Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Interview Questions
& Process

The interview process involved a recruiter call and a phone screen. Questions covered what I would do if I didn't know how to answer a customer's question, my previous customer service experience, other experience I have, why I want to work here, what other state parks I've visited, and my experience at other state parks.

They might give you a call or shoot you an email to set up an interview, and they usually have a bunch of times open. You'll get a Zoom link a few days before. The interviews are typically 30-45 minutes, but they block out a full hour because the first 15-20 minutes are for intros and to go over the questions with you. You can ask stuff during or after the questions, and they'll let you know when you can expect to hear back about the results.

There were two interviews. The first was by phone or in person. Candidates received 5 questions and had 15 minutes to prep. It was with a 5-person panel, including a current Wildlife Biologist. They asked 7 questions, and candidates managed their own time for the 45-minute interview. The second interview was in person only, with a different panel. Candidates also had to prepare a 20-minute presentation on given topics about a week before. This presentation was for about 30 DNR employees. Afterward, the audience asked 10-15 questions, about half about the presentation and the rest about wildlife and habitat in WI. The person coordinating the presentations kept pretending it was for a private hunt club, and the DNR employees acted like public members by hiding their name tags. This continued even after everything was over, which was weird and childish. The overall experience was not good. Both interviews were scheduled with less than a week's notice, in different small towns across the state. If you lived out of state or didn't have a car, it was tough since the locations weren't near airports or public transport. It would have made more sense to have them in the state capital or centrally located cities. The short notice made it hard to get time off work. They asked candidates to bring 6 copies of their cover letter and resume, seemingly to save money on printing. The DNR person in charge of the presentations suggested bringing donuts to impress the audience, which was really unprofessional. I heard from a follow-up call that the presentation audience had the final say in hiring. Hopefully, that group of random Northern WI DNR employees was properly trained in non-discrimination.

The hiring process was pretty straightforward. About a week after I submitted my application, I got an interview. The people interviewing me were nice and easy to talk to. Since it's department policy, they gave me the questions about 15 minutes before the actual interview started so I could think them over and jot down some notes. The interview was mainly behavioral, focusing on how well I can communicate with customers, permitees, and colleagues, and how I handle a heavy workload when things get tough.