One Jump Ahead...of the Application

 Tips to give you the best chance of getting accepted    

      So like any other Disney fan who grew up with The Lion King, Toy Story and Finding Nemo (just to name a few) Walt Disney World has been and always will be a place I LOVE. So the minute I put together that WDW was the mecca of hospitality, I was majoring in hospitality and working there could be an invaluable experience...OMG HOW DO I GET A JOB THERE!? Now, this does not mean that you NEED to be a hospitality major to participate or benefit from the program, from what I have read, heard and know, Disney holds its Cast Members to the highest standards possible in order to maintain the reputation they have for being the best at what they do. When you put something like the DCP on your resume, understand that employers know how much the training from Disney effects how you work in the future. One of my past superiors at a previous job mentioned that an employee worked for Disney and they could tell just by how the employee carried themselves and the quality of their work. So no matter your major, if you are considering applying for the DCP, DO IT! We are young and during this time in our lives we have nothing to lose and everything to gain. So needless to say when I saw @DisneyCPInterns tweet that applications were live, I was jumping on that link and submitting my application ASAP!

The Tweet that start the journey.

      The application process is, for the most part, like every other application process for most jobs. They ask for all of your basic information and the standard jazz, following the application you will receive an e-mail asking you to complete your web based interview (it is essentially a personality test). If/when you pass the web based interview, you will receive an email to schedule your phone interview and once you complete the phone interview you will be playing the ever so agonizing waiting game. As you go through the application, it will ask you to specify your interest in each role, varying from none to very interested. Personally, I went about it with the mindset of, "put the most interest in the resort roles (because of my major) and then moderate/little interest in the roles you wouldn't mind doing," (essentially, if they could not place me in a resort role, I wanted any role with customer interaction because of 1. my major and 2. I REALLY wanted to do the program). Now, because I was so antsy to get my application in, there are a few mistakes I made that I do not want you to make as well.

1. First and foremost, have your resume polished and ready to roll, as well as a cover letter specifically targeted at the DCP and the role you want the most. Every college and university has a Career Services department full of advisors ready and willing to assist students in creating resumes and cover letters. 
2. Second, if you have previous employers or professors who would be willing to write you a letter of recommendation, ask them! Letters of rec. can do nothing but help your chances, my tip, ask them WAY before applications go live. Applications for Fall & Fall Advantage usually go up around late January and late August for the Spring & Spring Advantage programs. Therefore, in retrospect, I should've asked for letters of rec. around October or November because the individuals you will ask; they'll have plenty already on their plates to handle, so writing your letter of rec. could take them some time, just be patient! 
3. Third, know what roles you would be willing to work in. Like I said, I REALLY wanted to be in a resort but would've been satisfied with any roles requiring constant guest interaction. Some people only want to do it if they'll get a specific role, others are open to any role, they just want to get accepted! So know who you are and which roles you will be comfortable working!
4. Fourth, apply ASAP, as far as I know/am concerned, the earlier you apply, the quicker you will hear back and the more positions that will still be open. Although not everyone may hear back as quick as others, it never hurt to have your application in early to give yourself the best chance possible to get accepted. Personally, I applied within an hour of the applications going live, had my phone interview scheduled for the upcoming Friday, and heard back 20 days after my phone interview. 
5. Lastly, prepare for your phone interview! I will post in more detail about this soon, but being prepared for your phone interview is going to give you confidence and make you feel much more comfortable than being unprepared.

The dashboard links for your documents.

      Now, I've given you all of these tips and you have all these documents ready to rock and roll for your application. Where you post and upload them is not necessarily tricky, but it is not very clear cut in my opinion. When I do my job applications, they usually ask for these required/supplementary documents directly within the application...not for the DCP. Once you finish your application, you will be taken to your dashboard. Look to the top left of your dashboard and you should see each of these links there. Under Edit Profile Info is where you will attach any supplementary documents i.e. letters of rec., portfolios, etc. and under Resume/CV is where you will be able to post your resume and cover letter.

Below are links to the DCP application and program dates as well as the role descriptions.
DCP Application Dates and Program Dates
DCP Role Descriptions

My DCP

What's the Disney College Program and what am I doing in it

      The Disney College Program is quite simply a paid internship where you have the opportunity to work within WDW at one of the parks or resorts in a variety of different roles. Disney supplies you with housing (rent comes out of your paycheck on a weekly basis), there are buses for transportation but you can also bring your car and participants also have the opportunity to take classes offered by Disney if they so choose. The internship and classes can both be credited by your university, but this does vary from school to school (my school does not credit either for me). There are four different programs, Spring, Spring Advantage, Fall and Fall advantage; Spring and Fall are January to May & August to January, respectively; Spring and Fall Advantage are January to August & May to January, respectively.

      The roles they offer vary from Attractions to Merchandise to Concierge to Bell Service (my role!). You are able to specify your interest in each of the different roles as you complete your application, which I will go into more depth in during my next post.

      So, what am I doing in my program....Bell Service Dispatch/Greeter at a WDW resort. Being totally honest, I have no idea exactly what being on the bell service team at a WDW resort will entail beside the obvious luggage assistance. I struggled to find any information on the role once I found out it was what I got accepted for. I would have preferred the Hospitality (Front Desk) or Concierge roles, but I am satisfied to be working in a resort. From what I could tell, all of the resort operations roles are SUPER competitive and REALLY rare, so I am really happy that I am just in the role at all! A lot of people usually get accepted for roles like Attractions, Merchandise, Quick Service Food & Beverage or Custodial because there are so many different locations to place CPs in those roles.

      During my program I am primarily looking to get as much work experience as I can and do not have any plans to take classes right now, but that could change as time goes on. And since I am graduating early, this is technically my first job out of school so it works out pretty perfectly because I will not need to go through the hassle of getting my program credited!