Acing the Interview

As a part of the Disney College Program, people can take classes. Since I am finished with all my course work I decided not to take any of these classes. However, they do offer seminar classes. I decided on Monday that I would go to a class called Acing the Interview. Disney is such a well known company that I thought that their advice on interviewing would be really great to have, since interviewing absolutely terrifies me!

The course was taught by this really awesome lady that has been with the company for like 20 years and has been a recruiter, meaning she conducts lots of interviews, for a very long time. She really taught the class well using a step-by-step process. Starting with before the interview, getting the call about the interview, rehearsing the interview, what to bring and after the interview.

She gave some really great advice especially about things that you would not have thought about before. The best piece of advice I took away was about rehearsing the interview. She said to ask yourself 4 basic questions:
- Why are you here?
- What can you do for our team (school in my case)?
- What kind of person are you?
- What distinguishes you from the rest?

I think that those are great things to think about especially being a teacher because what sets you apart is how much you care about the school and the students. Doing the research beforehand is so important because then you will know how to answer the questions so that they fit the job you are interviewing for.

Another piece of advice she gave about making an impression is first to have a great handshake. Disney is big on handshakes and if you don't impress them right away you will probably not get the job. She also said to think of the interview as a conversation between 2 people. Before I took this class, I just thought about it as almost a presentation in front of a panel of people, but it really is a conversation between 2 people. This way they know the type of person you are and whether you will be a good fit for their school, company, etc.

The other advice they gave was to always send a thank you note! Disney hospitality at its finest. She said to keep Thank you cards in your car and after the interview go to your car, write the letter and send it. One time she was between 2 candidates for a job that were equally qualified and she decided to choose the candidate after receiving a thank you card.

The other great advice she gave was if the answer is no and you do not get the job. She said don't be defeated, give yourself credit, say "thank you," and ask for feedback. I think that everyone feels like a failure if they don't get the job. I know that this is going to happen to me many times over the coming year (hopefully not too many) and I need to give myself credit and always ask for feedback. I feel like that would be important since I will not have much experience with interviewing.

This class really put me at ease a little bit about the interview process. I know I will be really nervous, but I feel a little more prepared now!