Numerous readers have applauded the Ministry of Home Affairs’ (MHA) proposal to hire independent recruiters for large-scale civil servant employment to ensure fairness and transparency.

They argue that an independent recruiter would remove or notably limit hiring based on "nepotistic placement" by senior officials.

Reader Nguyen Ngoc Uan suggested this should be applied within five years after the streamlining of the government apparatus in the new development period. Those who meet standards will stay; those who fail will be let go.

"But the question is who to hire and who establishes the recruiting body?" one reader asked.

“The important thing is to evaluate correctly, sufficiently, and accurately the capacity and ability of civil servants. It would be better to organize tests to assess candidates. The questions of the tests need to be reasonable. It would be unreasonable to ask candidates for the posts of IT officers to write essays about a general topic instead of the questions about their core field,” reader Trung Truc said.

Thu Trang believes that for now, commune-level civil servants shouldn’t be cut immediately since they’ve worked long-term and know the area well. Just weed out those who can’t work, face discipline, or have negative public feedback.

For "whom to select" in agencies with many staff, she suggests forming an appraisal council to avoid bias about officers.

Trang believes that two years are enough to screen and hold exams for skilled, ethical civil servants dedicated to the nation and people.

On recruitment methods, many say technology can ensure transparency.

"Testing candidates via computer proves to be the best method with questions on expertise and law. This avoids opaque exams. We just need a center to coordinate it," Vu Hung proposed.

Another reader suggested that for oral exams, beyond candidates and interviewers, cameras should record interviews for transparency, aiding inspections by auditors or police.

If needed, automated screening software could set criteria like qualifications, job needs, and training goals.

Reader Truong Thi recommended centralized civil service exams across clusters of provinces, with numbered IDs like university entrance tests. Each job role needs a tailored exam tied to daily tasks.

With this setup, proctors should be mixed civil servants from different provinces. "Candidates monitor each other, making cheating hard since they’re competing."

"Hiring an independent recruiter is fine, but who are they, where from, and how fair and objective are they? That needs discussion," she added.

Minh Phuong said some nations use independent recruiters, but Vietnam needs careful consideration.

New Zealand recruits civil servants two ways: internally or via external agencies. Independent recruiters are used for high-skilled, technical roles or when outsourcing is cost effective; large-scale hiring needs expert consultants.

Nguyen Thao