Phone Interview

Next step in the application process: the phone interview!

I told myself I wouldn't be nervous for my interview. I prepared the very best I could and made a list of all my jobs and experiences and etc that I wanted to make sure I talked about. So no need to be nervous, right?

Ha.

My stomach was all in knots the day of my interview, and it wasn't scheduled until 8:45pm. So that made for a looooong day... lol. I went into my room at around 8:00 and spent the next 45 minutes going over my notes and trying to get in the right mindset to prove to the best of my ability that I was confident, perky, knowledgeable, and perfect Cast Member material!

My interviewer called around 8:50, 8:55 - from other people's accounts of their interviewers it seems like they're usually early or right on time, but my interviewer said they were having computer issues that night which put them off schedule a bit. We went through the practical questions first - "is your information from your application correct, are you willing to accept the pay rate, do you have tattoos," etc. Then it was time for the "conversation" questions, where she asked me the open-ended questions that made up the meat of the interview.

I tried to answer the best I could. Sometimes I felt like I was rambling on and on, and sometimes I felt like I didn't give enough information at all. I didn't get any questions about the roles, or about my favorite park/resort/etc. Other people said their interviews were very different, so I think it must just depend on the interviewer and what their style is for which questions they ask and how they ask them.

She did ask if I wanted to add any roles to my checklist, because the program is very competitive and choosing only 3 roles might limit me... I hesitated, but I knew that Attractions, Merchandise, and Character Performer were the the roles I wanted the most and the roles I knew I would be the best at, so I told her I would prefer to stick with those 3 roles only. She asked what my #1 role choice was, and I said Attractions and told her all about my public speaking experience, performing experience, etc. She reminded me that not all attractions require speaking, and I of course said I understood and was fine with that. 

The interview ended with the opportunity to ask her any questions I had. I asked about taking classes and the Character Performer audition dates, and I asked if I could make a request for an attraction. She said yes but it's not guaranteed. I said I understood and requested Kilimanjaro Safaris or any high-spiel ride. She said she would make a note. So fingers crossed! :)

She wished me a magical night, and that was the end! Overall, I felt like my interview was just "ok". I didn't feel great about it and I didn't feel terrible. I didn't feel confidently like I would be accepted for sure, but at the same time I didn't feel like I would definitely be rejected either. ... So I just decided to tell myself I didn't make it - then if I got rejected I'd be prepared for that and it wouldn't devastate me, and if I got accepted it would be even more magical. 

My interviewer said I should hear back in 3-4 weeks. Other people were told 2-3 weeks. Brian had his interview the day after mine and was told 4-6 weeks. (Brian, by the way, did AMAZING on his interview and I knew he would be accepted! His answers were all right on.) So we really had no idea how long to expect to wait. We decided to assume it would be 6 weeks and settled in for a long wait...

12 days later, Brian and I both got our acceptance emails! :)