I was involved in at least 10 hiring panels for First Line Supervisors. The first step was to work out the interview questions and the role play scenarios. Next was to post the job requiremnts and review the applicants work history followed by a written test. This culled about 10-15% of the applicants. Usually the applicants were then asked to play the role of a First line Supervisor in a series of four difficult situations and was graded by the panel on how well they perfomed in real time and gave the panel an insight as to what skills interacting with others they possed as well as their ability to solve difficult situations. We used other employees as actors (current First Line Supervisors), followed by an interview sometimes immidiately, other times on another date.
The panels were fair, open minded and tried to make the applicants as comfortable as possible. We offered feedback when asked after the hiring process was over. The culture at King County was one of mutual resect between employees and Manager. I always had an open door policy for my workgroup to vent, ask questions, etc. My expectations were always made clear and I tried to foster an atmosphere of personal accountability from the Supervisors I managed.