A six-foot model of Mickey Mouse is the first thing that confirms you have come to the right building. Unremarkable from the outside, the Walt Disney Hammersmith HQ reception is festooned with classic images from the old - Pluto and Pooh - and the new - Hannah Montana and the Jonas Brothers. Today, though, the stars of the show are 40 or 50 young nervous-looking jobseekers, all huddled together, waiting patiently to be called to interview. For the first time, Disney is holding a UK recruitment day to hire customer-facing staff for its Disneyland Paris resort. HR magazine speaks exclusively to Disney's director of employment and remuneration, Jean-Noel Thiollier, to find out why. Meanwhile, we speak to the applicants about why they believe their future lies with Uncle Walt.
The HR perspective
"Every year we need to recruit about 8,000 staff for the summer season," says Thiollier, who is also in charge of the event. "It tends to be for a limited term - two to eight months - and only about 10% stay on. This year we still have about 50 to 60 posts to fill, but we're also looking to identify people for the Halloween and Christmas period. We haven't traditionally looked this far ahead, but the plan is to identify those whom we can add to our database."
Thiollier oversees 30 recruitment officers. Through the database he aims to assign pools of 300 candidates to each of these. They will tasked with communicating regularly with the candidates to find out when they are available to work for the corporation. "We want to create a Disney candidate community," he says. "Every year we receive 170,000 CVs. So what we're saying to candidates is, if you're added to our community that is success enough as it's highly likely you'll be asked to work for us within the next six months."
Applicants have come from a mixture of routes - direct, or through JobcentrePlus. Although the jobs on offer are for entry-level, customer-facing 'cast' roles (and there is no specific demand for the French language), Thiollier says Disney is an organisation that rewards skills rather than qualifications. He says he sees no reason why these jobseekers could not reach the very top: "We don't believe in tests, we're interested in building a strong community - after all, most of these staff will be living together. More than 70% of our management originally joined as cast members. All they really need to know is the complete Disney picture. The rest is down to us - Disney invests 5% of its wage bill on internal training and development."
Those who do make it will find themselves in France within the week, and their jobs will be rotated. This is a fairly new innovation to reduce attrition (although half of the Disneyland Paris faithful have now worked there for more than 10 years). They will each have what he calls 'quality time' appraisals on a monthly and six-monthly basis. Those who want to return for next year's season will now also be given contracts before they leave. "If we're not providing a fun experience for staff, we have a problem," says Thiollier.
Disneyland Paris
Opened: 1992 (originally as Euro Disney)
Visitors each year: approximately 10 million
Number of employees: 12,000
Average tenure in role: 24 months
Number of training programmes offered: 400
Number of partner schools and universities: 100
The candidates' view
According to Thiollier, working for Disney "adds value to anyone's CV" but what makes Disney attractive to potential jobseekers? We spoke to three who were going through the recruitment process.
VICTORIA GATLING, 22
- What attracted you to this open day?
The brand. I've just graduated from Bangor University with a degree in tourism and French. I thought, why not give it a go.
- Did you apply anywhere else?
I applied for graduate schemes in a few hotel groups, but I learned that these had been cancelled.
- Aren't you too qualified for working in a theme park?
I want get my foot in the door and hopefully a permanent role.
LUCY CRICK, 25
- What did you know about Disney before today?
A fair bit. They used to be a client of mine! I was an account manager for an employees benefits company.
- Were you made redundant?
No, I chose to leave. This will give me the chance to use my French a bit more - I used to live in France.
- Is this a company you want to stay with long-term?
I've heard that at Disney it's easy to move around - that appeals to me.
GRACE KOBONGO, 19
- How did you get to hear about this event?
I'm studying at Wolverhampton University, and I found out about the open day on our university website. It appealed straight away, so I wanted to come down and see how well I could do.
- Why do you want to join Disney?
I'm reading leisure studies, so it immediately fits in with what I wanted to go into. I think it will be a great opportunity for me.
Second opinion
Allan Brown, director of sales, Graduate Prospects
"Recent research, from the Association of Graduate Recruiters showing graduate vacancies will be down by over 25% this year, means graduates are finding it challenging to find the right job. One of the best ways of gaining the extra skills and knowledge employers are looking for is through work experience. I can see real benefits in gaining some experience through the seasonal Disney work. Graduates will be able to demonstrate an ability to be creative, work with customers, work as a team, organise themselves and have the benefit of working abroad. These are all skills valued by employers, and being able to articulate them effectively will enhance any application. But the recent Real Prospects 2009 survey of graduates revealed only 58% feel it is necessary to have a degree to do their job. This suggests many employers are not making the most of their skills, knowledge and experience. Graduates must make the most of opportunities and be able to translate their experiences into benefits for a future employer."
