Disney College Program Experience on Resume

[SecondStartotheright]

Hey guys!

So I did the college program back in Spring of '09. I've had some rotten luck with jobs since I got back home. I've had two different jobs since I've been back but in both cases I was sought out by previous managers, so I never really had to go through a formal application process. Well, the last place I worked closed, so I'm out looking for a new job.

Anyway, what I want to ask is how others have used their experience with the Disney College Program to market their resumes? I know that it's incredibly valuable experience, I'm just having a hard time figuring out how to use it to my advantage. I feel like so far during my employment search it has been overlooked.

All of my jobs have been in retail and retail management, and I did merchandising on my program. I have applied for only retail positions, although I desperately want to be a travel agent, and am getting ready to apply for a position as one. The college program is something that should make me stand out as a candidate, and I want it to, so I was just curious if anyone had any experience with this or stories?

 

[figmentfan6]

I know what I have for mine, but I was a completely different role. If you're applying to retail work, I would list how much money you were responsible for handling, what kind of stocking work you were in charge of, Disney-level guest service training and any responsibilities you were given. Also, have some other folks look at your resume. It might be that your formatting isn't good, or there might be a few grammatical mistakes that you missed while proofreading.

Disney is a great talking point and perfect for when you need real-world examples, but it's not always a selling point. Take whatever work you can get through old managers and the like, try to get into leadership positions there. No one is getting work these days, and I'm guessing retail is vicious right now because a lot of very over qualified college grads are applying because they can't find anything else.

I'm in the throes of finding a full-time career for post-graduation, so I know the pain. Just keep networking, use Linkedin to your advantage, and good luck!

 

[DOPEYLUVER]

All of my jobs have been in retail and retail management, and I did merchandising on my program. I have applied for only retail positions, although I desperately want to be a travel agent, and am getting ready to apply for a position as one. The college program is something that should make me stand out as a candidate, and I want it to, so I was just curious if anyone had any experience with this or stories?

You don't really want to sell your Disney MERCHANDISING job. You want to sell your DISNEY position. I am in a senior management position and have hired many people over the years. My daughter is also completing her second Disney College Program.

Disney has a reputation of being a tough company for which to work. You want to sell yourself on working to Disney Standards. A position within the travel industry will certainly recognize that value.

Also if you are looking for a position in a full service travel agency, they will do a lot of business with Disney and a great knowledge of Disney would be valuable.

I never really appreciated the value of the Disney College Program until my daughter did her first one. Now I see young people doing a lousy job and say to myself, "Boy, they wouldn't survive Disney."

 

[BobbyBudnick]

Hey guys!

So I did the college program back in Spring of '09. I've had some rotten luck with jobs since I got back home. I've had two different jobs since I've been back but in both cases I was sought out by previous managers, so I never really had to go through a formal application process. Well, the last place I worked closed, so I'm out looking for a new job.

Anyway, what I want to ask is how others have used their experience with the Disney College Program to market their resumes? I know that it's incredibly valuable experience, I'm just having a hard time figuring out how to use it to my advantage. I feel like so far during my employment search it has been overlooked.

All of my jobs have been in retail and retail management, and I did merchandising on my program. I have applied for only retail positions, although I desperately want to be a travel agent, and am getting ready to apply for a position as one. The college program is something that should make me stand out as a candidate, and I want it to, so I was just curious if anyone had any experience with this or stories?

Here is what I use for Disney on my resume.

Delivered daily guest service in Fortune 100 Company
Served a diverse guest base in a high capacity location
Provided exceptional guest service to enhance guest experiences
Performed daily tasks of cash handling, POS usage, stocking, store opening and closing procedures
Partnered with multiple departments to ensure quality
Performed excellent verbal and written communication skills

 

[SyracuseWolvrine]

I'm in a somewhat different position, I've been employed at Disney (in various roles) for 8 years, so my way of looking at things is different, but here's my 2 cents.

I maintain 2 versions of my resume. On the "Disney" version (for internal positions), I put a lot more emphasis on the "Disney Buzzwords" ... Safety, Courtesy, Show, and Efficiency are all represented there. For my "External" resume, I focus more on the transferable skills, such as the high-levels of customer (guest) interaction, the fact that I've worked at 2 resorts that are both AAA 4-Diamond level and Florida Green Lodging certified, etc.