Tuesday 6th October 2pm. You don’t get to choose your date and time at this stage so I skipped a lecture – oops don’t tell uni lol.
Other years interviews had been held in different cities like Edinburgh, Newcastle, Manchester etc. but we all had our interview at the Yummy Jobs HQ in Epping, Essex this year. It was a trek for me (Middlesbrough/Manchester based) and it cost me a fortune staying over in a Travelodge, train tickets, lunch out blah blah blah and the whole time I was just wishing for it to be worth it haha!
I joined a Facebook group during the online application stage and we’d organised to meet in Starbucks before our interview so we weren’t so nervous and alone (highly recommended). The Starbucks is literally opposite the YJ office too so no chance of getting lost/being late.
GROUP INTERVIEWS cryyyyyyyyyy
If you like group interviews, well 1.) you’re a weirdo and 2.) you’ll be fine here. You register as you walk in, get handed a sticker with a group name and time on and then you make yourself as comfy as you can be on a plastic chair in a room full of strangers who you’re competing against 🙂 There was then a presentation that got you pure buzzed for a job you might not even get.
At this stage listen – write notes on key points mention and especially on the number of jobs in each role, give yourself the best chance possible and don’t limit yourself to one of the very exclusive roles like Character Attendant (only three people this year got that job). BE FLEXIBLE.
There were then a few questions thrown to us applicants with every right answer winning a chocolate star wars lolly. I GOT ONE, BOW DOWN. Basic Disney knowledge required: when did DisneyWorld open? The four parks? One of the recently announced park extensions? The names of the Disney Cruise ships?
Then it was time to split. If you had the first interview slot (I did) then you stayed, if you didn’t you had to scarper until it was your time slot. Every group gets a Yummy Jobs rep to impress, we had Nicola (the boss, yikes) and two lovely Dutch interns.
Quezzies (this is what y’all are here for right?):
ICE BREAKER: Ok so we all had to choose a Starburst, yep I know, and once we all had one we found out each colour represented a different question. Interesting fact, fave destination or fave food were the questions. I got interesting fact so I said I have performed on two west end stages (I think she liked it, we talked for a while and I was pretty much word vomming throughout). Then the rest of the questions:
- What’s your name? – …you better know the answer
- What will you bring to the program and what will you gain? – REMEMBER CULTURE
- Top 2 roles and why? – choose at least one with large hiring numbers to up your chances (Lifeguard and Quick Service Food & Bevvies are usually good)
- Fave Disney film and why? – I said Pocahontas cos she’s a badass (in Disney appropriate wording)
- SCENARIO QUESTIONS ARGH – this is where you nip up and it gets all scary as they ask someone who is interested in the role first and then everyone else gets to chip in.
1. What do you do when a guest is looking everywhere for a certain piece of merch and they can’t find it? Be nice, if it exists go find it, if it doesn’t offer them an alternative blah blah.
2. You’re on duty as lifeguard and a guest starts shouting at you because he’s asked you where he can find a specific food item three times and you have ignored him, what do you do? Politely tell them you are a lifeguard on duty and you can’t take your eyes off your patch to help him right now. Your job is to look out for people in danger. If they start to kick off remind them of that, you’re looking out for their children’s safety at the end of the day!
3. What do you do when someone has queued FOREVER and the ride breaks down? MAAAAGIC MOMENT TIME – if they’re super duper upset, give them a cheeky fast pass for another ride, duh.
- EXPERIENCE QUESTIONS – they want to know you have faced these problems before and can overcome them, have examples ready.
1. You have a stupidly messy roommate, what do you do?
2. When have you shown time management skills?
- Finally, any tattoos or piercings that aren’t the Disney look? – DO NOT LIE. They won’t discount you because you’ve got a tat they will just place you in a role that has a costume to cover it.
At this point we were asked if we had any final comments or questions. Make sure you say everything you went in expecting to say, you don’t want to go home with a whole load of “I-wish-I’d-said-that”s. I brought up the fact I’m a freakin proud Smoggie and that I want to show the people of the world that England goes further than afternoon tea and Prince Harry. And with that comment about the glorious Boro, I was outta there an hour after when we started. Don’t worry, it’s the quickest hour of your life.
Results EEEEEP
I found out I’d gotten through like a million (15) days later and I was buzzzzzzing. I’d heard rumours that this was the major culling stage and if you make it through to the second interview stage then you’re pretty much safely on the program. A girl I had spoken to in Starbucks got rejected, it was her second application, so don’t think just because it’s your first time you don’t stand a chance. The next interview would be held at Disney HQ in Hammersmith (yo that’s cool) and I had a choice of dates. Opted for an early one to get it out of the way and then spent my days counting the hours and choosing my outfit!
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