Abstract
The personnel reserve plays an important role in the formation and renewal of the political elite. TheRepublic of Kazakhstan and the Russian Federation share historically determined features of the creationand functioning of the highest bureaucratic apparatus, which takes or has an exclusive influence onstate decision-making. The purpose of the study was to learn and compare the mechanism of formationof the personnel reserve in Kazakhstan and Russia. In order to structure and analyze the features of thepersonnel reserve a number of criteria have been developed: implementation levels, age priorities, specialization,effectiveness, and others. The results of the study showed that the mechanisms for formingthe personnel reserve of Kazakhstan and Russia are largely similar, have the same, politically determined,reasons for creation and implementation period. However, there are also differences; Kazakhstan focuseson the promotion of young leaders and forms a common reserve that does not take into account the areaof management. Russia is expanding the age limits of reservists and introducing specialized personnelreserves. The analysis of the experience of both countries makes it possible to identify promising areasfor improving the mechanisms of the personnel reserve.Key words: personnel reserve, political elite, recruitment, career, personnel promotion.