Getting Rejected From the Disney College Program
Working for The Walt Disney Company is basically my dream. I had already completed one Disney College Program, and in California I may add. So it seemed pretty impossible for me not to get in a second time. I was naively wrong...
My completed my first Disney College Program my Junior year of college, during the Fall of 2015 at the Disneyland Resort. Being chosen for the Disneyland Resort (DLR) program is kind of a big deal. Disneyland is significantly smaller than the Walt Disney World (WDW) Resort. Because of this, only a fraction of applicants get chosen for the California program and the majority of them are placed in Florida.
Fast forward to the Spring of my Senior year, it was time for to apply again. I was on the Facebook hopefuls page, followed the recruiters on Twitter, and applied on the day applications dropped. Question of the day! Have you applied for the DCP?
I was very eager about getting back to Disney and kicking off my career with the company. Looking back on it, that could have been my downfall. After applying, I completed the Web-Based Interview (WBI) and saw that I could schedule my Phone Interview (PI) that very week. I scheduled my interview the first day that you could, and this is where I feel like I made a mistake. I did not take the time to let my nerves and excitement calm before going into my phone interview.
Reviewing my phone interview, I feel like I overshared in a way. One of the questions that the recruiter asked me was
"A family is looking for a unique dining experience. What would you recommend to them?"
I went on the answer with:
"Well I would start off asking if they would like quick-service, sit down restaurant, character dinning. Then from there I would ask what is their price range, and lastly ask which park they will be visiting for the day."
Saying that I was being thorough is an understatement. The phone interview continued and then came the waiting game.
Being on the Facebook page with everyone applying is a lot of fun because you get to interact with people who are just like you. Making friends is easy and people often find their future roommates on these pages. The downside is watching people post their acceptances as the waves start to happen.
Eventually I got the dreaded NLIC, or No Longer In Consideration email. I was pretty bummed about it because I thought I was a shoo-in to be accepted. Also, my boyfriend had gotten in as well as a few other people that I knew so it was kind of an awkward conversation.
But things happen for a reason, and maybe the way I start my career with Disney was not meant to be the Disney College Program. Just know that it may not be that you did not have a spectacular phone interview, it may simply be because your application did not get selected in the lottery.
© 2017 Candid Miss Ash