Head of the Administration of the President of Tatarstan, Asgat Safarov, on the personnel management system for civil servants in the Republic of Tatarstan

Our conversation about the system of personnel work with civil servants in the Republic of Tatarstan with the Head of the Presidential Administration of Tatarstan, Asgat Safarov.

- Asgat Akhmetovich, the recent pandemic has shown how significant the role of the state is in crisis situations. Authorities managed to organize support for citizens and entire industries. We saw how, at the height of the quarantine, the President of our republic personally visited strategic sites, instilling calm and confidence in the people of Tatarstan that the crisis would be overcome. If I understand correctly, his activities are supported by the apparatus you lead and by the structure of government bodies in the republic as a whole. In this context, I would like to discuss the current quality of public administration in the republic. How is the civil apparatus formed? Who is today's civil servant?

- Indeed, thanks to the coordinated work of both society and public institutions, as well as government bodies in the republic, we were able to avoid a large-scale crisis due to the pandemic. In Tatarstan, we approached this situation with a highly professional and prepared staff of state bodies. Today's Tatarstan civil servant is primarily a professional. And this is not a momentary result but a systematic, planned work, including all processes—from the recruitment and adaptation of civil servants to their training and development. When I took the position of Head of the Presidential Administration, Rustam Nurgalievich Minnikhanov tasked me with improving the system of governance in the republic while preserving existing developments. In 2014, we significantly updated the state program for the development of state and municipal service in the republic. It is updated annually. As a result, we see that this set of measures leads to improved quality and timeliness of managerial decisions.

- When it comes to recruiting personnel in the government bodies of Tatarstan... How is it organized? Who can become a civil servant of the republic? Is it some kind of closed "club for its own"?

- It is absolutely an open institution. It is important to understand that one of the most important criteria for the effectiveness of authority is its openness and the involvement of citizens in the governance process. Active residents of Tatarstan can become civil servants and make a personal contribution to the development of the republic. Citizens of Russia aged between 18 and 65 can apply for a job in state bodies. However, they must meet certain requirements, such as the length of work experience, education level, knowledge, skills, etc. There is a misconception that to enter the civil service, one must necessarily have experience working in state bodies. This is not the case. In general, the civil service is getting younger, with a new generation coming in. This was also facilitated by the lowering of the legal requirements for experience. Now, many positions can be filled right after university.

- Is information about vacancies publicly available?

- Yes, announcements are placed on the websites of government bodies. Additionally, since 2015, Russia has had a unified portal for vacancies in state and municipal bodies. It allows candidates to submit documents electronically, which significantly saves time for candidates.

- You respond to an advertisement—and you're hired? Or are those who apply somehow evaluated?

- Of course, they are evaluated. There is a serious selection on a competitive basis. Candidates undergo computer testing on knowledge of the legislation, computer skills, perform practical tasks, and are also considered by the members of the competition commission. In general, such a comprehensive approach is used not only here; it is a global practice. A similar selection system is used, for example, in Singapore.

- Is any work being done to find specialists, apart from advertisements?

- Yes, in 2016, our Department of Civil Service created a Personnel Selection and Assessment Center. Just there, government bodies send requests for recruitment from other sources. These include well-known job search websites, our own candidate database, talent reserves, universities, etc. To date, the candidate database includes about 1,500 specialists. With the help of this tool, qualified specialists have been recruited for various directions, which our ministries had long been unable to find.

One of the most important criteria for the effectiveness of government is its openness and involvement of citizens in the management process.

- According to all indications, this is an effective solution. How are personnel reserves of government bodies formed?

- As a rule, selection for the personnel reserve is conducted similarly to the competition for an existing vacancy. After inclusion in it, the reservist can be hired in any of the government bodies of the republic without competition within three years.

- Does the same system operate in the apparatus you head?

- Yes, all candidates go through a rigorous selection. After all, when accepting a person for service in the apparatus, we must be sure of the highest level of their professional training. Competitions are held quarterly, and information about them is open. Applicants are not only residents of Tatarstan. For example, we currently have candidates in the reserve from Moscow, Bashkortostan, Ulyanovsk Region, and other regions. Many applicants are from current employees of government bodies of the republic.

- Are there other tools for career advancement, apart from the personnel reserve?

- Of course. Conditions are created so that the most prepared civil servants can make themselves known. Thus, participants in the annual "Best Civil Servant" competition can present their projects to the senior management of the republic, and its winners, in addition to a cash prize, receive a diploma from the hands of the President. It is not uncommon for the laureates of this competition to move to work in the Presidential Administration. Additionally, every year, a selection is made for the President's personnel reserve of the republic, where civil servants who feel they have the potential to be leaders can also apply.

- Only civil servants?

- Not only. Industry managers who have achieved results and demonstrated managerial skills can apply for this reserve, securing a recommendation from the relevant minister. The idea of creating such a reserve belongs to Rustam Nurgalievich. He tasked us to develop a mechanism for forming a pool of effective managers ready to fill leadership positions. And since 2014, several hundred candidates have applied for selection annually, with the number of participants increasing each time. A serious selection is conducted. Twenty people make it to the final group. We train them according to a special program, assign them mentors from among the senior leadership of the republic. Together with them, the reservists prepare a project aimed at the socio-economic development of the republic. By the way, finalists of the "Leaders of Russia" competition from Tatarstan are included in the reserve.

- And the graduation projects you mentioned, are they prepared for the sake of formality or do they really work?

- They really work. I can give examples of recently implemented projects. These include the electronic trading platform Eco.KazanExpress, an automated system for controlling the movement of heavy and oversized vehicles, the "Warranty Stream" project for providing entrepreneurs with online loans in one day, and so on.

- What can you say about the reservists, based on your own experience? Are they really strong managers?

- I'll put it this way: they are cool professionals, not indifferent to the fate of the republic. The quality of the selection and training of the reserve is evidenced by the high demand for these personnel both in government and commercial structures. Reservists receive appointments beyond Tatarstan. For example, Artem Zdunov, the current head of the Government of Dagestan, was part of the first composition of the reserve. If we talk about internal appointments, then from the reserve of 2019, half of the composition received promotions. Three examples: V.V. Zharovonkov was appointed Deputy Minister of Health of Tatarstan, R.A. Abdulkin became the head of the executive committee of the Mendeleevsk District, A.R. Valeev headed the Agryz District. We have high hopes for them.

Seven representatives of Tatarstan made it to the final of the Leaders of Russia competition – this is the best indicator in the Volga region

- So, Tatarstan is rich in managerial talents?

- Yes, you can see this by the activity of the residents of the republic in the "Leaders of Russia" competition. In the current set, Tatarstan became the first among the regions of Russia in terms of the increase in the number of participants compared to the previous year. Seven Tatarstan citizens made it to the final. The winners of the competition will be determined on September 7. We believe in our guys, wish each of them victory. They deserve it.

- Is the President of Tatarstan somehow involved in this project?

- He is one of the mentors of the competition. Moreover, last year, members of the Leaders of Russia club "Elbrus," which includes winners from previous years, reached out to us. They conducted an internal survey on who among the mentors of the project they would like to meet. Rustam Nurgalievich received the most votes. Such a meeting took place in Innopolis. We communicated very openly in an informal setting. The President talked about all stages of his career, shared personal experience of forming the republican team, about how our large-scale projects are implemented. Meanwhile, "leaders" from other regions not only asked questions but were also actively interested in the possibility of implementing joint projects.

- Asgat Akhmetovich, how is the training of republican civil servants organized?

- To date, we have managed to build a system in which all state and municipal civil servants, regardless of position, can participate in professional development events. Speaking of education, many overlook the fact that it, besides raising the level of knowledge and skills, carries an important function—motivating specialists. Therefore, we pay the closest attention to the quality of the material that is given to civil servants. It is important that they go to courses with desire and leave with developed competencies.

- Where does the training take place?

- At the sites of the School of Public Administration at KFU, the Kazan branch of RANEPA. Not only classical forms of training are used there. Understanding that the flow of young specialists will increase every year, we are changing approaches to its organization. In addition to receiving industry knowledge, civil servants can also enhance universal skills during training, which will always be useful everywhere —creativity, critical thinking, systematics, teamwork, stress resistance, etc. More and more educational programs are implemented in a modern format using electronic technologies, including distance learning. At the same time, we are very careful in selecting teachers. We attract not only theorists but also practicing experts in their fields, including representatives of government bodies, including senior management.

Industry managers who have achieved results and demonstrated managerial abilities can apply to the personnel reserve, having secured the recommendation of the relevant minister

During training, in addition to professional knowledge, civil servants master service culture, business etiquette, anti-corruption behavior standards, basic parameters of national projects and state programs. We see that this work positively affects the strengthening of the listeners' desire to serve the interests of citizens, raises the culture of non-acceptance of corruption, and improves the quality of normative work. We also collaborate with leading educational institutions in the country—Skolkovo, RANEPA, HSE, Sberbank Corporate University.

- Earlier you touched on a very important topic—the behavior of civil servants...

- The issue is really important. Civil servants are representatives of government bodies, and how an individual specialist behaves is judged on the authority as a whole. Understanding this, we take into account not only professional but also personal qualities of candidates already at the stage of personnel selection. Since 2017, we have been actively implementing elements of service culture in government bodies.

- What does the term "service culture" mean?

- It can be said that it is an adapted analogue of corporate culture in commerce. Tatarstan was the first region in Russia where corporate standards were introduced in government bodies and municipal service. Through service culture, we strive to create the maximum conditions for the self-realization of each employee. Every civil servant is mandatorily familiarized with the existing standards and opportunities at the service, which are outlined in a special book. We work on forming a common understanding among all civil servants of the global goals and objectives of public administration. Every government employee should understand that ultimately his activity is aimed at improving the quality of life of the population.

- What else does service culture entail?

- In traditions. In the government bodies of the republic, as in any organizations where every employee is valued, special attention is paid to forming a cohesive and effective team. After all, the professionalism and personal qualities of civil servants largely determine the successful implementation of socio-economic programs, the functioning of the state apparatus, and therefore the progressive development of the republic and the country as a whole. The traditions of government bodies are still being formed, but even today it can be said that they cover literally all stages of the specialist's formation. Starting with hiring, when he is introduced to the team and receives an ID from the minister's hands, ending with honorable farewells to deserved rest and honoring our veterans.

In the republic, a comprehensive system of professional development has been built, thanks to which all civil servants can acquire professional competencies throughout their service period

- It is believed that civil servants have a fairly good social package. Is that really the case?

- There is a social package, but without frills. Rumors here are greatly exaggerated. Everything is quite standard. Undoubtedly, the republic, as a responsible employer, provides the civil servant with a number of mandatory and social guarantees. Thus, on civil service, the salary is always paid on time. It forms the basis of the future pension of the civil servant. The employer monthly pays insurance contributions to the compulsory pension insurance system. Civil service provides a longer vacation, the number of days of which depends on the length of service. Under certain conditions, civil servants are also assigned and paid a pension for length of service.

- Asgat Akhmetovich, you named quite a few interesting projects that are currently being implemented in the management of the personnel composition of government bodies. Is everything done manually, or is there automation?

- Many personnel processes are automated. Digital technologies make radical changes to the system of public administration. Tatarstan has advanced experience in developing and implementing IT solutions in all areas. For more than five years, the republic has been actively developing and modernizing the Unified Information Personnel System, which has automated the existing personnel processes in government bodies and allowed the introduction of uniform standards for performing personnel work. By the way, we are now introducing a mobile application to make civil service more open and understandable for everyone. It is intended not only for state and municipal civil servants but also for all those who want to work in the republican government bodies. In it, you can get information about vacancies, familiarize yourself with the service culture of government bodies, use the functionality for accompanying educational programs, and much more.

- Is the experience of other regions used in our personnel work?

- We see interesting solutions both in federal government bodies and in other subjects of the country. Of course, the most modern practices find application with us. Nevertheless, it is nice to note that our tools are regularly recognized as some of the best at the all-Russian competition of the Ministry of Labor of Russia. The same service culture, our information personnel system, mobile application, spartakiad attract interest from colleagues from other regions, who come to us to exchange experiences. All our initiatives are possible thanks to the comprehensive support of the President of the republic. The government bodies of the republic bear responsibility for improving the quality of life of the population. Therefore, it is important to create such working conditions in which each civil servant can maximize their self-expression and unlock their potential.

Interviewed by Vladimir MAL'TSEV