I was not planning on doing a specific post for MIs however due to the lack of blogs with MI related questions I figured I would. The MI interviews are sometimes tailored for specific roles, but majority of the questions will be the same. You will also notice that a lot of questions will be repeats of your phone screening questions –that is normal.
Before I get into the questions themselves I feel like should cover some things starting with MI roles are only for Walt Disney World Resort, and are not avaialble at Disneyland. Now as for what to expect out of the MI panel interview for most of you it is going to be conducted by video or phone (do video over phone if given the option –always!) managers actually like seeing the candidates they are considering. For those who do in-person there will be no difference from the video/phone interviews other then being there of course. You can expect the interview to last about 30 minutes, but they can range from 20-45 minutes just to give you an idea.
As for some tips for the interview my best advice is prepare now I know you do not know all the questions, but going over STAR will help you (method of answering Disney prefers). Try to keep notes, graphs, and drawings to a minimum or if you can go without them it is distracting and they will notice. I also suggest recording your interview for a few reasons, and the first being it is helpful for future references. Also if you for some reason do not get an offer you can critic yourself (Disney does not give interview feedback), and lastly it is nice to have the questions you know in case you feel like blogging. I feel like most people know this by now, but I did have to explain this to someone already so I will just add it –yes it is business attire. Disney prefers business professional attire so keep it nice, and the graphic patterns to a minimum.
Lastly, as for who exactly is conducting your interviews it will be done current managers in the area that you are applying. You will however know them as ‘hiring managers’ now to be clear some of them are from other lines of business, but still sit in on your interview. The interview will be a panel interview, which means that 2-6 managers will be asking you questions. They are generally managers in the area to which you are applying, and they are a mix of operation managers.
Here is some panel interview advice from former managers, former interns, and myself:
- Be 10-15 minutes early
- Take time to think about the question before answering it
- Answer the question fully especially since some have multiple questions in one
- Wear appropriate attire
- Do not forget to smile (or you’ll end up like me with the name smiley forever)
- Think of it as a conversation not an interview (it helps with the nerves)
- It is okay to write down their names (helps for thank you cards)
- Also do not forget to send one (it does not have any effect on an offer, but it is a nice gesture)
- Range your answers aka office environment, mom & pop style place, school, volunteering, and internship –change your example places do not use every example with school (this one my manager Brad hyped so much he loved hearing people’s different experiences not just the one they are proud of)
- At the end of the interview always have at least 2-3 well thought out questions prepared
- When answering questions do not repeat what is on your resume
- Use the STAR method (if you have practice with it)
- Be honest
- After the interview do not panic about everything you think you did wrong
- Be positive and relax
Alright I said I would get around to putting questions here, and am finally getting around to that section. So, here are questions that are possible for the MI interview keep in mind much like the phone screen they rotate, and they do add questions every so often.
Tell me about a time that you held a leadership position?
What leadership experience do you have?
What type of leadership roles did you have?
Tell me about the positions you have held and how have they prepared you for this role?
What are you looking for out of the experience?
How do you prepare for a job that you know is going to be very busy?
Describe a difficult situation and how you decided to deal with it?
What is the best part of being a leader?
What is the hardest part about leadership?
What is your greatest weakness?
Why The Walt Disney Company?
What do you know about The Walt Disney Company?
Why should we hire you/ what can you do for the company?
What was the most rewarding part of this position? What was the most challenging aspect?
Tell me about a time when you had a disagreement with your manager about a policy? How did you handle the situation?
Tell us about a time when you had to deal with two difficult guest situations at a time
Why do you want to do a MI?
What qualities do you think a Leader has?
How will benefit your career?
Tell me about a time you went above and beyond a guests expectations
How you exhibit leadership within your current job/role?
What skills have you learned from working at (place on your resume)?
How do you stay organized?
Tell me about a conflict with a guest, co-worker or manager?
How do you deal with conflict?
What do you do to recognize your team?
Tell me about a time you had team members disagree with you.
What is your experience working as apart of a diverse team?
What would you do if you had a conflict between cast members?
Describe a time when you motivated a team to complete a task.
How do you handle time management?
What is your management style?
Why are you pursuing a management internship?
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
Where do you see yourself in 20 years?
What is your favorite Disney character?
What to you is the difference between a leader and a manager?
What was a project you had a leadership role on, and what was the outcome?
How do you organize yourself for a project?
How do you keep organized?
Describe a time when you provided excellent customer service.
Give an example of great guest service
What would you do if you had multiple angry guests at once and someone wanting to talk to you on the phone?
How would you handle an angry guest in your role?
If we asked people you have worked with to describe you what would you say?
When have you had to turn a negative situation into a positive one?
When have you had to turn a negative situation into a positive one?
Tell me about a time that you had a difficult situation.
Tell me about a time you were apart of a project from beginning to end.
Tell me about a time that you led a team in good business practices.
How have you promoted safety in past roles.
Tell us about a time that you reached a business goal.
What are your goals?
Why Disney Leadership?
How you have personally used leadership to better grow/ help a co-worker
Give an example of going above and beyond for a guest
Tell me about a time when you managed with a specific project, your role with it, and the perceived benefits coming from implementing the project.
What is your definition of success?
What is your definition of failure?
We are a fast moving company and things are always changing, how do you think you will fit in with our ever changing and fast paced environment?
How do your react to conflict / problems?
Describe a time you had to provide training or coaching to different staff members on the same tasks
What methods have you used to prioritize work assignments?"
What do you consider to be the most challenging thing about being a manager?
What do you like and dislike about the managerial role?
As I stated earlier this is by no means all of them, and sometimes they mix these questions up. They are also going to ask specific questions about your resume, basic Disney questions again that you had in the phone interview, and then ask you if you have any questions. After that the interview will be over after approx. half an hour then it is just a waiting game until then for the NLIC or the ‘brief phone call’.
Now for those of you wondering how many positions are actually available for each spot here are approx. numbers complied from other blogs, 2015 MI acceptances, and Spring 2016 acceptances. I would also like to note that these numbers vary some rounds for example in 2014 there were a higher number of management interns accepted then usual, but in spring of 2016 there were less. However, I will state most years they stay pretty well within this range, and if that information changes I will adjust the approx. numbers.
Management Interns: Generally around 120 interns
Food & Beverage: Usually around 20
F&B Quick Service: 10-12
F&B Outdoor Vendor: 3-5
F&B Full-Service: 15-17
Merchandise: Usually around 15-25 interns
Park Operations: Generally around 20 interns
Attractions: 6-8
Custodial: 5-6
Entertainment: 6-8
Lodging: Generally around 15 interns
Recreation: 4-6
Housekeeping: 10-13
Front Desk: 10-14
Custodial: 5-6
Catering: 6-7
Culinary: 1-2
Transportation: 1-2
Animal Science/Environment: Generally around 3 interns
ESPN: Generally 1 intern
Walt Disney World Casting Center
1515 Buena Vista Dr, Orlando, FL 32830
PI Recruiting Email
wdpr.professional.interns@disney.com
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