The rest is window dressing.....unless you are trying to go for a "talent" position....
It wouldn't hurt to read the following threads as well:
http://www.themeparkinsider.com/flume/201002/1682/
http://www.themeparkinsider.com/flume/201004/1876/
Be yourself, no BS, Do not try to sell yourself… Do not babble on if you do not know the answer to a question… Be honest… Dress up like you are serious…
Granted I also had prior theme park experience and food service experience so I was well qualified.
I had a paired interview so if that's the same for you, don't be intimidated by other responses. In addition, as others have said, just SMILE, alot. Appear to be enthused about the company in general.
I was interviewed by someone from the Entertainment section of Disney, so in my interview I talked about NextGen (the article had been posted on TPI the day before - Thankyou TPI!!) and how I found it all fascinating and wanted to see parks develop etc. I talked about how I regularly visit these kind of websites for updates and park tips etc, and want to share that knowledge with others. The fact that I knew about NextGen and other Disney updates (keep up to date with the official Disney parks blog) made the interviewer go crazy. She was pretty emotionless beforehand, then suddenly she got all wide-eyed and excited - I knew more about NextGen than she did! I genuinely think that sealed the deal for me.
Just enjoy the interview process - it will show if you are. Good luck!
Robert Niles wrote a great article about his experience with it! I think its in (PLUG) Tales of a Theme Park insider!
Even if you did not get the job, Let us know…Then we will all Boycott Disney (well maybe not).
Also emphasize that you are in it for the long haul: "What's really exciting about the prospect of working with the company is the variety of lonmg term career opportunities that I know I will discover. I mean, Walt Disney World is like a city. There must be countless careers that I had no idea existed."
HOWEVER, if you will be having interaction with guests, you better make darn sure you present yourself as a likable, lovable person who will make lots and lots of fans, and make people happy and spend money. If they're calling you in for the interview, then your resume already was approved by the computer (yep, computer -- it's all about the key words that the computer can pick out on your resume), so don't give them a hard-sell on your qualifications. They already think you're qualified. They just want to know if the hiring manager will like you (the person you'll be working with day-in and day-out).
Many people think that "a love of Disney" is all it takes to get a good job there. That's wrong. Disney is a hard place to get a "career"-type job. If all you want to do is sell hotdogs, then it's not as much of a concern. But if you want to make Disney your home for the next 30 years, then you'd better hone your skills, get your degree (they prefer MBAs for moving up their ladder), and start networking with people. It may look all sunshine, happiness and roses on the outside, but when it comes to "running the mouse," they're very hard to break into -- and just as hard to please. Best of luck, my friend. Be prepared, be early, dress up, and be pleasant and likable.
