It is Time: The DCP Spring 2017 Application

The applications for the Spring Disney College Program 2017 applications have dropped, and here is just a friendly reminder of a few helpful hints when applying. As well as other links as posted prior you may find useful during your application process.

Dashboard Stages
Submission: Application has been completed and sent to Casting
In Progress: (Self explanatory)
NLIC: No Longer in Consideration and it means you did not get the role
Interview Stage: Sometimes changes to this when you are given an interview offer
Offer Stage: Means you were emailed an offer
Post-Offer Stage: Means you accepted the offer

Stages of the CP process
WBI
Phone Interview


Walt Disney World  Roles
Attractions
Bell Services
Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo Boutique / Pirates League
Bus Greeter
Character Attendant
Character Performer *
Children’s Activities
Convention Guide
Costuming Operations
Custodial
Floral
Hopper
Housekeeping
Lifeguard
Merchandise
Monorail
PhotoPass Photographer
Quick-Service Food and Beverage 
Recreation attractions
Seater
Vacation Planner
Watercraft

Disneyland Roles
Attractions
Cast Costuming
Custodial
Custodial Busser
Disney Desk
Entertainment Costuming
Food Cart Cashier
Food & Beverage Quick Service Restaurant
Front Desk
Food Prep
Guest Services
Lifeguard
Park Greeter
Photopass Photographer
Quick-Service Food & Beverage Cashier
Retail Sales Clerk
Transportation and Parking
Vacation Planner

*These roles are all updated as of August 15,  2016 and are all on the Spring 2017 applications for both Walt Disney World and Disneyland. 
**Roles that are italicized are considered high need roles 


Roles Advice

• Vacation Planner, Children's Activities, BBB/PL, Seater, and Convention Guide are very competitive roles as they take very few CPs. 
• Roles such as QSFB, Custodial, and Lifeguard, Housekeeping, and Attractions are going to be popular roles that take on a lot of CPs, so chances are if you choose one of those you will probably get it
• If you notice some of these roles are not offered at each park, so if you want to be a performer but want to do Disneyland that is not going to happen
• Concierge and Front Desk at WDW were pulled as of Fall 2016 it is unknown if they will return for Spring 2017
• Lifeguard, Attractions, Monorail, Transportation, Watercraft, Children's Activities, and Recreation are drug tested roles -anyone not in these roles is subject to random drug testing at check-in 

Tips & Tricks:

• When filling out the application make sure you are being detailed
• Especially during the previous role history section use quality over quantity
• If you lack previous job history experience use volunteer or internship experience as well
• Do not choose both WDW and DL if you only want to be considered for one over the other
• This is true especially if you want DL it is a smaller program, and you are more likely to be placed at WDW if you put both
• Do not choose both Advantage and regular if you only want to be considered for one over the other as again it won't hurt your chances
• Resumes are not needed for the Disney College Program application, so focus your time on the application itself
• Cover Letters are not needed for the Disney College Program application, and I suggest you do not write one
• Do practice some of the possible questions that will be on the phone screening as seen on this posting
• Use the STAR method as this is Disney (and most companies) preferred way of answering interview questions

• Keep in mind for Disneyland taking courses is required for the CP program while at Walt Disney World it is optional
• Keep in mind if you have applied before the Web Based Interview is valid for 6 months as a company policy, so if you failed within the last 6 months you will need to wait until it has expired
• Here is my blog posting about tips for the Web Based Interview
• A lot of candidates do not get chosen their first try, so if you get stuck in submission or are NLICed just try again.

Entertainment Auditions:

• Wear comfortable yet form fitting clothing
• Wear comfortable shoes (tennis shoes would be ideal)
• Do not Disney bound as the princess you want to be
• Keep in minds most princesses are friends with quite a few other characters including sometimes other princesses and fur
• Understand most candidates do not get it on the first, second, or even the third try -do not get discouraged sometimes its just Disney is only looking to fill certain roles
• Know going in majority of the roles are going to be for fur character meet and greets
• Very few will be chosen for face characters  meet and greets or parade performers
• Keep makeup to a minimal and as natural as possible if you choose to wear any
• Have your hair pulled back away from your face especially if you are aiming for face character as they are looking at your face shape
• Keep nails clean
• I would go with a neutral polish, or French tips (kept short)
• You do not need to know how to dance they will teach you a routine (it is very basic)
• Most of the CPs are chosen for fur over anything, so just be aware of that going in
• They are very strict about heights, and they will measure you before the audition
• The cattle call is the worst, and this is where about 80-90% off the candidates are cut out from the process.
• Keep in mind if you are chosen for fur entertainment does do specific auditions within their department for face typing.

Common Questions:

When will I get an email about the WBI?
Typically the first email is a thank you for applying, and that just means they received your application. The WBI invite will come later (if they send you one), and you will need to complete it within a certain time after receiving it.

What do they look for on the WBI?
Consistency! They will keep wording the same question in different ways trying to trick you into changing your answers, so always read the statement carefully before answering. As for strongly, agree/disagree, and neutral my method has always been (for the WBI at Disney and other employers)...

Strongly: occasionally
Agree/Disagree: often
Neutral: minimal

When do I find out if I passed the WBI?
Right after you take it you will read a statement that says basically you passed or you did not pass.

How long is the WBI good for?
6 months as a company policy is how long WBI stay in the system for

Does passing the WBI mean I will get a phone screen?
No, but it does mean you are more likely to be offered one

How long is the phone screen?
Expect it to be about 20-25 minutes

How long does the entire process take?
Depends on the specific candidate for some like myself the entire process took less than 72 hours from applying to getting an offer, while there are some who the process takes 3-4 months from applying to getting an offer.
Does applying at application drop mean I am more likely to be accepted?
Nope! Disney does not care when you applied they look for candidates who are a good fit for the company. So, if you don't apply at app drop it is fine you can still be accepted (I did not apply app drop).

Does when you apply determine the role you are given?
Nope applying in the beginning does not mean you are more likely to not be given QSFB for example, so apply whenever you feel like it.

How are roles determined?
Despite popular rumors of certain backgrounds are chosen for certain roles or locations it is really not the case Disney places people based on their needs as a business.

Can I change to something other than the role offered?
No, unless you have some dire medical need to change roles Disney will not adjust it -the offer is take it or leave it.

Can I change from Advantage to Non-Advantage?
No again the offer is take it or leave it there is no switching.

Is Disneyland different than WDW?
Yes, it is truly for starters location one is in California -which is much more expensive to live in than central Florida. I could do a very long list here, but one of the main difference is where CPs stand on the totem pole. If you notice Florida CPs are not apart of the unions, have no sick days, have no vacation days, and are interns in all sense of the word without seniority of any kind. In California however that is not the case CPs are considered casual regular and therefore receive sick days, and are able to build seniority as well however they also pay the union dues. Now I know you are all asking why the difference? California law ensures that CPs in Disneyland meet certain criteria, and Florida does not have such laws in place.


If you are interested in possible interview questions please check out this posting: Phone screening

Relax I know this process can be very long and drawn out, but Disney goes through this a lot -so calm down. Everyone in the end will find out their decision (unlike PIs -yup for another post though). For those who are accepted welcome to the Disney family, and for those who are not keep trying -Dreams come true remember? They just take time. Best of luck and pixie dust to everyone this application season.

As a note keep in mind if you are also applying for Professional Internships or Management Internships it is 100% fine. One process does not affect the other, and if by chance you receive a college program offer than a professional internship one later you are allowed to accept it without issue (it is considered a promotion).


*You will need to attend auditions in order to be considered for a character performer
**Concierge and Front Desk were pulled from the Fall 2016 rounds and Spring 2017, so accepted CPs were transferred to other roles.

I've Got a Dream: Disney Character Performer Audition

I thought since I went to quite a few of these I could give some insight on what to expect for the auditions for the DCP. I will go over the three types of auditions open to CPs, what to expect during the audition, what to wear, and how the offers will work.

First things first for the DCP if you are trying to get an entertainment role let your phone interviewer know, so they can give you the audition information in the city nearest you. As an important note for those auditioning you will probably receive an offer from another department or be pended while Disney decides on who to extend their entertainment offers to. If you did receive another role offer from outside of entertainment, and they choose you to move into entertainment your offer will be changed. It you are not chosen to move into entertainment after receiving another offer your offer will remain as is without change. Now for those who were not chosen in the initial entertainment auditions on the rare Disney opens auditions to CPs for specific roles or heights (check your emails for this), and they tend to tell you exactly what they are looking for. So if you don't meet those requirements I suggest skipping it, and as for why simply because you won't make it past the cattle call (I will go over this later). However those do not happen often as an example at my time as a CP at Disney this type of audition happened once, and they were looking for specifically males of a certain height. Of course as I said these do not happen often or at all sometimes, so most of you will be counting on the extension audition for those entertainment dreams to come true. For those who do not know at the end of your initial CP program you will be given the option to extend. The audition for extensions is typically held a few weeks prior to extension application, and again check those emails as that is where the audition information will be sent. This audition will be held at DAK costuming on property usually very early in the morning, and yes you will need to ask off if you want to attend. It will be very similar to the CP audition if you did one when you initially applied. If you are chosen for an entertainment role your offer of extension will reflect that.

Common Questions:

Where to go?
For DCP auditions held on property DAK costuming is where auditions will be held (K bus for current CPs), and for anyone doing it for the initial application they are typically held at the closest major city.

Can CPs go to any listed on the website?
No, for CPs you are only open to auditions that state CPs are allowed to attend, and if you do attend one that CPs were not approved for you will generally be asked to leave. If you do attend though and they don't ask just be warned if you receive an offer you will need to leave the DCP (so if you live in CP housing, or didn't bring a car think this through).

What auditions are CPs allowed to attend?
Initial application auditions, specific auditions for very certain face characters or heights, and extension auditions held at the end of the program.

What do I bring to the audition?
You can bring a headshot and resume, but the audition for the DCP does not require it.

What do I wear to the audition?
You should wear something comfortable yet slightly form fitting to the audition, so think gym clothes when you go these auditions. To give you an idea I wore lululemon wunder under pants in black, plum lululemon no limit tank, and my nike frees in grey. For you ladies I would stay away from heels, flip-flops, boots, baggy shirts (yes I was asked to show my stomach before when I wore one), jeans, and again any Disney bounding. Guys you can really get away with whatever here, but I would stick to gym clothes and avoid jeans.

Can/Should I Disneybound or dress like a certain character?
First things first do not dress like the character you want to audition for I seriously cannot stress this enough especially you ladies. I know a lot of you want to be friends with certain princesses, but that doesn't mean attend an audition Disney bounding as them -it does not do you any favors at all. As for why for starters who you think you look like, and who Disney thinks you look like are generally not the same (trust me not even close sometimes). Also face characters tend to be friends with more than one particular princess, so even though you hang around with Anna a lot your friend Jasmine may come to visit as well.

What kind of makeup do I wear to the auditions?
Ladies go with the bare minimum here -yes I mean it. If you ever attend an audition, and do not make it to the end look at all of those who did a large majority are wearing little to no makeup. If you do decide on wearing makeup wear the minimum bb cream, powder, blush, and mascara. It is important for you to look natural especially if you are going for a face character. To give you an idea of what I wore on my face to auditions I went with Origins Vitazing (tinted moisturizer), Nars Audacious Mascara, Elf clear brow gel, and Nars blush in Orgasm.

What about nails?
Keep them Disney Look if you want to wear if keep it neutral, and if you have gel or acrylic french tips cut at Disney approved length are also fine. To give you an idea I wore OPI gel polish in Mod About You, which is my go to color along with Tiramisu For Two and Bubble Bath.

How should I style my hair?
You can kind of do whatever is comfortable here, but majority of the girls will have it back in a ponytail or braid. I personally went with my hair down, or up in a slightly messy ballet bun nothing to fancy just simple. If you hair is long enough do pull it up through as they are looking for face shape, and it's kind of difficult to do what with your hair in the way.

What are they looking for?
Height, face shape, and body type are key for auditions especially for face character type-outs. They also want someone who is (sorry about my wording) generic looking -meaning can they be friends more than one face character. A dear friend of mine is very close with Belle but she also hangs out with Mary Poppins and Pluto as well from time to time.

Do I have to know how to dance?
Two answers here so please read carefully: If you are attempting to be a parade performer then yes dancing will be a very helpful skill here to move on in the process. If you are going to a meet and greet then no they teach you a very basic dance. For the meet and greets they are not necessarily looking if you do well learning the routine or not they want to see you having fun with it. For example my friend and I who moved on did not do well with the dance at all, but we were laughing and having a lot of fun trying it anyway -we both moved on in the process.

Will my tattoos be an issue?
Disney in general has a rule about tattoos as I am sure you are aware of (if not please refer to my Disney Look post). For fur if it can be covered with clothing you are fine, and I saw that as sometimes you will be asked to be a character attendant as well if they need the staffing. For face and parade it is a bit different they prefer no tattoos for these spots, but if you do have them make sure they can be covered with a short sleeve shirt and shorts. Also females if you have back tattoos, upper shoulders, or belly button tattoos you could also rule yourself out for being a friend of Jasmine as an FYI.

Does Disney ever make height exceptions if they think you are a good fit?
No, if you do not fit the height requirement for a character they will not make an exception even if you are a good fit.

Do they hold other auditions during the CP program?
They always hold one audition towards the end of your program for extensions where you can audition again for a performer role. On the rare occasion they do hold specific auditions, and I mean very specific from only looking within Mouse height range, those who look like they are from the Kingdom of Agrabah, dancers, and etc. so read carefully as they do say the type of person they are looking for.


Audition Process:

Round 1:
The first round is probably the worst of them all as you have generally hundreds of people in a room (my number was 327), and they are all just waiting. When Disney starts the process they will call in a certain group of numbers (our groups were groups of 30's). In that room they will line you up in rows then they will rotate the rows so everyone will eventually rotate through the first row. In that first row a Disney Cast Member will look at each one of you looking at body type, features, and face shape. They will write down the numbers of people they want to continue through the audition, and will ask those numbers to stay. Everyone who did not get their number called will be done with the audition process, and will have to try again if they want to be a character performer. At the end of this process generally the hundreds have been narrowed down to less than a hundred (depending on the original audition size).

Sometimes they also start with a very basic dance routine as well where you do a simple floor routine, and they will thank those who they are sending home and move those on who are staying. This happens at the DCP auditions held prior to your time on Walt Disney World Resort property, and are held in the closet major city near you.
Round 2: 
The second round will be a choreographed dance routine, and you will spend about an hour learning it. You will typically preform this dance four at a time in front of a Casting Director (yes it is intimidating), but even if you mess up keep a smile on your face. Blowing the dance does not break your chances of being a performer (if you are going for parade though it does -sorry), but keep a smile on your face always! They do not expect you to be experts on Disney routines they will teach you what you need to know, but they cannot change your personality.

Round 3:
This will vary but I will try to cover most of it for those wondering. If you are asked to stay at a pre-DCP audition you will be filmed preforming the dance number you did in round 2. They also do a puppet type audition where you need to act out scenes with I guess I would call them Ping-Pong balls attached to your hands. There is also the possibility of improv where they give you a situation that you will need to act out (mine was a mom taking pictures at the zoo with her children). They will vary based on what type of audition you are attending, but just keep in mind all are possible options.

Round 4:
Face character hopefuls you got it this is costuming! Yes that wonderful moment they rip out that beautiful costume you have wanted to wear (I will say though yellow isn't actually my color). You will be sat down with a make-up artist and they will do you up like a princess with the wig included. They do not always do the full out costume, but typically in smaller auditions where there is only 2-3 of you they will. At this point when you are dressed and look the part they will take photos of you from all angles, and they will get up close in your face (they asked me to remove my color contacts, and  no I do not wear color contacts/contacts at all -that's how close). Also when they are taking photos you will be alone in that room with Casting -keep smiling!! They may ask you to read a small paragraph or line as if you were that character so just be prepared. I know it feels like a moment to be excited however I was one of 3 girls sent back to get into a costume, and only 1 of us walked away with an offer (no it was not me).

Star Wars Auditions:
These auditions are a lot of fun honestly I went to these just to be in the moment with other Star Wars fans. When you arrive you will be dressed up, painted, and costumed up -yup it happened. They are going to ask you certain questions like I was not given a wig for my character, so the director asked why my hair looked different I answered Chewie was trying out a new career path as a hair stylist. I never did get a Star Wars role which was fine, but they are a lot of fun even when you do not get an offer.


Best advice:

• Do not take it personally truly you will hear everything from (here is just a sampling of the things I've heard personally and from others who auditioned)...
• You are too generic, you are too pretty, you are not pretty enough, you eyes are too big, your nose is to pointed, you waist is not small enough, you are to unique looking, your eye color is a problem, you are too curvy, you need to lose a bit of weight, you need to gain a little weight, you are too tan, you need to get your eyebrows done, your lips are too big, you face is not symmetrical...
• You get the picture, but even if you get a comment about something you cannot change keep trying. The first time I auditioned I was told my eye color was to unique, and after a few tries finally got to the costuming round -keep trying and keep smiling!
• Keep in mind for fur characters there is also a certain height range known as "dead height" which basically means you fall between two height ranges with nothing in-between. They take height very seriously so if you fall between this range you are kind of out of luck.
• Sometimes they leave audition notes to hint at what they are looking for, so read them carefully! I suggest not going to an audition where they are looking for someone from the Kingdom of Arendelle, and you fit more into the description of someone who looks like they are from the Kingdom of Agrabah.

The DCP Offer:

 

For the Disney College Program initial audition the offer will work one of two ways. You can either be given another role first (such as lifeguard), and then have another offer sent for performer where you can accept to change roles. Option two is you can be put on a 'hold' which basically means no offer will come in until after your audition either for performer or otherwise.

 

For the Disney College Program extension offer you will be given the option on the transfer to put in performer if you attended the audition, and if you are chosen that will be the offer you are extended for. If not you will be given one of your other options that you chose beside character performer.

Best of luck and pixie dust for all those hopeful performers! Just remember to keep smiling, stay relaxed, and keep trying.