Dober's Public Affairs Pyramid

Candidate Assessment

A structured way to assess candidates against the competences that define success in EU public affairs. Work through the pyramid during the interview: confirm the knowledge baseline, rate the skills you can evidence on a 1–5 scale, and mark the personality traits you observe. The scorecard builds as you go — print the report or save the candidate to compare profiles.
DOBER'S
Public Affairs Pyramid
Personality traitsoperate across all levels as a multiplier. Click once if observed during the interview, twice if a concern, again to clear.
Cognitive skillsapex, strategic
Soft skillsmiddle, relational
Hard skillsknowledge applied, observable and measurable
Foundational knowledgebaseline requirement, not scored — the candidate has it or doesn't
The Big Five · Personality
The ten observable traits map onto the five dimensions of the OCEAN model.
OOpenness to ExperienceImagination, curiosity, the enjoyment of abstract thinking and ideas, and attunement towards personal emotions.
CConscientiousnessBehaviours associated with competence, order, dutifulness, attitude towards achievement, self-discipline and planning.
EExtraversionA measure of sociability and outgoingness. Associated with warmth, gregariousness, assertiveness, energy, excitement-seeking and positive emotions.
AAgreeablenessAttitudes about the goodness and trustworthiness of others, and the ability to empathise with others.
NNeuroticismTendency for emotional instability, measured by the facets of anxiety, angry hostility, depression, self-consciousness, impulsivity and vulnerability.

Candidate roster

Saved on this browser only, nothing leaves this device. Load a candidate to review or edit; the saved candidates form the benchmark pool for new assessments.

Competence pathways

How competences feed each other across the pyramid, from technical foundations to strategic judgement. Links marked STRUCTURAL follow directly from the framework's tiers; links marked INTERPRETIVE are our reading and are open for review by Dober Partners. The Knowledge tier is not yet on any pathway: how it feeds the tiers above is still to be defined with the client.