What’s new in the HR management of the state administration?
In the last week of May 2019, the first training for participation in assessment center was held. Assessment center is a simulation of a business-like situation, during which behavior of participants is observed and assessed. It is often used as part of recruitment process as it helps to assess, if a candidate is suitable for a certain position.
Which skills a public servant needs to have?
To answer this question, system of competences can be helpful. It is a method that explains what public servant needs to do and how to do it. At the same time, system of competences provides orientation for the public servant, stipulating what can be expected from him or her.
System of competences consists of two types of competences: functional and behavioral. Functional competences are knowledge and skills needed for the successful completion of a job – for example: experience in application of the Law on Planning System or knowledge of English. They are usually easily identified – experience is demonstrated or not, and easily developed – enrollment in an advance English course.
Behavioral competences, on the other hand, are a bundle of behaviors needed for the proper fulfilment of job requirements. They include our attitudes, values, capabilities, motives and characteristics – all the competences that are harder to identify, as they are not visible at the first sight.
This is where assessment center enters the game.
The German-Serbian Development Cooperation project Support to Public Administration Reform together with the Human Resources Management Service of the Government and the National Academy for Public Administration organizes a series of 4 trainings, each lasting for 5 days. Following the first training in May, further trainings are scheduled for September and October 2019. Groups of 13 participants are trained to observe behavior of candidates and assess their behavioral competences. In doing so, they will acquire valuable insights that are not directly visible in resumes and thus enable more informed and objective employment decisions.