EU4PFM helps the State Tax Service prepare for the resumption of competitive recruitment in line with EU standards

EU4PFM experts conducted two one-day training sessions for representatives of the State Tax Service (STS) on competency-based interviewing. Competitive recruitment in the civil service is set to resume soon, and the STS asked for support in preparing future members of selection commissions. In response, Programme experts developed a training focused on EU practices.

In the opening remarks, Jurgita Domeikiene, Team Leader of EU4PFM Components 1, 3, 4, said: “One of our Programme’s key focuses is helping partner institutions, including the State Tax Service, get ready for EU integration and for working alongside their counterparts across the EU. Since 2023, the STS has made real progress. It has moved from basic personnel administration to human resource management built on competencies, and this approach will guide its further development. Together with the STS team, we have produced practical tools such as job profiles, library of questions and a methodology for assessing competencies. The goal is a system that helps the STS find the right people with the right skills, recruit and onboard them, and support their professional and career growth. That is what this training is about: preparing the STS to operate confidently in Europe, side by side with other tax administrations, all of which already use a competency-based approach.”

Kristina Jakubaitytė-Revutienė, EU4PFM Expert on HR, walked participants through the full cycle of a competency-based interview: preparing for it, selecting and adapting questions, conducting the interview and probing for evidence, interpreting and recording candidates’ responses, rating independently and consistently, and putting it all into practice.

According to the Expert, every interview comes down to five steps:

• Ask for one specific example.
• Probe for missing details.
• Write down the facts.
• Match the answer to the competency definition.
• Justify the assessment with evidence.

The training is part of EU4PFM wider support to the STS in building a modern and competency-based HR management system in line with EU practices.