Hey guys!! This is for all of the people who , like me, were not successful in the August/September 2012 intake and are trying again when the applications open again in January. At the moment I am halfway through rewriting my motivation and realised that I should set up a thread just in case anyone else was struggling with the application so we could help each other out! Also I thought it would be interesting to gain some knowledge from those who had gotten through to the interview stage this time round as I have heard that they have changed the process a little. Anyway hope this thread will be useful (I'm pretty new to WDWIP) and I would love to hear from anyone who is also applying then!
I'm not entirely sure if the interview process has changed for good, this was a last minute application session so it could be a little different but basically we had; 1) CV stage, obviously just writing your CV and stuff and sending in your application. I think this stage has a lot to do with luck to be honest. I applied and got an email as soon as applications closed saying I hadn't been successful, I emailed asking for feedback and they said they couldn't give individual feedback then a week later I got an email inviting me to interviews! 2) First Stage Group Interviews, We watched a presentation for about an hour (though the projector was broken, so Yummy just ended up talking us through it and emailed us the actual presentation later!) then had interviews in groups of 10ish! It was SO MUCH FUN! We got put in pairs, had to learn about the other person and then introduce them, so that was really nice! Then we got asked lots of questions about why we wanted to represent the UK, what experience we wanted to take away from America and stuff like that. It was just a group chat more than a discussion! We all got given a flashcard with a traditional British item on and had to stand up and sell it to the group. I had full English breakfast, so that was a fun one to sell! 3) Final stage interviews, In the past these have always been in pairs, but this time they were done individually! We got to the Disney head office in Hammersmith and watched another really cool presentation and then got given a time to come back for our interview! All of the interviewers were really lovely and the questions were similar to the last round but with the Disney interviewers instead of Yummy! It was lovely and they made you feel really at ease! So now we're just waiting to here back! I hope that's helpful! If you want to ask anything please feel free, you can Direct Message me or whatever if you want Also, I have a blog tracking my application process; http://takemeonadisneyjourney.tumblr.com/
I've got a blog covering A LOT about the different stages for the applications before last. The last ones were slightly different but still involved interviews and group/paired interviews rather than the old phone interview format. It was a really long process for us but I'm leaving April 9th and so it has all been worth it http://jendisneycrp.blogspot.co.uk/ I've also got my Disney tumblr and twitter in my footer. Good luck!
Congratulations! I bet your so excited to go I've already done the universal programme but I want to do Disney so much now! Have been working towards this since I was 16 so am praying I'm successful this time round. I shall have a look at your blog now!
Thank you so much for this!! I heard that they had changed a little bit so thank you for giving me a detailed look into the process! I will probably message you in the near future! haha. I emailed Yummy Jobs back when I wasn't successful and they did say at first they couldn't give me any individual feedback however James emailed me back again and pointed out that my motivation for taking part and my C.V were not properly tailored for the position. Hopefully this time round I will improve on what was wrong last time.
This thread is a good idea Thanks Catherino and ScottishJen your blogs are really useful! I was wondering if anyone had any advice for what to include in the motivation box? Spring will be my 3rd time applying Thanks!
I wrote my motivation about 3 hours before I was due to leave for a holiday to Majorca as again I had left my application until the last minute and had to quickly think up what to write. I kind of deserved to fail looking back on what I wrote because I didnt spend enough time on it or put enough care into what I was writing. I emailed Yummy jobs to ask for feedback and this is what, eventually, they sent me back. Hi Annaliese, Many thanks for your email. I appreciate your great enthusiasm and energy for the program. We just had the busiest application for this program on record; competition was so high this season and we had to turn away over 1,000 applications at CV screening stage. There were a lot of good CV's. We just had to take the best and not just the best available. We look at everything in an application, from motivation in your YJ registration, to your skills, career path and CV presentation. We also look at why you might be a great Cultural Representative – an ambassador to your country on this program. This is what the program is designed for, as well as working in Food & Beverage or Merchandise. Looking at your motivation and CV, it needed to be more tailored towards this. We just had stronger candidates available. Thanks Annaliese. It is a tough process but it’s great you entered your application. I can tell you that applications will open again for this program in Jan / Feb 2013 for another recruitment session. Just keep an eye on our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter. Warmest Regards, James Davies Looking back on my motivation it wasn't enough towards being an ambassador for your country which , by the looks of it is what they are looking for, not just why you want to work for disney and your experience in those roles. Just though I would post the email just in case it helps people in anyway
No problem I'm not entirely sure what to write either having not been successful yet to get an interview. A friend of mine from the universal programme who has also done disney was accepted to have an interview and his was very much tailored around the fact he wanted to learn from the culture etc etc so I reckon thats what they are looking for.
Yeh its really hard to figure out exactly what they want to see on the application. I'll have to try and write something relating to that thanks again
I think for the "motivation" part, its best to be honest. When I look back at my application now I can't believe I made it... I literally found the site, uploaded my CV, wrote two sentences in the motivation bit and sent it off... at 2:47am lol! Took me all of five minutes! However, this was something I had wanted to do for such a long time, I just didn't know how to go about it! So when I found the site and that applications were on, I was very brutally honest about what I wanted to achieve and how I had gone about this so far
I was in the same round as ScottishJen and I've literally just made a new video on my YouTube channel going into more depth about applying, as loads of people were asking me this via my contact page on my blog. I think we were the first group to have the new format of applying, then having group interviews and finally face-to-face. Before they used to do phone interviews as opposed to group interviews. It's also worth mentioning that I think in our round, they said 4,000 people applied and then 200-300 people got taken to group interviews, so it's bloody competitive. I do believe the most recent process that Catherino experienced was a smaller one, an emergency drive of candidates if you will. Jen and I have both been accepted and are going in 2013 so we've had it all. I've done a whole collection of videos to hopefully help with applying and the interviews as well. The first one about application is below: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qiPKiqyCBE In my most recent video I've done a Q&A, Where I went into more depth about applying. That's below: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YkT7aqthbM I've gone into loads of detail and tried to give some helpful tips on my blog and that also goes into detail about the actual process itself. Feel free to send me any questions via my contact page or tweet me. My blog is below, just scroll to the bottom for the application post. Hope this helps! www.HattanTimesDoesDisney.com www.twitter.com/adamhattan - @adamhattan
@Hattan...Love your Vlogs! So helpful..Im from Canada and the process is a bit different for us but it's great to hear how your getting on!
Ok, I'm so bored of waiting to apply now lol, so a few opinions would be appreciated, I have chosen to be super cheesy in my CV mentioning 'it's a small world' how many brownie points you think this will win or lose me? too much cheese? I know Disney like cheese, not sure how cheesy yummy like things lol. Also, just a bit of a thinking out load process, I am planning to apply for the CRP in the next round of applications, and I wanted opinions on whether or not a year out of 'real life' is beneficial for someone who has done a career specific degree not related to hospitality or tourism? I don't think it'd be a waste of time, not at all, quite the contrary I want to do the program so bad, but just that taking a year out from doing my 'real' job scares me a little as I wouldn't have been able to actually do that job or have only done it for a few months before potentially going off to do the program...opinions guys, would be muchly appreciated please and thank you!
Hi Laura! In regards to the cheesiness of your CV, personally I would keep the CV part professional as that's essentially your professional profile that you'd use across any job application (obviously tailor it to Disney subtlety, such as showing an interest in hospitality and the Disney company) and then leave the cheese to the application questions you get to fill in when you're actually applying. One question is what motivates you into applying? The perfect time to talk about "it's a small world." Then looking at taking a year out to do the program. It's not going to hinder any opportunites you could have, it's mearly going to diversify or expend them. As well as your personality and you're portfolio of work. For example, you might want to undertake your specific degree subject with Disney after the program... Disney is a massive business afterall. That's my ideas any way. Want any more advice (including applying), check out my blog at www.hattantimesdoesdisney.com or my YouTube channel with help videos at www.youtube.com/hattantimes. Hope this helps Adam @adamhattan
Thanks Adam, it was part of my cover letter not the actual CV, but that sounds like a better place to put it, I'll get onto some moving things around again my degree is nutrition, so from what I've seen there's not much I can do with Disney really, I mean I'm sure there are jobs, but those with pre-approved visas will find and grab those ones lol but as you can tell from my soul-searching here lol I wanna do the CRP program. Also, just a question about cultural things in the interviews, how much detail are they looking for do you think? Thanks for all your help, I've already taken a look at your blog, it's very good
The culture thing is the main part of the interview I felt. It's essentially the whole selling point of recruiting people from the UK and the other countries within the world showcase. They want an idea of what you would tell a guest on park, so the better the picture you can paint, the better your chances I think.
Work Experience with a company like Disney will look so great on your CV no matter what you decide to do I reckon because it shows that you've been employed by one of the most recognisable companies in the world. I was also worried about taking a year out too!! But I think it will look like you gained great life experience by putting yourself out of your comfort zone by moving abroad and shows that you'd be willing to work anywhere. Hope this helps!
Ok, so if I get through to pre-screen time to push push push that culture then And Annie, that is a really good point and gives me lots of reasons to apply and try to go despite my head saying it's crazy, I have done the ICP so I have Disney on my CV but like you say a year would definitely prove ability to work abroad for a long time and show willingness to work anywhere which is always good
