It was a cold, cold, winter here in the Midwest. I was sick of the weather, and I was frustrated with my job. A colleague of mine had formerly worked at Walt Disney World, and so I began secretly talking with him trying to feel out what the chances were that I could make a move to Florida and work at Walt Disney World. My colleague gave me a few names and e-mail addresses of his former Disney colleagues and told me to talk to them.

After a few months of e-mail conversations and advice, one day I received a call from the WDW Casting Center. The female cast member on the other end of the line said that she was calling because my resume had been forwarded to them by my contact, and she wanted to setup a phone interview. And so, the interview was scheduled for the next week.

I remember being so excited about the possibilities this could have for me. On the morning of the interview, I eagerly awaited the phone call. The call probably lasted about 45 minutes in all. I was asked questions about my experiences, my leadership/management style, whether or not I’ve dealt with unions, dealing with diversity, etc. When it was all over, the cast member then told me that if there was anything available that matched my qualifications, they would give me a call back.

And so, I waited.

Unfortunately, only a few weeks after my phone interview, it was announced that Walt Disney World would be under a hiring freeze until further notice. This was during a time when the economic conditions were still not improving much, and it only made sense that such a hiring freeze would occur. That pretty much ended my chances for that round.

Fast forward to one year later. I was going through my usual winter blues once again. But this time, I was not looking for a new job right away. I had been spending the past several years trying to complete my Bachelor’s Degree in Tourism Management. By this time, I only had two semesters left. So, I e-mailed my contact again explaining my pending degree, and sought advice as to how I should go about pursuing professional employment with Disney once I was finished. This time, he put me in contact with another person who was better suited to answer my questions.

I communicated with this new contact for several months and was given the standard spiel about how the needs of the resort change on a day-to-day basis, and it is virtually impossible to say what sort of positions would be available at the time I would be looking for employment. I was told to keep in touch, especially after the summer was over and when I was getting closer to being ready for a new job.

Then, in the fall, I managed to get a meeting setup with my contact to discuss options. I was also informed of the Advanced/Management Internships offered through the Walt Disney World College Program and was told that I should apply for those.

And so I once again found myself in Orlando, but this time, I bypassed the Casting Center completely. Instead, I was directed to enter a backstage gate behind Tomorrowland at the Magic Kingdom, and my interview was on the second floor offices above the stores on Main Street USA.

The interview was not all that different than the phone interview I had been through before. The most notable difference was that this time, when my interview was completed, I got a great tour of the infamous Utilidor system beneath the Magic Kingdom park!

Again I waited, this time for two weeks until I got a fateful call from Walt Disney World College Recruiting. I would not be extended an offer.

In the months following this, I researched more about the College Program and Advanced/Management Internships. What I discovered is that unless you have already completed the regular WDW College Program, it is unlikely that you will be offered an Advanced/Management Internship.

It has been an interesting and sometimes frustrating road trying to get into Disney, but in general, I have made the following observations:

First, it’s not as much about what you know as it is who you know. Make contacts, and keep in touch with them. Listen to what they say and follow their advice.

And second, if you want to get into Management in the parks, be prepared to start at the bottom and work your way up. This could be in the form of completing the College Program, or just going down and staring in an hourly role. Either way, you need to get your foot in the door, and show off your abilities to the right people.

As for me, I’m still continuing on this journey, and I’m not sure where it will take me next. But the one thing I know for sure is that I’m not going to give up anytime soon!

Until next time, I’ll see ya real soon!