Department for Culture Media and Sport
2. second stage
The Assessment of Candidates: Sifting (Upper and Lower Tier Appointments)
Once applications have closed we carry out a sift of candidates, using a scale of A to D, where:
A = meets criterion to an exceptional degree
B = meets criterion very well
C = meets criterion to an acceptable degree
D = does not meet the criterion
The sift, to create the short list, is carried out by a DCMS Director, an Independent Assessor and, where we are looking for members rather than a Chair, the Chair of the body or their representative. Candidates are assessed against the criteria set out the role and person specification in the way described above and the results recorded. We brief the members of the sift panel to ensure that they understand what they are required to do.
An example of a sift panel brief PDF (18kb)
Ministers see and approve short lists for all appointments, other than museums and galleries. However, they need to have an objective reason for making any changes and may only promote or demote between the long and short lists, those candidates who have been judged by the sift panel to be "above the line" i.e. meet the criteria to an acceptable degree or better. OCPA requires us to give Ministers a final choice of appointable candidates, so it is usual to shortlist between three and six people for each vacancy.
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