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Public Service Commission

GPO BOX 3988
Sydney 2001

Level 4
255 George Street
Sydney NSW 2000

Phone: 02 9272 6000

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Recruiting and selecting the best candidates
Doing a role analysisDeciding how to fill a roleFill a role decision tree
Deciding the recruitment and selection approachDesigning the assessment processSelecting fit-for-purpose assessmentsSetting the assessment standards and rating approach
Attracting candidatesHow to write job adverts
Pre-screeningAdministering and scoring assessmentsConsolidating results and making selection decisions
Referee checksPre-employment screening checksMaking offers and giving feedbackOn-boarding

Recruitment and selection guide

Getting recruitment right has never been more important. When done well, attracting and recruiting a diverse range of people to the NSW Public Service leads to the selection of the person best suited to the role and the needs of the agency.

Recruitment offers a great opportunity to build workforce diversity whenever a vacancy occurs. There are known benefits to policy, service design and service delivery when a workforce’s composition reflects the community it serves.

Learn more about recruitment and selection

GSE Rule amendments – Assessment processes and talent pools

Amendments to the Government Sector Employment (General) Rules 2014 (the GSE Rules) came into effect on 2 September 2019.

Details of the amendments are set out in the Government Sector Employment (General) Rules (Amendment No 10—Miscellaneous) 2019. The main intention of the amendments is to:

  • Simplify assessment processes by making clear that the minimum requirement is for an assessment of focus capabilities, knowledge and experience, rather than an assessment of all the capabilities in the role description along with knowledge and experience
  • Improve talent pools by extending their maximum duration from 12 to 18 months and allowing referee checks to be done when considering a person for employment
  • Remove obsolete transitional provisions in rules 20 and 22D.

This fact sheet provides more details on the changes to assessment processes:

This fact sheet provides more details on the changes to talent pools:

Quick links

filling a role Filling a role

Easily navigate the range of options for filling roles using our guidance and decision tree.

Read more about filling a role

planning a process Planning a recruitment and selection process

Make time to plan your recruitment process to put yourself in a good position to find the best person for the role.

Read more about planning a recruitment and selection process

attracting candidates Attracting candidates

Shift your thinking from what you want from candidates to what you have to offer to attract interest from job seekers.

Read more about attracting candidates

assessing candidates Assessing candidates

Assess candidates using multiple assessments to provide a solid evidence base for your selection decision.

Read more about assessing candidates

deciding and appointing Deciding and appointing

Make an offer of employment after weighing all the available evidence on balance.

Read more about deciding and appointing

The Public Service Commission acknowledges the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, the traditional custodians of the land on which our office stands.