Within an open or closed competition, the real test of a candidate comes at the second stage: while the first stage establishes the compliance of the applications with the basic formal requirements, the second stage means the assessment of the candidate — in accordance with the special and additional qualification requirements. The rules determine precisely in which forms this assessment may take place, on what basis it is carried out and how its result is recorded. This page explains in detail what to expect at the second stage, how to prepare for the written assignment and the interview, and which details are decisive for making your experience and knowledge fully visible within the assessment format.
What the second stage is and what is assessed
Under the rules, the second stage of an open and closed competition implies the assessment of the candidate in accordance with the special and additional qualification requirements. The assessment of the candidate must be based on establishing the conformity of the candidate's work experience and professional knowledge with the job description provided for the vacant position of a professional civil servant, with the special and additional requirements and with the qualification. This is an important detail: the assessment is tied not to an abstract general level but to the concrete vacant position — and that is precisely why preparation, too, must start from the job description. In the overall structure, the stages of the open and closed competition are: establishing the conformity of the applications submitted for participation with the basic formal requirements, the assessment of the candidate, and the announcement of the results of the competition.
The forms of assessment
The assessment of the candidate takes place through the following forms: by giving a written or oral assignment; by an interview; or by using other forms of assessment provided for by the legislation of Georgia, which implies the verification of the necessary requirements following from the specifics of the job description of the respective vacant position. When announcing an open or closed competition for filling a vacant position of a professional civil servant, the commission determines the forms of assessment and notifies the bureau of them. The programme, conditions, forms of assessment and schedule of the open and closed competition are likewise determined by the commission, and the publicity of this information is ensured by the chair of the commission. For you as a candidate this means that the format of the second stage is known in advance, and you have time to think it through and prepare within it rather than discover it on the spot.
How to prepare for the written assignment
A written or oral assignment is built on checking whether the candidate possesses the professional knowledge the position requires. In preparation, the following approach is useful:
- decompose the job description into individual tasks and match each task with the knowledge its performance requires;
- read the special and additional requirements as a transparent list of assessment subjects — each of them may become an element of the assignment;
- recall your work experience: concrete situations in which you applied this knowledge are the best material for substantiating an answer;
- practise allocating your time — a written assignment demands a planned answer, not a chaotic one;
- study in advance the conditions and the schedule of the competition that the commission has announced.
How to prepare for the interview
The interview rests on the same substantive foundation as the assignment — work experience and professional knowledge, in their conformity with the job description, the requirements and the qualification. To make this conformity clearly visible to the commission, it is best to build each of your answers on a concrete example: what the task before you was, what action you took and what result you achieved. Keep in mind a procedural detail as well: with the candidate's consent, an audio-video recording of the interview may be made at the interview — this recording is part of the documentation of the assessment, and knowing in advance that it may exist helps the candidate conduct the interview calmly and purposefully. An answer anchored in a real working situation remains convincing regardless of the recording, because it is exactly the grounded result the commission records in its protocol.
How the result is recorded
The substantiated result of the candidate's assessment by the commission is entered in the protocol of the commission's session — in other words, the assessment must rest not on an impression but on a reasoned conclusion. The protocol of the commission's session is submitted, no later than 5 working days from its compilation, to the person having the right to appoint to the vacant position of professional civil servant. The organised conduct of the assessment is ensured by the human resources management unit of the respective public institution. For the candidate the practical conclusion is simple: everything you say at the interview and write in the written assignment must be substantiated, because that is exactly how it is fixed in the protocol and how it reaches the appointing person.
A practical checklist before the second stage
In the time remaining before the second stage, complete the following steps:
- re-read the job description and the special and additional requirements — the assessment is built on them;
- verify the conditions and the schedule of the competition announced by the commission;
- write down those episodes of your experience that directly fit the individual tasks of the description;
- remember that the forms of assessment are fixed when the competition is announced — find this information and prepare precisely in that format;
- at the interview, tie your answers to concrete working results rather than general formulations;
- appear prepared and rested — the second stage is not a formality, but its format is known and manageable.