DreamWorks Animation Manufacturing Interview Questions
& Process

Started with a recruiter call, then a phone interview discussing my past and relevant work experience. The second round was a chat with my potential manager to see if we'd click. Got an offer a few days after. The background check was intense and took ages (2 weeks!), but it was worth it.

The interview process kicked off with a phone interview, arranged via email, with a friendly recruiter. It was a brief and pleasant chat to confirm a team's interest in interviewing me. I'm quite disappointed with my interview experience at DreamWorks, mainly due to the interviewers' lack of preparation. This experience might be out of your control, so be ready for anything, even tired production staff. Despite the low starting pay for a PA, DreamWorks is a great place to work, so don't let this discourage you. My interviewers were nice but seemed distracted, mentioning they were on their first of many PA interviews that day and had to read my resume during the interview after the main interviewer was late. It felt like they weren't interested from the start because they weren't prepared. They asked me two questions, then spent the rest of the interview discussing the role and warning me about how unexciting it is. I clearly stated my interest and willingness to do the tasks, but they seemed to be testing if they could scare me away. This made the interview awkward, and the two interviewers weren't aligned on what they wanted to assess. On the bright side, our half-hour turned into a conversation, which helped me understand my potential bosses and their leadership styles, and how I'd fit into the team. I doubt DreamWorks will see this, but for future hiring managers, please be considerate of the interview process and candidates' time. Your interviewees want to do their best, so help them succeed by preparing, knowing why you want to hire them, and coordinating with other interviewers beforehand. Also, avoid scaring candidates; it's poor etiquette and reflects on your leadership and the company. It was a valuable learning experience, teaching me to expect the unexpected – interviewers might want a chat or might be unsure of what they're looking for. My best advice to other candidates is to expect the unexpected; you might be a great fit for DreamWorks, just not for that specific team. Keep going and good luck!

The hiring process was pretty simple. A recruiter called me to schedule a meeting. After a brief chat with the recruiter, they arranged a meeting with the production team. I spoke with all the senior production staff for about 30 minutes. They left time at the end for my questions. I sent a thank you email to the recruiter, and got a verbal offer two days later.