed and asked if I had any questions. I said no, she verified that I wanted to be wait-listed for those positions, and changed my information in their computer system and told me that I should be hearing from then within a couple months, and if I haven't heard anything within 6 months that I should reapply online. I thanked her left.

Disneyland Resort Hiring Process (Application, Web & Phone Interview)

There are a few ways in which you can apply for a job with Disney, (1) you can either call the Disneyland Resort Jobline at (800)766-0888 so see what jobs are available, and they will redirect you to their website or have you come in to pick up an application, or (2) you can visit the Disney Careers job portal at www.disneycareers.com or (3) you can visit the "Casting Center" in Anaheim (700 W. Ball), off of Ball Road and Cast Place.

 I applied online via job portal and received a confirmation email a few hours late.

Dear ________,
Thank you for your interest in the Disneyland® Resort. We appreciate you taking the time to apply for ________- Part Time, Disneyland Resort.
We are reviewing your application information. We may be in contact regarding next steps.
We recommend that you frequently log in to your profile at disneyland.jobs. Here you will find updates and messages from us regarding your interview status.
Below is the job description for the role for which you applied.
Again, we thank you for your time and interest in the employment opportunities at the Disneyland Resort.
Best Regards,
Disneyland Recruitment

Three days later I received an email:

Dear ________,

Thank you for your interest in the Disneyland® Resort. Based on the information you provided in your application, you have been selected to participate in an initial interview for possible employment at the Disneyland Resort.*

This initial interview is a Web-Based Interview. We ask you to complete this interview within seven (7) days from receipt of this e-mail. The Web-Based Interview can be accessed on any computer that has a high-speed Internet connection. If you do not have a computer, or if you would like to complete your Web-Based Interview at the Casting Center, please call the Disneyland Jobline at 1-800-XXX-XXXX to schedule an appointment.

At the conclusion of the Web-Based Interview, you will be informed about whether or not you will continue in the interview process.

About the Web-Based Interview:

    The interview can be viewed in English, Spanish or Haitian-Creole. We encourage you to select the language you are MOST comfortable reading so you will best understand the questions.
    There are two (2) sections to the interview. You will be asked two types of questions. Some are multiple-choice and some ask you to rate items on a 1-to-5 scale.
    The interview is timed. If you do not answer a question in the allotted time, the interview will proceed to the next question. Choose the response that best describes you. Do not hurry through the questions.
    If you need to stop the interview, step away from the computer. The interview will stop in a few minutes. You may continue with the interview at a later time by clicking the link below and entering your login information.
    If you have difficulty with a computer or experience a technical problem, please contact us immediately at 1-800-XXX-XXXX.

In preparation for your Web-Based Interview, please:

    Find an area that is quiet and free from interruptions
    Allow 40 minutes to complete the interview
    Use a computer with a reliable, high-speed Internet connection

Thank you again for your interest in the Disneyland Resort.

Best Regards,
Disneyland Recruitment

Web-Based Interview:

 The web-based interview was LONG, took me at least 30-minutes to finish, and essentially personality test of sorts.

3 or 4 days after my "web-based interview" I received a phone call for a phone-based interview.

Phone-based interview:

I honestly don't remember exactly what the recruiter on the phone asked me... This recruiter seemed more concerned with my scheduling and availability. She also asked me if I'd be able to stand on my feet or X amount of hours, lift X amount of pounds, she read me what the specific job I had applied for entailed and asked if I was still interested. I said yes, and she told me I should be expecting an email from Disney casting shortly.

About a week later I received an email:

Dear ________,

Thank you for completing the Web-Based and Phone-Based Interview and for your interest in the Disneyland® Resort. The next step in the interview process is for you to schedule an appointment to discuss your interests and possible employment opportunities.*
Please schedule this appointment within five (5) days from receipt of this e-mail.
To schedule your appointment:

• Log in at disneyland.jobs
• Log in using the Username and Password you created at the time of your application
• Look in the Your Interview and Events section
• Click View under your Pending Invitations
• Select the date and time for your appointment

On the day of your appointment, please:

• Arrive at least 10 minutes before your scheduled appointment time
• Allow at least 30 minutes up to two (2) hours to complete the appointment

If you need additional assistance, or require a translator or Sign Language Interpreter during your appointment, please call 1-800-XXX-XXXX.

I immediately scheduled my in-person-interview through the online portal and received a conformation email within a few hours.

Dear ________,

Thank you again for your interest in the Disneyland® Resort. This message is a confirmation of your scheduled appointment at the Disneyland Casting Center on ________ at ________.
This appointment will give us an opportunity to discuss your interests and possible employment opportunities.*
Reminders in preparation for your appointment:

• Arrive at least 10 minutes before your scheduled appointment time
• Allow at least 30 minutes up to two (2) hours to complete the appointment
• Please bring with you two (2) forms of identification for proof of employment eligibility

If you need additional assistance, or require a translator or Sign Language Interpreter during your appointment, please call 1-800-XXX-XXX.
Best Regards,
Disneyland Recruitment