Defenders of Wildlife Interview Questions
& Process

I went through 2 interviews. The first was a general phone call with one person where I answered some standard questions. The second interview involved 3 interviewers and felt more like a casual conversation, though there were probably set questions. Everyone was really nice.

I went through this super long and frankly, quite a few interviews with Defenders of Wildlife, like 6 interviews over a few months. It started with a quick phone screen, then I met with the hiring manager, and then their manager. After that, there was a 30-minute panel interview with 4 people. Then, I had to go in person again to meet with the hiring manager and their manager (yep, again). And then finally, a second 30-minute panel interview with some other people. It was a lot of work and time for me to prepare for all this. But, after all that, I just got a standard automated email saying I didn't get the job. What really got me was the lack of any personal contact or feedback after such a detailed process. I tried reaching out to three people I knew there for some feedback, but heard nothing back. It felt like ghosting, which was really disappointing and honestly, kind of rude given how much effort I put in. I'm sharing this so others know about how demanding and maybe random their interview process can be, and that you might not get any closure or proper communication at the end. I get they need to be thorough, but they should also respect candidates' time. Hopefully, they can improve how they communicate and treat candidates.

I went through three in-person interviews for this job. It was a bit weird, but everyone was nice. The first interview was supposed to be three hours long with several people. I took time off work for it, but the interviewer was late and said some people were out sick, making it seem disorganized. The interview had two parts: first with the manager, which was standard, and then with the team, which was awkward because they didn't ask many questions. I asked them about Glassdoor reviews, and they mentioned restructuring HR, which made me feel a bit better. The second interview was a few weeks later, also supposed to be 2-3 hours with the same people plus leadership. Leadership couldn't make it, so it felt like they just wanted me to pass time. I mostly just chatted with the manager. The team members asked if I had questions, and I joked about asking plenty last time. One team member agreed a bit too much, and then they asked me about endangered species before letting me go early. It felt like they were just filling time again because the right people weren't there. I got an email two or three months later for a third interview with leadership, which was much more organized. I was asked standard questions by two leaders, and it was a respectful and pleasant experience. Overall, it felt like the organization has some internal issues and sometimes didn't respect my time, making me feel like an inconvenience.

I first heard from HR who asked some basic questions and then discussed the hiring timeline. After an initial interview and a call-back, things seemed to be going as planned. I was told I'd hear back from DOW in a few days, but when I didn't, I followed up. I was then told I'd hear back in 2-5 days. This cycle of 'we'll get back to you' has repeated about five times, pushing the start date over a month past the original estimate and two months beyond the decision deadline. I'm now expecting no offer from Defenders, though I haven't received official word.