Responsible Department: Federal Public Service Commission

The civil service of any country acts as the backbone of the State and is responsible for carrying out State functions. These civil servants can either support or undermine the governance of the country; therefore, those joining the Civil Superior Services should be drawn from a pool of highly capable individuals.

Every year, thousands of aspiring candidates apply for the examinations in Pakistan and only a few hundred make it through the highly competitive exam. The tedious application process puts off many capable people from applying.

With the number of applicants rising significantly each year, it is necessary to introduce a preliminary screening mechanism so that only serious contenders make it through to the examination stage. In 2013, out of around 15000 applicants, only about 11000 actually appeared for the exam. Therefore, revamping the online recruitment system and introducing new methods such as preliminary screening at an earlier stage would save a large amount of resources currently wasted on processing applications for applicants who do not appear for the test or fall short of the criteria for selection. Besides that, FPSC should also give importance to having a more vibrant online presence by modifying it webpage to be more interactive and utilizing social media tools more effectively to reach out to prospective candidates.

These measures will not only simplify the application process but also attract a greater number of dedicated and qualified individuals to apply, as the suggested improvements in the system will ease administrative hassle and make the process transparent. In addition to that, application-processing time can be reduced considerably.

Regards,

CORE Consultants.