Rejected Cast Member (racism)

[MrsSparrow..]

I'm a troll because I didn't get a job at Disneyland?

This is the college program board and I want to get into dcp and will until I have no more interest in doing so.

Your first ever post on this board was provoked controversy - of course people are going to think its trolling.

Further to that, there are a huge number of things said in your initial post that is not Disney's recruitment protocol. Something just seemed off. You claim racism but offer no real evidence or implications of any racist comments made by anyone from the Walt Disney company. What do you know about this supposedly racist Disney worker? She might even come from a family of ethnic origin! You can't make assumptions because an interview went bad.

It sounds like you had a bad interview. Read the tips of on this website, network, speak to others, engage in a local careers service.

 

[lilmissdisney216]

As a young black woman, I have never seen a company so diverse as Disney. I was so amazed at the diversity around me and the different backgrounds and walks of life that worked/work at WDW and cannot tell you how amazing it was to be surrounded by those cultures. I am a former cast member and sorry that you didn't get hired it but its always about what you make of it. Disney is a very competitive company to get into and it can sometimes be competitive while working there. None the less, they are an amazing company to have on a resume. Attitude is everything, I wouldn't have let this deter you. Frankly, had it been me, I would have marched right back and tried again once eligible again (usually there's a wait period between interview/auditions. I know with entertainment its 6 mos.). Perhaps those that got hired on the spot fit what they were looking for or even so the area they were looking for (i.e. working in World Showcase where the theming and hiring is so important to the story of the area; or someone with lots of experience with children, hair or makeup and a whimsical personality for Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique).

I've auditioned for entertainment a total of about 3 or 4 times for Walt Disney World and I haven't made it yet. But each time I audition, I walk away stronger and wanting to work harder to get it. I've been performing and auditioning for years so rejection is something I've been used to. Comes with the turf.

With Disney interviews, its about the resume, presentation, poise, articulation, and the personality. I went to my CP recruiting event at my college and while everyone else for the most part dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt (which isn't bad) I wore dress pants, shirt, and jacket with pumps and stood out to my presenters a little bit more. Doing those little extra things can help a lot and set you apart from the others. It also helped that I am a Disney buff/fan and that helped me even more.

Hope that makes sense.

 

[CraftyMommy]

Double post

 

[CraftyMommy]

If you KNOW you were discriminated against you should sue. Seriously. Sue them. What will end up happening is Disney will settle with you out of court. Disney doesn't want your story to end up in the newspaper.

Disney WILL NOT settle with you out of court. They would rather spend thousands upon thousands of dollars on legal defense, filing motions until you give up and go away. As soon as Disney settles with one person that looks like they are guilty of something. As soon as they settle with one person there will be many more people coming out of the woodwork looking to sue. I know this first hand. My cousin was injured severely on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. She went to the hospital by ambulance from the park. Yet Disney claims she was not injured there.

She went from an athletic, successful businesswoman to a disabled person with chronic back pain and has had several surgeries. She tried to sue Disney. She was healthy before her vacation with no history of pain or injury. She was spent out of court and she has tons of medical documentation to back herself up. Disney kept filing motion after motion. My cousin spent her savings on attorneys fees and was eventually told by several attorneys to give it up.

I am certain the original poster is not the first person to claim Disney is racist (whether it is true or not). I'm sure many people have tried to sue Disney in the past.

I love Disney and yet I hate Disney. So much about Disney is wonderful. But they are also a money making business with a HUGE legal department that they pour tons of money into. I've found, firsthand, that you cannot sue Disney and win.

 

[MrsChdlc2011]

I'm not trying to play the part of the villain here, but I really cannot stand when people try to play the race card. The comments the OP made regarding the person she interviewed with shows that she may have a bit of an attitude, and probably wasn't picked for that reason alone. To 'bash' somebody and claim you weren't hired because of your skin color (on a public board, no less) isn't going to get you very far.

On another note, I believe (at least based on where I live) that Caucasians are the biggest minority. Y'all don't see me pitching a fit about not being hired because I'm white - if I didn't get the job, there's a reason. (either I'm under or over-qualified, there's a better candidate, personalities don't mesh well, or I'm under-educated...)

 

[anorviel]

I am an HR person (not for Disney) and while I cannot speak to your experience with Disney Recruiting/HR, what I can speak to is the prevalence of what candidates post on the internet coming back to haunt them.

I mostly lurk here, but IF you truly have the desire to be in the CP or to ever be employed by Disney and IF there is a way to get your original post deleted, then you need to do yourself a favor and figure out how to make this disappear. While I would never suggest a hiring manager google a potential candidate, I understand that I do not have any control over what they do in their free time and without my knowledge. Should this ever come to the attention of Veronica, anyone else at the company, or for that matter any other potential employer, then you have at the very least damaged your chances for desired employment.

I'm sorry you feel that you weren't considered because of your race and I am sorry you are clearly upset by your experience. But please take this piece of advice on board and don't repeat this mistake again. Hiring managers DO search candidates on the internet and what you put out in the world via electronic means rarely goes away. To be brutally honest, if I were a hiring manager anywhere and saw your post I would absolutely run the other way. You do yourself a disservice by airing your grievance this way. I repeat - this only hurts you.

Best of luck to you,

Ann

 

[jewjubean]

^^^ Id do what she says. Good advice.

 

[dairylives]

I don't believe she has included her name in any of the posts. While i wouldn't worry about people finding it right off the bat, you increase your chances by posting it on a Disney board.

 

[kittyninja]

She included her first name. Don't know if that would do the same damage but it could!

 

[MinnieJay]

As a young black woman, I have never seen a company so diverse as Disney. I was so amazed at the diversity around me and the different backgrounds and walks of life that worked/work at WDW and cannot tell you how amazing it was to be surrounded by those cultures. I am a former cast member and sorry that you didn't get hired it but its always about what you make of it. Disney is a very competitive company to get into and it can sometimes be competitive while working there. None the less, they are an amazing company to have on a resume. Attitude is everything, I wouldn't have let this deter you. Frankly, had it been me, I would have marched right back and tried again once eligible again (usually there's a wait period between interview/auditions. I know with entertainment its 6 mos.). Perhaps those that got hired on the spot fit what they were looking for or even so the area they were looking for (i.e. working in World Showcase where the theming and hiring is so important to the story of the area; or someone with lots of experience with children, hair or makeup and a whimsical personality for Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique).

I've auditioned for entertainment a total of about 3 or 4 times for Walt Disney World and I haven't made it yet. But each time I audition, I walk away stronger and wanting to work harder to get it. I've been performing and auditioning for years so rejection is something I've been used to. Comes with the turf.

With Disney interviews, its about the resume, presentation, poise, articulation, and the personality. I went to my CP recruiting event at my college and while everyone else for the most part dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt (which isn't bad) I wore dress pants, shirt, and jacket with pumps and stood out to my presenters a little bit more. Doing those little extra things can help a lot and set you apart from the others. It also helped that I am a Disney buff/fan and that helped me even more.

Hope that makes sense.

Well worded.

To the OP: While I can't speak for the practices at DL, I never felt like my race had anything to do with anything at all while working at WDW. There were faces like mine and faces unlike mine which enjoyed the most. Good luck to you.

 

[4HppyCamprs]

I cannot speak to your Disney experience but as a HR major in school now we are being taught to google candidates and check their social networking. It is still being explored for legality but for now it is a valid way to check into a candidate.

Interviews are hard. It is hard to tell if you did a good job or not. I thought for sure I had bombed my last interview, I drove two hours for it and I was terribly upset after. I did my very best though. My interview was on a Wednesday and then Friday afternoon came and I was hired.

I agree with PPs who stated that perhaps a background check completed while you were waiting popped something unexpected.

Good luck to you in your new position.

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[Oath]

I just want to thank everyone again as I feel I need to update this.

I once again applied, interviewed and was told thanks but no thanks again. I think I'm too old for the college program now (I'm 23.), so I just applied online and this time it was a group interview in which everytime it was my turn to ask a question, the recruiters looked uninterested. Once again I was the only black person and minority there. Everyone else was white. I was given an email about an hour and a half after the interview that I wasn't hired and to try again in six months. That is just not right. If the company is prejudiced or not, that isn't a nice way to handle recruiting.

Idk, just life sucks right now. Having trouble finding a job period. My fiance suffered an injury at work. My mother passed away since. My fiance family doesn't want to support us being that his family is white and I'm black. Idk. I just want to thank you guys for your advice and just thought I'd say I don't think I'm gonna apply at disneyland anymore. Whether it's racism or just bad luck. Possibly both.

Have a blessed day. <3

 

[keymon]

I just want to thank everyone again as I feel I need to update this.

I once again applied, interviewed and was told thanks but no thanks again. I think I'm too old for the college program now (I'm 23.), so I just applied online and this time it was a group interview in which everytime it was my turn to ask a question, the recruiters looked uninterested. Once again I was the only black person and minority there. Everyone else was white. I was given an email about an hour and a half after the interview that I wasn't hired and to try again in six months. That is just not right. If the company is prejudiced or not, that isn't a nice way to handle recruiting.

Idk, just life sucks right now. Having trouble finding a job period. My fiance suffered an injury at work. My mother passed away since. My fiance family doesn't want to support us being that his family is white and I'm black. Idk. I just want to thank you guys for your advice and just thought I'd say I don't think I'm gonna apply at disneyland anymore. Whether it's racism or just bad luck. Possibly both.

Have a blessed day. <3

I'm sorry about your circumstances, but you're never really too old for the college program. There are several people doing it this time who are older than 24.

 

[BobbyT]

Yeah I had a few CP friends in their 30's and I even heard of one who was in her late 50's. never too old to be a CP. At Disney World at least.

 

[AniSci]

It sounds like you just don't have the kind of qualities Disney is looking for. As others have mentioned, just the way you speak in your OP show that. Even mad, angry and insulted I would never call someone an ugly ***** on a public board, especially knowing that future employers would look at it, and I am a former cast member.

Also, if you think the company is racist, why do you keep applying to be a part of it? The way it looks is you obviously don't believe what you are posting but you want to blame ANYTHING but yourself for your failures. You say you're having a hard time getting a job anywhere, so it is not just Disney. The job market is tough right now, as a senior graduating college I know that just about as well as anyone, especially for people who do not have that college degree or an amazing job history. Remember, for every job you apply for there are way more than a handful of people who want the job. They may just be better qualified than you are. Learn from it and move on and try again.

Did you ever think that you went into the interview with an upset air about you? People pick up on what other people are feeling, it's part of what keeps us as a species alive. So much of your communication is nonverbal and even away from your face. Even if you are thinking "I won't get the job because this or that" people pick up on that just in the air. The more you have these thoughts the less likely it is that you will get the job. I know I was not there but neither of the situations you describe seem racist. There were other candidates who were better for the role.

I am sorry for your hardships and hope the best for you but sometimes you just have to get out of your own way.

 

[BadDad]

I just want to thank everyone again as I feel I need to update this.

I once again applied, interviewed and was told thanks but no thanks again. I think I'm too old for the college program now (I'm 23.), so I just applied online and this time it was a group interview in which everytime it was my turn to ask a question, the recruiters looked uninterested. Once again I was the only black person and minority there. Everyone else was white. I was given an email about an hour and a half after the interview that I wasn't hired and to try again in six months. That is just not right. If the company is prejudiced or not, that isn't a nice way to handle recruiting.

Idk, just life sucks right now. Having trouble finding a job period. My fiance suffered an injury at work. My mother passed away since. My fiance family doesn't want to support us being that his family is white and I'm black. Idk. I just want to thank you guys for your advice and just thought I'd say I don't think I'm gonna apply at disneyland anymore. Whether it's racism or just bad luck. Possibly both.

Have a blessed day. <3

My S's roommate is 30 and African-American

He's sharing an apartment in Chatham with an Asian, Hispanic and 3 African-Americans. All males (6) are over 22.

Please read these boards and refocus, our greatest enemy is ourselves. Not just talking about you but everyone.

 

[Oath]

It sounds like you just don't have the kind of qualities Disney is looking for. As others have mentioned, just the way you speak in your OP show that. Even mad, angry and insulted I would never call someone an ugly ***** on a public board, especially knowing that future employers would look at it, and I am a former cast member.

Also, if you think the company is racist, why do you keep applying to be a part of it? The way it looks is you obviously don't believe what you are posting but you want to blame ANYTHING but yourself for your failures. You say you're having a hard time getting a job anywhere, so it is not just Disney. The job market is tough right now, as a senior graduating college I know that just about as well as anyone, especially for people who do not have that college degree or an amazing job history. Remember, for every job you apply for there are way more than a handful of people who want the job. They may just be better qualified than you are. Learn from it and move on and try again.

Did you ever think that you went into the interview with an upset air about you? People pick up on what other people are feeling, it's part of what keeps us as a species alive. So much of your communication is nonverbal and even away from your face. Even if you are thinking "I won't get the job because this or that" people pick up on that just in the air. The more you have these thoughts the less likely it is that you will get the job. I know I was not there but neither of the situations you describe seem racist. There were other candidates who were better for the role.

I am sorry for your hardships and hope the best for you but sometimes you just have to get out of your own way.

What do you mean I don't have Disney qualities?

In other words, you're saying I have to white wash myself to work there which I'm not going to do. I understand being lively and bubbly with customers and acting happy on the outside when you might not be in the inside, but I'm not gonna change myself for a job at an amusement park. Especially depending on the position that they were going to give me.

The only reason I wanted to be a Disney is because I want to be in the entertainment industry and hoping this would help me somewhat.

And I never called the company racist, I just thought the recruiter I was speaking with in my first interview had some sort of complex or racial agenda, that was all. The second is debatable though.

You can stop playing psychiatrist now. Reading body language isn't always correct.

I'm sorry but that's the problem with society nowadays. I know bullying is wrong and we should be accepting of people, but people are remedying that by sugarcoating everything and censoring everything saying don't give up when in order to not give up, you have to stop what's making you fail and I think not speaking up is failure.

 

[Marlea98]

Hello everyone. I'm Cassie.

I always wanted to work at Disney (Land/World).

So like many of you I applied to college program and I haven't been accepted my three times of trying to get in.

My mother suggested that I just apply to the regular park since I live in Buena Park which isn't that far from Disneyland.

I did. Long story short, I was scheduled for an interview to be a retail sales clerk.

When I showed up to the casting building, there were about five other people there. I was the only black person. The group was mostly white. There was one Hispanic girl but she could pass as white.

When it was my turn to speak with a recruiter (This ugly ***** named Veronica)

, I thought it went well. I answered all the questions accurately and with a smile. Very perky and cheerful. She then told me to wait outside. She then called me back into her office and said she was going to hire me as a Retail Sales Clerk. She showed me a paper of job duties (which I wasn't allowed to keep) and then said she would call me the next day as she had a big list of people to consider.

Everyone else in my group was hired on the spot. They were told to sit at the opposite end of the casting building. I was told to go home.

She called me earlier today and told me that I wasn't hired because "I didn't smile enough." Which isn't true. I was very bubbly throughout the interview.

That is so ********. I don't know about Disneyworld, but Disneyland is so racist. I hardly ever see any black people working there period.

So mad. Just wanted to vent.

I have to wait 6 months if I want to be a cast member.

I'm thinking about filing some sort of legal dispute. I just need proof and I will get it.

I was going to cut out everything but the comment that I am referring to but decided to leave it.

You say you said the interviewer was racist, not Disney, yet in your fourth-last sentence you said, "...but Disneyland is so racist."

 

[Oath]

that's not what I meant.

I just said I think they are racist because I don't see any black people as employees there.

 

[Little Orange Bird]

I just find it kind of sad that you are playing the race card for one of the most ethnically diverse companies in the world. I understand you are upset that you didn't get hired to Disney but not everything in this world is done because of race. Shocker right? For reasons that only Disney knows of you were not hired. Maybe you weren't as bubbly as the others or maybe your spot had gotten filled earlier that day or maybe the other candidates were just better. We will never know. I know for a fact that Disney and other companies check message boards and if you get black listed by Disney then the whole entertainment industry might end up knowing. So not only could you have hurt your chances with Disney but also with any other company. Keep your head up and keep searching. In the eyes of companies and the law every man is equal so please stop playing the race card and just admit to yourself that YOU were not what they were looking for and not because of the color of your skin.