The Human Touch in Civil Service Placement

Abstract

D ESPITE improvements in the competitive civil service system over the years, the operation of the placement system is often criticized as mechanistic. It is alleged that chance plays a major part in deciding where an applicant will work and what he will do. According to the critics, someone in the central recruiting agency turns a crank which grinds out a batch of personal history briefs to which an appointing officer is limited in selecting persons who may or may not be suited to the needs of his agency. For the candidate, too, the typical procedure often appears to be a grab bag. His preferences and special talents may receive little weight in his selection for his first government job. Although he can always indicate his agency preference, or state that he is not available for work in one or more specified agencies, or even refuse a particular job when offered (and often does), the candidate may feel that he is unduly restricting his chances of appointment if he places such limits on his availability. He may believe that it is better to get a foothold somewhere as soon as possible. The merit system need not operate in a coldblooded way. We know that in the British service the candidate's choice of assignments is used as a guide in making his initial placement.1 This article will describe two examples of the human touch in federal civil service