E-recruitment in Lithuania, Rasa Tumene, Head of Executives’ Selection and Planning Division, Civil Service Department, Lithuania, SIGMA webinar, 15 December 2020
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• 31 085 applications were received for the announced competitions, 14 883 applicants met
the requirements.
• There were 2440 competition organised of which 1318 competitions took place remotely,
which is 54 % of all competitions in 2020.
• About 60 meetings of the commissions are organised each week.
• The CSD can conduct about 10 remote competitions at a time.
• 145 institutions had the equipment required for remote competitions. The equipment must
meet the following minimum technical requirements for remote competitions:
o A computer capable of displaying high-definition (1080p) video streaming with a
supported version of the Microsoft Windows operating system, the latest version
of Google Chrome or the Microsoft Edge browser.
o A webcam with a minimum viewing angle (at least 78 degrees) for video
conferencing.
o An external surround microphone that captures sounds throughout the room.
o TV or projector (diagonal of at least 42 inches).
o Internet speed in the territory of Lithuania is not less than 100 Mb.
If the candidate or the member of the commission participates in competition from home,
their equipment should meet the following minimum technical requirements:
o the device must have a wired or mobile Internet connection of at least 4Mbps
(download) / 128 kbps (send) high-speed, uninterrupted (continuous operation);
o Integrated into the device microphone, camera, or if not integrated - connect via
USB.
E-recruitment process:
1. The CSD accepts applications from institutions via Civil Service Management Information
System (further VATIS) and announces the competitions on the CSD website www.vtd.lt
and www.portalas.vtd.lt
2. On 1 July 2020 the competency model in the job descriptions came into force and the
standardised job descriptions were implemented in VATIS - the same requirements were
set for identical positions, regardless of the institution. More flexible requirements for the
candidates for the position of civil servant were set: either education in a certain field
(maximum 4 fields) or any education and experience in a certain field is required. This
enables both young people with no work experience and experienced professionals who
do not work in the same field as their initial qualifications to participate in competitions for
civil servants.
3. Information system tool – before applying for a civil servant position, applicants have to
create their own profile on website www.testavimas.vtd.lt. They can create various
documents on this profile following the templates provided. Once the new competition is
announced publicly, those who wish may apply online.
4. The CSD specialists analyse whether the candidates meet the general requirements (hold
citizenship of the Republic of Lithuania; have a command of the Lithuanian language; be
not less than 18 years of age and not more than 65 years of age; hold a university or college
degree) and special requirements set out in legal acts or a job description and via VATIS and
shortlist the candidates who meet the requirements.
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5. The suitability of the candidates for the head of institution positions is evaluated using a
detailed assessment before the review by the competition commission. The purpose of the
detailed assessment is to assess the general, managerial and leadership competencies of
candidates for top managerial positions and their spoken communication skills. During
2020, 31 competitions for the top manager positions were organised and 103 detailed
assessments of top managers were performed at the CSD (during the lockdown, remotely).
The report entitles to participate in the assessment in the competition commission for the
top managerial positions. It is valid for three years from the date of the assessment. The
report of the detailed assessment is of a recommendatory nature for the competition
commission and the appointing manager. During the detailed assessment, three general
competencies and three managerial and leadership competencies are assessed using three
methods: a written practical task; a spoken practical task – case presentation; and a semi-
structured interview performed by two assessors (3.5 - 4 hours). During the lockdown,
remote detailed assessment is organised and a semi-structured interview is carried out.
6. The competition is organised remotely. Microsoft Teams software is used for remote
competitions.
Forms of remote competitions:
• Partly remote competition – the representatives of the CSD participate in the work of the
candidate evaluation commission remotely, from the premises of the CSD, and the other
members of the commission and candidates in the premises of the institution seeking the
employee.
• Remote competition – the representatives of CSD and the other members of the
commission are in their institutions (or in special cases – at home), and applicants are in
the premises of their choice.
• Mixed competition - the members and candidates of the commission are on the premises of
the CSD and the other members of the commission are in their institutions (or in special cases
– at home) and some candidates who are unable to attend the evaluation for important
reasons (illness, business trip, work abroad, etc.) may participate remotely with the
permission of the commission chairman.
What results: what were the benefits of the solution, how does it work in practice, lessons learnt
Candidate feedback on the selection process and the assessment carried out is collected by
conducting an anonymous survey. This survey is intended to assess:
• the general satisfaction level of the candidates towards the selection process;
• candidates’ perceptions of the transparency of the selection process;
• the general trust level in the centralised organisation of competitions.
In 2020 (until December 4th):
• 67% of candidates were satisfied with the organisation of the competition in which they
participated.
• 73% of candidates believed that the competition they participated in was organised in a
transparent manner.
• 69% of candidates generally trusted the centralised organisation of competitions.
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Benefits of E-recruitment:
• FLEXIBILITY. Submission of the documents uniquely on the website and wherever the
candidates are. One of the CSD’s main objectives is to attract Lithuanians living abroad to
return to work in Lithuania.
• ATTRACTIVENESS. Attracting more candidates to participate in remote competitions.
Standardised job descriptions and more flexible requirements for candidates for the
position of civil servant create the conditions to increase the number of candidates in the
competitions. The average number of candidates in each competition in 2018 was 3.5; in
2019 – 9.4; in 2020 – 10.9; and the average number of the candidates who fulfilled the
general requirements and special requirements set out in legal acts or a job description in
2018 was – 2.3; in 2019 – 5.6; in 2020 – 6.4.
• SAFETY. The implementation of competitions and the admission of persons to the position
of a civil servant is ensured during lockdown due to COVID-19.
• TRANSPARENCY. Recruitment procedures centralised and implemented by the CSD.