As much as I wish this was a current job (sob), this post is about how I got a job working at Walt Disney World in 2015! (Just a quick note that these photos were taken in 2015, so the quality isnt amazing! I apologise!) I thought it would be appropriate to share this post now, as Yummy Jobs (the company I applied with to work at Disney) have just announced that they are restarting the Cultural Exchange Program for people to fly out this summer! The link to their website is here in case anyone is interested in applying.
Quick disclaimer though – my experience was obviously 7 years ago, so the whole process may be completely different now, especially post-COVID!
In my final year of university, I decided that I really wanted to do some sort of work abroad program. It would be the only time I could do something like that (without having any real responsibilities!) so I really wanted to go for it and do something for myself. Id been to a lecture at university about Camp America and was planning on applying to that, but then a friend at my part-time job mentioned the Disney Cultural Exchange program. Hed been the year before and loved it, so he was talking about how amazing it was and basically sold it to me! Ive always been a massive Disney lover and it was always a dream of mine to go to Disney World, so I thought, why not try and work there?
The program was called the Cultural Exchange Program, and was a 3 month program which took place in the summer. To apply, you had to be a current university student. I went online and found out I had to apply through a company called Yummy Jobs who dealt with UK applicants. I found loads of blogs and YouTube videos with advice on applying and chatted with my friend who had already been. There was also a Facebook group for hopeful applicants, which proved to be very useful! This is why I wanted to write this blog post myself – as I found other peoples blogs and YouTube videos really helpful when I was applying.
I sent off my application, which was a basic form with a personal profile and an essay about what Disney meant to me and what cultural exchange meant to me. I remember agonising over this for hours, wondering what to write, what theyd want to read, how to sell myself… in the end, I just wrote from the heart and prayed that my passion came across. Then became a waiting game to find out if Id gotten through to interview!
The first interview was at Manchester Metropolitan University. I remember being SO nervous and excited! I got the train in and met up with some other applicants from the Facebook group (including Alice who ended up being my roommate for my program!) and we headed over together. The Yummy Jobs representatives gave us a talk about what the program was like, gave us a Disney quiz and then it was time to be interviewed. We were interviewed in groups (which is really hard!) and they asked questions about various roles and ways wed deal with certain situations, as well as the standard Which Disney character would you be and why? Like I said, it was really hard because you dont want to be the person talking over everyone and interrupting people, but you also want to stand out and not be silent! Once this was over, it was then another few-week wait to find out if wed gotten through to the next stage.
Woohoo, Id made it to the second round of interviews! This time I was invited to The Walt Disney Company Headquarters in London! I remember this being such a big deal. I went with some applicants Id chatted to last time (including Alice!) and we went in together. After waiting in the waiting room with a giant silver glittery Mickey Mouse statue, we were given passes and different times in the day for our interviews. They told us that we could either wait there for our chosen time or return later. As our times were hours away, we decided to explore London instead, making sure to visit the Disney store for maximum excitement! When it was time for our interviews, we went in individually and had our interviews with the Disney recruiters (who were lovely!) They were so friendly and chatty, so I remember thinking it was so much easier than Id built it up in my head. They asked about my work experience, what Disney meant to me, what my views on cultural exchange were and why it was so important etc.
Then was a huge waiting game of a few months, constantly checking my emails, reading everyones posts in our Facebook group asking if anyone had heard…
THE EMAIL On December 19th 2014, late at night, the email finally arrived. Id been selected to take part in a Disney program! I remember screaming and running in to my mums room to tell her. I couldnt believe it! Our arrival date was 2nd June 2015, so I had quite a while to wait, but I remember being so excited and it was all I could talk about for months.
And thats the story on how I got my job at Walt Disney World! Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, the Cultural Exchange Program was cancelled, but Yummy Jobs have literally just announced that it is returning! It was the best experience of my life and Im so glad I did it. It taught me so much more than I ever thought it would, and Id give anything to go back and relive it.
I do have some other posts about my time at Disney planned, like about my arrival week, how I found out what my job was and where I lived for the duration of my program, but I thought this would be enough for one post! Let me know what you think below.
Im Jemma, a 28 year old Disney-obsessed adult(ish) with a deep love for chocolate, the colour pink and musical theatre. I live in the UK with my fiancé (Ben), our newborn baby girl (Penelope) and our black cat (Nora).
My blog and social media is my little corner of the internet, where I share anything and everything that I am passionate about!
Yummy Jobs Programs
Interviews for Top Jobs at Yummy Jobs
CEP Interview
I applied online. I interviewed at Yummy Jobs
Interview
A friendly group interview with around 6 other people. We were asked numerous questions, often asking the same and going around the group. This sometimes made it difficult if you were first to answer and hadn’t had time to think of something, or last to answer and had all the answers taken.
- How would you handle a crowd?
Interviews for Top Jobs at Yummy.com
Delivery Driver Interview
I applied online. The process took 1 day. I interviewed at Yummy.com (Los Angeles, CA) in Mar 2016
Interview
Went inside the store and was greeted by someone who works there and was handed a form to fill out. After filling it out, you have a face-to-face interview that doesn’t take any longer than 10 min.
- “Tell me a little about yourself?”, “Do you have any questions for me?”
Delivery Driver Interview
I applied through other source. I interviewed at Yummy.com (Playa Vista, CA) in Jul 2014
Interview
The owner sits down with you and talks about how great he is and his company is. Then goes on to say how great and awesome his company is.
- They don’t really ask you anything. You fill it all out. Basics questions like where did you work, why do you want to work here, etc etc.
Once its your time slot you go in and sign in with yummy jobs and then take a seat before they give you a presentation all about the program. This takes about an hour but it doesn’t feel like it because they try to make it fun for you! We also did a bit of Disney trivia and they gave out chocolate to those who answered correctly!
My advice for this stage is to smile a lot even if you’re nervous because it’s Disney you want to work for and everyone’s happy at Disney! Also try not to talk over people in your group because this could come across as rude and that’s not what they’re looking for! I’d also say to let your personality show through and show that you can hold a conversation because in my opinion that’s the kind of person they are looking for.
This stage is a group interview (groups of around 10 people) which is quite different to a one-to-one interview but that doesn’t mean it’s an all bad thing. Personally I find group interviews harder because I’m typically quite shy and reserved unless I know people really well. However I know some people would prefer the group interview because when other people are answering it gives you some time to think about what you want to say. I wouldn’t say being on the shy side like me is a particularly bad thing in this situation because there were people in my group that said a lot more than me who didn’t get through to the next stage but at the same time make sure you speak enough so the interviewer has something to go on.
The Yummy Jobs offices can be quite difficult to find. I myself couldn’t see it anywhere once I got to Epping but I eventually found it, so to save other people from the panic I went through if you find Starbucks on the main street and cross the road you’ll see a small black door with a plaque next to it that reads Yummy Jobs and voilà you’ve found it!
After this if your interview time isn’t directly after the presentation you will be asked to leave and come back at your time but it’s okay because that gives you time to meet people in your group and chat a little beforehand so you won’t be as nervous! Also a tip this year was first come first served in regards to times so if you want the earlier time I suggest arriving at yummy jobs a little earlier than you need to be there.
A blog about my experiences on the Walt Disney World Cultural Exchange Program 2017
So, on the 17th August 2016 I got an email from Yummy Jobs saying that got through to the first round of interviews! I was so happy and excited and it was made even better because I was actually in Disney World on holiday when I found out!!
I had already joined the Facebook group before I sent the application but now everyone was forming groups with people who had the same interview time. I’d definitely recommend joining a group as it’s been really helpful!
The first round of interviews are held by Yummy Jobs in their offices in Epping in Essex. It’s a group interview with about 7-8 people and it’s to see how you can interact with others.
My email told me that my interview slot would be at 2pm on Monday 26th September 2016 (just before I started back at uni). We had to confirm our place and email Anna at Yummy Jobs. Also, I think they were really accommodating if you couldn’t go on the day they gave you, as I know lot’s people swapped to different days. The email also said that we had to bring a copy of our CV and passport.
In the weeks leading up to the interview I read loads of blogs to try and see what everyone had been asked so I complied a long list of every question that has been mentioned in blogs.
I worked through the list thinking of multiple answers for each one. Because it was a group interview, I thought it would be best to have a few answers so that I always had something different to say.
The day soon came around and I wore a navy dress with little red flowers on, black tights, a black cardigan and black shoes, I also made sure my hair was neat and tidy. My parents drove me up and while they went and explored the area, I met up with some people from the Facebook group in Costa. It was great that we all got to meet each other before the interview as it made us more relaxed.
We were in Costa for a couple of hours as I’d got there really early, then just before 2pm we walked over the road to the Yummy Jobs office. We all signed in and were given a little sticker that had the time of our actual interview an
d what group we were in- I was in Team Dumbo!
The Yummy Jobs team then did a presentation that lasted about 45mins- 1hour which went through the various facts about the program and got us all more excited! We also had a little quiz before the presentation began which included prizes! We were given a role checklist where we just had to tick which roles we were willing to do on the program. The Yummy Jobs team advised that the more we ticked, the better chance we had to getting to the next stage.
The roles that were on offer were:
I said that I was willing to do 8 out 11- I didn’t want to do lifeguarding or recreation because I’m not a strong enough swimmer and I also wasn’t a big fan of working in the quick service food locations.
The Yummy Jobs team said that there’s a lot of roles for operations, merchandise, custodial and quick service food and beverage and so were kind of hinting that it’d be a good idea to say that we were willing to do these jobs.
There were two interview times and mine was at 4:30pm which meant I had about an hour to either leave and come back or stay in the office where there was cake for the Macmillan Coffee Morning. I think pretty much everyone at the 4:30 time stayed and had cake and just got chatting to the other people who were also in Team Dumbo.
The wait went really quickly and soon Anna came to collect Team Dumbo and took us into her office. There were three interviewers so there was six slots on Monday afternoon in total. There was seven of us in Team Dumbo and it was a really relaxed atmosphere; we just sat in a circle while Anna asked us questions and we had a sort of conversation. Firstly, we had to speak to the person next to us and introduce them with their name, where they’re from, what they’re studying, an interesting fact and their favourite disney memory. This was a great way to break the ice and I had already met Andria, the girl I had to introduce!
Then we began with the questions:
There were some more questions but I can’t remember all of them!
Anna split our group in half at one point and asked each side to discuss a scenario question and then feedback to the rest of the group. My group was asked this:
As a lifeguard you have to constantly keep your eyes on the water. What would you do if a guest walked up to you and asked a question? How would you keep them happy without loosing your concentration on the water?
The other group were asked how would you deal with guests when a ride is broken down?
The interview lasted about 45mins (or maybe even longer) but it went very very quickly! It didn’t feel like we were in there that long at all. We gave our role checklist forms to Anna and she asked us if we had any questions. I asked about how long you’re earning your ears for (which is training in Disney speak) and others asked some questions as well. We were the last group to finish so we must have been in there longer than the other groups and we had a group picture by the disney poster in the Yummy Jobs Office. I think I’m right in saying that a lot of Team Dumbo got through to the next round!
I came out of the interview thinking that it went okay but that I could have done more to stand out. I think it’s one of those things that you always think about what you could’ve said after it’s happened. But we were told we would hear back within two weeks and this was an agonising wait!
I think for this interview you just need to relax- you’ve done really well to get this far as they make a lot of cuts at the application stage.
Remember to smile! 
After all it’s an interview for Disney where you’ll have to be smily. I seem to remember my mouth slighting aching after the interview because I was smiling so much!
Also try to look engaged and not talk over people or talk too much. I answered all the questions and so did everyone in my group so everyone got a chance to talk. All in all, this interview was nothing to worry about so if you’ve got this far, just relax!
I have to say the wait after this interview was very difficult, you just want to know! Two weeks went by and still none of us had heard anything. I think it was to do with the fact they had extended the application deadline into October so they couldn’t finish the interviews until a bit later. Originally the interview week was 26th September – 30th September, but they then added another interview day around the 7th October.
Going by my interview day, I think Yummy Jobs interviewed about 600 people and they said they were going to take about 350 people to the final interview stage.
After the pre-screen, Yummy Jobs asked us to create a Disney profile and fill out the Disney application just as a formality so that Disney had us on their system. I followed up the interview with an email to Anna just saying how much I enjoyed the day and met some great people and that I had completed the Disney application.
Then we waited… and waited… and waited… until finally… we got an email on the 14th October 2016! I was so excited!! So the next stop was Disney HQ in Hammersmith!!
Nailing the dreaded ‘tell me about yourself’ question
“So, tell me about yourself.” Its a common interview question that tends to come up early, which means its a great opportunity to make a good impression. Interviewers use this one to learn about who you are as a person before delving into career questions. Before the interview, spend time getting to know yourself. Not in a deep, meaningful Eat Pray Love kind of way – just understand where your strengths lie and how to talk about them.
FAQ
What are the 10 most common interview questions and answers?
- Tell me about yourself.
- What attracted you to our company?
- Tell me about your strengths.
- Tell me about your strengths.
- Where do you see yourself in five years?
- Tell me about a time where you encountered a business challenge?
What are tricky interview questions?
- Can you tell me a little about yourself?
- How did you hear about the position?
- What do you know about the company?
- What are your greatest professional strengths?
- What do you consider to be your weaknesses?
- What is your greatest professional achievement?
What are the 3 best questions to ask in an interview?
- How many basketballs can fit on a bus?
- What two things, aside from food and water, would you want on a deserted island?
- How many pizzas are ordered every night in the United States?
- What would you do if you won the lottery?
- Blue or green?
