How the Disney College Program Helps You Professionally

When your recruiter asks you in your phone interview "why do you want to do the Disney College Program?" I'm pretty sure 90% of people say to help them professionally. Whether that be resume building, a foot in the door for the Disney Company, or something else, this blog is going to examine how it's helped ME professionally since I left!

I'm going to start off by saying that just having Disney on your resume will get you a bunch of interviews, but it's up to you to sell the interview. I've gotten interviews for jobs I'm definitely not qualified for because my interviewer wanted to hear more about my Disney experience, it's something that really stands out. And though I didn't get a lot of job offers from those due to my inexperience, I got really good practice interviewing for more professional jobs. SO. Disney gets you the interview.

Once in the interview I've had a few questions specific to Disney including what I actually did there (not many have heard of the Disney College Program), how it helped me, and what I learned from my experiences there. More frequently my interviewer would ask a general question (tell me about a difficult customer service experience, etc.) and I would relate it back to Disney which always worked really well. I made sure I always slipped into my interview how much customer service experience Disney have me and how they taught me to be an exceptional employee. Another good tip for interviewing is to try slip the 4 keys into your interview (safety, courtesy, show, and efficiency), these are all important tools for any job and if you hit all four you know you did a good job describing the most important aspects of Disney.

Some jobs I've gotten BECAUSE of Disney include a few. I got a Starbucks job because of the extensive customer service experience from Disney and my experience working in QSFB there. I got a sports marketing internship with the CSU athletics department because of my experience working with Disney, my boss is trying to bring a "Disney experience" into sporting events because collegiate athletics are losing fans. Finally, I got a summer job (upcoming) at a winery in Washington dealing with concerts, tours, and the gift shop because all I did was talk about various customer service experiences from Disney. So trust me, Disney will help you. SO many jobs deal with customer service that you can basically relate it back to any job, even if you're just talking about working in a team or working efficiently. 

Finally, it helps you if other aspects of life such as public speaking and group projects in school. After Disney I find it easier to talk to people, and now know how best to work in a team to accomplish an end. You'll find the DCP changes multiple areas of your life which is incredibly cool. I've been out of the DCP for 1.25 years and it still affects me just as much now as when I first left (STILL DEPRESSED ABOUT LEAVING). 

Those are pretty much my thoughts about the DCP helping you professionally. It does SO much for you, you just have to take advantage of all the opportunities it gives you! Hands down one of the best decisions I've ever made.