COPYRIGHT © 2019 Munoz, Philippines.

All rights reserved

Anonymized Competency-Based Recruitment and Selection Process for Public

Sector: A New Approach for Workplace Diversity and Equality

The Transformation of Economic Drivers & New Trends in Human Resource

Management

Sub-theme:
The Innovation of Personnel Management System in the Public Sector

Analiza V. Muñoz
Philippine Civil Service Commission
+63 917-8078121
anvilmun@yahoo.com, avmunoz@csc.gov.ph

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 COPYRIGHT © 2019 Munoz, Philippines. All rights reserved

Anonymized Competency-Based Recruitment and Selection Process for Public

Sector: A New Approach for Workplace Diversity and Equality
Analiza V. Muñoz
Philippine Civil Service Commission
anvilmun@yahoo.com, +63-9178078121

Abstract – This study aims to introduce “Blind Hiring” method in the Philippine
public sector recruitment process. The Civil Service Commission currently uses
competency-based recruitment in order to determine the suitability of an applicant
for a particular position in the fulfillment of its constitutional mandate to ensure merit
and fitness in the selection of candidates for public office. However, unconscious
bias and subjective assessment decreases the effectiveness of this process. To
address this issue, the author proposes a new public sector recruitment and
selection process known as the "Anonymized Competency-Based Recruitment and
Selection Process" (ACBRASP). This is an enhance feauture of blind hiring and
competency-based recruitment using an AI-Techology/software that operates as a
mechanism of temporarily removing demographic information while at the same time
applying an objective assessment to determine the "best fit" candidate for the job.
With ACBRASP-aligned software, the demographic profile, such as name, date of
birth, sex, attended school, socio-economic background and other identifiable
information that may lead to unconscious bias, will be temporarily hidden from the
Human Resources staff and officers. These information will not be viewable in the
application form, examination booklets, and behavioural interviews, as well as from
the shortlists of applicants submitted to the appointing authority; instead, an
Applicant Reference Tracking System Code (ARTSCo) generated by a computer
shall be assigned to the individual applicant to identify them during the process.
Only skills, relevant experience, training, college courses and other vital information
needed for the vacant position are viewable. The organization can, therefore,
leverage the resources of its HR to perform functions other than recruitment.
Furthermore, ACBRASP also provides a procedural flow of “no show follow-up and
paperless recruitment and selection” as the assessment is operated using the HR
dashboard and the communication between the applicant and the organization is
made through this system. The author believes that this strategy would eliminate
unconscious bias, negative initial impressions and promote public sector diversity,
equity and talent acquisition by recruiting candidates on the basis of their
qualifications, abilities, knowledge, and skills, using modern technology. A survey
questionnaire was distributed to determine the acceptability and willingness of the
respondents to adopt the process: first, personal distribution to four government
agencies; and, second, an online survey questionnaire to selected government
employees. The study result showed the readiness and willingness of the
respondents to incorporate the ACBRASP in their recruitment process.

Keywords – Blind Hiring, Diversity, Sustainability, Equality, Competency,

Recruitment and Selection

INTRODUCTION

A merit-based recruitment system vulnerable to political influence or intervention,

unconscious bias, prejudice, adverse first impressions and lack of objectivity is not, in its true
sense and purpose, a merit-based system. On the other hand, a recruitment process that
guarantees fair opportunity for all applicants to receive an invitation and submit their
applications, which are similarly screened and evaluated is a genuine merit-based

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recruitment system. It will allow applicants to compete with each other on the basis of their
credentials, free from political affiliation or other intervention, influence and control.

The author of this study would like to ensure that the job application in the public
sector is based on the principle of merit and fitness—the equitable acceptance of application
forms, the fair assessment of qualifications, regardless of demographic profile and
photographs, and the equal opportunity to demonstrate a significant difference between the
applicants.

In order to apply the merit system principle in the recruitment and selection process,
the author introduces the “Anonymized Competency-Based Recruitment and Selection
Process” (ACBRASP) in the public sector. This new system ensures diversity in the
workplace and promotes equality and fairness in the assessment of qualifications during
recruitment. It includes everything from finding the individuals with great potential, accepting
and employing them as part of the workforce, and motivating them by ensuring they are
recruited on the basis of their skills, expertise and competence. Most importantly, this
ensures that they have the opportunity to do so or the ability to contribute to the
organization’s productivity and achievement.

ACBRASP is an integrated artificial intelligence software system that covers the

entire recruitment and selection process for: (1) the applicant; and, (2) the organization
(whether public or private sector). Simply put, this strategy focuses on helping not only
organizations, the Human Resource Management and Development Office (HRMDO), but
also individual applicants/users to achieve long-term goals by streamlining the recruitment
process while at the same time emphasizing individual skills, expertise, competencies and
reducing the cost and time of the filing of application and the recruitment process.

OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

1. To integrate diversity and equality in the process of recruitment and selection.

2. To illustrate how the ACBRASP helps the organization identify an individual’s
potential through their skills, experience, and competencies.
3. To provide sustainable practice in the recruitment system that fosters equal
opportunities for all applicants/candidates, regardless of their demographic profile.
4. To encourage impartiality and enhance service quality in the government service.
5. To use technological innovation in the recruitment and selection process which offers
an efficient and effective method.

Anonymized Hiring

As recruitment is performed by humans, it is difficult to avoid subjectivity during

assessment and selection. While not all subjectivity is negative, it can still lead to personal
stereotypes that may stop the organization from making a sound judgment (Parr, 2016).
Anonymized recruitment facilitates job selection based on impartiality and 100%
competency-based assessment of the candidate's abilities, knowledge, qualifications, and
potential to contribute to the organization's success regardless of their personal information.
(Marsh, 2018). This is a recruitment process in which the demographic information and other
identifying details of the applicants will be temporarily removed from the application form, the
answer sheet, during the conduct of the behavioral interview, as well as the selection by the
appointing authority. It enables the public sector to create a more diverse, equitable, and
inclusive environment that best represents the society they serve as examples of best
practices.

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The aim of Anonymized Hiring is to evaluate prospective hires solely on the basis of
their skills. In that sense, the personal information provided in the resumes, the curriculum
vitae or the Personal Data Sheet is considered to be relics of the applicant's history. Name,
date of birth, place of birth, sex, alma mater should not be the criterion for determining the
effectiveness and performance of the applicant. This method is not a complete removal of
the demographic profile; it will only withhold demographic information during the assessment
in order to prevent HRMDO staff and officers from having personal preferences,
unconscious biases and adverse initial impressions on the applicant. Upon completion of the
recruitment process, all of the information provided by the applicant may be accessed by
the HRMDO staff and officers in the final stage of the applicant's appointment process.

Approaches to Diversity: Colour-blindness vs. Multiculturalism

It should be remembered that both color blindness and multiculturalism are

techniques of diversity that share the aim of maintaining favorable intergenerational
relationships and social equality (Luttrell, 2017). This should be the primary basis for the
recruitment and selection process to give the best eligible candidate the chance to join the
organization.

Color-blindness strategy, as applied in the recruitment process, is about removing

demographic details that lead to unconscious bias and prejudice in recruiting and assessing
applicants' skills for a particular role. This approach, when adapted to ACBRASP, believes
that when evaluating choices and actions, information such as name, sex, ethnicity, alma
mater, socio-economic status should not be used as the basis for considering the applicant.
Instead, color blindness requires the focus of the assessment to be on the applicant's ability
to contribute to the success of the organization by identifying the applicant's abilities,
expertise, and experience to assist the organization in achieving its objectives.

Multiculturalism, on the other hand, is based on the concept that community

dichotomies should be celebrated, not avoided. Does culture affect the decision of
individuals to be considered for employment? Or the mixture of culture can assist the
organization to become more efficient, particularly if this combination of culture shares its
best practices?

Multiculturalism is usually based on one of two theories: the "melting pot" theory or
the "salad bowl" theory. The Melting Pot Theory, as applied in the recruitment process,
suggests that different individuals tend to "melt together” and abandon their individual
cultures (such as the Filipino word "utang na loob”, "pakikisama”, "kumpare at kumare") and
eventually form one culture with the organization. The Salad Bowl Theory defines a very
diverse community in which individuals coexist but maintain at least some of the unique
characteristics of their traditional cultural identity. Like the ingredients of a salad, different
cultures are brought together, but they preserve their own distinct features rather than
becoming a single unified community. The theory of salad bowls argues that it is not
necessary for individuals to change their cultural identity in order to apply for jobs, as it does
not assess their ability to contribute to the organization.

Multiculturalism is the best approach to attaining a high level of cultural diversity.

Diversity takes place when individuals of different races, cultures, beliefs, sexes, and
ideologies come together to share experiences and best practices in the organization.
A genuinely diverse organization acknowledges and values its people's cultural differences
(Longley, 2019).

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Culture Fit vs Culture Add vs Best Fit

For a long time, the relevance of "Culture fit" as a work requirement was debated.
For some, culture fit or compatibility is used in the recruitment process as a criterion for
assessment when the HR staff or the officer belongs to the same background, for instance,
when the HR staff is a graduate of the university where the applicant has attended, there is a
presumption that the applicant may be considered moving towards the next stage of
assessment. Some think that culture fit is the predominant element to consider; after all,
skills can be taught and learned, but personality or demeanor is inherent to the applicant
(Bika, 2018). Culture fits seem to be a qualities and features that fit to one’s preferences.

Culture fit is the sealant that binds the entire organization altogether (Bouton, 2015).
It is believed that somebody is likely to express and/or contribute to the key values and
behaviors of the organization because they belong to the same background. Could this be a
clear source of discrimination and inequality?

On the other hand, instead of connecting applicants to current staff, hiring managers
should take a closer look at the special features, values, and interests of collaboration that
could motivate applicants to join the organization. “Culture add” is a word used to describe
individuals who not only respect values and organizational culture, but also introduce an
aspect of diversity that makes a positive difference to the organization (Wepow).

The "Best fit" applicant is the best candidate in a position. The applicant has all the
abilities, experience and capacity to adapt and embrace new learning given the momentary
exclusion of the demographic profile. He/she does not need to be part of the same culture as
the current staff, rather he/she must show the strength of his/her qualifications and
commitment to contribute and to be a potential leader of the organization. The human
instinct for belonging will enable the applicant to adjust to the culture of the organization, and
therefore culture should not be the criterion for evaluating one's productivity.

The Human Talent Management and Value Creation

People are the key elements of a successful organization, they are the pillars of the
organization. Because people are the pillar of all progress, the organization must carefully
plan, establish and successfully accomplish all the objectives, initiatives and projects of the
organization and, thus, it must adopt a recruitment process that would identify excellent
employees from poor performers. In short, the sustainability of the organization starts with
recruitment and selection by using the right tool to identify the best fit applicant. Without a
proper tool that highlights the strengths, abilities, knowledge and skills of the applicants, the
recruitment process can fail, resulting in a bad recruitment process. In this scenario, the
organization wastes more than resources, money, time and effort by attracting, recruiting
and training candidates who might not have been employed in the organization in the first
place (Half, 2018). The organization has to deal with all the problems that the “bad hire”
employee may cause: incompetent staff to perform their duties, costs that may arise when
the organization has to duplicate poorly outcome, and stress to bridge the gaps on some
other employees. There is no end to poor recruitment rising costs. Consider the
organization's expense and the inconvenience that HR has to reduce this cost or worst
terminate the employee because of the wrong selection. In fact, tolerating a poor employee
would be more difficult for the director and employees of HRMDO than investing in quality
recruitment and finding suitable applicants.

The ACBRASP offers an alternative process to eliminate "bad hire" and recruit
qualified candidates that will allow HR staff and officers to overcome and manage the

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unconscious habit of bias, discrimination, negative bad impression and personal preferences
due to familiarity, friendship, culture and influence.

In conceptualizing ACBRASP system, the author of this study considered the factors
in the Talent Management System (TMS). It refers to the process of hiring and integrating
new staff, enhancing and sustaining existing employees and encouraging highly skilled
people to work for the organization. David Watkins coined the phrase "talent management"
which includes recruiting, maintaining and expanding an organization's pool of resources in
combination with other management functions so that the organization will never be depleted
from expertise (Saxena, 2012). The mechanism of sustaining talent in an organization and
fostering new potential leads to competitiveness between organizations and was, therefore,
a competition for knowledge and expertise. By identifying potential candidates, interviewing
and hiring capable people with successful experience, their ability to seek, accept and fulfill
challenging tasks, the ACBRASP used this approach as its basis for setting up the system.

Figure 1 shows the Talent Management objective by identifying key roles that are
highly essential and have a significant impact on organizational competitiveness by creating
and generating a team of highly qualified employees to perform tasks as a result of an
effective HR system that defines, prepares and develops significant roles. (Ganaie, et al,
2017). The strategic recruitment of important roles contributes significantly to the sustainable
economic benefit of the company, having a combination of skilled candidates and highly
efficient incumbents to perform these tasks, and introducing a flexible human resource
process that not only encourages qualified applicants to perform these tasks, but also
maintains a comfortable and safe environment.

The Competency Focus as illustrated in Figure 1 is in line with the corporate

strategy technique, streamlining observable competencies, knowledge, ability, behavioral
and action evaluation to identify the appropriate human capital for the current and future
demands of the organization. In Talent Pooling, it connects top-potential and highly efficient
workers subjected to standard qualifications for the current or potential key positions of the
organization. To revitalize the workforce's action and commitment to attain maximum
productivity, the organization should engage in long-term Talent Investment acquisition,
exposing employees to skill innovation and advance technologies that will lead to quality
excellence as well as opportunities to demonstrate their skills and abilities. Finally, Talent
Orientation is the employee and organization's practice of exchanging experiences,
enhancing personnel understanding, and harnessing expertise by establishing relationships,
employee engagement and accountability for the efficient setting of learning and
development towards merit or value creation.

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The formation of all these four aspects of human talent will lead to Value Creation
that allows the organization to focus on the skills, expertise, and competencies of its present
staff and potential workforce. As the ACBRASP suggests to concentrate on candidates'
ability to perform for a particular position, whether these applicants/candidates belong to
external or internal sources, the organization can tailor a long-term commitment to job
satisfaction, foster a feeling of accountability and facilitate employee engagement.

Competency-Based Framework

Figure 2. Competency-Based Recruitment and Qualification Standards (CBRQS)

Figure 2 shows that apart from the current recruitment process of the Philippine Civil
Service Commission (CSC) that requires a candidate to meet the minimum qualification
standards for education, eligibility, training and experience, CBRQS was integrated in the
evaluation of the relevant skills necessary in a particular position in the recruitment process,
intended to enhance effectiveness in evaluating competencies of the applicants/candidates
for a specific role (Civil Service Commission, 2014). With this strategy, the CSC
acknowledges that recruiting and retaining the best staff will lay the foundation for top-
performing, skilled and reliable civil servants.

The present competency-based recruitment process is included in the qualifying

examination and behavioral interview. In the qualifying test, situational issues are asked to
be established as to whether the applicant has the skills and abilities needed for the position
applied for. This procedure eliminates recruitment mistakes as well as during a behavioral
interview that helps panelists to streamline the process and assess the interviewees' fitness
for the job.

Applicant's Reference Tracking System Code (ARTSCo)

ACBRASP operates by momentarily concealing the demographic data of the

applicants which leads to unconscious bias and discrimination. A permanent Applicant's
Reference Tracking System Code (ARTSCo) will be assigned to the applicant/user of the
application upon registration. In the process, the applicant will be identified through his/her
ARTSCo. The HRMDO staff and officer will be temporarily restricted access to personal
information of the applicants to prevent "bad recruitment."

The allocated ARTSCo will be the permanent reference number of the applicant if
he/she has applied to different organizations using ACBRASP, whether in the public or
private sector.

Why adopt ACBRASP in the hiring process?

ACBRASP acknowledges and addresses the unconscious biases that are likely to
happen during the process of evaluation and selection. The operational feature of ACBRASP
embraced the idea of 'blind recruitment' while a competency-based approach is the essential

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element of this study. During the blind recruitment process, the applicant's name, age,
sex/gender, alma mater, school attended and other identifiable data were immediately
excluded. While the competency approach is an in-depth and fundamental assessment of
skills, knowledge and other merit-based qualifications as embedded into the examination
and interview to validate the candidate's representation and their potential to contribute to
innovation, organizational success, and efficiency.

In addition, the use of ACBRASP can discard the practice of referral, which continues
to have a strong influence and power in recruitment. Referral alone is not the best way to
make a decision, but it can provide useful data when deciding between applicants. However,
for instance, referral leads to corruption and inequality, as applicants who have been
referred by senior officials have a preference to be hired in the public sector, or the person
who has been referred to an elected official has a greater influence on holding office in the
government.

In focusing solely on skills and abilities through job experiences and right
assessment tool, there is less chance of being "unfit" in the workforce and in the
organization. The author aims to highlight that when an applicant is hired on the basis of
his/her credentials, expertise, experience and competence, the propensity of the employee
to trust the public sector hiring process can lead to job satisfaction and a decrease in
turnover.

The innovative feature of ACBRASP: AI Technology-Based System

The system may be used by both the private and public sectors, but the author would
first like to concentrate on the use of ACBRASP in the public sector. The Public Sector is an
agency that has been set up to manage regulatory and operational requirements that allow
the State to achieve its public governance objectives (Callender, 2001). The public sector is
usually set up as a government-owned and controlled entity that aims to provide services to
its citizens. It is not designed to make economic gains, but to represent its people by
enacting and enforcing rules and regulations for the good of all.

ACBRASP supports sustainability in the recruitment and selection process, gives

positive value to applicant skills and competencies, and provides security against prejudice
and discrimination. This strategy would help the public sector to find excellent talent, recruit
qualified individuals and identify future leaders.

The ACBRASP works in three (3) ways:

(1) The Manual procedure, where the applicants are required to accomplish the application
form, placed the form in an envelope and sealed it. A separate anonymized form was
subsequently completed with the respective ARTSCo. The entire ACBRASP manual process
is anonymized (application form, examination, behavioral interview and list of nominees for
an appointment) and the sealed envelope where the applicant's application form has been
placed will only be opened after a nominee candidate has been selected;

(2) ACBRASP in the Agency Website. This is an IT-driven technology in which the job
vacancy is made on the Agency's website and the application form is submitted by encoding
the applicant's personal information. Once the applicant has finished encoding his/her data,
the system will generate an ARTSCo for the applicant by pressing the "Submit" button while
the Agency receives an anonymous application form with the same ARTSCo that the
applicant receives. The entire hiring and selection process will be anonymised, as the case
may be, or as defined by the organization; and,

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(3) ACBRASP app. This is an AI-based technology using a mobile apps software for the
user/applicants and computer dashboard for the organization that can view the anonymized
application form (in excel) in a short period of time, with an accurate assessment. This
system requires a server to store the application forms and other information of the
applicant/user. It is an algorithm for identifying and matching applicants with vacant
positions, a user-scheduling evaluation tool for applicants, a transactional status setting, a
scorecard or employee monitoring reference protocol (EMREP), a promotional or selection
behavioral analysis, an automated ranking of applicants performance and ratings, a tracking
and texting function, and a communication channel/response on the status of the application.
This software app has four users:

a) The individual applicant/user

b) The Public sector
c) The Private sector
d) The International Corporation (for OFW applicants)

This software application has a notification feature and is capable of determining whether
the preferred position of the applicant is in connection with the vacancy indicated by the
organization. This is a recruitment practice that requires “no follow-up and promote a
paperless recruitment”. All updates will be sent through mobile apps to the applicant/user
and the prompter will be shown on their mobile phone.

THE TECHNOLOGY

In an article written by Bortz (2018), he addressed the rise of tech start-ups in the
2000s to make it easier for HRMDO teams to implement anonymized recruitment strategies.
Such providers are updating their technology to integrate current applicant tracking systems
(ATSs) which are not normally designed to remove the applicant's recognizable data. One
example, GapJumpers, was introduced in 2014 by a company with the same name. The
program allows workers to evaluate candidates on the basis of relevant performance issues.

Technology can help the organization simplify the time-consuming recruitment

process. Another internet system called interviewing.io allows the organization to evaluate
applicants anonymously using chat rooms and voice filtering technology. After all the exams
are performed and the assessments are organized, the company publishes the identity of
the applicants to the recruiting directors. Gauging from the enhanced numbers of selection
that have been attained since the assessments were carried out, the new method appears to
have decreased unconscious bias.

The author used two methods in this study: first, the applicant as the ACBRASP user.
The procedure that the applicant should comply are, as follows:

1. Installation- In order to have access to the ACBRASP system, the applicant shall
install the software programs on their mobile phone.
2. Registration- The applicant registers in the application software and then encodes all
the information required to be submitted by the applicant in the ordinary application
form, including the demographic profile, and uploads his/her current photograph.
3. Answer the Competency Questions- In order to determine his/her current knowledge,
skills or abilities, the applicant/user should answer some essay questions given in the
system
4. Data Privacy Provision- After everything has been answered, the applicant must read
and agree with the data privacy provisions of the system.

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5. Applicant’s Data stored in the system- Once agreed, the applicant's information/data
is automatically saved by clicking the "Agreed" button.
6. Vacancy- If the organization has a vacancy, the system selects and matches the
preferred position of the applicant/user that they encoded during the registration
process.
7. Matching- If the applicant desired positions suit the vacancy, he/she will receive an
invitation notice. The applicant must click the "Send" button and this action will mean
that the system will deliver his/her anonymized application form to the organization
publishing the vacancy. He/she can log out of the system if he/she is not interested
8. Applicant’s Reference Tracking System Code (ARTSCo)- The applicant's permanent
ARTSCo will be reflected in both the confirmation receipt of the applicant and
reflected in the anonymized application form sent to the organization, this will identify
him/her in the recruitment process.
9. Data update- The applicant/user may at any time update his/her system data.
10. Retention or Deletion- In the ACBRASP database, the applicant/users may choose to
remove or store their data. So long as the applicant's data is in the system he/she will
be informed of the vacancy whenever an organization posts a vacancy that suits the
applicant's preferred position.
11. Security Access- The applicant/user may only access and modify his/her ACBRASP
account by encoding his username, password, the One-Time Password (OTP) sent
to his/her registered mobile number and by answering the security question.

The second method is the ACBRASP database/dashboard of the organization. The

procedures shall be as follows:

1) An organization seeking to be a part of the ACBRASP shall be required to enroll,

register and comply with the system requirements. The organization will be given an
access code to access the installed ACBRASP dashboard.
2) Encode or transfer all organizational position data to the ACBRASP dashboard and
include the skills and competencies required in each specific position.
3) Designate the authorized HR staff of the organization who may have access to the
system.
4) During the posting of vacancy, the designated HR employee of the organization
shall search for the position to be placed and access to the system. If the position to
be posted has been identified, the HR representative must press the "Invite" button
to deliver an invitation to the applicant/users matching their preferred position to the
vacancy position of the organization.
5) The company receives an anonymous application form with the corresponding
ARTSCo, if the applicant/user of the system is interested.
6) The HR representative may choose either to re-evaluate the qualifications or
approve all applicants who confirmed their interest.
7) Encode the date, time and place of the examination, and click the button "Exam" of
the selected ARTSCo/applicants.
8) During the test, the applicant must encrypt his/her ARTSCo on the ACBRASP HR
dashboard and press the "Print Test" to print the blank answer sheet with the
corresponding ARTSCo.
9) After the examination, the applicants must fold their answer sheets when they
submit it to the HR staff.
10) Wait for notification via the ACBRASP account.
11) The test results or scores shall be encoded in the respective ARTSCo by the HR
representative
12) If the applicant has passed the examination, the HR staff shall send the interview
schedule to the applicant via ARTSCo. Generally, this step should also be

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anonymized, but the organization can choose whether or not this phase is still
anonymous or which positions should be anonymized during the interview.
13) During the interview, the applicants are positioned in an area where they are not
identified or viewed by the interviewer and the questions are structured on the basis
of the skill of the applicants.
14) The results of the interview shall be recorded by the HR Staff in the respective
ARTSCo in the system
15) When all the necessary ratings have been encoded, the HR staff will press the
"Evaluate" button and the results of all ratings in the assessment will appear by rank
in the HR dashboard.
16) The system will print the complete assessment matrix for submission to the
appointing authority by pressing the "Print Final Report" button. The matrix includes
the following information:

17) In the column “Comment,” the appointing authority shall indicate his/her decision
and select the ARTSCo which he/she believes fits into the vacant position. After the
selection of the candidate to be named, the appointing authority shall affix his/her
signature to the approved portion of the form.
18) The HR staff will upload the approval form in PDF file and click the "Appointment"
button on the selected ARTSCo to print the complete application form with the
applicant's photograph, the system will also print the appointment paper and the
complete evaluation result for applicant's signature and thumb mark.
19) The EMReP shall be opened by HR staff and the box shall be marked with a “√” to
indicate who is appointed to the position and “X” if not considered. Then press
"Finish" to deliver a notice, whether the applicants are considered or not for the
position.

The qualification evaluation as used in the ACBRASP is based exclusively on the

applicant's demonstrated experience, qualifications, abilities, knowledge and skills. With this
process, the system assessment emphasizes the skills of the applicant to do and its ability to
contribute to the organization. Therefore, the preconceptions in the traditional hiring process
which lead to biases, discriminatory or erroneous decisions will be excluded from the system
because other variables such as human judgment cannot influence it.

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The Recruitment Dashboard

The Recruitment dashboard/portal is the database of the applicant's records and the
mode of communication between the candidate and the organization. It is a medium used for
the recruitment cycle such as searching, attracting, recruiting and selecting an applicant for a
position and other HR activities. It also synchronizes and organizes all the results of the
assessment according to the ARTSCo of the applicants. The HR dashboard connected to
the ACBRASP system secures and transmits the details of the applicants to the organization
in an anonymous manner.

CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

Figure 4 illustrates the conceptual framework of this study, which aims to introduce in
the public sector a new approach to a sustainable recruitment and selection process which
promotes diversity in the workplace and offers equal opportunities for public employment.

The author identifies the phases in the conduct of the ACBRASP, namely: (1) the
filing of the application form; (2) the qualifying examination; (3) the conduct interview; and (4)
the choice of the appointing authority.

The researcher has designed survey questionnaires to assess if government

agencies are ready to adopt or incorporate ACBRASP into their recruitment system. There
are two sources of respondents: one, the actual distribution of the survey questionnaire to
four (4) government agencies located in Quezon City, and the other, via e-mail to selected
government officials and employees. There are 375 respondents who participated in the
study. The data collected in the survey questionnaires were quantified and evaluated using
the four-point Likert Scale.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

This research was undertaken to introduce the ACBRASP in the public sector, and
applied during the following:

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1. Filing of application form

2. Qualifying Examination
3. Behavioral Interview
4. Selection by the appointing authority

The overall result of the study found that the respondents were interested when
ACBRASP was introduced to them and showed willingness and acceptance to undergo this
process. Based on the above, a verbal interpretation of "Agree" result with a weighted mean
of 1.79 was obtained in the overall assessment of the respondent's acceptability and interest
to incorporate ACBRASP in their recruitment and selection process.

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

Employment in the public sector should be based on an individual’s experience,

education, training, eligibility, and competency. Demographic information must not be taken
as a condition of the above requirements.

The author introduced ACBRASP in the public sector on the premise that this system
can completely eliminate stigma and prejudice in the recruitment process and, as a result,
will provide a speedy and effective approach to determining who among the candidates can
be deemed “best fit” and shown “culture add” despite the fact that his/her personal
information has been temporarily concealed, ensuring that no other possible influence may
affect the employment decision.

ACBRASP, when incorporated into the recruitment process, is part of a growing effort
to eliminate the faulty character of the subjective judgment that interferes with the
recruitment of the best candidates for a job. It strengthens recruitment impartiality and
workforce integration that can be registered and monitored through the HRMDO's hiring
indicators or standards.

The author would like to highlight that ACBRASP aims to eliminate unconscious bias,
inequality, and subjectivity of the conventional hiring process. This process, in effect, will
encourage new hires to be effective employees and further ensure that minorities,
marginalized groups and people with entirely different backgrounds have the opportunity to
demonstrate to the organization their expertise and skills

The author recommends conducting ACBRASP pilot testing in the government

sector for at least four (4) positions, such as Chief of Division Technical Positions and
Director, to assess the effectiveness of the new proposed recruitment process.

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 COPYRIGHT © 2019 Munoz, Philippines. All rights reserved

Biographical Note

Analiza V. Muñoz is currently working at the Office for Legal

Affairs, Philippine Civil Service Commission. She is designated as
CSC's focal person on the Gender and Development referral system
and official Subject Matter Expert/Resource Person in multiple CSC
laws, rules and regulation topics. She is also a Part-time College
Professor in the Polytechnic University of the Philippines, teaching
subjects in Human Resource Management and Development,
Entrepreneurship, Marketing, and Law. She is also an HRMD and
business consultant.

Currently, she is enrolled in the Doctor of Public Administration (DPA) program of the
National College of Public Administration and Governance, University of the Philippines
Diliman (UP-NCPAG). She finished Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, Master of Arts in Public
Administration and Bachelor of Laws, where she received the Order of the Golden Phoenix
Hall of Fame Achievement Award. She also took Master of Science in Human Resource
Management at the University of Sto. Tomas, Manila.

In her study “The Integrated Case Management System of the Office for Legal
Affairs, Civil Service Commission: An Assessment for System Enhancement” presented at
the 2019 Asian Association for Public Administration (AAPA), she received the 2019
Anthony Cheung Best Practice Award. She had presented her studies in the 2019
EROPA Conference, PUP 2019 Research Colloquium and in the Crossover: Moving Beyond
the Borders of the Business World through Research. Most of her research focuses on AI
technology innovation for business and public service delivery.

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