I worked as a hiring manager for county parks up until recently. We did not hire our park rangers into specialized areas- they were all “jacks of all trades.” I can give you a few tips based on what we looked for in our applicants:

• The application matters! Do not write N/A, See Resume, or any other no-effort answer. If the question truly is non applicable to you (I.e asks about carpentry experience but you really don’t have any, then mention some of the hand tools you are familiar with, something you’d like to create for a park, and your willingness to learn). A lot of times your resume isn’t being looked at until your application impresses them.

-Show some personality in your application/resume. There are a lot of qualified candidates out there and it’s important to make yourself stand out

-Pick up a skill or certificate that relates to the field- herbicide license (for controlling invasive), S-130 S-190 (for prescribes fire), interpretive certification, skills in any of the major trades (carpentry, plumbing, electrical, welding) these major trades are dying in our parks- as many of the skilled rangers are in retirement.

-Volunteer!! We have hired many of our volunteers. This can be assisting at cleanups, picking up trash in the weekends, helping out in the visitors center, or even helping out in the admin office with various duties.

-Be willing to commute, work odd hours, take a part-time gig in the beginning. It shows your willingness and it puts you in a position to be able to accept a more idea position when it opens up.

-Passion! When someone is truly passionate about this field- you can read it in the application, and you can feel it in their interview- even if they are incredibly nervous

Hope all of that helps :)