Join the Party! Part 2: The Interview Process

“Why worry? If you’ve done the very best you can, worrying won’t make it any better.” –Walt Disney

          I knew very little about the Web-Based Interview and what I should expect from it. I was terrified because I felt so under-prepared. Now that I have taken it, I don’t know how much I am allowed to say about it other than that Disney basically wants to see if you have the right personality to be a Cast Member. I have always been confident that I have what Disney is looking for, but after taking the WBI, all of my confidence was replaced with fear. After all, I have had plenty of friends that I thought would make great CMs fail the WBI to my utter unbelief. I continued to hold my breath as I waited to see my results, certain that I was about to turn blue after not breathing for the entire online interview. After a brief moment, the screen flashed white. With bulged eyes and a pale face, I read:

“Congratulations! You have been identified as a strong candidate for the Disney College Program.”

          I could barely focus on the words that came after, telling me the steps that I should take to move on to the final step in the DCP application process—the Phone Interview!! I couldn’t keep still—I was too excited! I scheduled my phone interview immediately, afraid that I was moving too quickly for my own good. I quadruple-checked my interview information and set plenty of alarms and a calendar event on my phone, as if I could forget my interview date or time.

          I devoted plenty of late nights (more like early mornings) over the weekend to study anything and everything about DCP phone interviews. I watched nearly every vlog out there and read every article I could find that listed any advice for interviewing with DCP recruiters or any possible question that I should prepare for.
          Getting the idea from a vlog, I made an interview worksheet for myself and left room at the top of the page for my interviewer’s name. Within the lines of the paper, I listed my top three roles and listed any personal experiences that would relate to each one. I wrote down why I want to do the program as well as my future career and education goals. I analyzed both how the roles that I wanted most and how the DCP itself would help me to achieve those goals. I wrote down questions that I wanted to ask my interviewer and any other thing that I may have wanted to mention during the phone call. In addition to all of this, I wrote down other things that I thought might help me in my interview.

          Regardless of all of this preparation, I was still terrified when the interview day arrived. I’ve always felt that if Disney would just interview me for the DCP, they would see that I was born to work for the Mouse. However, that didn’t help me to shake the feeling that I could still blow it. I had no idea if all of my preparation would even matter once I started my interview. But I had to try. I spent the morning alone in my bedroom once again reviewing DCP interview tips and how I wanted to answer certain questions if asked (don’t worry, they didn’t sound scripted or rehearsed), as well as anything and everything else that I thought might help me in my interview. Wanting to isolate myself from any possible distraction, I locked myself in my car about 30 minutes prior to my interview time. This gave me at least 15 minutes of chill time before the possibility of my DCP recruiter calling early. I played some soft music and turned the air conditioner on to help me to feel at peace and as comfortable as possible before my interview. I turned everything off, however, as it got dangerously closer to my interview time. I had said a million prayers, and figured one more wouldn’t hurt.
          After what seemed an eternity of waiting, my phone rang. The screen was lit with the words “No Caller ID.” Disney. A little too energetically, I answered, “Hello! This is Casey.”

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          My recruiter’s name was Ginger. I wrote it down immediately. I had dreamt the previous night that I hadn’t written my interviewer’s name down soon enough and had forgotten it, calling her the wrong name later on in the interview. Thank goodness that I could learn that mistake from a dream and avoid it in reality.

          The paper that I had prepared did come in handy, although I didn’t look at it for the entire interview. Although I had it in my lap, I knew in my heart what I wanted and needed to say. I definitely felt confident in what I had prepared. However, I hadn’t prepared for most of the questions that Ginger asked me. I tried my best to be as honest as possible, even when it wasn’t necessarily an answer that Ginger wanted to hear. Without a lot of work experience, some questions were quite difficult for me to answer. I tried my best to think of similar situations that I had experienced, which Ginger always accepted with open arms.

          In my aforementioned dream, my interview only lasted a short amount of time. Generally in DCP culture, the longer the interview, the better. I wanted to ensure that my interview wasn’t strictly business, but that it was a good experience for Ginger as well. Near the end of the interview, I made an effort at getting to know Ginger. She told me that she wishes that she had done the College Program. After a few moments of Q&A and expressing our thanks, the interview came to an end. If I remember correctly, my interview had lasted somewhere between 15 and 20 minutes.
          As much as I wanted to believe that my interview was stellar, I couldn’t stop feeling that I could have done better. I hadn’t had as fun of an interaction with Ginger as others often have with their recruiters, and I had answered some questions rather awkwardly or somewhat redundantly. After calling my father and telling him all that I had said, he was severely impressed. Was I being too critical of myself? Although I felt all right about it overall, I had no idea how my interview compared with others—especially other interviews that Ginger herself had conducted. I had no idea if my interview was memorable or completely ordinary.
          The words of Walt Disney came into my mind. I had done the best that I could, and there was no point in worrying. Whether I would be accepted into the program or not, it was up to the Lord to decide. He has perfect timing, and wants my happiness even more than I do. Whatever was going to happen next would be for the best, even if it meant that I had to apply for the DCP for a fourth time.

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          Waiting wasn’t so bad when I wasn’t thinking about it. I was working hard to focus on my classes at BYU and had been doing pretty well! I had been keeping Disney far from my mind to avoid getting my hopes up and losing focus on school. Sometimes the waiting was a little frustrating, but I had told myself that I would probably find out whether or not I had been accepted towards the end of October. There was no point in fussing about it now.

          One quiet Friday night in my apartment, I was sitting on the couch, listening to the sounds of one roommate making her dinner in the kitchen. Another roommate was in her bedroom down the hall. After looking at various school-related things on the Internet, I realized that I hadn’t checked my email in awhile. I didn’t think much of it when I saw that I had received an email from WDW DCP Recruiting, assuming that it was just another newsletter. However, at a glance, I read the subject line on my iPhone screen: “Disney College Program: Congratulations!” Congratulations? For what?

          It wasn’t until I read the subject line a second time that I realized that this could be what I had been waiting for. But a whole month earlier than I had anticipated? I doubted my vision. I impatiently waited for the email to open, trying not to get my hopes up. It could just be some random thing that wasn’t actually me getting accepted into the DCP. To my astonishment, however, the email looked something like this:

          I could find no words other than “NO WAY” and “THIS IS NOT REAL LIFE.” My roommates that were present at the time entered the living room where I stood, thinking that something bad had happened. My jaw had dropped to the floor, my hand was pressed against my forehead, and I could no longer blink nor breathe. I read the first few lines of the email out loud, practically squealing, my hands and voice shaking like a leaf being manipulated by the wind. I made a beeline straight to my bedroom to pull out my laptop—I had to check my email from a larger, more reliable source, to ensure that I wasn’t seeing things.

          My stomach sank. The email wasn’t there. Had I just been imagining it? How could I have seen it so clearly on my phone, but not on my laptop? Thanks to my roommate, I found a separate tab in my email inbox, and there the email was, more clearly than before. This was real. I had waited for this day since the first time that I ever learned about the College Program—probably in about 4^th grade or so.

          I simply could not believe it. I had received my top choice role (besides Character Performer, which is pretty much a completely separate process and requires an audition)—Character Attendant! After about 10 minutes of being utterly speechless, I screamed, rolled around on the floor, and buried my face in the couch (scraping my forehead in the process). One of my sweet roommates started crying because she was so happy for me! She knew how much I had wanted this and how hard I have been working to get there.

          I couldn’t cry. I simply couldn’t cry. I felt like sobbing uncontrollably, but I just couldn’t produce tears. It just did not seem like real life. It couldn’t be. After trying for so long (and not even THAT long compared to some others), I just could not accept that my dream was actually coming true.

          Telling my family was very exciting. My mother was arriving at the airport the next day to visit for the weekend, so naturally, it was the perfect opportunity to tell her in person. This meant that I couldn’t tell my family until she had left home, because there was no way that my father (whom I promised would be the first person that I told if I were to get accepted) could keep this a secret. I bought a pair of Minnie Mouse ears (my first!!) from the Disney Store and met up with my brother and sister-in-law. No one questioned why I was wearing mouse ears, but then again, this is me we are talking about. I FaceTimed with my father and siblings from inside my brother and sister-in-law’s home, where I announced the big news. After a brief moment, my father yelled “NO WAY!!” Various other cheers were exclaimed, and I got teary-eyed. Although my head still felt fuzzy as if I were in a dream, things were slowly starting to hit home, at least a little bit.

          My sister-in-law made sure that my niece wore her Minnie Mouse ears (which happened to match mine) to the airport as well, so that we could really look the part when I surprised my mother with the news! My mother, upon seeing them, thought that we had worn them just for fun, simply because they matched. Boy, was she surprised.
          To this day, part of me still doesn't believe that this is actually happening. How on earth can I be so fortunate? Sometimes I feel that I don't deserve it, at least not as much as some others may. I have been watching people get accepted into the Disney College Program for a long, long time, and I know what it feels like to be among those that doubt if their dream will ever come true. I still have a lot of work to do on mine, but to be a Character Attendant is in itself an absolutely incredible dream come true. I've imagined what it would be like to assist my favorite characters since I was about 12 years old. I am incredibly blessed to have been offered a role that so many envy and that I know I will adore. I’m really hoping that I can get a seasonal job with Disney once my program is complete!

          The best feeling in the world is when I receive emails from Disney, saying how excited they are to have me as a member of the team. I am now officially invited to "join the party"!! I’m going to be a CAST MEMBER. I know that I was born to make magic, and I plan on being one unforgettable CM.

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          As my check-in day draws closer, I wish to give credit where credit is due. I owe everything to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He knows how badly I have wanted this, and he has heard my millions of prayers throughout each time that I've applied. I now know that I need to trust Him and his timing. He helped me in the application and interview processes. He inspired me and led me to this passion of making magic in the first place. I know that now is the time that I need to do the program. Of all the other times that I've applied, this is the program that the Lord intended me to do. I am beyond excited to figure out why.
          I am so grateful for the times that the Lord told me "Not right now." Because of my time outside of the DCP, I was able to have incredible opportunities and experiences at both WSU and BYU, to which I owe so much of who I have become. I will carry the lessons that I learned in my time away from Disney with me throughout my program.
          I keep comparing my program to a mission, and although they are very different, they are also very much the same. I will work my best to serve the Lord in Florida and bring happiness to others. I want to change people’s lives through what I can do for them. I want to find opportunities to serve others. I want to use this time to strengthen my own testimony of the gospel and improve my relationships with both my Savior and Heavenly Father. I wish to also use my time wisely to overcome my many bad habits and weaknesses. I hope that I can be an example to others, and a beacon of light to the nonbelievers. I know that my time in Florida won’t always be easy, in fact I expect it to be really difficult at times, but I know that with the Lord’s help, I can do anything.

“I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Philippians 4:13).

          Everything that I experience during my program can make me a better, stronger person—if I let it. I am so overwhelmingly grateful for this opportunity that the Lord has blessed me with. I can’t wait to make magic and to have a hand in making dreams come true.

          Walt Disney World,

See ya real soon!