The municipality yesterday began piloting a new recruiting system for civil servants in an attempt to attract more quality professionals, according to officials from the Shanghai Municipal Personnel Bureau.
The new recruiting system requires civil service job applicants to pass a general written examination, professional tests and an interview. In previous years, the applicants only had to take a general written examination.
Xu Jinlin, director of the Civil Servant Management Department under the Municipal Personnel Bureau, said: "The previous test form has not proved to be practical as it cannot thoroughly investigate the candidates' overall quality and reflect the real level of their professionalism."
The bureau has listed the 123 types of duties that civil servants should perform, and classified them into 20 professional categories such as the law, administration, finance, auditing, statistics, civil planning, and environmental protection.
After passing the written examination, applicants of different professions take a test in the corresponding subject to demonstrate their specific abilities.
The general written test is to be held in December each year, while the professional tests will be held in February, May and August. The employment method has also been changed.
After candidates have passed the first two qualification tests, they can apply for various positions in different local government departments.
(China Daily September 27, 2002)