New York Department of Transportation Interview Questions
& Process

I got to the interview 45 minutes early for the geologist trainee role, but they weren't ready for me. The security guard had to call them. I left and came back. While waiting, I overheard employees talking about how nobody really works there, which was odd. When I went up, a level 3 geologist was talking about his ski trip. The job required a 3.5-hour drive, and even with my MS in Hydrogeology, they didn't hire me. I felt I was the most knowledgeable person there about geology and remediation, but they seemed to want someone more like the people I heard in the lobby. The level 3 geologist tried to make up a geology scenario but stumbled over his words.

It was a pretty standard interview for a college student. They preferred meeting on the actual site instead of over the phone or Skype. There was only one round for the interview. I got a call about two weeks later telling me I got the job. Two employers interviewed me. The whole thing lasted about twenty minutes. The interview was business casual, but the actual job requires steel toe boots and jeans daily.

The process was pretty quick, only about 30 minutes. I got a heads-up via email and a call a week before the interview. Then, I met with a group of employees who shared details about their jobs and asked me some questions.

I had a phone interview first, and then we set up an in-person interview for the morning. It was nice because the interviewer was really welcoming, which was a pleasant surprise, and everyone was generally very friendly.