Brussels, 12/03/2010 (Agence Europe) - On 16 March 2010, the European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO) will launch a “modernised and streamlined selection procedure” for EU officials, explains the European Commission, with its first competition for Administrators under the new arrangements. The new system will be better by establishing annual competitions for the most common job profiles, thus allowing candidates to plan their applications more effectively and helping strategic human resource planning by the EU institutions. It will be faster and more efficient, involving fewer steps than the current set-up, and it will be stronger, shifting the emphasis from knowledge to competency-based assessment, which is proven to be one of the best predictors of future job performance.
EPSO has introduced a three-year rolling plan where institutions regularly assess their staffing needs. There will be annual recruitment competitions in three cycles, for Administrators, Assistants and Linguists, supplemented by individual competitions for specialists. To end the situation whereby successful candidates often spend years on a list without actually finding a post, reserve lists will remain valid for just one year, until the following year's competition cycle is completed. Most candidates on reserve lists will be invited for interview. Participants will be able to receive feedback on their performance in the competition, thus avoiding lengthy review procedures.
EPSO's new selection procedure will improve the quality and reliability of the process. A key principle is the shift from knowledge to competency-based assessment of job candidates.
There will now be just two stages in the procedure - computer-based pre-selection testing in individual EU countries and an assessment stage in Brussels. The new cycle will take between 5 and 9 months, rather than up to two years as is the case under the previous system.
1) Pre-selection will still involve tests of cognitive ability and situational judgement, plus professional and language competency, depending on the profile sought. The previous test on EU knowledge will no longer feature in the first stage, but this will be assessed at the second stage alongside job-related exercises during the assessment.
2) The assessment phase will allow all key competencies to be properly and reliably tested, with the emphasis on job-related abilities rather than factual knowledge. Exercises will be selected to evaluate the desired skills, each of which will be assessed at least twice. This stage will comprise a full day or half day of tests depending on the type of competition. This will be done in the candidate's second language (English, French or German), except for profiles requiring specific language skills. This will replace the lengthy two-stage written and oral test process. In addition to specific professional skills and knowledge, a number of core competencies will be assessed, including analysis and problem solving, communication, delivering results, learning and development, prioritising and organising, resilience and working with others.
Selection boards will be professionalised, through the secondment to EPSO of selection board members, the certification of board members in competency-based assessment and greater use of expertise in HR and psychology. Successful candidates will be issued with a “competency passport” setting out their performance in the assessment centre, which will be sent to the institutions to help with the recruitment process.
Promoting diversity. EPSO is also implementing a series of measures to promote diversity within the workforce and to improve the image of the EU institutions as an employer. These include guaranteeing the gender-neutrality of tests, improving services offered to candidates with special needs, and more pro-active handling of reserve lists.
Maroš Šefèoviè, Commission Vice-President for Inter-Institutional Relations and Administration, said: "The new system is based on best practice across the public sector. It will provide the EU institutions with the right people at the right time, while remaining true to the principles of fair and open competition."
EPSO director David Bearfield listed the challenges that needed to be met in the process of integrating new blood into the EU institutions, as a third of the European Commission staff are due to retire over the next ten years, along with half of the European Parliament staff. He explained that the March competition would lead to the recruitment of Administrators (AD5) in five areas, namely European public administration, law, economics, auditing and information technology and communications. The Commission hoped that some 330 people would pass the competition.
In response to questions from reporters, Commissioner Šefèoviè said that the most important changes concerned the reserve lists (people on the reserve list would be invited to interview to identify the best candidates) and the desire to cut the average age of recruits (currently 32 years of age). Final year degree students will now be able to register for competitions.
On the indicative quotas for staff from new EU member states (transition measures), Šefèoviè said that the quotas for AD and AST jobs had already been filled but it was important for the Commission to keep its promises with regard to high-ranking posts (director generals, deputy director generals and heads of unit) for candidates from the new EU member states. The geographical balance of top management must be improved, he admitted. (L.C./transl.fl)