20 Days

I have 20 days until I leave for FL! A few days ago I got a call from the training team at Animal Kingdom welcoming me to the team and explaining some of the training process. I'll be leaving for FL on Sunday June 16th and taking my car on the Autotrain. Once I'm in FL I will have 2 days to get settled (and hopefully buy furniture) before my check in at casting on June 19th.

I've already met a few people on the Facebook group who will be working with me at Animal Kingdom and my friend Nick who will be at Magic Kingdom and I have planned a Guest Relations meet up the night before check in for everyone to try to get to meet each other. Even if no one goes Nick and I will just have a good time on our own!

The woman from the training team told me I would start training at Disney University on June 23rd and that training would last until July 7th! That's a lot of training!

I'm starting to get nervous/anxious about all of this. I'm really excited about the job and actually not nervous about that at all. GR is something I have wanted to do for a really long time and I know Disney will train me to handle any situation. I'm not nervous about the actual moving there part, but more of the getting settled, meeting my roommates, finding furniture (Hello air mattress).

I'm trying to pack, but going through all the stuff I have is really daunting....

Professional Internship Application Process

Applying for Professional Internships are a little different than applying for the regular College Program. The process is much longer and more stressful than the CP. This is my experience applying for PIs for Fall 2013.

First, the majority of job postings go up on Disneyinterns.com late January to early February. It is important to note that there are 100's of internships, and not only ones related to the parks. There are also opportunities for corporate internships in Finance, Accounting, Sales and Marketing, Design etc, as well as positions at Disney Interactive, Radio Disney, ESPN and ABC.  There are also Animal Programs internships and Managment Internships.

I chose to apply for internships within the "Parks and Resorts" segment so I can't really speak about the process for the others.

When you are looking at each job posting make sure you read over carefully the job description and the application deadline because some have different deadlines than others. You can save the jobs to your "Cart" on the dashboard so you can find them easier later.

You need to apply to each position separately. The online application is basically the same one as for the College Program. You will need to upload a resume, some positions may request portfolios, cover letters or transcripts. There is no Web Based Interview for the PI.

Now a word about resumes. Disney uses a computer to scan resumes for keywords to see if you are a match. This means you can be kicked out of the running before a real person even ever looks at your resume. You HAVE TO tailor your resume to each position you apply for, making sure you use keywords that are in the job description/qualification.

After you apply you can check the status of your application on the Dashboard.

There is a lovely explanation of the Dashboard and the different Stages HERE

If you make it past the computer you may be contacted for a "Screening Interview" this interview generally covers all the roles you have applied for. I applied for Alumni Only PIs as well as some additional graphic design ones. Even if you apply for other positions after your interview, recruiters can look up your screening interview and read it for other roles.

I posted about the questions I was asked HERE.

Then you wait for what seems like FOREVER! I'm not kidding. I had my interview Feb 8th and got an offer on April 15th.  The process moves much slower than the CP application process so if you are applying for the CP as a backup and get an offer, take that, they can always transfer you to the PI and refund your deposit if you are offered a role.

Now I went NLIC for all of my internships at different times during the process, but I was still going strong for Alumni Only. Around March 28th I recieved a new "drop down" for Guest Relations. On April 11th that drop down moved to "Post Interview Stage" and I recieved a request to submit information for a background check.

Then on April 15th I got the call offering me the postion of Guest Relations PI!

So here is my timeline for Applying
Feb 2nd -  Applied for several internships
Feb 8th - Screening Interview
March 8th - Applications Close
March 28th- Recieved a new drop down menu for GR
April 10th - Moved to "Post Interview Stage"
April 11th - Received request for background check info
April 15th - Phone call offering me Guest Relations

Location, Location, Location

I have found out my location for my Guest Relations PI. And I have to admit I am a little disappointed because I did not get EPCOT.

I’m trying not to be disappointed because I know this is a very competitive internship and it is really great that I was selected. I just really had my heart set on EPCOT. EPCOT is my favorite park and I know a lot of people do not enjoy it and often feel like they can skip it all together. But I really love it. I wanted to share that love with guests and help them enjoy it like I do.


My location will be.....

I’m sure my location will be fun and just as great. I’m worried about getting enough hours at this location and I don’t really feel a connection to this park because it is my least favorite.

I’m also trying to look at is as this: Professional Internships are about learning. Disney probably didn’t put me at EPCOT because I have already worked there, by placing me somewhere new I can really learn more and gain more from the experience.

Here are some more photos from the park!

I'm about to be a college graduate!

Tomorrow I will graduate from Penn State University! It's been a long road filled with challenges and excitement and I am so proud that I will be able to call myself a Penn State Alumni

Here is a picture of my graduation cap, dedicated to the adventure I am about to start at Disney. The quote is a line from the fireworks spectacular "Wishes" at the Magic Kingdom. I felt it was very fitting as doing Guest Relations has been a dream of mine since I did my first College Program in 2010.

I'm excited to start this new journey and I can't wait to see where it takes me!