VietNamNet Bridge - Fourteen valedictorians passed the civil service exam one year ago but still cannot take office at state agencies.

Forty-one candidates were reported passing the test to be admitted to state agencies in Hanoi in 2014. They were either excellent university graduates or master’s degree candidates who finished overseas training courses with excellent marks.

In principle, the candidates under the program to attract talent to state offices did not have to attend the civil service exam. However, they had to take a test with a 50 mark to become civil servants.  

Twenty nine out of the 41 candidates met the requirements after attending the test. However, the Hanoi Department of Interior Affairs later released a dispatch, saying that the Ministry of Interior Affairs only accepted 15 officers, while the remaining 14 candidates were rejected.

Two of the 14 candidates then made appeals against the decision. The Hanoi Department of Interior Affairs on May 28, 2015 said the department asked the Ministry of Interior Affairs but has not received the final decision.

Taking part-time jobs 

TH, one of the 14 candidates, said after graduating school, he returned to his home village and worked for a joint stock company in the locality. After hearing that he passed the test, he resigned from the post at the company and prepared to take office at a state agency in Hanoi.

However, H still cannot take the job as expected. He has been told to wait for the final decision, but he is not sure how much more time he needs to wait. He doesn’t know if he should apply for another job.

“If I take a new job and then resign from the post after several months of working, I will upset the business,” he said.

TD, another candidate, said she works at a part time job as a translator which can cover her basic needs.

All of them said they do not know when they can receive the answers about whether they can be employed by state agencies. 

TT, a candidate, said she did not give up her job at an industrial zone. If she had resigned from the post, she would be jobless.

An analyst said that talented candidates seemingly have a hard lot, even though state agencies have promised to lay the red carpet to welcome them.

Ngan Anh