Does Walt Disney Company Hire Felons?

The Walt Disney Company, or Disney, is an American conglomerate that specializes in mass media and entertainment. Their headquarters are in Burbank California. The company became one of the top animation studios in the industry. After this, they moved onto more things like live-action films, television shows and studios, and especially theme parks.

Disney does have a reputation for being very strict with their employers. We all know how having a record can make people jump to conclusions about who we are which isn’t fair in the job market. We’re here to help you hopefully get a second chance though and let’s see if we can do that with Disney.

About The Walt Disney Company

Disney is known for its film studio, Walt Disney Studios, which includes other giants in the industry like Pixar, Marvel Studios, and LucasFilm. They also own and operate the ABC Broadcast Network which includes ESPN, National Geographic, and Freeform. We also know Disney, of course, for their theme parks and experiences.

Disney was originally founded on October 16, 1923, by brothers Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio. This was when the company was just focused on animation.

The company is headquartered in Burbank, California but has jobs available all over the world. With over 201,000 employees, many people around the United States and the world call Disney their employer.

Disney is known to offer a comprehensive medical plan that includes Dental and Vision Coverage. The company offers retirement plans, paid time off, tuition assistance, complimentary theme park admissions and more.

One of the best reasons employees like working here is that you can know that what you’re doing impacts lives all over the world. Whether you get hired at a theme park or part of their entertainment segment, the work you do will be seen by lots of people that will enjoy it.

Does The Walt Disney Company Hire felons?

From researching several different sources, we have found that Disney has hired felons in the past. They don’t state anything about this on their career site or any official website but employees that have records have commented they got hired in the past.

Our research has shown us that Disney looks at the severity of the crime and the amount of time that has past since the conviction for their decision on the hire. This means that even though some people got hired, they might not hire others based on their past. Disney looks at each applicant on a case-by-case basis.

Does The Walt Disney Company Run Background Checks?

Yes, Disney does run background checks. Lots of their customers contain children and the elderly so they try to be as safe as possible to protect these populations. These checks usually happen after the interview process but before starting employment at your assigned workplace.

Disney is pretty thorough in their background check process. They usually take about one to two weeks for the whole process to be complete. There are some instances where it has taken longer, closer to a month, but this doesn’t happen very often.

Careers at The Walt Disney Company

Disney leads the pack in both the entertainment industry and the theme park industry so there are lots of different opportunities for growth with the company.

If you are trying to work at the theme park, you could work as a cast member supporting the operation of the park. You can also try to be an actor/character and participate in the different shows and activities around the park entertaining the guests.

A cast member can be anyone from handing out popcorn and ice cream, to working the lines at the park, to sweeping up the fireworks after the park closes. There are lots of opportunities to be a cast member if you play your cards right.

If you’re more tech-savvy than customer-oriented, you could apply to be part of their customer service and tech support departments.

If you’re interested in working on a Disney cruise line or part of their entertainment industry, you can always check the website for positions open. These have entry-level positions that aren’t always available but pop up from time to time.

Also if you really want to work for The Walt Disney Company but there are no open positions around you or you’re not near a theme park, look for jobs on their smaller company’s websites and see if they have positions on there instead.

Application Process at The Walt Disney Company

Disney has a website for their careers. When you go to that site, you get a four-step process of choosing a location you want to work, what kind of job, and what kind of career area, and they’ll tell you where they believe you fit best in their company.

To apply online, set up an account with your email and upload your resume. It is important for any felon that is applying to Disney to be upfront about your criminal history, be honest, and focus on the positives that happened since then.

Also, if you’re trying to work at one of the parks, you have a better chance to get hired if you go to one of their offices and ask for an application than applying online. This will give you a chance to have a talk with a manager one on one instead of them reading about your past in an application.

When it comes to Disney, they are more interested in how you interact with their customers now than your history and past. Disney is known as one of the biggest places on Earth in making their customers smile. If you can do that, Disney could overlook anyone’s past.

With this in mind, when it comes to the interview, make sure that this is one of your biggest selling points. If you don’t show them that you can handle adversity while also being a gem in customer service then they might look you over. This can help you out big time in scoring that job.