Review the evidence signals before interviewing. Then use the anchored descriptions—not instinct alone—to choose the score that best matches each answer.
01
Evaluation factor
Hands-on competence
35% weight
Check hands-on field range: seed mix installation, live stakes and bare root planting, hydroseeding, brush cutting with chainsaw or brushsaw, erosion control blanket and silt fence installation.
Evidence to listen for
Names the equipment, materials, and tolerances they work to
Can describe a job start to finish without hand-waving the hard parts
Holds the tickets, licences, or certifications the work requires, and they are current
Knows what they are not qualified to touch
Five-point scoring guide
1
Poor
Cannot describe the work concretely; lacks required tickets or licences.
2
Needs Improvement
Basic familiarity; needs supervision on routine tasks.
3
Satisfactory
Competent on standard work; slower or unsure on unfamiliar jobs.
4
Very Good
Skilled and independent across the normal range of the role.
5
Excellent
Names specific sites, acreage treated, species planted, and equipment run, including survival rates on plantings they installed.
02
Evaluation factor
Safety discipline
30% weight
Probe pesticide applicator licence category, herbicide mixing and rinsate handling, SDS use, chainsaw felling training, prescribed burn red card, tick and heat exposure protocols.
Evidence to listen for
Treats procedure as protection rather than paperwork
Can describe a time they stopped work and why
Knows the specific hazards of this trade and the controls for each
Reports near misses instead of hiding them
Five-point scoring guide
1
Poor
Casual about safety; describes shortcuts with pride.
2
Needs Improvement
Follows procedure when watched; cannot name the hazards that matter.
3
Satisfactory
Sound safety habits; less certain on unfamiliar hazards.
4
Very Good
Safety is instinctive; can describe stopping work over a real concern.
5
Excellent
Holds current state applicator licence and burn or saw certifications, cites label rates, buffer distances, and PPE without prompting.
03
Evaluation factor
Fault finding
20% weight
Ask how they diagnosed a failed planting or reinvasion: hydrology change, deer browse, soil compaction, wrong seed zone, improper timing of foliar treatment.
Evidence to listen for
Has a method for narrowing a fault rather than swapping parts
Reads schematics, manuals, or error codes and acts on them
Knows when to escalate rather than guess
Can describe a fault that took real work to find
Five-point scoring guide
1
Poor
Parts-swapper; no diagnostic method.
2
Needs Improvement
Fixes symptoms; cannot explain how they found the cause.
3
Satisfactory
Solid on familiar faults; less structured on new ones.
4
Very Good
Clear systematic method with a real hard-fault story.
5
Excellent
Walks through evidence gathered on site, tests one cause at a time, and adjusts the following season's treatment prescription accordingly.
04
Evaluation factor
Reliability and conduct
15% weight
Assess crew and volunteer field conduct: showing up for dawn seeding windows, monitoring plot data entry, landowner and permit compliance, working solo in remote units.
Evidence to listen for
Turns up, on time, prepared
Handles shift work, callouts, or travel as the role requires
Documents work so the next person can pick it up
Deals with customers or site staff professionally
Five-point scoring guide
1
Poor
Unreliable attendance; unprofessional on site.
2
Needs Improvement
Inconsistent; documentation is an afterthought.
3
Satisfactory
Dependable; paperwork is adequate.
4
Very Good
Consistently reliable, documents well, professional with customers.
5
Excellent
Describes consistent monitoring records, respectful landowner contact, and taking crew lead duties on multi-week contract restoration work.
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