The phone interview.

My phone interview was on September 15th and surprisingly, I wasn't nervous at all during the days leading up to it. I thought I would lose sleep and think about it constantly, but I didn't. I think it's because I knew that I was prepared and if I got rejected, it wasn't because my answers were bad, but because I lacked enthusiasm or I didn't sell myself well enough.

Before the interview, I printed my answers out so that I could reference them easier as opposed to scrolling through a Word document. I highlighted the questions I knew I would be asked and made post-its to serve as reminders. By the way, I've read that you shouldn't write out your answers word for word because you may sound robotic, but personally, it works for me. During the interview, I didn't read word for word but I knew that if I had really short responses as my notes, I would mess up somehow. Different methods seem to work for different people though.

The interview was scheduled for 1:00 EST and I made sure I was ready 20 minutes beforehand. I made sure I wouldn't be interrupted by anyone and I had a glass of water next to me in case I got thirsty. The phone rang at 1:00 on the dot. When my interviewer asked how I was, I said "I'm excited!" to really show enthusiasm. She asked me general questions about my application and noted that I had said I was okay with working weekends, holidays, and making $7.26 an hour. I had applied for WDW Spring, Spring Advantage, and Disneyland. She asked which program I preferred and I said that working anywhere would be an amazing opportunity, but that I would prefer Spring Advantage because I wanted to be there as long as possible, I was familiar with WDW, and I would be closer to my family.

She then asked, "why do you want to work for Disney?" This is the MOST important question. Be sure to talk about how many great opportunities there are such as networking, gaining a competitive edge, and try to incorporate your major somehow. I told her that I was majoring in business management and that doing the internship would be beneficial because I could gain a firsthand look at how Disney became such a successful company and I could incorporate the things I learned into my own business. My best advice is to talk about what the INTERNSHIP can do for you, not so much that you would love to work for the company because you love Disney or want to experience something new and get away from home. If that's why you want to do the internship, I would suggest just applying for a regular job with Disney.

She then asked about work experience. One thing that I would definitely recommend is mentioning volunteer work. My interviewer said she loved when people did volunteer work. She asked me what my top three role choices were and why, if I had any experience with public speaking, and if I could adhere to the Disney look. We talked a lot about personal things. When she asked about the Disney look, I told her I didn't even have my ears pierced and she said she didn't either because of some traumatic experience with earrings while playing volleyball. Having an actual conversation calmed my nerves a lot. Just remember that these recruiters WANT you to get accepted so be as personable and friendly as possible and everything will be fine.

You should also indicate your flexibility and show that you are as willing as possible to do what they want. If you don't have a positive attitude about this program from the very beginning, there's a big chance you'll be let down. I told her that I was really interested in custodial and housekeeping because I loved the magic behind the magic. Obviously, I ended up getting custodial. But you shouldn't indicate your interest for a role just because you think it will increase your chances of getting in. Even if a role is low interest, you could still get it so if you really don't want to do something, put no interest. I did for quick service food & beverage, and transportation.

My interview lasted 34 minutes. Afterwards, I felt really confident about my interview. If you prepare yourself for it and really sell yourself, there's no doubt that you'll get accepted. Just be as positive as possible!

Good luck!