The Weakest Link: How Strengthening Assessment Leads to Better Federal Hiring
Author(s): Partnership and PDRI
Publication Date: 08/26/2010
Publication Topics: Recruiting and Hiring, Strategic Human Capital Planning
Publication Type: Research Reports and Surveys
For our government to succeed and achieve its mission,
it must be able to identify and hire skilled, capable and
dedicated employees.
Everyone agrees that the federal government doesn't
always hire well, with talent lost because the selection
process today moves too slowly and because hiring
managers and human resources personnel often do
a poor job of selecting the right candidates--those who
will be the most successful in the job.
The Obama administration is seeking to address these
issues with a hiring reform plan that calls for agencies to
"select high-quality candidates efficiently and quickly."
Given the direct connection between good hiring decisions,
a first-class civil service and a high performing
government, the Partnership for Public Service, in cooperation
with PDRI, a PreVisor Company, took an in depth
look at how agencies are assessing candidates for
federal jobs today, the barriers to hiring the best candidates
and how the process can be improved.
Our study found that applicant assessment is the weakest
link in the government's problematic hiring chain,
with top candidates frequently getting lost in meaningless
evaluation. The public is the biggest loser, because
the result often is a wasted opportunity to strengthen
the civil service.
The Partnership for Public Service is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that works to revitalize our federal government by inspiring a new generation to serve and by transforming the way government works.
FEATURED PUBLICATIONS
Best Places to Work Snapshot: Satisfaction with Performance-Based Rewards and Advancement
In the current climate of pay freezes, budget reductions and furloughs, it’s become more challenging and more important for federal leaders to find ways to reward and recognize high performing employees. Unfortunately, only four out of 10 federal workers believe they will be rewarded or promoted for doing good work, according to a new Best Places to Work in the Federal Government® analysis from the Partnership for Public Service and Deloitte.
The Biggest Bang Theory: How to get the most out of the competitive search for STEMM talent
Individuals with science, technology, engineering, mathematical and medical (STEMM) skills play a key role in helping our government fulfill its critical missions and foster America’s global competitiveness. However, as the demand for STEMM talent increases and the supply shrinks, the ability for government to fill these critical positions is at risk. In this hyper-competitive environment, how can agencies increase their odds of landing the best STEMM talent?
Best Places to Work Snapshot: Most Innovative Agencies
In this uncertain environment, many federal employees are facing the same challenge: do more with less and do it better. The Partnership and Deloitte’s new Best Places to Work in the Federal Government® analysis found that the vast majority of federal workers want to be innovative and are looking for ways to perform their jobs better. However, many employees said that they often lack their leaders’ support to do so, and even fewer said that creativity and innovation are rewarded in the workplace. There are exceptions, and the new analysis includes rankings of the most innovative agencies along with the biggest movers.
Best Places to Work Snapshot: Perspectives from the Senior Executive Service
With broad strategic oversight and high-level responsibilities, the Senior Executive Service (SES)—the federal government’s elite cadre of leaders—provide key insights into an agency’s workplace culture and the unique pressures of federal leadership. How do these senior executives view their jobs and workplaces? Do their opinions differ from other federal employees?
Best Places to Work Snapshot: Federal Leadership on the Decline
How satisfied are federal employees with their agency leadership? In the Partnership and Deloitte’s new Best Places to Work in the Federal Government® analysis, federal leaders can find out their employees’ opinions of senior leadership and see whether their attitudes have changed from 2011 to 2012. The analysis also includes steps for improving employee job satisfaction and performance and the workplace environment.
#ConnectedGov: Engaging Stakeholders in the Digital Age
Social media has redefined how people, organizations and government interact. How can federal managers use social media technologies more effectively to change how they carry out their work, fulfill their agency’s mission and broaden how they communicate and engage with the American public?
From Data to Decisions II: Building an Analytics Culture
The Partnership for Public Service and the IBM Center for The Business of Government released, "From Data to Decisions II: Building an Analytics Culture." This second report on using information to measure and improve performance examines what it really takes to build analytics into an agency's decision-making processes and culture. The report includes concrete steps for building a discipline approached to analytics and profiles of seven agencies using analytics to achieve better results.
532k
Download
