CP Phone Interview Tips

Part of the application process for the Disney College Program and the Professional Internship Program is a required phone interview. Some Professional Internships require as many as 3 separate phone interviews depending on the role!

Lot’s of people get really nervous about this, so I’d like to offer some tips to make it go as smoothly as possible!

1. Schedule it during a time that works best for you! If you aren’t a morning person don’t schedule it before your 9 am class! I think it is best to find a time where you will have at least an hour before hand to relax and unwind, you don’t want to have to sprint back from class to your room to do the phone interview. They may call from a “Blocked” number so be prepared for that. Also don’t panic if they call late, each time mine was 15 mins late.

2. Find a quiet location. Tell your roommates/suitemates you are doing a phone interview ahead of time and cannot be bothered, maybe ask that they let you have the room to yourself so you wont feel self conscious. My first phone interview I did sitting in my car because I wanted no distractions. My other I did alone in my room. If you can’t find a space to be alone, check out career services at your campus, they may have a conference room you can reserve to use.

3. Practice some of the potential interview questions! Try to think of answers that elaborate a little bit, don’t be tempted to just give answers like “Yeah that is fine” or “No I never had to do that”. You need to give examples and elaborate your answers. I have a list of potential interview questions for the CP located HERE. Questions for PI or MI are a little different.

4. Relax and SMILE! Your interviewer will usually be very friendly and upbeat because they want to put you at ease! They know you are nervous, but when you smile they can really hear it in your voice.

5. Don’t panic if the interviewer is very quiet. They have to type everything you say, don’t worry about the awkward silence when you finish your answer, you don’t need to keep talking to fill the silence.

6. If you find yourself stumbling over your words or forget the question, just take a deep breath, maybe say something like “I’m sorry I’ve said all this in hopes of answering your question, which I have now forgotten!” and try to laugh it off. The interviewer knows that you are nervous and will repeat the question for you!

7. Most important is to be honest and be yourself! This is your chance to really sell yourself and let your personality shine through!

8. At the end they will ask you if there is anything else you would like to add or have any questions. This is the time to make location requests, if you are unsure of how to phrase this you can say “While I would gladly work anywhere, If I got attractions I would really love to work at Tower or Terror”. They will make a note of it in your file. I also think for any interview you should have at least one question at the end! If you really don’t have any you can say something like “I don’t think I have any questions because I have done a lot of research on the program and talked with former participants”