Stage 1

Application

We value your time and have created a streamlined hiring process that ensures:

Clear understanding of the position and requirements
Effective communication with our hiring team
Holistic assessment of each candidate, considering your unique experiences, background, and interests
Timely updates on your application status

Application Period: The period for submitting applications ranges from 4 to 6 weeks, depending on factors like the time of year, initial response to the job posting, and our small and mighty team’s capacity.

Screening & Interviewing: The active hiring process (including screening, interviews, and reference checks) typically takes around 4 weeks. We’ll keep you informed of any delays or changes to this timeline.

Applications are submitted through our applicant tracking system, Pinpoint, and are anonymized to reduce bias. This ensures a fair and consistent review process.

Application Questions: These questions and any required support materials are vital to the application process. Since some personal information is redacted for anonymity, application questions are designed to capture the necessary details for our hiring team to evaluate your qualifications.

Stage 2

Application Review

We review applications on a rolling basis using a detailed rubric that evaluates your experience, professional skills, and interests against the qualifications listed in the job description.

Applications are still anonymized, so our focus is entirely on your answers to the application questions and the relevance of your experience. Those with the required qualifications and the highest scores will be invited to a phone interview with the hiring manager. You’ll receive an email (from the same address as your application confirmation) with a link to self-schedule your interview.

If your application does not meet the basic requirements or rank high enough, we’ll let you know that your application will not move forward.

Stage 3

Initial Interview

In this stage, you'll have a 30-minute phone interview with the hiring manager. After scheduling, you’ll receive a confirmation email with a calendar invite and helpful preparation instructions.

We’ll ask around 6 questions to learn more about your relevant experience and your interest in CNPS (California Native Plant Society) and the position itself. You’ll receive a reminder email with the exact number of questions and a summary of the topics to ensure fairness and transparency.

During the interview, we’ll use consistent metrics to evaluate your responses. After completing all interviews, candidates with the highest scores will be invited to the panel interview stage. If you don’t rank highly enough to continue, we’ll let you know.

Stage 4

Panel Interview

The panel interview is a 60-minute session conducted on video via Microsoft Teams. You’ll receive an email invitation to self-schedule your interview. Once booked, you’ll receive a confirmation email with a calendar invite and more details.

Before your interview, we’ll send you a summary of the question topics and the number of questions or scenarios you can expect (approximately 10). The hiring panel will score your responses using a rubric, with certain questions weighted based on their importance.

At the end of the interview, you’ll have an opportunity to ask questions. We encourage you to come prepared to take advantage of this opportunity before the entire hiring panel.

After all interviews are completed, the candidates with the highest scores (often the top two) will move on to reference checks. If you’re not selected to advance, we’ll let you know that your candidacy has concluded.

Stage 5

References

We conduct reference checks for the top-ranked candidates before making any job offers. These help us make informed and validated hiring decisions.

Please provide at least three professional references who can share direct observations and experiences working with you. Ideally, these references should include previous supervisors or managers. If you have limited work experience, references from educational or volunteer settings are acceptable.

We’ll notify you before contacting any references. If you’re not selected to receive an offer after reference checks, we’ll inform you that your candidacy has concluded.

Stage 6

Offer

If you’re the top candidate, the hiring manager will call to extend a verbal offer, including details about compensation, benefits, and a proposed start date.

Once you verbally accept, you’ll receive a written offer, job description, and the CNPS Employee Handbook via email. The offer will include an expiration date by which you’ll need to accept or decline electronically. Which is usually 48 hours.

Stage 7

Hired

Congratulations! After you accept the employment agreement, we’ll begin the onboarding process to welcome you to CNPS.