#wdwip

18 days until I fly. Wow this is coming up really quickly now. Looking forward to the next few weeks

So you’ve made it through to pre-screens but what is it?

Pre-screens are the interviews that yummy jobs use to narrow down and select the people that will get a face-to-face (finals) interview with the Disney recruiters.

 The pre-screen day usually has a morning and afternoon session. Recently there has been only one pre-screen day however previously there have been pre-screens held over two days.

 The interview is designed to see how you are able to speak, interact with others and think on your feet. The interviews are in groups of usually around 6-8 people.

                                                                                                                             You might need to prepare a few things before you even go to your pre-screen interview.

Social media – Look for a facebook group or take a look on wdwip.com for other candidates for your interview day. If you are staying the night before, organise a meet up and say hello to each other.

Accommodation and Travel - Have a think about what time your interview is and how you will get there. It may be worth staying in a hotel locally if you are travelling and want a bit of piece of mind. My pre-screen took place in a hotel next to Stansted airport but recently Yummy Jobs HQ has been used. Know exactly where you are going as you wont then be in a rush and get flustered. If you are travelling in London – make sure there isn’t a tube strike.

Cultural Item – something that represents your hometown, something from there. Can be an item, photo, edible products….use your imagination

Interview Outfit – Think of the Disney brand. Disney are known for the ‘Disney Look’ (which is professional and conservative) and you want to be able to fit into this. It’s easier to see someone fit then to imagine it. Remember you are going to an interview. Also keep in mind that you may also be waiting for most of the day in what you are wearing. Keep it professional!

                                                                                                                          The session starts of with checking in. This is usually where you find out who your interview group is (by Disney name – mine was Queen of Hearts) and who your interviewer will be.

 Once you’ve been signed in then its time for a presentation where you will hear quite a bit of information about the program – lots of people including myself bought a small notepad in however I did not end up using mine as the presentation made me sit there with my eyes wide open with excitement.

The presentation is interactive and the YJ staff (who most have done a Disney program) are just as excited as the candidates and passionate about speaking of their experiences and the Disney brand. There were even a few prizes won by correctly guessing some Disney trivia (hint: find out what EPCOT stands for and the date WDW and EPCOT opened).

YJ will show you a number of videos as well as give you information about job roles, pay, accommodation, visas and the next steps should you be successful. If you are lucky you may have on your interview previous CRP participants who might share a story or two!

After this its time for your interview. You may have to wait to be called back in for your interview group or may go in straight away. If you are sent away and given a time to come back – be early. Being on time is being late. You want time to take a breath and not be rushing about. My advice would be to get together with your interview group and have a chat – a rapport will show in your interview and you’ll feel more comfortable then going in with complete strangers.

                                                                                                                           The actual interview bit 

So you’ve arrived 10 minutes before your interview time. Take a breath and calm your nerves. Wait in the area you have been told to. Depending on where your interviews are taking place – just think if the people being interviewed could hear you if the venue is small.

Time to be patient now – the later your interview slot, the more likely that the previous interviews have overrun with time. This is where scheduling a pickup, late train or plane will put you at ease.

Walking into the interview area, remember to say hello with a smile. It may sound obvious but make the effort to make sure you’ve done it. At this point you will likely hand in your yummy jobs passport with your picture on it.

Take a seat – this is your time to show yourself.

Introductions first – your yummy jobs interviewer will introduce themselves and then an icebreaker to get to know each other. You may have to give a number of facts about yourself, introduce another person in your group or have a short activity.

After giving a number of facts about ourselves, in my prescreen, we were split into smaller groups come up with a new ride for the UK pavilion. (Please I hope that Mary Poppins umbrella fly-by can happen on our flying black taxi ride across the UK through time)

  Your interviewer will then begin with the questions. There are a few that usually come up similar to :

Why do you want to work for Disney ?

Why the cultural representative program?

Describe your hometown

When have you dealt with a situation and resolved it ?

They will not ask the questions to a specific person – so its down to you to read the group. You want to be heard but show that you are listening. You want to be friendly and show that you can converse with others. If you want to ask a short question about someone else’s answer then do it – it shows you are listening but also able to engage. Just make sure that everyone gets a chance to speak. You also probably don’t want to be the last to answer every question by being too polite. It’s a balancing act.

At this point it will be very obvious if you have scripted answers. They want to see you speaking normally so if you are doing any preparation, perhaps have a rough idea of what you may say but don’t recite answers. It sounds robotic. If like me, you don’t prepare specifics then just go over your application questions and answers and make sure that you know why you are there.

You’ve been asked to bring a cultural item – why? 

Well you are going to speak about something from your hometown. You need to be able to speak for a minute or two about what you have brought and be confident doing so. Remember that this is the whole point of the program – guests being able to ask about what its like back home and you being able to give someone a snapshot of something about where you are from. The item isn’t the important thing, it’s the way you talk about it that is key ! Just think culture.

Also remember that someone in your group or the interviewer might just ask you a question about your item. Pick something you can speak about.

The interview is almost over………

But then you may have a task to sell an item that is selected at random. Remember they want to see your personality and ability to think on your feet so don’t just stand there and say what the item is. SELL IT !

I had sausages and colcannon and I sold my item ala M&S food adverts. 

Once everyone has finished that is the interview over. As you leave thank your interviewer and go and breathe once more. Or if you are lucky and are in a hotel make your way to the bar. There is nothing more you can do.

 The waiting now begins.

Any questions then hit the ASK ME or message me through social media. 

If you want to read about my own pre-screen experience then click HERE and also watch this video

So the cultural representative program is all about sharing culture with others.

This is my hometown !