In executive recruitment in Latvia, we often encounter situations where a candidate has many years of leadership experience, has managed large teams, overseen substantial budgets, and delivered complex projects, yet the employer is unwilling to consider their application further. The reason? Their experience has been gained in the public sector.
At ASTRAL Executive Search, we have also observed that some private sector companies approach such candidates with caution, sometimes even before thoroughly assessing their competencies.
Why Are Employers Cautious?
The main concerns are usually related to a candidate’s ability to adapt to the business environment. In the private sector, managers often need to make quick decisions, respond to market changes, and take direct responsibility for a company’s financial performance. In contrast, decision-making in the public sector is more often influenced by legislation, approval procedures, and the need to take the interests of various stakeholders into account.
These differences are significant, and employers’ caution is understandable. However, in our experience, assumptions about the public sector work environment are sometimes applied to candidates before their actual responsibilities and achievements have been established.
Do Stereotypes Also Influence Hiring Decisions?
A study published in the journal Public Administration Review in 2025, involving 290 job seekers in the United Kingdom, identified an initially negative perception of public sector employees. However, this perception diminished once respondents learned about the candidates’ specific professional expertise. Although the study does not directly reflect recruitment practices among Latvian employers, it demonstrates that perceptions of a sector can influence the evaluation of a professional before their experience has been examined in detail.
In our experience, candidates from the public sector sometimes need to provide more evidence of their suitability before employers are willing to invite them for even an initial interview.
What Might Companies Overlook?
The public sector is not homogeneous. For example, a manager of a state-owned company may be directly responsible for profitability, return on investment, and operational efficiency. Meanwhile, a public administration manager may have significant experience in change management, implementing large-scale projects, and working with various stakeholders. These competencies can also be valuable in the private sector, particularly in companies operating in regulated industries or undertaking major investment projects.
Of course, not all skills are equally transferable. For example, managing the budget of a government institution is not equivalent to having experience in increasing sales revenue. However, these differences should be identified by evaluating a candidate’s experience rather than focusing solely on their previous place of employment.
Are Companies Narrowing Their Candidate Pool Too Much?
In the Latvian labour market, where companies compete for experienced managers, overly restrictive selection criteria can also mean missed opportunities. In our view, a candidate’s experience in the public sector is neither an advantage nor a disadvantage in itself. The most important thing is to understand what results the manager has been responsible for, what decisions they have made, and whether their previous experience aligns with the needs of the particular company.
Perhaps, in an effort to avoid hiring an unsuitable candidate, some companies occasionally also miss the opportunity to meet a professional who could make a valuable contribution to the company’s development.
Research source: First Impressions: An Analysis of Professional Stereotypes and Their Impact on Sector Attraction (2025), Public Administration Review.
