In order to meet Civil Service Commissioners' and legislative requirements those conducting the sift must must:

• Apply the principles of open and fair competition and selection on merit
• Consider all applicants, including any existing Prison Service candidates, against the same criteria which must be relevant to the job
• Only sift out disabled candidates applying under the Guaranteed Interview Scheme (GIS) against stipulated minimum criteria

A sift must be conducted to ensure candidates meet the minimum eligibility requirements for entry to the Prison Service and the specific post applied for. These are that the applicant:

• has completed and signed the relevant application form including the declaration confirming they do not belong to an organisation that the Prison Service considers to be racist
• has had their application form countersigned by an acceptable individual in order for an enhanced check to be completed.
• meets the nationality, immigration and residency requirements
• is not an undischarged bankrupt
• meets any specified nationally agreed minimum entry requirements for the post or any specific qualifications required in the advert for the job
• for prison officer posts meets the stipulated age, eyesight and mobility requirements for the job
• has provided, where requested, a list of any previous criminal convictions which must be checked in accordance with the Prison Service policy on employing people with criminal convictions.

Where necessary additional sifting of applicants may take place to reduce in a fair, objective and economical way the number of candidates to manageable level. In all circumstances the sift panel must consist of at least two competent, suitable people who must be at least first-line managers who will participate in the interview/assessment centre and a record must be maintained recording the reason for the decision reached. Where candidates have been asked to provide evidence of their competencies for the job these can be rated using the model sift rating form. Guidance on the use of the form is available here.

Once the sift has been completed

• A record of selection criteria and reasons for selection/non-selection of each candidate must be kept for audit purposes;
• Candidates should be informed as quickly as possible of the outcome of sift: -
• Unsuccessful candidates should normally be given the reasons for non-selection
• Successful candidates invited to the next stage should:-
• be informed whether they will be re-imbursed their interview/assessment centre expenses
• be sent a health declaration for completion and told to bring it to their interview/assessment in a sealed envelope marked with their name
• may be asked to bring to interview/assessment centre confirmation of their identity and proof of their current address so that an enhanced check can be undertaken
• where applying for a post requiring specific qualifications be asked to bring the original certificates for verification and checking. Applicants for nursing posts must be asked to bring bring their personal identification number (PIN) card to interview and applicants for medical officer posts must be asked to bring their Certificate of Registration with the GMC