Hopefully Working At The Point This Summer

Hey guys what's up?! I created an account here so I could keep up with the threads and also ask a few questions and get some answers/opinions from previous or existing Cedar Point employees!

1) My mind is set on working at Cedar Point this summer so I can get away from home and make new friends! I'm easy to get along with and I want to know if there are a lot of stuck up people that work there who think they're better than everyone else

2) When can I apply for the 2011 season? I tried to apply the other day but it said that the application is down for maintenance and to keep checking back. I'm guessing at the beginning of 2011 would be the best time to apply?!

3) For the past 3 years of visiting the park, Wicked Twister has become my favorite ride. Now you're probably wondering how it's my favorite ride when CP has Dragster, Millennium, Maverick, and others, but I love watching and riding it. It's a very interesting ride to me. My question here is, I would give anything to work Wicked Twister for a season, What are my chances of getting that job?

4) How do I guarantee I get the job for Wicked Twister? Like what do I have to do to ensure I get that job and that job only? Do I have to just tell the person who interviews me that that is where I want to work at? Or is there a spot on the application that asks what ride I want to work? That is pretty much the only thing I want to do is work Wicked Twister. I would just love to learn the ins and outs of the ride being that I am a Mechanical Engineering major.

I am sorry if these questions have been answered before, but I don't know how to search for any old topics on this website or else I would have tried to look up some of these answers myself! But if anybody could help me I would really appreciate it! Thank you very much to all who reply!

Try this forum: http://pointbuzz.com/Forums/Topics/3.aspx

Good Luck!

This recent post seems like it'll answer most of your questions about getting a specific ride and how the hiring process works.
http://pointbuzz.com/Forums/Thread/25753.aspx?page=1#426106

hey thanks! I appreciate it!

Keep an open mind. When I went to work at my first park for the first time I had my head set on working a rollercoaster. Of course, they only had a few and I ended up working in kiddieland. As the years went by I ended up on the bigger rides, go karts and the rollercoasters but as I look back on my years in the business that first year in kiddieland was hands down the most enjoyable of them all.

I liken rollercoasters (and most rides in general) to being similar to working in a factory. It is the same, repetitive motions over and over again for hours on end. Yes, you get to spiel at times and have some limited interactions with the crowd but you'd be surprised how mundane it is.

If you really want to have fun at the park, work in games or even as a sweep. Sweeps probably have more guest interaction than anyone else in the park.

I will definitely keep that in mind. Thank you! But for some reason, I am just really set on working Wicked Twister. Is there anybody on here that has or will be working Wicked Twister this coming year?

I'd refer to the last song on Let It Bleed. It's some of the best career advice out there.

Well nice referral BreakTrims, but I don't remember ever saying that I won't settle for any other location Cedar Point puts me. So next time, you should refer to a band worth listening to rather than The Rolling Stones.

TwistedWicker77 said:
Hey guys what's up?! I created an account here so I could keep up with the threads and also ask a few questions and get some answers/opinions from previous or existing Cedar Point employees!

1) My mind is set on working at Cedar Point this summer so I can get away from home and make new friends! I'm easy to get along with and I want to know if there are a lot of stuck up people that work there who think they're better than everyone else.

2) When can I apply for the 2011 season? I tried to apply the other day but it said that the application is down for maintenance and to keep checking back. I'm guessing at the beginning of 2011 would be the best time to apply?!

3) For the past 3 years of visiting the park, Wicked Twister has become my favorite ride. Now you're probably wondering how it's my favorite ride when CP has Dragster, Millennium, Maverick, and others, but I love watching and riding it. It's a very interesting ride to me. My question here is, I would give anything to work Wicked Twister for a season, What are my chances of getting that job?

4) How do I guarantee I get the job for Wicked Twister? Like what do I have to do to ensure I get that job and that job only? Do I have to just tell the person who interviews me that that is where I want to work at? Or is there a spot on the application that asks what ride I want to work? That is pretty much the only thing I want to do is work Wicked Twister. I would just love to learn the ins and outs of the ride being that I am a Mechanical Engineering major.

I am sorry if these questions have been answered before, but I don't know how to search for any old topics on this website or else I would have tried to look up some of these answers myself! But if anybody could help me I would really appreciate it! Thank you very much to all who reply!

Hey TwistedWicker77, I'll try to explain to you to the best of my knowledge what it's like to apply and work for a Cedar Fair company in the order that you asked.

1) Good to know that you're excited to work for CF. Lord knows they need as many excited people as they can have. The key is to stay excited. Everyone is happy to be there before school gets out, but can you be excited and a good employee during crunch time on the third weekend of July at 3 in the afternoon when it's 92 with no wind? You're going to find the people you described at every job, but overall I have found that the majority of the employees that work there are very friendly for the most part.

2) You can probably apply any time. I'd just keep checking for the site to be up. It's probably not a high time for applicants, so they probably took it down to overhaul it or something.

3) First things first, don't go in there all crazy about working and your love for Wicked Twister. If you get an interview, be patient, professional and upbeat without being crazy. From my experiences (four years) of working for MiA, usually first year people don't get to choose where they work in the department (you do if you're a returner, usually). On the application, it'll ask something about which three departments you'd like to work at. Mark rides as your first choice. Usually, they will go by your first choice, but make sure you don't pick something silly for your second or third because I've had friends become landscapers because they just wrote down two random ones (I've also had a returner friend use Peter Griffin as a reference - don't do this!). But in your interview, just be patient, professional and honest. Usually they will hire you right off the bat right there if they want you, and they will offer you an opening in one or more crews. Then is when you ask about your ride. Don't get difficult, just ask if you could work on Twister. The earlier you go, the better the crew you will be put on, I would assume.

4) I think I answered your question in #3.

Basically, if you get an interview, don't go all roller coaster nerd on them, haha. Just dress professionally, act professionally and answer honestly. Because over everything that everybody does at the point, safety is the number one modus operundi.

TwistedWicker77 said:
I'm easy to get along with and I want to know if there are a lot of stuck up people that work there who think they're better than everyone else

From my experience with working there, a good majority of the people are incredibly open minded. I think it would be close to impossible to go to work there and not make any new friends.

As for being picky about your location, it's the crew that makes your summer, not the ride. You could be placed at the best ride ever, but crew full of people with terrible attitudes will ruin your summer. Get to know your crew, have fun with them, and the ride location becomes almost insignificant.

thank you so much guys. after getting responses it has given me a good mindset and prepares me early for my interview. I did have a friend who applied a while ago and he did his interview over the phone. How many interviews do you have to go through? sorry for all of the questions guys!

Applications usually go up beginning of January.

TwistedWicker77 said:
...Is there anybody on here that has or will be working Wicked Twister this coming year?

I was a second year on the Twister crew this past summer,had a BLAST!!! Its a really fun ride to work,and our crew was amazing.I've got my fingers crossed for the ATL spot there next summer...hopefully I get it :)

Any questions about working it I can answer for you.

hey cchamblee09! thank you for your time and response! I'm so glad to know you had fun these past 2 years! i probably have seen you atleast one of the many times this past summer. Anyways, how many years have you been working at CP? Where did you start off at? Goodluck on becoming ATL this summer!!! btw, what does ATL stand for?

ATL = Assistant Team Leader

TwistedWicker77 said:
I did have a friend who applied a while ago and he did his interview over the phone. How many interviews do you have to go through?

Just one phone interview for rides.

Chief Wahoo said:

I liken rollercoasters (and most rides in general) to being similar to working in a factory. It is the same, repetitive motions over and over again for hours on end. Yes, you get to spiel at times and have some limited interactions with the crowd but you'd be surprised how mundane it is.

If you really want to have fun at the park, work in games or even as a sweep. Sweeps probably have more guest interaction than anyone else in the park.

When it comes to roller coasters, it can get mundane, but you switch positions at usually half hour intervals, so you're doing something else. For me personally, when I worked at Iron Dragon I was kept so busy and focused that the hours sped by. You do begin to get irked at the same guest issues that happen all the time, like "THERE ARE NO BINS ON THE IRON DRAGON" and such but it's a part of the job, and people aren't so keen on paying attention to rules and thinking when they are at Cedar Point. So working on rides requires -patience-

I never had my hand at games, but from what I've observed you have to be a salesmen to work there. I had a friend who lost their voice from screaming so much. You're confined to a box, just hoping that someone would approach your game and fork over money. You're not allowed to play your game, and when I was sweeping they were always glad to have a small chat while I swept around their area.

Sweeps is awesome for interaction, because you can actually have a conversation with the guests, and ask how their day is. It's nice when they ask for advice, and are receptive to suggestions. Sometimes I would get guests that would tell me their Cedar Point stories, or guests that were interested in how I got to work here. But you have to walk about 15 miles a day, and it's not fun when it's 100 degrees or 40 degrees and raining. I loved going at my own pace though, using the bathroom whenever I pleased (get used to not being able to go pee when you really have to if you work at a coaster) and getting water from a food stand whenever I was parched.
Sweeps was awesome, but I am sure Wicked Twister is going to be great, too :) I wish you the best of luck, and if you have this enthusiasm now, I don't think you're going to lose it. I never lost mine, and I swept up garbage and vomit all day!~

Summer 2011 will be my third year at CP.I started at maXair in 2009,and of course 2010 was spent primarily at Wicked Twister.ATL does in fact stand for Assistant Team Leader.They are the 2nd in-charge person at a ride,etc;

I Just got a job here (: in Games! im soo excited!; is anyone working for games here that can tell me what it is like?

I shouldn't have put this thread in the General section. Can a mod move it to Employee Lounge please?