14 January, 2016

Think of a Wonderful Thought: The Dashboard

So, the basics of the DCP and the Disney Professional Internship are now covered in two separate posts. I feel though I should state the two processes are quite different, so before going into the details of housing and what not I feel I should cover this. I just want to list few basic things before we begin though:

  • Print the job description it will disappear once the application closes
  • If you see a job you like apply right away! Even though the description says it closes a month from now Disney is known for pulling them early without reason
  • Again I stress this check the job description not meeting the basic qualifications will end in a NLIC right away
  • International candidates always double check as well, also if you are applying for animal programs you need a valid U.S. drivers license
  • DCP applicants if you fail the WBI you cannot apply for a CP program again until the next semester of applications (sorry), but if you want to apply for a PI go ahead your WBI does not effect those applications
  • “I wanted to apply for (interest internship here) but it is not offered this round” Yes this happens from time to time the same internships are not offered every single semester.


Before we go into the dashboard to be clear (PIs get one as well) you are going to get a general "Thank you for applying" email it means absolutely nothing other then your application has been submitted. Alright then here we go onto the dreaded dashboard!


So, right after you submit your application you are going to go into submission, and you will get an email conforming that your application have been received.



What does this stage actually mean?
Honest answer really it does not mean anything other then your application has been received. If you applied for the DCP after this stage you generally move to in progress then receive an email for a WBI. If you applied for a PI you may go directly to No Longer in Consideration, or you dashboard will move to in progress.

The next stage once a Casting recruiter has actually opened your application your application will move to In Progress (IP). This is where the waiting game truly begins, because from here you could go directly to NLIC or the Interview Stage.


Why haven’t I moved out of in progress?
Let’s be honest about this stage right now, because you will commonly hear “It’s not over until you get the NLIC” which simply is not true. Now, Disney does send out NLIC to candidates but that does not guarantee you will be the one that gets one. Yes, you are understanding this correctly in progress is also a limbo stage where even though you are not NLIC you are. I myself, as well as others, have had applications sit in progress for a couple years without ever receiving an NLIC.

How do I know I’m on of the NLICed candidates sitting in IP?
Well here is the tough answer again you honestly do not know, and will not know until after the internships have started. Although when you start to see offers go out, and you do not have any movement you can get a pretty good idea you are one.

So, is there any good news about being IP for too long?
I cannot be a downer all the time, so yes there is some good news here –trust me. Although Disney leaves interns here for IP some are left without an NLIC on purpose, yes on purpose –why? Well think of it as them leaving back-up candidates in case one of their top choices backs out, or accepts another internship. It is not unheard of for someone who has been sitting IP for months all of a sudden be rushed through the process, and end up with an offer.

Alright! You’ve seen the light and your dashboard has moved to Interview Stage congrats! The first interview is going to be a phone screen*, and most candidates who are qualified receive one. This stage will also appear again for the second video interview**, or the panel interview for MIs.


When will I get a phone screen?
Here is the tricky questions because honestly it really depends on the department you applied for unlike the DCP there are no deadline for offers, so they can really get around to this whenever they want. Commonly though it is shortly after applying usually around 1-3 weeks after, but it is not uncommon to have it almost a month or so after applying either.

Does the phone screen apply to all my applications, or a specific one?
This one is a bit more complicated as of the 2016 rounds of applications in the past, which still holds true for the most part, phone screenings are for everything you applied for (with the exception of animal programs -it is a questionnaire). However, some departments do specific phone screenings on top of the general phone screen this especially holds true for Marketing as of the 2016 rounds. So, do not always assume it is a glitch when you get a second phone screen anymore -just schedule it.

Do all departments do second phone interviews/panel interviews?
No, some alumni roles do not do second interviews they base it off the general phone screen. However, as of 2015 majority of the roles do a second interview of some kind for their department.

My dashboard never moved to this stage?
Honestly, it is fine as long as you can see when you scheduled your interview on your dashboard it does not matter what you status bar says –so calm down.


Congrats! The first part of the process is over (unless you are a DCP applicant then it is), and you can expect your dashboard to move once again to Post-Interview Stage.



Wait my dashboard did not move to post-interview stage?
It is okay calm down it is fine this is a stage where some get post-interview, and others simply move back to in progress.

Now, as for this next stage if you are a PI (excluding alumni and animal programs) you are not going to see this until after your video interview. However, when you do I promise it is a magical feeling. This stage will appear after you receive a ‘brief phone call’ that will be a verbal offer, and once you give your verbal acceptance this is what your dashboard will look like. For you DCP applicants there is no verbal offer, but when you receive an email your dashboard will change to this. Welcome to the Offer Stage!

Great I got an offer, now what?
Good question after this there really is not much other then to follow the directions on the email for accepting. For the DCP that means paying the fees, deciding if you want to live in housing (if you refuse you must be 21+ and bring your own car), and choosing a start date. For the PI that means not much other then accepting, unless you want to live in Disney housing then you will pay the fee, and living in Disney housing if you choose to do so.

You thought the dashboard nonsense was over? No, you still have one more movement on the dashboard, and it will come closer to your start date. It moves into Post-offer, which is the stage where you actually fill out DORMS, fill out 1-9s, and for PIs this is generally the time you receive the email with your check-in time for casting and traditions. For MIs this is where you usually receive an email about your locations, and like PIs you check-in times for casting and traditions.

I have not received my DORMS yet?
Calm down this generally comes out about a month before you actually start, and they roll out slowly so calm down.

The person I want to live with got it, and not me?
Okay, still calm down you are fine. If you know whom you want to live with once you all receive your DORMS ID only one of you needs to fill out the information for the group.

Is there anything else after this?
No, this is it once you hit this stage the magic is permanent just accept your going to work for Disney at this point.
I have to back out of my offer is there any way I can get the fees refunded?
No, unfortunately once you give them the fees they will not be refunded even if you back out of the internship. The only exception is under extreme circumstances as your reason for backing out, and what is extreme I would put death of a family member under that one to give you an idea.

Whoa! I accepted the DCP, and I have an offer from the PI what do I do?
Well good news is Disney considered that a ‘promotion’ so you can accept the DCP, and then accept the PI instead. If you paid any fees for the DCP if you choose to live in Disney PI housing they fees will be transferred, and if you do not the fees will be refunded back (within a certain timeframe usually not right away).

Wait! I accepted a PI and now have another PI offer?
Well congrats that does not happen to often anymore, and when it does they are typically from separate departments. What you do is up to you here you can accept the new PI offer therefore giving up the first offer, or you can decline it to keep the original offer.


Of course though there is one section on the dashboard I did not cover the dreaded No Longer In Consideration (NLIC). This is where the heartbreak happens, and trust me most applicants have been here.



What did I do wrong?
Honestly, at this point it could be anything some people go NLIC from answering a question wrong on their application to you did not fully answer a question during your interview. In the beginning of the progress without  an interview most common reasons are: question on application ruled you out as a candidate, not enough matching key words in resume scan, casting recruiter felt you were unqualified for the role you applied for, or you did not meet the requirements for the job description.

NOTE: This is the old dashboard once I have the new images from the updated dashboard I will update. The information and bars on the dashboard are the same, but the dashboard looks different.
*In a separate post I will list basic questions that have been asked in the past during the phone screen, and what you can expect.

**Alumni only do not receive a second interview decisions are very similar to the DCP in that sense that everything is based off the initial phone screening. Also animal programs is also a tad different they fill out a questionnaire for their phone screening, and do a video interview as their first official ‘interview’. Otherwise almost every other PI can expect a second video interview.

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