I've been continuing my training at The Seas with many more classroom learning experiences. The first thing that had to happen in order for me to continue with the training was to pass a dive physical. I went to Health Services last week to get a bunch of tests, and then back a few days later to see a doctor and have the results interpreted. Thankfully, all my tests came back normal and I passed my physical, which means that I am officially cleared to dive on the job!
Besides my appointments, I have had a lot of classroom training. I have to go through all of this training before I can even begin working and learning my role within the marine mammal staff. I have to admit, the classroom work is starting to become tedious. I totally understand why I need all of it, but I am just really anxious to get to meet the marine mammal staff and get to know more about my specific duties! It's been a long wait, but luckily, I get to officially start at the beginning of next week, which is very good news.
I've had classes on dive safety, behavioral husbandry, interpretation, and CPR and first aid. In dive safety class we took a tour of all of the places we could potentially be diving and identified all of the safety features at each spot. We also reviewed important paperwork involved with diving and talked about how to practice safe diving. In behavioral husbandry we learned about training and enrichment and how Disney is combining the two to give their animals the highest quality of care. The interpretation class was all about how to talk to guests about animals. We got to give practice spiels to one another and talk about sensitive topics and how to address them in an appropriate manner. Finally, I had CPR and first aid class this morning. I was anticipating a pretty dull day, but it actually was a lot better than I originally thought! My instructors were great, they made us laugh and made the tedious tasks so much better. So, after today, I am now officially certified through DAN (Diver's Alert Network) to administer first aid or CPR in the case of a diving accident!
Tomorrow is my check-out dive and I finish up the rest of my general training. Then, it will be time to move on to specifically training with the marine mammal department! I could not be more excited to officially get started and get to know everyone on the team that I'll be working with for the next few months. Stay tuned for many more posts coming soon, and as always, keep on dreaming!
Showing posts with label animal programs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label animal programs. Show all posts
June 17, 2016
June 13, 2016
The Gathering, Traditions, Welcome to Ops, and Epcot Discovery Day
If you're wondering what my life has consisted of the past few days, it's been a lot of business casual clothing, training classes, and park tours! I'm in full swing with my training for the marine mammal internship and it has been a hectic few days!
The first major event I attended was the ASE (Animals, Science, and the Environment) Gathering. This was an opportunity to meet the fellow ASE interns, meet the talent management team and leaders, and get our training schedules! It was fun to meet everyone and it felt like the official "start" to my internship!
A few days later I had Traditions, which is Cast Members' official welcome to the Disney Company! It's a four hour class at Disney University where you learn about the heritage of the Disney Company, the Disney way, and the keys to Disney's success. This was my second time taking Traditions, so I knew what to expect, but it was still a pretty nice day. We also got to go to the Magic Kingdom to "observe" Cast Members working in action! That's definitely my favorite part of the day because we get to go in backstage Magic Kingdom and see the utilidors (the tunnels) and also get to be in the parks and enjoy the atmosphere! We also received our Company IDs and our name-tags. Getting my name-tag was great, especially because the big cheese (Mickey Mouse!) hand delivered them to us! After Traditions I went over to the Epcot Cast Services Center where I met some of The Seas Cast Members who helped me get my costume and gave me and the other interns a tour of The Seas!
The next day was a full day of classes at Disney University. My day started with Welcome to Operations, which was a 4 hour class about being an operations Cast Member. Operations Cast Members include, ASE, custodial, merchandise, transportation, resort, attractions, entertainment, and several other areas. Honestly, Welcome to Operations was not my favorite class. I felt like a lot of the information was stuff I already knew from being Cast Member before and it was just a really long and tedious class. Luckily, after lunch I got to go to a new class, which was Welcome to ASE. This one was much better because the information actually applied directly to my internship. The class was taught by two zookeepers at Animal Kingdom and they kept it interesting by telling funny stories and sharing their Disney journeys with us.
Finally, today was Discovery Day at Epcot. No matter what your location is at the Walt Disney World Resort, you will always have a location orientation day where you learn about the property. At Epcot, this is called Discovery Day. This was my third park orientation (I've done DAKlimation and On with the Show), and it was definitely the best one yet! I felt like I learned so much more about Epcot and had a blast doing it. For instance, did you know that the dancing fountain behind Spaceship Earth has water from every country represented in the World Showcase in it? Each world leader brought water from their respective countries to the dedication of Epcot and placed it in the fountain symbolically tying all of the countries of the world together. During Discovery Day we also got to ride Spaceship Earth (for research, of course!) and we took a boat tour of the World Showcase. We also learned about culture and how Epcot is unique in that it brings people from all different cultures together with one common goal - to create happiness for guests! There were even a few surprises during the park tour that I do not want to ruin for others, but let's just say that it was a great morning and I really felt welcomed into the Epcot Community!
After Discovery Day ended, I had On the Job Training at The Seas for the first time. I tried on my dive gear, learned Animal Care do's and dont's, discussed professional organizations tied to The Seas, covered Dive Safety and a bunch of other important information! I also got my training schedule for next week, when I will actually begin my marine mammal duties. Today was definitely my favorite day of training, simply because I learned the most!
I'm looking forward to finishing up the rest of my classroom training so that I can begin learning my actual duties as a marine mammal intern! Keep checking back for more updates on the rest of my training and the start of work with the marine mammal team!!
The first major event I attended was the ASE (Animals, Science, and the Environment) Gathering. This was an opportunity to meet the fellow ASE interns, meet the talent management team and leaders, and get our training schedules! It was fun to meet everyone and it felt like the official "start" to my internship!
A few days later I had Traditions, which is Cast Members' official welcome to the Disney Company! It's a four hour class at Disney University where you learn about the heritage of the Disney Company, the Disney way, and the keys to Disney's success. This was my second time taking Traditions, so I knew what to expect, but it was still a pretty nice day. We also got to go to the Magic Kingdom to "observe" Cast Members working in action! That's definitely my favorite part of the day because we get to go in backstage Magic Kingdom and see the utilidors (the tunnels) and also get to be in the parks and enjoy the atmosphere! We also received our Company IDs and our name-tags. Getting my name-tag was great, especially because the big cheese (Mickey Mouse!) hand delivered them to us! After Traditions I went over to the Epcot Cast Services Center where I met some of The Seas Cast Members who helped me get my costume and gave me and the other interns a tour of The Seas!
The next day was a full day of classes at Disney University. My day started with Welcome to Operations, which was a 4 hour class about being an operations Cast Member. Operations Cast Members include, ASE, custodial, merchandise, transportation, resort, attractions, entertainment, and several other areas. Honestly, Welcome to Operations was not my favorite class. I felt like a lot of the information was stuff I already knew from being Cast Member before and it was just a really long and tedious class. Luckily, after lunch I got to go to a new class, which was Welcome to ASE. This one was much better because the information actually applied directly to my internship. The class was taught by two zookeepers at Animal Kingdom and they kept it interesting by telling funny stories and sharing their Disney journeys with us.
Finally, today was Discovery Day at Epcot. No matter what your location is at the Walt Disney World Resort, you will always have a location orientation day where you learn about the property. At Epcot, this is called Discovery Day. This was my third park orientation (I've done DAKlimation and On with the Show), and it was definitely the best one yet! I felt like I learned so much more about Epcot and had a blast doing it. For instance, did you know that the dancing fountain behind Spaceship Earth has water from every country represented in the World Showcase in it? Each world leader brought water from their respective countries to the dedication of Epcot and placed it in the fountain symbolically tying all of the countries of the world together. During Discovery Day we also got to ride Spaceship Earth (for research, of course!) and we took a boat tour of the World Showcase. We also learned about culture and how Epcot is unique in that it brings people from all different cultures together with one common goal - to create happiness for guests! There were even a few surprises during the park tour that I do not want to ruin for others, but let's just say that it was a great morning and I really felt welcomed into the Epcot Community!
After Discovery Day ended, I had On the Job Training at The Seas for the first time. I tried on my dive gear, learned Animal Care do's and dont's, discussed professional organizations tied to The Seas, covered Dive Safety and a bunch of other important information! I also got my training schedule for next week, when I will actually begin my marine mammal duties. Today was definitely my favorite day of training, simply because I learned the most!
I'm looking forward to finishing up the rest of my classroom training so that I can begin learning my actual duties as a marine mammal intern! Keep checking back for more updates on the rest of my training and the start of work with the marine mammal team!!
June 8, 2016
Move In, Check In, & Casting
I've had a busy few days since my last post! On Monday I moved into my apartment with my roommates, Allie and Megan. It was a crazy day of unpacking, shopping, and assembling furniture! The day was even crazier because a Tropical Storm came through the area. Luckily, I was able to get all of my furniture and belongings inside before it started raining, so I stayed pretty dry during the storm!
We moved into a 3 bedroom, 3 bathroom apartment in Davenport, Florida, which is about 20 minutes from Disney property. The area is very nice and the apartment is fantastic! I had a blast decorating and trying to make my bedroom my own. We still have some more decorating to do in the common areas, but the apartment is definitely coming together very nicely and I'm thrilled to be living with Megan and Allie again.
I also had to say goodbye to my parents and sister this week. They left the day after move-in, so the night before they left the four of us went out to our last family dinner for a while. We ate at Olivia's which is the restaurant at Old Key West Resort. Dinner was really good and we even experienced a magical moment while at dinner. My parents actually became Disney Vacation Club members and owners at Old Key West during their honeymoon 25 years ago. When we were talking to the waitress about this, she decided to make some magic for us during dessert! They made a toast to my parents and brought them out complimentary champagne and gave them a customized picture of the resort as a gift! We also all took a picture together with the chef, the manager of the restaurant, and some of the Cast Members working. It was honestly so much fun and I was so excited that my family got to experience a magical moment before leaving Disney!
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| Thanks to the amazing staff at Olivia's for making some magic for my family! |
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| The Casting Center |
Now I am officially checked in and ready to begin my internship. Tomorrow I will attend The Gathering to meet up with the fellow ASE interns and meet the ASE managers. I'll get the rest of my training schedule tomorrow before I have Traditions on Saturday morning. Be on the lookout for many more posts coming soon because the next few weeks are going to be so exciting as I start my dream internship!
April 28, 2016
Megan's Disney Dream
So, I may have hinted once or twice (and in my blog title) that working for Disney has always been my dream. When I accepted my college program, I truly felt like all my dreams were coming true. I got to work for my dream company, meet incredible people, network, make magic, and have the opportunity of a lifetime! What more could a girl ask for? Well, truth be told, I did have another, slightly bigger Disney Dream. For as long as I can remember, I've wanted to be a Marine Mammal Intern at the Walt Disney World Resort.
My family and I traveled to Disney World countless times growing up. It became our home away from home and we all loved our vacations. I have loved animals for as long as I can remember and especially enjoyed spending time at Animal Kingdom and The Seas learning about the animals and their care. I could be kind of a shy kid at times, but my parents always made me go ask the same question to the Cast Members, "what can I do to get your job in the future?" The answer was always the same - get a college degree, get lots of experience, and work incredibly hard.
As I got older and discovered more about myself and what I wanted to do, it became clear to me that I wanted to work with animals in a zoo/aquarium setting. Disney was always in the back of my mind, but I knew how competitive their programs were so I never wanted to get my hopes up too much. On my College Program in 2014, I fell in love with the Company and decided that Disney was actually my long-term career goal and that I would do absolutely whatever it took to work with the animals at Disney.
It was then that started to look at the Professional Internship job descriptions. I noticed you needed experience, and lots of it, to even qualify for most of the internships. It was at this point that I was determined to get the experience I needed and develop my resume so that it was geared towards getting a Professional Internship with the Animals, Science, and Environment Department after graduation. I started with the Animal Department Internship at the Greenville Zoo, where I worked for a year learning how to take care of exotic animals in a zoo setting. I then moved to the Marine Mammal Internship at the National Aquarium, because I wanted to make sure that marine mammals were something I still had an interest in. I was right - I still loved marine mammals, which meant that I was definitely going to apply for Disney's Marine Mammal Internship the following year. I also joined a Research Program at my school and studied primate personality and behavior so I would have experience in a laboratory setting quantifying and explaining animal behavior. Finally, I traveled to both India and Turks and Caicos for study abroad opportunities so I could experience fieldwork and learn about the natural environment outside of the classroom.
So, after getting all of this experience and learning so much about biology, psychology, animal care, husbandry, and so many more topics, I finally submitted my application to be the Marine Mammal Intern at the Walt Disney World Resort. I also submitted two other PI applications, just to increase my chances, but my first choice was always the Marine Mammal one. I actually could not believe that after years of preparing for this internship opportunity, it was finally happening! I mean seriously, I've wanted this internship since I was about 10 years old! After going through the long process of filling out questionnaires, interviewing, and most importantly, waiting, I finally got the call that confirmed that all of my dreams were coming true - I was going to be a Marine Mammal Intern at Disney!
The amount of support I have received from family and friends during this whole process has been overwhelming. Everyone is so supportive and excited for me and they keep wishing me luck "pursuing my dreams at Disney." And every time they say that, I just smile. Yes, I'll be pursuing my dreams down in Disney, but in my opinion, I've been pursuing my dreams for the past four years, and now it's time to enjoy my dream! I do want to continue with the company after my internship and make a long career out of working for Disney, so I plan on networking a lot while down there and start working on a new dream. BUT, I also plan on enjoying every second of my current dream. I've worked hard to get to where I am, and I plan to enjoy every minute of it!
My family and I traveled to Disney World countless times growing up. It became our home away from home and we all loved our vacations. I have loved animals for as long as I can remember and especially enjoyed spending time at Animal Kingdom and The Seas learning about the animals and their care. I could be kind of a shy kid at times, but my parents always made me go ask the same question to the Cast Members, "what can I do to get your job in the future?" The answer was always the same - get a college degree, get lots of experience, and work incredibly hard.
As I got older and discovered more about myself and what I wanted to do, it became clear to me that I wanted to work with animals in a zoo/aquarium setting. Disney was always in the back of my mind, but I knew how competitive their programs were so I never wanted to get my hopes up too much. On my College Program in 2014, I fell in love with the Company and decided that Disney was actually my long-term career goal and that I would do absolutely whatever it took to work with the animals at Disney.
It was then that started to look at the Professional Internship job descriptions. I noticed you needed experience, and lots of it, to even qualify for most of the internships. It was at this point that I was determined to get the experience I needed and develop my resume so that it was geared towards getting a Professional Internship with the Animals, Science, and Environment Department after graduation. I started with the Animal Department Internship at the Greenville Zoo, where I worked for a year learning how to take care of exotic animals in a zoo setting. I then moved to the Marine Mammal Internship at the National Aquarium, because I wanted to make sure that marine mammals were something I still had an interest in. I was right - I still loved marine mammals, which meant that I was definitely going to apply for Disney's Marine Mammal Internship the following year. I also joined a Research Program at my school and studied primate personality and behavior so I would have experience in a laboratory setting quantifying and explaining animal behavior. Finally, I traveled to both India and Turks and Caicos for study abroad opportunities so I could experience fieldwork and learn about the natural environment outside of the classroom.
So, after getting all of this experience and learning so much about biology, psychology, animal care, husbandry, and so many more topics, I finally submitted my application to be the Marine Mammal Intern at the Walt Disney World Resort. I also submitted two other PI applications, just to increase my chances, but my first choice was always the Marine Mammal one. I actually could not believe that after years of preparing for this internship opportunity, it was finally happening! I mean seriously, I've wanted this internship since I was about 10 years old! After going through the long process of filling out questionnaires, interviewing, and most importantly, waiting, I finally got the call that confirmed that all of my dreams were coming true - I was going to be a Marine Mammal Intern at Disney!
The amount of support I have received from family and friends during this whole process has been overwhelming. Everyone is so supportive and excited for me and they keep wishing me luck "pursuing my dreams at Disney." And every time they say that, I just smile. Yes, I'll be pursuing my dreams down in Disney, but in my opinion, I've been pursuing my dreams for the past four years, and now it's time to enjoy my dream! I do want to continue with the company after my internship and make a long career out of working for Disney, so I plan on networking a lot while down there and start working on a new dream. BUT, I also plan on enjoying every second of my current dream. I've worked hard to get to where I am, and I plan to enjoy every minute of it!
April 14, 2016
So You Accepted a Professional Internship, Now What?
About three weeks ago, I officially accepted my PI with the Marine Mammal team at The Seas in Epcot. The days after my acceptance phone call were filled with excitement - I got to tell all my friends and family, make a big Facebook announcement, and start to get excited about graduation and my future. But then, after those few days had passed, I found myself sitting there thinking "so now what?" I still had a few weeks until graduation and a few months until my start date. I had let the PI application process consume my entire semester, and now that it was officially over, it was a completely strange feeling.
So, allow me share my "so now what" journey with you as I eagerly anticipate my start date for the Fall 2016 Marine Mammal Internship.
The first point of business after accepting a PI is to find housing accommodations. Disney does offer PI housing in Falcon Square, but they charge $140 a week (as of now) and you have to share a room with another intern. I've heard that the PI housing is nicer than CP housing, and it is really convenient because you don't have to worry about finding a place with a short-term lease or buying furniture. However, I did not have the best experience with CP housing, and being a 22-year old college graduate, I did not feel like being put back in a situation where I had a lot of strict housing rules to follow while sharing a room and paying a fortune for it. So, my friends and I (my roommates from my CP) decided we would find our own housing. Looking for apartments was kind of a long process, but I started a few weeks before I was accepted to make the process easier! We ended up signing a lease with Victoria Park Apartments in Davenport, Florida. The reason we signed here was because it was relatively cheap compared to other options, the staff was extremely helpful and friendly, and it came recommended by some friends! All of this made it a lot easier to sign a lease from out of state and without having actually seen the complex. We are currently in the process of signing the lease for our 3 bedroom, 3 bathroom place! I'm really excited for move-in and think that Allie, Megan, and I will have an absolute blast when we are reunited in Orlando!
The next communication I got from Disney was about joining Yammer, which is an online social networking site for businesses. Basically, it's a place to get to know one another and ask any questions about your position, costume, or other parts of your internship! The ASE Yammer is really cool because Issac, who is a part of the talent management team, is also on the page and is available to answer questions and share some funny stories with all of us. It's a really great resource and a way to keep us all busy before check-ins start!
The last piece of communication I received from Disney (so far) is my welcome letter. The ASE Talent Management Team sent me a welcome letter introducing themselves, telling me how to contact them, and giving me details about Yammer. The letter also included information about my arrival date, the Disney Look, and my costume and shoes. Finally, since I am a marine mammal intern and will be SCUBA diving as part of my responsibilities, I had to read another part of the letter specifically about diving. This section mainly just talked about how we can't wear jewelry on the job, how we have to use special animal-safe hair-ties, and about how they will provide us with diving gear for on the job use! I had to respond to the email with my height, weight, and shoe size so that my gear would be ready for me when I arrived!
Besides finding an apartment, figuring out Yammer, and preparing for my arrival, I've also been trying to enjoy my last few weeks at Clemson! Two weeks from today I will be done my finals and officially done with my undergraduate career. I have mixed feelings about this - I'm so excited for my new Disney adventure (and to be done with school, for the time being), but I am also really going to miss my friends and Clemson overall. Clemson has given me so much during my 4 years here, and I am really going to miss it!
So, if you've made it through this long post - congrats! You now know how I've been handling this "so now what" period, and the best ways for you to handle it as well! My advice would be to plan ahead and don't leave all of the preparation until the last minute. You want to be able to enjoy your last few weeks of school without having all the stress of finding roommates, an apartment, and getting acquainted with the company policies. I should be getting my new hire paperwork and some more information about the internship closer to my arrival date, so be on the lookout for another post about more pre-arrival tasks! And, as always, if you have any questions, please feel free to reach out and let me know!
54 days and counting...!
So, allow me share my "so now what" journey with you as I eagerly anticipate my start date for the Fall 2016 Marine Mammal Internship.
The first point of business after accepting a PI is to find housing accommodations. Disney does offer PI housing in Falcon Square, but they charge $140 a week (as of now) and you have to share a room with another intern. I've heard that the PI housing is nicer than CP housing, and it is really convenient because you don't have to worry about finding a place with a short-term lease or buying furniture. However, I did not have the best experience with CP housing, and being a 22-year old college graduate, I did not feel like being put back in a situation where I had a lot of strict housing rules to follow while sharing a room and paying a fortune for it. So, my friends and I (my roommates from my CP) decided we would find our own housing. Looking for apartments was kind of a long process, but I started a few weeks before I was accepted to make the process easier! We ended up signing a lease with Victoria Park Apartments in Davenport, Florida. The reason we signed here was because it was relatively cheap compared to other options, the staff was extremely helpful and friendly, and it came recommended by some friends! All of this made it a lot easier to sign a lease from out of state and without having actually seen the complex. We are currently in the process of signing the lease for our 3 bedroom, 3 bathroom place! I'm really excited for move-in and think that Allie, Megan, and I will have an absolute blast when we are reunited in Orlando!
The next communication I got from Disney was about joining Yammer, which is an online social networking site for businesses. Basically, it's a place to get to know one another and ask any questions about your position, costume, or other parts of your internship! The ASE Yammer is really cool because Issac, who is a part of the talent management team, is also on the page and is available to answer questions and share some funny stories with all of us. It's a really great resource and a way to keep us all busy before check-ins start!
The last piece of communication I received from Disney (so far) is my welcome letter. The ASE Talent Management Team sent me a welcome letter introducing themselves, telling me how to contact them, and giving me details about Yammer. The letter also included information about my arrival date, the Disney Look, and my costume and shoes. Finally, since I am a marine mammal intern and will be SCUBA diving as part of my responsibilities, I had to read another part of the letter specifically about diving. This section mainly just talked about how we can't wear jewelry on the job, how we have to use special animal-safe hair-ties, and about how they will provide us with diving gear for on the job use! I had to respond to the email with my height, weight, and shoe size so that my gear would be ready for me when I arrived!
Besides finding an apartment, figuring out Yammer, and preparing for my arrival, I've also been trying to enjoy my last few weeks at Clemson! Two weeks from today I will be done my finals and officially done with my undergraduate career. I have mixed feelings about this - I'm so excited for my new Disney adventure (and to be done with school, for the time being), but I am also really going to miss my friends and Clemson overall. Clemson has given me so much during my 4 years here, and I am really going to miss it!
So, if you've made it through this long post - congrats! You now know how I've been handling this "so now what" period, and the best ways for you to handle it as well! My advice would be to plan ahead and don't leave all of the preparation until the last minute. You want to be able to enjoy your last few weeks of school without having all the stress of finding roommates, an apartment, and getting acquainted with the company policies. I should be getting my new hire paperwork and some more information about the internship closer to my arrival date, so be on the lookout for another post about more pre-arrival tasks! And, as always, if you have any questions, please feel free to reach out and let me know!
54 days and counting...!
February 24, 2016
Marine Mammal Interview
This morning I had my interview for the Marine Mammal Professional Internship! I wanted to share my experience with you all because there is very little information available online about Animal Programs Internships, and even less information about the Marine Mammal Internship.
My interview was at 9:30 AM with Kim, the marine mammal manager. We used a program called Blue Jeans, which is an online video conferencing program, to conduct the interview. I was really nervous about using Blue Jeans because I've heard rumors that there are a lot of technical difficulties with it, but everything was fine and the audio and visual worked perfectly the entire interview! I rented a room in my school's career center for the interview and arrived about 20 minutes early. I made sure to dress in business casual clothing and I was in Disney Look as well! I logged in about 8 minutes early to make sure everything was working properly and because I wanted to be online when Kim joined. She joined the conference at exactly 9:30 and our interview began!
The interview began with her just going over some basic information: making sure I had full work availability, that I could lift 50 pounds, and that I understood that this was a learning opportunity and that it would not involve a lot of hands-on work with animals. Then we moved into discussing my prior experience in the field and how it related to the requirements of the internship. We then moved on to discussing this specific internship and why my personality and particular interests drew me to this position. Finally, we wrapped up with some general information about what to expect if accepted and I asked her a few questions before we ended the interview! All in all, it was a 24 minute conference call.
I was extremely nervous before the interview, mostly because I feel as though there is a lot riding on this internship opportunity. I'm graduating in May so I am really hoping to get an internship with Disney so I can begin my post-grad career with the company. However, as soon as the interview started I relaxed and felt very at ease talking with Kim! We laughed and had a genuinely good time. I think the interview went really well and I'm happy with the way I presented myself and my experiences.
Kim did inform me that she is interviewing for 6 positions from a pool of approximately 75 applicants, so the competition is extremely intense for this internship! I am not sure if all 75 applicants get interviews or not, but regardless, there are a lot of people vying for very few positions! Regardless of the outcome, I am extremely thankful for the opportunity to interview for this dream role and I feel really good about my performance. Now I get to continue playing the waiting game and keep my fingers crossed for some good news in the next few weeks!
My interview was at 9:30 AM with Kim, the marine mammal manager. We used a program called Blue Jeans, which is an online video conferencing program, to conduct the interview. I was really nervous about using Blue Jeans because I've heard rumors that there are a lot of technical difficulties with it, but everything was fine and the audio and visual worked perfectly the entire interview! I rented a room in my school's career center for the interview and arrived about 20 minutes early. I made sure to dress in business casual clothing and I was in Disney Look as well! I logged in about 8 minutes early to make sure everything was working properly and because I wanted to be online when Kim joined. She joined the conference at exactly 9:30 and our interview began!
The interview began with her just going over some basic information: making sure I had full work availability, that I could lift 50 pounds, and that I understood that this was a learning opportunity and that it would not involve a lot of hands-on work with animals. Then we moved into discussing my prior experience in the field and how it related to the requirements of the internship. We then moved on to discussing this specific internship and why my personality and particular interests drew me to this position. Finally, we wrapped up with some general information about what to expect if accepted and I asked her a few questions before we ended the interview! All in all, it was a 24 minute conference call.
I was extremely nervous before the interview, mostly because I feel as though there is a lot riding on this internship opportunity. I'm graduating in May so I am really hoping to get an internship with Disney so I can begin my post-grad career with the company. However, as soon as the interview started I relaxed and felt very at ease talking with Kim! We laughed and had a genuinely good time. I think the interview went really well and I'm happy with the way I presented myself and my experiences.
Kim did inform me that she is interviewing for 6 positions from a pool of approximately 75 applicants, so the competition is extremely intense for this internship! I am not sure if all 75 applicants get interviews or not, but regardless, there are a lot of people vying for very few positions! Regardless of the outcome, I am extremely thankful for the opportunity to interview for this dream role and I feel really good about my performance. Now I get to continue playing the waiting game and keep my fingers crossed for some good news in the next few weeks!
February 23, 2016
Update on Applications
So, as predicted, the first DCP acceptances did go out at the end of last week and the beginning of this week. Unfortunately, I was not a part of the first wave of acceptances, however I still am in progress! I know there is really no rhyme or reason to the waves of acceptances, but it's still frustrating to not hear anything! I'm just trying to remain patient and I'm constantly refreshing my email and dashboard!
However, on the bright side, I received an email from the Marine Mammals Department over the weekend to set up an interview with their team! I have an interview set up for tomorrow, February 24, at 9:30 AM! We are going to be doing a video conference. I'm so excited for the opportunity to speak with some members of the team and tell them about myself, my experiences, and my passion for animal care and training! I'm going to be spending most of today preparing for the interview. I booked a room in my career center so that I have a professional background and I'll be wearing business casual "Disney Look" clothes!
I'm so excited for my interview. I'll be sure to blog about it tomorrow and let you know how it goes!
February 8, 2016
Professional Internship Questionnaires
On Thursday afternoon I was fortunate enough to move on to the next step of the professional internship application process - the questionnaire! I received an email from the Animals, Science and Environment Talent Management Team letting me know that they had received my application from the Disney Campus Recruitment team and that I had passed the initial screening process. It then went to answer some FAQs (program timeline, requirements, etc.) and then ask for me to fill out and return the attached questionnaires. I was so thankful to see three questionnaires attached to the email, because that means I moved on in the process for all three of the internships I applied for!
The questionnaires were essentially asking for me to elaborate on my resume. For each position it listed the basic requirements that you have to meet in order to be able to qualify for the internship. I had to check off that I met the requirements and then it gave me space below several of them to explain how I met them. Essentially, this was just elaborating on my experience and letting the team know how I have used it to prepare for this internship opportunity.
It took me about 2 hours to complete all three questionnaires. I checked them over numerous times and even called my mom and read them aloud to her to make sure they sounded professional! I'm so thankful to have family that is supporting me through this whole process - it makes the application and waiting periods much less stressful!
I'm currently waiting to hear confirmation from the ASE Talent Management Team that they received my questionnaires. Several people did hear today, but they all applied Thursday night and I didn't send mine in until Friday afternoon. I had a really busy Thursday with several meetings and a lot of homework, so I waited until Friday to submit them so I had the time to sit down and actually think about how to best answer each question. I'm hoping to hear confirmation tomorrow (Tuesday), but I'm trying not to stress myself out about it too much - I have faith that they received them and are processing them!
One more thing about the questionnaires that I want to stress is that Animal Programs applicants are the only ones who receive them! Most of the other positions have phone screens with recruiters. I would equate the questionnaire to a phone screen in that you're just elaborating on your experience and trying to let recruiting know why you're the best one for the job!
If you have any specific questions about any point thus far in the application process, feel free to let me know! I'll be keeping you posted on this magical journey!
The questionnaires were essentially asking for me to elaborate on my resume. For each position it listed the basic requirements that you have to meet in order to be able to qualify for the internship. I had to check off that I met the requirements and then it gave me space below several of them to explain how I met them. Essentially, this was just elaborating on my experience and letting the team know how I have used it to prepare for this internship opportunity.
It took me about 2 hours to complete all three questionnaires. I checked them over numerous times and even called my mom and read them aloud to her to make sure they sounded professional! I'm so thankful to have family that is supporting me through this whole process - it makes the application and waiting periods much less stressful!
I'm currently waiting to hear confirmation from the ASE Talent Management Team that they received my questionnaires. Several people did hear today, but they all applied Thursday night and I didn't send mine in until Friday afternoon. I had a really busy Thursday with several meetings and a lot of homework, so I waited until Friday to submit them so I had the time to sit down and actually think about how to best answer each question. I'm hoping to hear confirmation tomorrow (Tuesday), but I'm trying not to stress myself out about it too much - I have faith that they received them and are processing them!
One more thing about the questionnaires that I want to stress is that Animal Programs applicants are the only ones who receive them! Most of the other positions have phone screens with recruiters. I would equate the questionnaire to a phone screen in that you're just elaborating on your experience and trying to let recruiting know why you're the best one for the job!
If you have any specific questions about any point thus far in the application process, feel free to let me know! I'll be keeping you posted on this magical journey!
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