Amber Aces Her CareerStart Interview

But will Disney accept her into the program?

- by Amber Sewell, February 14, 2011

"Oh, no!"
"What?"
"Disney just e-mailed me. I totally forgot about it."

Yes, that's right. A few months after my initial fervor about the CareerStart Program, I had actually pushed it to the back of my mind.

No, insanity had not struck me down, however much it may seem like it. Other plans had evolved - like taking a Disney cruise as a senior trip or spending three weeks in England - that had swept CareerStart aside.

It's remarkable the magic in the word 'Disney'. Even thoughts of going to England for a school trip (where I have wanted to go at least since I was ten years old) were eclipsed by Mickey Mouse's image waving to me from my computer screen.

So, as much as I looked forward to a cruise and three weeks in England, I immediately demoted those trips to 'backup plan'.

The ePresentation

The next day I viewed the CareerStart ePresentation. From that point, my passion for the program returned.

I found the folder containing all of my accumulated information and the application form that my dad had printed for me at least seven months ago. I looked over the application to make sure that every word was spelled correctly, every sentence punctuated just right. Then I went to school the next day and faxed it to Disney.

Had I bothered to check, I would have seen that Disney now took applications online. There was no need for my short answer questions (Why did I want to work for the company? How did my previous work experience prepare me for Disney?) or my references.

But I had sent them in, regardless, and now I dedicated myself to checking my e-mail every ten minutes and stalking Disney websites to chat with other CareerStart hopefuls.

A few days passed - it might have even been a week or more - and I still hadn't heard from Disney about my application. I was starting to get nervous. People had already done their phone interviews, and I hadn't heard so much as a squeak from Mickey.

Before panic could totally set in, I got an e-mail from Disney informing me that my application had, in fact, been received, and that I could proceed to the web interview.

The Web Interview

I've heard horror stories about the CareerStart web interview. People had been declined just minutes after turning in their applications, all due to this computer test.

Never had I felt more nervous than I did the morning that I sat down in my high school's library during my free first period. I launched the CareerStart web interview and wriggled anxiously in my seat as the introductory page loaded. Taking a deep breath, I clicked 'Proceed' and began the interview.

It was really not all it had been talked up to be.

The CareerStart web interview is similar to programs used by employers to screen prospective employees. I was given a series of statements about my personality and work ethic (for example: 'You prefer to work alone') and prompted to select one of five possible answers: 'strongly disagree', 'disagree', 'neutral', 'agree', or 'strongly agree'. All of the questions were in this format, and all of them were relatively simple.

Putting myself into the mindset of a future Cast Member, I worked my way through the questions, always trying to select one of the stronger options, and very rarely choosing neutral. I stuck to the truth, though. I know a lot of people are tempted to exaggerate qualities that they think companies want, but in my case, I really do want some time alone after I've been surrounded by people for hours.

It took me thirty or forty minutes to finish the web interview. My reward? The marvelous little message telling me that I had passed. I scribbled down the phone number I would have to call to schedule my phone interview and raced to the secretary's office where I would be able to use my cell phone to make the call.

Hands trembling, adrenaline rushing, I called Disney and wrote down the time of my phone interview, then headed back to the library to spend more time in Disney chat rooms before my next class.

The Phone Interview

Now that I had 'passed' the web interview, I began to prepare for the phone interview.

I read other people's experiences with the interview, and spent my time wandering through the halls thinking, "What would I say to a child who's too small to ride Space Mountain?".

Also, I had read somewhere that it was a good idea to ask some questions after the interview, just to show that I was really involved and had done lots of Disney research. The problem was that I actually had researched everything and had no questions. But I did write down a few questions anyway, even though I already knew the answers.

I had scheduled my interview for another free morning at school. I forewarned my second period teacher that I might be late (she, of course, was almost as excited as I was), and then on the day of the interview, I went outside and sat on a bench to await Disney's call. My notes and application were spread out all around me, some weighted down with pebbles on the ground. I nervously kept checking my phone, watching every minute pass by with excruciating slowness.

Finally, the time for my interview arrived.

There was no call. My stomach clenched as I watched the unmoving numbers on the screen of my phone, prepared to jump when the phone rang. A minute passed; then another. And instead of a ring, my phone began to vibrate. I had a voicemail.

My stomach dropped as I quickly entered my password and listened as my interviewer explained that she would try calling back in just a few minutes.

I hung up, staring around as if the reason my phone hadn't rang was hidden behind one of the cars in the parking lot. Not knowing what else to do, I called my mother, pacing around nervously. After I had explained everything in a barely coherent rush, she said that probably I had been sitting in an odd spot where there was no service. I was at the foot of a mountain, after all, where the service isn't entirely reliable.

This did nothing to calm my nerves - what if it happened again? What if Disney was never able to get through, and marked me down as ignoring their call?

But just then the phone began to vibrate once more. I quickly hung up with my mom and answered the call.

My interviewer (I regret to say I do not remember her name, although she was incredibly personable and lovely to chat with) pushed aside my apologies and quickly put me at ease. As soon as I was sure that I wasn't going to be in trouble for not getting the first call, I was able to relax and do what I do best: chat about Disney.

I thoroughly enjoyed the phone interview. Of course I was nervous, tracing the cracks in the sidewalk as I paced, but all of the preparation I had done was completely unnecessary.

First, we reviewed my application, verifying that all of the information was correct.

Then came another scare. I was still seventeen and in high school, although I was taking three college courses as well as my high school work. Apparently, this had come off as confusing on paper, and my interviewer started off asking if I would rather apply for the College Program.

After a few minutes of bewildering conversation, we were finally able to clarify my position - which ended up being questionable. The interviewer triple-checked my birthday, then put me on hold for a few minutes to make sure that my 18th birthday would come prior to my arrival in Orlando for CareerStart - one of the program's non-negotiable requirements.

I agonized for a few minutes (not too terribly, as the hold music was Disney), and then she was back, having confirmed that there were, in fact, a few arrival dates in February past my 18th birthday.

The real interview now began.

I was asked why I wanted to work for the company: simple, I have been in love with it since infancy. How might my previous work experience have prepared me for situations that might arise in Disney? I worked at the local animal clinic as both secretary and an assistant, so I had an assorted skill set that would apply to more situations than one would initially think. My experience with cash-handling was emphasized heavily - for a lot of CareerStart participants, this could be their first time handling money, and those who have already had experience with it are already on better ground.

The interviewer asked me a few more generic questions, then came the Disney ones.

What would I do if I saw a Guest spill their drink? I replied that I would immediately put up something that would caution Guests, and then clean it up myself (only on the phone afterward with Mom did I realize I should have given the Guest something else to drink). I emphasized that since Disney is full of children, and children like to run, that it wouldn't do for them to slip in someone's spilled beverage and hurt themselves. I was asked the Space Mountain question as well, and then what were my favorite parks and rides.

We did a little more chatting, and then we hung up.

My phone interview had lasted 46 minutes; some people finish theirs in fifteen minutes.

But I wasn't worried because a lot of my interview time had been spent chatting about wherever my last answer led: from people's attachment to animals to the view at the Beach Club.

Amber's Left Hanging

After another quick chat with Mom (mothers like to stay updated about these things, and I needed to get some of the excess adrenaline out of my system), I went to World Geography - where all my excess energy was immediately drained by an educational video.

Thus began one of the longest waits of my life.

Don't stop there! Check out more Amber Earns Her Ears...