Unique Jobs at Dollywood

Have you ever noticed all of the interesting jobs at Dollywood? I came across the jobs page on their website and out of curiosity took a look. I found the listings fascinating. So, I reached out to Sunny Larkin-Woody, Dollywood’s Talent Acquisition Manager, and I learned about some of the fun and unusual jobs across The Dollywood Company properties.

First, we stopped by the Costume Shop, where I met Linda, a seamstress there.  She was working on a set of white pinafores for one of the restaurants. This team of talented sewers produces 3800 costumes for the employees at Dollywood. Sewing may seem to be a dying art, but it is one that is used daily in this department! At the time of writing this blog, there was an opening for a seasonal Costume Assistant.

From there, we walked through Dollywood on a day the park was closed. Because there were no guests, I got to see some of the members of the Special Events Team hanging Christmas lights. What a fun job! These Dollywood hosts do everything from decorating for Christmas, to carving pumpkins during the Harvest Festival, to helping with the Parade of Many Colors, and even relieving crafters as needed! This was actually another job that I saw posted as I wrote this blog.

Another unique job environment is Doggywood – Dollywood’s kennel for visitors’ pets. A recent Dollywood blog detailed the care one employee took in order to wish their oldest visitor a happy birthday!

Some of the other interesting jobs include bird handler/trainer, water testers (at Dollywood’s Splash Country), the miller (who mills the grain in the Grist Mill), the train engineers and train firemen (who shovel the coal into the train), the craftsmen – which include glass blower, wood carver, airbrush artist, leather worker, and candle maker—and silhouette and caricature artists. Larkin-Woody acknowledged the challenge of training such a unique skill set. Dollywood is investigating an apprenticeship program for the future as a way to ensure the perpetuation of these arts.

Are you a “foodie?”  Dollywood has such specialized jobs as candy maker and biscuit maker, as well as sous chef, prep cook, bakers, pastry intern, line chef, Wildwood Grove food team member, and even servers and dishwashers if that’s more your speed. All of those job listings were posted when I looked for writing this blog. How great to be a part of the team that produces Dollywood’s award-winning cuisine!

In fact almost any talent or interest you could have, there is probably a job that would suit you well at Dollywood. It is like a small city. Illustrating that fact, did you know that Dollywood has its own sign shop?  They are responsible for the creative signs you see around the park. Tram and auto department? This is a shop employing mechanics who maintain the trams and the other vehicles Dollywood owns. Other jobs include a chaplain, a nurse advocate (who serves as a health counselor to the employees), doctors, merchandise buyers, valet parkers, landscapers, lifeguards, nail and hair technicians for the resort spa, photographers, construction workers, security officers, housekeepers, as well as positions in finance, marketing and public relations – just to mention a few.  Definitely something for everyone and nearly every interest!

The next time you are at Dollywood, look around and take note of the different jobs you see around you. It is totally understandable and appropriate that a theme park as unique as Dollywood and its associated properties would also be the home of many unique jobs!