Part 3 discusses the phone interview in more detail and how to prepare.
So you've officially passed the web based interview! Congrats on making it to the next step: the phone interview. Immediately after completing the web based interview you will be asked to schedule your phone interview. You will be given specific dates and times to choose from and what appears is based on what Disney has available. For me, the days I was asked to pick from were a week out.
I recommend picking a date and time where you can ensure that you will be in a quiet environment, that way you can give all your focus to the interview.
With your interview set up it is now time to prepare. Even though this is a phone interview and you won't be interacting with the interviewer in a face-to-face context, it is still extremely important to do pre-interview prep.
What to prepare
So you have between a few days and a week to prepare for your interview, what should you be doing to ensure that you have the best interview experience possible? Below are the top 5 things you should do the prep for your DCP interview.
1. Look over your resume
In the interview the interviewer is going to ask you about your past job experience. Be sure to have a look over your resume and ensure that everything on it is up to date. It's nice to be able to quickly look over your resume while interviewing to jolt your mind about things you want to bring to the interviewer's attention. If you don't have a resume don't worry! I would recommend sitting down and making one. A resume is a great way to have quick facts on hand about all your past experience.
NOTE: While resumes generally focus on work experience, make sure you also consider your previous volunteer experience because this is also something Disney considers.
2. Google, Google, and Google some more
A quick Google search of "DCP phone interview" will bring up a slew of results. There are plenty of blogs and vlogs that hash through potential interview questions. It's a great resource to look at what these could be and figure out how you would want to answer potential questions. Maybe there's a past experience you have that ties directly into one of the potential questions.
3. Make a spreadsheet
This doesn't have to be super extensive, but just a place where you can list potential questions and any past experience that may relate to it. For example, one potential question asks about how you would handle an emergency situation. When I was in high school I was a co-chair of our community Relay for Life and one year we had to evacuate the football stadium due to a storm in the area. I felt this story would be a good tie to how I've handled an emergency in the past and made a note of it on my spreadsheet. I never did get asked that question, but I was prepared with a past experience just in case I did!
4. Watch past DCP interviews on YouTube
Some people post their full DCP interview on YouTube, and while I personally found them boring to watch they do have some benefits. One thing that I found beneficial with these interviews was it alleviated my anxiety over my own interview. Watching the interviews made me realize that the other people interviewing and getting accepted were just regular people like me. These interviews also reinforced the idea of being yourself. Everyone is different in how they approach the interview process, so just do you boo! Lastly, these interviews were also calming because yeah some people stumbled over their words or rambled in their answers, which again reinforces the idea that you do not have to have a perfect interview to be accepted into the program.
5. Review your initial DCP application
This is the most important step of your prep-work. Take the time to go over your initial DCP application and specifically look over what you placed interest in, whether that interest is high, medium, or low. Anything you have placed interest in is fair game to talk about during the interview. The last thing you want is for your interviewer to ask you about a role that you had completely forgotten you expressed interest in. By reviewing your application, you'll know exactly what types of questions may come your way.
Day Of the Interview
So you've done all your initial prep, now the day of the interview has finally arrived. It's an exciting and nerve-wracking time. Below are my top 5 tips to mentally prepare yourself on the day of your interview.
1. Dress to Impress
Even though it is just a phone interview, you want to look and feel your best. It's amazing what confidence can radiate from something as simple as an outfit choice. Now, this doesn't mean you need to pull out a suit or get all dolled up, it just means you probably shouldn't be interviewing in your pajamas. I recommend wearing something Disney related. This could be ears, shirts, hats, etc. It gets you excited for your interview and is a direct remind of what your end goal is: working for Disney!
2. Remind yourself of why you want this
Disney is a magical company and has personally impacted, I'm going to say it, millions of people world wide through their parks, movies, TV shows, merchandise, you name it. I'm assuming since you're applying to work for Disney that means Disney has personally touched you in some way. Before your interview remind yourself of why you think Disney is such an amazing company. That could be looking through old photos of when you first visited the parks, watching your favorite Disney movie or anything else that is Disney related that holds a special place in your heart.
3. Lay out your station
For your interview, I recommend having a designated place to be when you're interview that has anything you many need to conduct the best possible interview laid out on it. Some things I would recommend laying out are your resume, any prep-work you may have done prior to the interview, a blank note card to write down your recruiter's name, pens/pencils for jotting down things that may come up during your interview, and a water bottle. By having everything laid out beforehand you won't be searching around when the interviewer asks you something, instead it will all already be laid out in front of you!
4. Ensure you're in a quiet environment
This is important so you can give your interviewer your undivided attention. This could mean asking your roommates not to bother you during this time, asking your parents to watch your dog, so it isn't barking in the background, or moving your car to a less busy street if you plan to interview from your car. Just make sure your environment you are interviewing in is as distraction free as possible.
5. Take a deep breath
Doing a phone interview especially if you have never done one before can be super nerve-wracking. But remember that you have made it this far! Disney is interested in you enough that you are on the third round of the application process. Remember you are meant to be here and you are what Disney is looking for. Now prove how awesome you are!
Good luck with your phone interview! Have any other recommendations on things you did to prep for your interview? Leave it in the comments below!