Updated Phone Screen Questions

Hello again!

One of the most popular posts on this blog has been Screening Interview Questions and Tips. I can't believe that I wrote that post 2 and a half years ago! How time flies!

While I don't do it as much as I used to, I still hang around the PI Facebook groups answering questions here and there. Therefore, since it has been so long, I have combed through the last few seasons of groups to put together another list of Phone Screen/Interview Questions. Many of these may be the same as my previous article, but I figured I would update the list to show what has been asked within the last year or so.

Focusing on the phone screen, you will mostly be asked about yourself, your career goals, and general questions about your experience. Listed below are some of the other potential questions that may be asked. Most phone screens last between 10 and 20 minutes, so you will likely only encounter a handful of the questions listed below.

While panel interview or interviews with the individual hiring manager may be more in depth, more internship interviews do not get too detailed. While you may encounter more role specific questions, many of the questions below are just as likely to come up in a second interview as in a phone screen.

Note: These were all taken from different Professional Internship Facebook groups and are all real questions that were asked applicants. 

General Questions
-Specific items listed on your resume
-Current work/school tasks
-Past experience
-Education background
-Talk about your struggles and accomplishments
-What positions have you most enjoyed and why?
-Describe one trait about yourself
-Do you have experience with professional email correspondence?

-Why do you want this role?
-What are your career goals?
-How will this internship help your future goals?
-What do you hope to get out of this internship?
-What are some of your hobbies?
-What you want the hiring managers to know about you?
-Which of your work experiences most aligns with the position?
-Why do you think you are the best candidate for the position?

Disney Specific Questions
-Why Disney? (this is a very common question!)
-Why do you want to come back to Disney (if you previously worked for the company)
-Are you a current cast member?
-What do you bring to our company?
-Do you have any tattoos and piercings? (they need to determine if you can follow Disney Look)
-Can you provide your own housing and transportation (there is limited company sponsored housing for non-MIs)
-What's your favorite Disney character?
-If you did a CP, what did you like and what didn't you like about your experience?


Situational
-Explain a time when you overcame a difficult situation
-Describe a time when I went above and beyond for a customer
-How do you deal with disagreements between co-workers?
-Tell about a time when you went above and beyond for a guest
-Describe a time you worked with a difficult/negative coworker

-Tell me about a difficult guest situation.
-Describe a time that you didn't agree with your leadership
-Tell a magical story and a not so magical one.
-Tell about a story that you turned a bad day into a good day
-How do you deal with conflict resolution with your peers, your superior and with guests?

-What has been your greatest mistake?
-Strength and weakness (may also be referred to as places you excelled or felt overwhelmed in a specific position)
-Talk about a challenge encountered in a project you have worked on
-How do you work on a team?
-Explain a situation where you made a mistake/received correction and how you reacted?

-Tell me about a time you had to lead a group during a team project.
-Tell me about your most encompassing project you have completed in school and what did it involve
-Tell me about a time you were positively recognized at school work/and a time you needed coaching
-What is your favorite/least favorite part of your current job?
-What is something that bothers you at work/in a coworker?

-Describe your communication style.
-Tell me three things about you that would be important for this role that we haven't discussed.
-How do you deal with working in a busy, fast-paced environment?
-How do you balance tasks when it’s busy?

-What is your main strength and what is your main weakness?

Leadership Questions (mostly for Management Internships)
-Previous leadership experience
-Management responsibilities
-How do you manage teams
-How do you motivate teams
-Qualities of a good leader
-Why are you interested in a leadership position?
-Why retail? (as a specific area for an MI)
-If I was interested in the 6 months or 12 months program or both
-How do you go about working with a different line of business
-What are the hardest/most enjoyable aspects of being a leader?
-What are some of the challenges of being a leader?
-How long have you had leadership experience? What does it involve?


VIP Tour Specific
-Why VIP Tours?
-What can you provide?
-Level Of safety
-Working with others/independently
-Any coachings or record card issues
-How a Disney professional internship with help your future

WDI Set Decoration:
- Ask for experience with props (i.e. design, handling, installation) and the importance of props and how that applies to the role
- Ask to explain familiarity and experience with hand tools
- Rate skill for Photoshop, Illustrator, and SketchUp
- Ask what you are most proud of in your portfolio and your role in that work

Other Role Questions
Events: What are your experience in events? 

      -Describe an event that you executed from start to finish
Technical roles: What programs are you familiar with and rate your proficiency (e.g. Illustrator, Excel, SAS, PhotoShop, programming experience, etc)

      -Walk me through your experience with Excel.



I know that this is an extensive list, but I didn't want to cut anything out as I know some people like to be as prepared as absolutely possible. I hope that lists like this and other information in my blog is still helpful and relevant to everyone out there applying for PIs that may come across this blog!

...and a new era with Fall 2016 interns!

Today was the first day at Team Disney for the Fall 2016 interns. This is my second round of new interns since starting at Team Disney. It's so funny because on the first day it is sooooo easy to tell the interns apart from everyone else. 

First off, they are all dressed really nice. Now, this isn't to say that everyone else dresses like a bum. However, the beautiful thing about working in a non-guest facing role is the Disney Casual Look. So in reality most people are in jeans and a not-too-casual top. However, all the interns are dressed super business-y the first day (and generally pretty nice for the following week or so). Now don't think I am too judg-y, because I TOTALLY did the same thing during my second PI at Maingate and during the first week or so of my full time position at Team Disney. I think it is definitely the way to go when starting a new position. You don't want to underestimate what your area wears and not get off on the best foot possible.

I literally just want to go up to all of them and introduce myself, but I don't want a reputation of being some creepy, over-eager person. I also keep reminding myself that the number of people you meet in the first week or so is so overwhelming. I figure I'll let them know the people they actually need to know first and then maybe I'll introduce myself.

I only saw the F&B interns for a tiny bit today when I saw them going on a tour and sitting in their cube at the very end of the day. I think they were in a conference room for the rest of the day. I think I want to give myself a goal with each set of interns. Last set of interns I wanted to try and introduce myself and become friendly with the F&B interns since they sit right outside my desk. I think this round of interns I want to get to know these new F&B interns AND make myself try and get to know at least one other set of interns. Right now I am thinking I will stay on my floor which means the largely MSI cube or Decision Science cube. Honestly, many people in decision science intimidate me. Many of them, including at least some of the interns, have PhDs. They are all just SUPER smart and I feel very inadequate around them. So I think I will lean towards the MSI cube. I will still probably try and get closer to the F&B interns since there is less than half the amount of MSI or Decision Science interns so it will be less pressure to just stop by and I literally pass by them a dozen times a day.

If you are an intern just starting, I hope that wherever you are working your first few days are going fantastic and that you are enjoying the magic!

End of Another Intern Era

Now that I am full time it is really weird to see interns come and go. 

I have to preface that my team doesn't have interns, but many of the teams we work with have them and the teams that sit around us have them as well. In Team Disney (at least on my floor), off the main walkway there are 4 intern cubes. These are megacubes. On our floor each person has their own cube (except the hourly DVC Stat Associates), but the interns have ones that are 3-6 time bigger than a normal persons cube, but that's because a bunch of interns share it. Like I said, my team doesn't have any interns, but I pass the food and beverage pricing and revenue management intern cube every time I walk in from the elevators or have to go to the bathroom. So pretty often. Therefore these interns are the ones that I see and interact with most often. In the office I even refer to them as "the interns" when they aren't even on our team. 

When I started in my current role the Fall 2015 interns were already 2 months into their internship. They were all settled and I never really interacted with them much. Partially, becasue I was so overwhelmed by all of the other people I needed to get to know, and a little because they weren't the most sociable bunch. One just wandered the halls 90% of the time with his headphones on or sat at the intern cube with his feet up on the desk watching videos on his iPhone. To say the least, my team wasn't his biggest fan. The second wasn't awful. I think he was just shy or socially awkward. He was say hi, but would look away and kind of avoided conversation all of the time. 

The third was the only one I semi-conversed with on any sort of regular basis. He was by far the nicest of the bunch. He is also the only one still left with the company. After his PI in F&B pricing ended, we accepted another PI doing something with Disney Cruise Line in Celebration. But a couple of months ago I started seeing him around Team Disney again. Every time I saw him I was either rushing to a meeting or he was in the midst of conversation so when I finally got a chance to talk to him I found out he had received a full time position in Planning! I was so happy that of the 3 of the Fall 2015 interns that he was the one to stay with the company. I still don't see him much but it's nice having another friendly face in Team Disney.


Last week the Spring 2016 interns finished up their PIs. I was really, really sad to see them go. I made an effort off of the bat to introduce myself to them and would try to periodically stop in and chat. Admittedly I didn't talk to them AS much as I wanted to, but it is amazing how time flies! I loved this group. The 3 of the F&B interns were so nice, actually had personalities, and really seemed to actually want to be there. I think a combination of these things really helped them out, because all of them are staying full time with the company?!?!? It's crazy in that they all found out in the last two weeks. The one pricing intern found out on a Friday that she was going to be staying on the F&B pricing team full time. The second found out on the following Tuesday after memorial day that she was being offered a Finance position. Last Friday was a little awkward because the F&B Revenue Management intern didn't have an offer or any plans after the internship. The others in his cube were all staying and the pricing interns had had so much excitement in the last week when they found out. However...he just had to wait another week and he was offered a position as a Merchandise Business Insights Analyst. It's kind of exciting that he will be going to my old home at Maingate and gives me another reason to go back and visit!!!

There was also 4th intern who joined their cube from another area that needed space a couple of months into the internship, but since she hasn't been in this cube as long I don't know her as well. She just extended into another PI so I guess more time to get to know her!

It really is amazing how quickly the last 10 months as a full timer has gone. It is also going to be crazy for all of the new Fall 2016 interns to join Team Disney on Monday. I am excited to see all of the nervous, excited faces all dressed formally in business clothes getting their building tours on Monday. With such a great group to live up to, I am exciting no meeting the new group of faces that I will walk by a dozen times everyday for the next 6 months. I hope they are another fun group joining the Disney family. And who knows, if they are as good as the last set of interns, perhaps they will be around for a long time to come :)

Spring 2016 Interns Starting

I know, I know. I haven't updated in over 2 months. I am pretty much the worst, but what can we truly expect? I always lapse, but this time I think I have a good excuse. A girl on my team left the company after 11 years to move closer to home, so I have taken on part of her position until we hire her backfill. Therefore I have been swamped with work on top of experiencing all the holiday related experiences that Walt Disney World has to offer (including the last year of Osborne Lights :'( ) I even got to go home for one and a half weeks at Christmas. I will try to catch you all up to my life, even maybe do a reflection post or two in the spirit of the new year, do some more PI related posts since the new application season is about to start, and even answer an questions anyone would care to ask!

Even though my time as a Disney Professional Intern came to a close last June, I have been extremely fortunate to continue my career at Disney and I love to answer questions and provide information for anyone looking to start a career at Disney, especially during the long and confusing PI application process. I just want everyone to be successful and live their dreams like I am!

Anyways, it is really weird to be at the other side of the PI process. This is my first internships season that I am a full time cast member. I started my job in August so the Fall interns had been there since June and so I never felt like I was "above" them in any way. If any thing I felt raw and new to the department just like them and in some ways they had been working in this part of Disney longer than I had! 

However, this past Monday the new spring interns have started. Coming into Team Disney on Monday was so weird with all of these extremely well dressed people walking in large groups around the building as seasoned cast members gave them a tour of our building. They were easy to identify as interns since almost everyone that works at Team Disney is very casual and wears jeans as often as possible. Our team doesn't have intern right now (we didn't in the all either. maybe next fall?) but there is a large cube of food and beverage interns that sit right outside my row. I pass them every time I go to the bathroom, elevators, see the other half of my team, etc. So I basically walk past them every 30 minutes or so. I haven't introduced myself yet because I want to introduce myself to all of them at once, I have been busy this week, and I feel like I should wait a few days since they are probably overwhelmed with the number of people they have met. 

Since I am the youngest on my team and am still pretty fresh out of college I kind of hope I can become friends with a few of the interns or at least help guide them in staying with the company. I only really started talking to the old interns right before they left so I didn't get to know them well, but I hope to change that this time around since I am more confident in my role and surroundings. I am excited to see how things end up shaping up and see where this set of interns goes!