Research on Methodologies of Talent Assessment: Based on

Government Departments

Yifan Chen

College of Humanities, Chang’an University, Xi’an Shaanxi, 710064, China

Keywords: Talent Assessment , Government Departments, Personnel Assessment, Innovation.

Abstract: Talent is the primary resource and a crucial force diving social development. As an important means of

screening high-quality talent, the efficient implementation of personnel assessment is of particular

significance. This article adopts literature research as the main methodology. It is committed to studying the

development status and problems of personnel assessment in government departments, and seeking solutions.

However, the form and mechanism of personnel assessment have been continuously maturing and developing,

numerous problems and deficiencies have also emerged. These are mainly manifested in the aspects of

fairness, institutional mechanisms, adaptability, and technological limitations. The author based on the

identified issues, explore ways to improve and refine, draw on excellent examples, and promote creative

transformation and innovative development. The aim is to facilitate the efficient operation and harmonious

development of government system and society as a whole.

1 INTRODUCTION

The 21st century is an era of great development and

transformation. With the rapid and ever-changing

social transformation, all countries around the world

are at a crucial stage of development. The healthy and

sound operation of government organizations can be

regarded as an important pillar for social and

economic development. Among them, talent, as the

primary resource of the economy and society, plays a

crucial role. Therefore, effectively screening high-

quality talent teams is the backbone force for

promoting development, talent assessment cannot be

ingored.

Make a general survey of the world, in this day and

age, for the great cause that will benefit generations to

come, talent is of fundamental importance. At the

same time, in China, the government also proposed to

transform government functions, deepen the

streamlining of administration and delegation of

powers, enchance the credibility and executive power

of the government, and build a service-oriented

government that satisfies the people (Zhu, 2020).

However, the construction of a service-oriented

government cannot do without the continuous support

of human resources, they are not only the proposers

and formulators of national policies but also the

executors. The quality of human resources is closely

related to the level and capacity of government

services, and it has a significant impact on the

construction of a service-oriented government. So

enchancing the quality and capabilities of government

publis sector employees has become a focus of

attention and a significant challenge for the country

and the government.

Therefore, this article focuses on the English and

Chinese databases such as Googel Scholar, CNKI,

Web of Science and related websites. Search for

combination of “Personnel Assessment” “Talent

Assessment” “Government Personnel Assessment”

“Public Sector” “Management” as titles, keywords or

excerpts with titles, manually screened about 10

articles from 2003 to 2024. Throughout the research

process, not only understand the basic connotations,

functions, forms, and practial significance of talent

assessment, but also understand its application and

development status at home and abroad.

Consequently, this analysis aims to identify the

existing issues and deficiencies, summarize relevant

experiences and lessons, and provide insights and

recommendations for future development.

However, while experiencing rapid development,

some drawbacks and deficiencies have also emerged.

Zhu analyzed that the relevant evaluation system

needs to be improved, Yang proposed that it lack of

Chen, Y.

Research on Methodologies of Talent Assessment: Based on Government Departments.

DOI: 10.5220/0013987700004916

Paper published under CC license (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

In Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Public Relations and Media Communication (PRMC 2025), pages 157-162

ISBN: 978-989-758-778-8

157

pertinence and suitability. Moreover, there is no doubt

that there still certain problems in fairness and the

risks associated with the technology. Then, this article

based on these factors, attempt to conduct a thorough

analysis, drawing on successful caese at home and

abroad and leveraging innovative thinking. Provide

suggestions and direction guidance for the future

development of talent assessment. Aimed to enchance

the efficiency and capabilities of talent screening and

government work, and promote the sound and healthy

development of the society and economy.

2 A PRELIMINARY

EXPLORATION OF

PERSONNEL ASSESSMENT IN

GOVERNMENT

DEPARTMENTS

2.1 The Definition and Classification of

Personnel Assessment

Personnel assessment involves the use of multiple

disciplinary (it includes human resource

management, psychometrics, applied statistics,

organizational behavior) (Pang, 2019) and objective

methods to test and evaluate specific qualities of

talents, including knowledge, abilities, skills,

personality traits, career preferences, motivations.

The aim is to determine the degree of fit between the

candidate and the position as well as the organization.

When government departments select talents, they

also attach great importance to the quality of human

resources. The proper application of personnel

assessment techniques is conducive to more

effectively ensuring the quality and level of talents.

The provision of these data support systems makes

the talent evaluation more objective and fair. It is a

technical means to provide services for the

government’s human resources function, an effective

tool to improve the organization’s human resources

management level, and a source of power to promote

social and economic development.

Currently, internationally recognized personnel

assessment techniques include: classfied by

assessment object into individual-centered

assessment and position-centered assessment;

classfied by assessors into assessment by others and

self-assessment; classfied by implementation scope

into individual assessment and group assessment;

classfied by assessment from into written tests,

interviews, situational assessments, computerized

assessments, and operational assessments; and

classfied by assessment reference framework into

norm-referenced assessment and criterion-referenced

assessment.

2.2 The Functions of Personnel

Assessment

Personnel assessment serves functions including

evaluation, prediction, diagnosis, training, providing

assistance for personnel decision-making, and

offering references for team configuration.

Meanwhile, in government departments, personnel

assessment serves to enhance the competitiveness of

administrative human resources, improve the

efficiency of government team allocation, promote

the healthy operation of internal employee relations

within the government, enhance the quality and

technical capabilities of administrative personnel, and

comprehensively improve the accuracy of selection to

ensure fairness.

2.3 The Importance and Practical

Significance of Personnel

Assessment in Government

2.3.1 The Particularity of Government

Agencies

Throughout domestic and foreign governments, as the

executive body of the state power organs, government

departments adhere to the people-centered concept

and play a crucial and significant role in the entire

national operation system. Therefore, fairness and

transparency of government departments and public

service orientation are required here. The use of a

more objective and public-oriented approach to

personnel assessments is entirely justifiable.

2.3.2 The Orientation of Policy

In the context of continuous progress and

development of global science and technology.

Technologies such as big data analysis and AI

interviews have emerged as a result. Moreover,

national policies also contribute to the development

of personnel assessment. In China, the requirement of

it policy for the rejuvenation and professionalization

of the talent team in public sectors (General Office of

the CPC Central Committee, 2019)

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2.3.3 Value and Significance

For the whole society, effective personnel assessment

not only promotes more open and transparent

selection and promotion, but also effectively breaks

down invisible barriers such as “connections-based

appointments” and the “seniority-only principle”.

Providing a more equitable promotion path for

society as a whole, enables the delivery of better

services and promotes social and economic

development. For the internal government, the public

sector needs to screen talents through assessments to

effectively and accurately match job requirements

(Organization for Economic Co-operation and

Development, 2019)

3 APPLIED RESEARCH ON THE

PERSONEEL ASSESSMENT IN

GOVERNMENT

DEPARTMENTS

3.1 The Current Application Status of

Personnel Assessment at Home and

Abroad

In recent years, governments at home and abroad

have increasingly recognized its significance, and the

field of personnel assessment has received even

greater attention. In 2021, the number of human

resource service institutions in China will reach

59,100, with a human resource service revenue of 2.5

trillion yuan (ChinaIRN com, 2024). China’s huge

working population and the increasing number of job

seekers provide a vast development space for the

personnel assessment service industry. The Chinese

government has issued relevant policy documents to

promote the transformation from a single

examination model to a diversified assessment

system, and the evaluation system has been gradually

improved. Meanwhile, advancements in technology

drive innovation in the technical realm, such as the

application of AI interviews and blockchain evidence

preservation technology. Some eastern developed

regions take the lead in exploring digital evaluation

platforms.

Abroad, the US federal government adopts “the

Senior Executive Service Core Qualifications”(ECQ)

framework, emphasizing an ability-oriented

assessment system(Brown, & Wilson, 2020); the

British government adheres to the equal emphasis on

the standardization and flexibility of personnel

assessment, while the Singaporean government

promotes the refined assessment empowered by

technology.

3.2 The Representative Application

Areas of Personnel Assessment

3.2.1 The Civil Servant Selection and

Assessment System

The modern personnel assessment system is more

scientific, objective, and reliable. Today, it has been

widely applied in the selection systems for public

servants in many developed and even developing

countries both at home and abroad.

It can either conduct a comprehensive assessment

of an individual or evalute a specific single ability of

a person (Ning, 2003). It guiding ideology and

principles emphasize a comprehensive and integrated

assessment of the qualities, capabilities, and

performance of national public servants, This

approach not only reflects an individual’s overall

situation but also serves as an important means of

discerning the merits of talents. It mainly includes

written tests, leaderless group discussions, in-basket

tests, structured interviews, work report scenario

simulations, role management self-awareness, and

other items and approaches. Ultimately, the results of

each module are comprehensively considered, and

candidates are selected and admitted based on the

optimal outcomes. A more equitable, objective, and

all-round evaluation system indicates that the

government is increasingly aware of the significance

of public servants possessing good qualities and

capabilities. This is a crucial aspect of adhering to

serving the people and ensuring social and economic

development.

3.2.2 Evaluation and Promotion

Mechanisms for Leading Cadres in

China

After the promulgation of the National Open

Selection Examination Outline for Party and

Government Leading Cadres in China, it is an

important task to continuously develop scientific

tools for measuring and evaluating leadership talents

in all aspects in accordance with the new

requirements for leading cadres in the era (Xiao &

Sun, 2004). Diversified evaluation forms, innovative

evaluation techniques, and comprehensive and

objective evaluation indicators are vivid

manifestations of actively responding to policy calls.

Meanwhile, personnel assessment is also reshaping

Research on Methodologies of Talent Assessment: Based on Government Departments

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the rules of the game for the promotion of leading

cadres. The application of personnel assessment in

the evaluation and promotion mechanism of leading

cadres is an important means to promote the

scientific, standardized, and effective management of

cadres. Through multi-dimensional and multi-form

ability evaluations and quality inspections, it can

better ensure the accuracy and credibility of selecting

and appointing personnel. For example, the selection

process for department-level cadres in acertain

province adopts a combined assessment method. The

top 30% of candidates are screened out through

written examinations. Those with risky personalities

are eliminated through psychological assessments

and professional values tests. Then, the practical

operation abilities of the candidates are examined

through in-basket exercises and emergency drills.

Finally. a comprehensive evaluation of the talents is

conducted through differential inspections, such as

democratic appraisals within the unit and home visits

3.3 Existing Problems and Deficiencies

in China

3.3.1 Fairness Still Faces Challenges

Today, with the widespread adoption of personnel

assessment in government departments, while it

brings numerous advantages, its drawbacks are also

becoming increasingly evident. This is mainly

reflected in two aspects. On the one hand, in the

overall field of personnel assessment, first of all,

China relies heavily on Western scales. The

differences in culture and values are likely to lead to

distorted results. Moreover, due to the lag of

technology and the reliance on the examiner’s

personal experience and subjective judgment, biases

such as “the primacy effect” and “the halo effect” are

likely to occur. On the other hand, in terms of the

application of personnel assessment in government

departments, formalism still persists. There are many

unhealthy practices in some assessment links, such as

“overemphasizing scores while neglecting actual

performance.” Infuluenced by traditional cultural

ideas, there may also be a phenomenon of giving

priority to those with connections in the evaluation.

The realization of the fairness of talent evaluation

requires the collaborative efforts of multiple parties,

including technology, systems, and the humanistic

aspect.

3.3.2 The Relevant Institutional System

Needs to Be Further Improved

Throughout the entire development process, the

development of personnel assessment in China started

relatively late. It was not until the 1990s that it began

to receive genuine attention (Yang, 2016).

Consequently, its historical foundation is relatively

weak.

However, in recent years, although the system has

been improved and developed, the regulations

redarding the principles, procedures, and methods of

examinations are relatively broad and require further

refinement. This may also lead to a realtively high

degree of arbitrariness in actual operations. However,

developed countries attach great importance to

formalizing examinations, content, methods,

conditions, and institutions through legislation to

form a system, which is also highly worthy of

learning and reference. People should constantly

strive to ensure that assessment and evaluation are

carried out in accordance with laws and regulationst.

3.3.3 Insufficient Applicability and Local

Adaptation

Given that the requirments and standards for each

position vary, the assessment methods and content

should be tailored to the actual situation. However, in

China, the written tests and interviews still adopt the

same set of standards to evaluate candidates for

different positions(Yang, 2016), and the resulting

inefficiency is evident.

3.3.4 The Limitations and Risks of

Technological

While technological empowerment brings

convenience, it also gives rise to ethical

controversies. When a big data evaluation system

integrates sensitive information regarding personal

privacy and significance, an imperfect protection

mechanism may lead to privacy violations or trigger

“data bias”. In addition, the excessive use of AI

scoring may overlook exceptional cases, resulting in

the mechanization of assessment results and errorst.

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4 ENLIGHTENMENT AND

RECOMMENDATIONS

4.1 Measures to Advance Development

Based on the discovery and summary of the above

issues, as well as the review and induction of relevant

literature. In order to give full play to the rule of

personnel assessment and promote the susutainable

and stable development of the social economy in the

future, government departments must, on the basis of

adhering to the people-centered concept and serving

the people wholeheartedly, promote the improvement

of relevant laws and regulations in order to improve

the evaluation and regulatory system that combines

national laws and regulations with local laws and

regulations(Yang, 2016), accelerate the competition

of assessment system, implement the principle of

seeking truth from facts, and recognize the

importance of adaptability. In addition, it is necessary

to strengthen the awareness of innovation and

continuously promote the creative transformation and

innovative development of personnel assessment.

4.2 Reference to Foreign Classical

Models

4.2.1 The United States

The United States Office of Personnel Management

（ OPM) is primarily responsible for the human

resource of the federal government. It demonstrates

various advantages in the government personnel

assessment process. It has legal and institutional

safeguards to ensure the authority of the assessment.

The assessment system takes “economy, efficiency,

effectiveness, and fairness” as its core objectives and

has constructed a more scientific competency system.

Moreover, adopt standardized assessment tools, such

as “the Chief Information Security Officer system”,

to enchance the fairness of assessments and public

satisfactiont.

4.2.2 Singapore

Singapore adheres to the implementation of refined

assessments empowered by technology. The Public

Service Division has established a “Talent Data

Analysis Center” to predict the long-term

performance of candidates using machine learning

(Lee, & Tan, 2021); Moreover, the assessment results

are dynamically linked to career development paths

to provide references and assistance for individual

development.

4.3 Innovative Ideas and Concepts

In the future, the optimization and development of

personnel assessment must adhere to innovation.

Nowadays, with the continuous development of

technological levels and the generalization of

technology-enabled assessment, the integration of AI

and personnel assessment is the inevitable path.

Continuously reducing dependence on human

resources can not only cut costs but also avoid

subjective human factors. This approach is more

objective and fair, enchancing the validity and

reliability, and is committed to improving public

credibility and public satisfaction.

5 CONCLUSION

Generally speaking, the role and significance of

personnel assessment cannot be underestimated. It is

related to whether the government system is efficient

and whether the social economy operates smoothly.

This paper commences with an initial exploration of

personnel assessment. After clarifying its

connotations, forms, functions, and influential values,

it analyzes the current development status of

personnel assessment and presents research and

introductions on representative application fields.

Specifically, through case studies in two typical

areas: the civil servant selection and assessment

system and the evaluation and promotion mechanism

for leading cadres，this paper provides a reliable path

for the innovative development of personnel

assessment in the government sector. Meanwhile, it is

summarizes and analyzes the problems arising from

development, puts forward feasible suggestions

regarding fairness and justice, system construction,

and adaptation to local conditions, and also points out

that in future development, the role of science and

technology, especially AI, is of crucial importance.

Finally, the author presents insights and concepts for

its healthy and sustainable development, with the aim

of jointly contributing to the improvement and

perfection of personnel assessment.

In addition, it is hoped that the research of this

paper can also provide feasible suggestions and

inspiring ideas for the subsequent research and

development. This will facilitate the important role of

personnel assessment in the government sector and

even in multiple social fields, create a more rational

Research on Methodologies of Talent Assessment: Based on Government Departments

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and just social atmosphere, and contribute to the

progress and development of society.

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