Top MBA Recruiters: Walt Disney Co.
When the Most Valuable Player in the Super Bowl gets carried off the field in victory and glory, the sideline reporter always asks, “You and your teammates just won the Super Bowl, what are you going to do next?”
The athlete replies with the same classic phrase each year: “I’m going to Disneyland!”
Walt Disney Co. and the MBA
While graduating from business school with your MBA may not be quite as glorious as winning the Lombardi trophy, many MBA graduates are finding themselves “going to Disneyland” after graduation. No, these recent grads aren’t treating themselves to a well-deserved vacation to the Magic Kingdom or Blizzard Beach, they are seeking and gaining employment at one of the most well respected companies in the world.
According to CNN Money, a little more than 8 percent of MBAs want to work for the Walt Disney Co. Corporate headquarters are in Burbank, CA, but positions and opportunities to work for Disney can be found across the globe. CNN ranks Disney as the 12th most sought after company MBAs want to work for out of b-school.
Opportunities at Walt Disney Co.
Disney offers a diverse array of business opportunities. The Fortune 500 company hires MBAs to work at any of the company’s global resorts and theme parks, movie studio division, or broadcast media companies, which include ESPN and ABC.
Opportunities also exist abroad, as Disney is homing in on Asia’s growth opportunities. A $4.4 billion theme park and resort in Shanghai—Disney’s first in mainland China—just opened this June.
According to Disney, Co-op and Post Graduate Programs are available from January to June or July to December—all within a multitude of business areas—for those who have graduated from an accredited educational institution. Opportunities exist in the following areas at the company:
- Technology/Information Technology
- Finance/Accounting
- Sourcing & Procurement
- Human Resources
- Marketing/Promotions
- Sales
- Distribution
- Broadcast/Technical Operations
- Production & Programming
- Journalism
- Animals, Sciences & Environment
- Engineering
- Management
- Creative
How Land a Job at Disney
What is Disney looking for in MBA job candidates? Innovators and candidates with good communication skills often excel at Disney. According to the company’s website,
“Our people have consistently defined, and then redefined, what’s possible in the world of entertainment.”
Disney recruits at top-tier MBA schools and offers summer internships to those who want to get an inside track to full-time employment.
Fernando Montero, a contributor to Bloomberg Business, wrote an editorial about his road to a “Dream Internship” with Disney. Here’s what Montero had to say about getting his internship:
In the end, I received an internship offer from Walt Disney (DIS) in the motion picture domestic distribution and marketing group in the finance department. I can say with complete candor that it is my dream internship: It combines my passion for distribution with my finance skills at a company for which I have tremendous respect.
He also gave a bit of advice for the interview:
My work on SAP and various other data systems were what I considered the least important aspect of my job; however, my interviewers at Disney considered them most relevant. Talk to your former supervisors and their supervisors. Learning as much as you can before you get to school will prepare you for the variety of subjects that will surface. There were many times when I sought informational interviews with departments or individuals where I had no intention of working. Refine your focus through your fellow students and then use the executive facetime to communicate that interest.
Once you have a Disney Professional Internship lined up, you’ll receive hands-on, real-world work experience that will help prepare you for the next step in your career. According to Disney, interns become “an integral part of the team and are relied upon to deliver results that will make an impact.”
Summer interns at Disney work on challenging projects and present findings to the company’s senior management team. Professional interns will be able to connect and network with industry leaders, develop the cutting-edge skills, and receive the opportunity to cultivate your creativity and imagination.
Six-month paid co-ops are also available to recent graduates. Those who get a co-op opportunity at Disney get to learn from and collaborate with the company’s creative, business and technology teams, as well as develop communication skills by presenting to the executive team. Recent graduates of accredited schools qualify for a six-month professional co-op, available from January to July or July to December.
According to Disney, “At Corporate, you’ll team with the best in the business to build one of the most innovative global businesses in any industry. Uniquely positioned at the center of an exciting, multi-faceted Company, the forward-thinkers at Disney Corporate constantly pursue new ideas and technologies to help the Company’s many businesses drive value, all the while gaining something valuable from the experience themselves. Come see the most interesting Company from the most interesting point of view.”
About the Author
Max Pulcini
Max Pulcini is a Philadelphia-based writer and reporter. He has an affinity for Philly sports teams, Super Smash Bros. and cured meats and cheeses. Max has written for Philadelphia-based publications such as Spirit News, Philadelphia City Paper, and Billy Penn, as well as national news outlets like The Daily Beast.
