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.