The perceived effectiveness of interviews in comparison to assessments among managerial staff in the public sector

Abstract

The primary aim of this study was to measure the effectiveness of job interviews in comparison to other assessment activities from a manager’s perspective for public sector jobs. The study also aimed to analyse what happened after a candidate was hired in terms of finding out if the performance management system in the public sector was used to review the recruitment and selection process. The researcher conducted 4 interviews with staff in the Public Appointments Service to gather their opinions about the effectiveness of the recruitment and selection process. A qualitative thematic analysis was used in order to measure the opinions of staff members. These findings showed the staff in the Public Appointments Service perceived the assessments as a slightly more effective method of hiring candidates in the public sector. However, they believed a combination of interviews and assessments to be the most effective in predicting job performance.