Looking for a new job at Nature Conservancy? We’re here to help. Here you can find everything that you need to know about Nature Conservancy’s recruitment practices, including the application, interviews, and assessments that are all part of the hiring process.
Applying for a job at Nature Conservancy can be intimidating if you don’t know what to expect. The first step is to send in your résumé, cover letter, and online application. At this point, you may also be asked to answer a few questions or take a test. Once you’ve submitted your documents, all you can do is wait to be invited to an interview.
If your application passes the selection process you will be called in for an interview. It is important to do your research about Nature Conservancy. Make sure that you have concrete examples for your strengths and weaknesses.
Nature Conservancy might use pre-employment online assessments to sift out quality candidates. Like with any other exam it is important that you prepare for these exams in advance. Ask the HR representative which test you will take.
An Interview with The Nature Conservancy’s Jeff Opperman
Interviews for Top Jobs at The Nature Conservancy
Climate Justice Specialist Interview
I applied online. The process took 3 months. I interviewed at The Nature Conservancy (New York, NY)
Interview
Had several rounds: HR, written test and panel interview. Then got ghosted for 3 months only to be told I was rejected (with no reasons given). The next day they re-advertised the position and have been promoting it for another two months. To give context the posting was *urgent* and I was told they wanted somebody to start immediately.
- How would you resolve conflict with a co-worker?
Director of Marketing and Communications Interview
I applied online. The process took 2 months. I interviewed at The Nature Conservancy (Anchorage, AK) in Sep 2022
Interview
The interview and application process was pretty standard and efficient. I applied through the online portal and about a month later, received a request to respond to several additional questions in writing. Of course I put a lot of thought into my answers but the questions themselves were not complex and it didn’t seem designed to be onerous. I was called for an interview a week later, then had a second interview a week after that. a few days after the 2nd interview I had one more phone call with the chapter director and received an offer a few days later. All in all the process probably too two months, but once I started interviewing it was quick.
- There were a lot of questions like, “Tell me about a time when you …” but they were not designed to be trick questions. They asked a lot of questions about my previous work experience, about campaigns I admire, times when I’ve had to overcome biases, how I approach a project, etc.
Director Interview
I applied online. The process took 8 weeks. I interviewed at The Nature Conservancy
Interview
It was long and tedious, The interview was rigid and scripted. Took too long to get feedback. It seemed the organization was dotting the i´s as I did not feel they were interested from the beginning.
- Previous experience with work challenges and how did I address them.
Example: “In my last position, I was responsible for communicating with local government officials about our conservation projects. I helped organize meetings between The Nature Conservancy and government officials so we could discuss how we can work together to protect ecologically important lands and waterways. These relationships were beneficial because they allowed us to receive funding for our projects.”
Example: “I love to travel. I’ve been fortunate enough to visit many places around the world, and I’m always looking for new destinations to explore. I think my passion for exploring new places would make me a great fit for this position because I know I’d be comfortable going wherever The Nature Conservancy needs me.”
Example: “I think social media can be an effective way to reach new people with conservation messages. I have used social media in my current position as a marketing coordinator at the Green Company to increase our followers on Instagram by 10% over the last year. We also increased engagement by 20%, which led to more sales.”
The Nature Conservancy is a non-profit organization that works to protect the natural world. The interviewer may ask this question to learn more about your personal values and how they align with those of the organization. Use your answer to explain why you are passionate about environmental conservation and what specific actions you have taken in your career to support it.
Example: “In my last position as an environmental scientist for a local government agency, I had to complete a project on time but was missing some data. Instead of waiting until I could get the information, I used what I already knew about the area and made educated guesses. My supervisor reviewed my report and gave me feedback on where I needed to improve. I took her advice and revised my report with accurate data.”
Our mission hasn’t changed; our approach has. You might call our original approach a Noah’s Ark strategy. For four decades, the Conservancy focused almost exclusively on setting aside critical habitats for endangered species. In practice, that meant buying the specific piece of wetlands, forest, or prairie that supported a particular species or natural community. Like Noah, the Conservancy was intent on building an ark—or, more accurately, building a lot of little arks.
We’re concentrating more on strategies that address what I consider to be the conservation issue of the 1990s: integrating economic growth with environmental protection. How do you protect a species when the chief threat to that species comes from 100 miles away? We have to broaden our scope.
When I joined the Conservancy in 1990, the first thing I did was to initiate a review of our strategy. Like most other environmental organizations, we had grown rapidly in the 1980s. Some of the basic systems we were using to run the enterprise hadn’t kept up with that growth: Our financial system was not producing reports on time, our marketing system was not giving us accurate, up-to-date information on our members, and our personnel systems were antiquated. In addition, the board of governors was concerned that the organization was becoming fragmented. It needed leadership, it needed to be pulled together, it needed to have a clear vision of where it was going. But it was our strategic planning process itself that brought the fundamental need for a new strategy to the surface.
Can an organization with a four-decade track record of growth avoid becoming the victim of its own success? Since the Nature Conservancy was founded in 1951, it has worked to save threatened habitats and species by buying and setting aside land. Year by year, the number of acres under its protection has increased, membership has risen, and donations have grown.
I asked our senior managers to identify the most capable of the up-and-coming managers in the organization—its future leaders—and I picked four of them for the strategy task force. Those four are still with the organization, and they’re all in leadership roles today. I tried to have some balance in expertise and in geography: We had two scientists, one fund-raiser, and one person who was involved in land acquisition; they came from Florida, Hawaii, North Carolina, and from our international program. The head of the group was someone I’d recruited from outside who brought planning expertise but lacked conservation experience. For four months, these people left their jobs and came together to work on the strategic plan.
Don’t Let Your Past Haunt You
Make sure that your social media accounts are positive and don’t contain any embarrassing content.
FAQ
What are the 10 most common interview questions and answers?
- Tell me about yourself.
- What attracted you to our company?
- Tell me about your strengths.
- Tell me about your strengths.
- Where do you see yourself in five years?
- Tell me about a time where you encountered a business challenge?
How long does it take to get hired at the Nature Conservancy?
How do you prepare for an environmental interview?
- Do your research: Read the organization’s website and the job posting thoroughly. …
- Print your resume/CVs: Bring a little binder with enough copies for all the interviewers, along with a notebook for taking notes during the interview.
- Plan out the logistics: Get there in advance!
