Job Q&A
by Lisa Sullivan
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Walt Disney World Company has become the world's leader in the entertainment and hospitality industries. Since their beginning over 25 years ago, THE WALT DISNEY WORLD Resort®, featuring 83 attractions and a variety of live entertainment shows within four theme parks, has become the country's largest single-site employer with over 50,000 cast members. Tina Kashlak is the Senior Diversity Representative for Walt Disney World.

Monster.com: Can you tell us a little about your position and what attracted you to Walt Disney World?

Tina Kashlak: Three years ago, I was attracted to Walt Disney World's world-class reputation and wide range of career opportunities, as well as their exciting and creative environment. Our company-wide commitment to diversity weaves diverse thinking and creativity into all that we do. As Senior Diversity Representative, my responsibilities are to provide support in strategic planning to our Professional Recruitment Team to help them increase their diversity candidate pool. Additionally, I project manage diversity conferences as well as offer support and training on recruiting best practices.

Mc: What strategies are most effective for you?

TK: WWWDisneycareers.com continues to be one of our leading strategies. Weekly postings are available to candidates for all lines of business. The Internet is in the forefront of our 2000 plan in a number of other areas. Walt Disney World Professional Recruiters will go live (in January) for a three-day chat room experience for candidates to talk directly to professional recruiters in finance and information systems. This recruiting method will be a milestone event for us…the excitement is building! Diversity conference participation continues to be an important tactic for our recruiters. 1999 proved to be a successful year, as we attended MOBE, National Black MBA, Hispanic MBA and Women of Color Conferences, to name a few. Networking and building our Contact Management System offers our recruiters the opportunity to maintain relationships established at the conferences, which naturally lead to referrals and new hires. We also focus our energy on our internal recruitment efforts. In-house programs to promote broadbanding and upward mobility are key in career growth at Walt Disney World.

Mc: What do you find to be most helpful in attracting talent to Walt Disney World?

TK: With Walt Disney World being the largest single-site employer in the United States to include 55,000 cast members, I would have to say this is our greatest attraction. Within our professional positions, we offer opportunities ranging from culinary to engineering, finance to food and beverage, IS to entertainment, and architects to biologists. Professionals have greater opportunities to expand into a variety of lines of businesses, giving them continued growth and upward mobility. For example, an individual coming into our organization in a finance capacity may start off working in a resort location. From there, the individual may transition into the entertainment division of our company or cruise line.

Mc: What inspires you about your job?

TK: I am most inspired by the commitment, dedication and determination of our Professional Recruitment team. Teamwork is critical as we strive to reach our goal of recruiting the most diverse pool of talent. Reaching new heights and setting goals is key to optimum performance and results. Day to day, we take small steps leading us to our goals. It's a great reward to have a team member stop by my office to say, "I am so excited about the offer I made today!" The formula is simple: Planning + Fun = Success.

Mc: What do you find most challenging about your work?

TK: Thinking up new strategic methods of attracting a diverse talent pool in a competitive job market. There are so many talented individuals today with advanced education and natural creative talent. Staying ahead is both challenging as well as invigorating.

Mc: What advice would you offer to a company considering hiring a diversity specialist for the first time?

TK: Be sure to have company-wide support and a strategic plan in place projected over a three- to five-year period. I work on a team of three, which includes our manager, a coworker and myself. Our team was formed eight months ago, so we are in an infancy stage. But with our clear vision, cohesive teamwork and passion for diversity, we have been able to provide structure to our client so that they may achieve their goals.

Mc: Do you network with peers or colleagues in similar positions with other organizations?

TK: Absolutely. I communicate with colleagues in similar positions with other Fortune 100 companies. We are on the same circuit of conferences, and in some cases we network almost weekly, sharing ideas and talking about best practices. Some of these relationships I have established over the last 13 years as an HR professional, and some more recently. There is tremendous value in maintaining these relationships over time and, in some cases, across the nation. The information I gather helps me do my job better.

Mc: What have you learned in the past year (skill, strategy or perspective) that helps you in your job?

TK: To maintain strength and creativity in all that we do. Diversity recruitment and planning is an exciting place to be entering into in the 21st century. Another key to learning has been to determine what percentages of external and internal best practices are to be woven together to develop productive strategies and programs. By weaving creativity into our planning, we are building a confident and progressive workforce.