Hiring systems are strongest when they ask candidates to demonstrate job-related capability instead of relying primarily on self-ratings, polished résumés, or an unstructured interview. Recent federal hiring reforms bring that principle into sharp focus—and the lesson applies well beyond government.
The federal change, in plain language
In January 2025, an executive order directed the development of a new federal hiring plan centered on merit, practical skill, faster hiring, and the use of technical and alternative assessments where appropriate. The Office of Personnel Management and the Domestic Policy Council issued the Merit Hiring Plan on May 29, 2025.
OPM continued that implementation in 2026 with guidance on self-reported assessments and the use of assessments under direct-hire authority. In March 2026, OPM reported that standardized assessments had been expanded across more than 400 federal roles. The direction is clear: candidate claims remain useful information, but the hiring process should verify them with evidence connected to the work.
A merit hiring plan is directed
Federal policy calls for faster, skills-focused hiring and greater use of technical and alternative assessments.
The plan is issued
OPM and the Domestic Policy Council publish the Merit Hiring Plan and implementation resources.
Assessment use expands
OPM adds guidance and expands standardized assessments across hundreds of federal roles.
The larger lesson is not about government
Every employer faces the same basic problem: the information easiest to collect is not always the information most useful for predicting performance. A résumé summarizes the past. A candidate questionnaire may capture the person's own view. An interview shows how the person responds in a conversation. Each can contribute evidence, but none defines the job or demonstrates the complete match.
A stronger process begins with a different question: What does successful performance require in this position? Once that is clear, the employer can choose evidence that is relevant to the actual work.
The goal is a consistent process that gives every candidate an appropriate opportunity to demonstrate relevant capability and fit.
Five practices private employers can apply
- Define success before evaluating candidates.Clarify responsibilities, performance expectations, technical demands, thinking requirements, behavioral demands, and sources of motivation before reviewing applicants.
- Use more than one kind of job-related evidence.Combine the right measures for the role—such as experience verification, technical tests, work samples, whole-person assessments, and structured interviews.
- Ask the same core questions.A structured interview makes comparisons more consistent while leaving room to explore candidate-specific evidence.
- Separate technical capability from broader job fit.A person may know how to perform a task but struggle with the pace, problem-solving demands, working relationships, or interests that shape long-term performance.
- Document the evidence behind the decision.Record what was measured, how it relates to the role, and how the combined evidence informed the decision.
How PXT Select fits into a complete selection process
PXT Select adds objective, position-specific evidence in three areas: thinking style, behavioral traits, and occupational interests. The results can be compared with a PXT Select Performance Model built for the role. This helps the hiring team understand where a candidate aligns with the work and where the interview should go deeper.
PXT Select is strongest when it is part of a broader evidence model. Technical tests and work samples can demonstrate job knowledge or hands-on capability. Experience and credential verification can confirm relevant background. Structured interviews can test the examples and judgment behind a candidate's answers. PXT Select contributes the whole-person, job-fit evidence that those measures do not provide on their own.
| Evidence | What it helps answer | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Qualifications and experience | Has the candidate developed relevant background? | Credential and experience verification |
| Technical capability | Can the candidate perform an important part of the work? | Work sample, simulation, or technical test |
| Whole-person job fit | How does the candidate align with the role's thinking, behavioral, and interest requirements? | PXT Select and a position-specific Performance Model |
| Applied judgment | How does the candidate explain decisions and respond to job-relevant situations? | Structured interview |
Merit means job relevance—not simply the highest score
A defensible selection process does not reward the person who scores highest on every measure. It identifies the evidence the job requires, applies the process consistently, provides appropriate accommodations, and interprets results in context. The best candidate is the person whose combined evidence offers the strongest support for success in that specific role.
Federal hiring and private employment operate under different systems, but the underlying discipline is transferable: define the work, verify the evidence, and keep the job at the center of the decision.
That principle sits at the center of merit-based hiring, PXT Select, and The Assessment Company's Occupational DNA® process.