Q: Tips for the WBI? (web based interview)
A: Have a calm, and quiet environment. Because the interview is timed, any distraction could make you miss questions, which might ultimate cause you to fail the WBI. Read each question carefully, answer it, and move on. Again because it is timed, you really don't have time to second guess yourself. Go with your gut feeling, and move on to the next question. I honestly think it's okay to answer the WBI with what you think they want to hear, as there are only certain combinations of responses that will get you through to the phone interview. Just make sure your answers are consistent. The WBI tries to trick you by asking the same questions worded differently to see if you put the same answer. For instance there could be the statements: "I am never late to work," and "I am always on time." You'd want to make sure you answer Strongly Agree for both questions, even though they're about the same thing and one uses "never" and one uses "always." Also stick to using "Strongly Agree" and "Strongly Disagree," and avoid the more middle options unless you're really unsure.
Q: What are some tips for the phone interview?
A: SMILE. I know that sounds absolutely insane because the recruiter can't see you, but they can tell in your voice if you sound excited or not. Even if you feel weird smiling while talking on the phone alone, just do it, because it really will come across in the way your personality sounds over the phone. One way to prepare for the interview would be to review the Four Keys. (Safety, Courtesy, Show, and Efficiency.) The Four Keys are the basis of everything Disney does in training their questions, and if they ask you any situation-based questions during the interview you can use them to better evaluate the scenario and answer the question. Also know that you will more than likely be asked why you want to do the college program. Make sure you have a good answer for this question, simply saying "I just really like Disney" isn't going to cut it. In my interview I talked about why I thought working in the parks would be a great personal experience, and how great the Disney name would look on my resume. My last tip is to be honest. Even though you're probably tempted to just say what you think they want to hear, be honest, especially when answering questions about your preference for work environment. During my first phone interview, I was asked (in this order) "Are you comfortable handling large amounts of cash?" followed by "Are you comfortable spieling over a microphone to guests?" At the time, I thought that this combination of questions meant that they were basically asking "Would you be comfortable working in either merchandise or attractions?" As you may know, I ended up being placed in Dinoland merchandise, meaning I was selling merchandise and spieling while running the carnival games. While I don't regret working in Dinoland, it was the last place I wanted to work, and looking back I feel like they were gauging out how this would go during the phone interview when they asked me those questions, and that might be why I was placed there.
Q: You're the author of "Brittany Earns Her Ears?" I heard you're working on a second book, is that true?
A: I did write "Brittany Earns Her Ears!" It's one of the books in the Earning Your Ears series, which is published by Theme Park Press. The books are basically memoirs of different journeys on the Disney College Program, and I am currently working on a second book! The second book is going to be a continuation of the first, where I'll be writing about my second college program, working at Lights, Motors, Action! and Fantasmic! My fiance also participated in the Spring 2015 program, working in Main Street Custodial, so there will be some information about his role as well. I'm really excited about the second book and can't wait for you all to read it!
Q: Do you have any tips for Florida humidity and my hair?
A: Honestly, no. I hate to be the bearer of bad news but there's nothing you can do, especially if your hair is thick and frizzy anyway. When I first moved to Florida I tried everything, and I found that the only real solution is to wear it completely up in a bun (and still deal with the little side frizzies that happen) or braid it, there's no other way. Even if you find some great product to put in your hair, you'll sweat at work and it will frizz around your face, or it will rain for fifteen minutes and your hair will be ruined for the rest of the day. Buns and headbands became my best friends in Florida, and it's honestly better to just accept your fate that the humidity is not going to be good for you hair.
Q: Tips for finding roommates?
A: Find them on Facebook, so you know them ahead of time, and you can figure out who is bringing what so you don't show up with six TVs, but also be super picky. Just because someone likes your favorite movies doesn't mean they'll be great to live with. Ask the more important questions like how messy they are, if they like to party, how they are about cleaning the kitchen... And creep their Facebooks. You can learn a lot about people from creeping their Facebook pages. My biggest piece of advice here is don't be afraid to back out of a roommate situation before you fill out the paperwork together. If something in your gut is telling you it's not going to work out well, trust your gut, and apologize and let them know you need to find different roommates. It's much easier to get out of this situation over the internet than to deal with roommates you don't get along with in person.
Q: I know you worked in attractions at a couple of shows, were you disappointed that you weren't at a ride? How was it different?
A: When I first found out I'd be at LMA (Lights, Motors, Action) I was honestly kind of disappointed because I wanted a ride. After I started working however, I realized that working a show can be just as fun if not more fun than working at a ride! At LMA there was more structure to my shift. Every day went first show, break, second show, go home. At a ride, you're part of a regular rotation, you typically have longer shifts, and you don't know when you'll have your breaks. There was also at 15-20 different positions you could be working at at LMA, which gave me much more variety than I would have had working at a ride. We also had a lot of downtime before the show where we could walk around our section of the park and interact with guests, and then we'd be busy during the show load, the show, and exit. I really enjoyed having the same structure to each shift, and still being able to have the variety of which position I was working. (It's also worth pointing out that shows usually take place during the daytime, so if you work at a show instead of a ride you'll probably go to work early and get out early and you won't be there all night with Extra Magic Hours.)
Q: Can you talk about the safety critical aspect of working in attractions?
A: Technically speaking, any role at Walt Disney World is safety critical, though you typically only hear this term used when speaking about roles like transportation or attractions.Understanding the safest way to run attractions is extremely important when working in this role, but it also isn't anything stressful because Disney provides excellent training in this area. At a ride, "safety critical" may refer to making sure all of the guests seat belts are in place and working properly before their vehicle starts to move. It might also mean monitoring certain areas of the attraction where guests are not allowed to go due to safety reasons. Many rides also have a tower position, which is where you would sit and watch the cameras to make sure everyone is behaving properly while on the attraction. Safety in rides can also mean reacting calmly and properly to intrusions. An intrusion is when a guest gets out of the ride vehicle while the ride is moving. Each ride has a different procedure on how to handle this, but it's important to follow the protocol you learned in training to ensure that the guest safely exits the attraction. At a show, safety generally refers to crowd control. Running to catch the start of a show is unsafe, falling on concrete is not fun and no one wants to do that. Certain shows have other more specific safety critical areas. When I worked at LMA, the attraction was considered safety critical simply due to the nature of the show. With pyro, and speeding cars, and motorcycles, it was extremely important to make sure guests did not somehow make their way onstage. We would constantly need to monitor guests exiting the show early, to make sure they were following the rules and staying out of the on stage areas. In addition, we would not let guests enter the show after it had been on for about ten minutes. This was because the cars would be driving on parts of the walkway that leads to the stadium, and rather than taking the chance of having guests show up while we're trying to rope off the area for the cars, we would (for their own safety) just not allow them to enter the attraction. Disney is excellent about training cast members to be comfortable working in safety critical positions, and even though it might seem stressful at first, don't let it get to you if you end up working in attractions! It will quickly become second nature and you'll be a pro in no time!
Q: Do you regret anything from your programs?
A: For the most part no, but I do kind of regret not going to more of the housing events. I never went to grocery bingo, and I only went to one welcome event. Every time these events took place, I was either at work or in the parks, and now that I'm home I wish I made more of an effort to go. At the time I was so excited to be in the parks all the time, but now I'm realizing I can go to the parks on vacation still, but I can't go to a CP welcome event, so I would advise new CPs to definitely take advantage of those opportunities!
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"Brittany Earns Her Ears" is available on Amazon! Click here to get your copy today!
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