Guidance

Sifting job applications (vX)

Guidance for vacancy holders sifting applications and entering results using the vX Civil Service Jobs system.

• From: Civil Service Resourcing
• Published: 15 July 2019
• Last updated: 15 January 2021 — See all updates

Once you have a candidate list, you will need to review their applications and enter all sift evaluations.

You can either enter results directly into the system, or use a spreadsheet and upload results together.

To enter evaluations directly:

Finding candidates

1. From the Dashboard, select Sift Applications.
2. If you have multiple vacancies to sift, you can filter them by Vacancy ID, or Vacancy Title to show candidates for one vacancy.
3. Choose your first candidate, and select any link in their row - these will take you to their Application Summary page.

Reviewing applications

1. Select the Complete Sift Evaluation button.
2. In the form, select Compare Another Form.
3. There may be different form options, depending on how the vacancy was set up. You will need either Full Application Form or First Stage Short Form.
4. The selected form will display alongside the evaluation form.

Downloading or printing applications

You can download and print applications to read offline:

1. Go to your vacancy and select the Applications tab.
2. From the table, select the status to download - to see all candidates, select Total.
3. You can change the standard page display from 25 rows to 100 for large lists.
4. To select all candidates, use the Selected dropdown above the table, then Select All.
5. If you want to choose candidates from the list, select their row to highlight them.
6. From the menu bar, select Print, then Print Selected Applications.
7. Select PDF, then Submit.
8. The selected applications should download as a printable PDF.

Entering evaluations

Any Behaviour or Technical scores entered can be seen by the candidate.

Anything you enter in General Comments can be seen by the candidate.

If this is the final assessment stage, refer to your departmental policy for whether to include any General Comments.

1. Select the Complete Sift Evaluation button.
2. Enter the scores or outcomes - you must complete all mandatory questions marked with an asterisk (*).
3. If you are not scoring candidates at this point, enter 0 - Not assessed.
4. Submit to save.

You can move between candidates in your list using » or «, or go Back to List to view them all.

After submitting the evaluation form, candidate status will change to ‘Sift Evaluation - Feedback Captured (Not Issued)’.

Reviewing sift results

Reviewing all sift scores

1. Go to your vacancy, then select the Applications tab.
2. Select the status Sift Evaluation - Feedback Captured (Not Issued).
3. In the dropdown next to the cog, change the table layout to 04 > Recruiter > Sift feedback.

Candidates and their scores will be listed, so you can check they are correct.

Downloading scores as a spreadsheet

You can download a score list in spreadsheet format:

1. Go to the application list.
2. In the dropdown next to the cog, change the table layout to 04 > Recruiter > Sift feedback.
3. In the menu bar, select Download Layout.
4. You can either Download All, or highlight specific rows and Download Selected Rows.
5. Selected rows will download as an Excel (.xlsx) file.

Making corrections

You can make corrections by editing individual candidates:

1. Go to the candidate’s application summary.
2. Select the Application Forms tab.
3. Select Sift Evaluation form, then the Edit button on the form.
4. Make changes, then Submit.

Issuing results to candidates

Only Vacancy Holder 2 users can issue sift results to candidates. If you are Vacancy Holder 1, a recruiter can issue results for you.

For Vacancy Holder 2 users, once results are entered and checked, you must issue them so they are visible to candidates. You can do this for groups of candidates, or individuals.

There are three outcomes:

• Unsuccessful - candidates are automatically emailed, and move to ‘Rejected after Sift’ status.
• Hold - candidates are not emailed, and move to ‘On hold after sift’ status.
• Progress - candidates are emailed, and move to ‘Selected for Interview 1’ status.

Issuing feedback to multiple candidates

To issue feedback to all candidates:

1. Go to the vacancy, then select the Applications tab.
2. Select the Sift Evaluation - Feedback Captured (Not Issued) link to see a candidate list.
3. To select all candidates, use the Selected dropdown above the table, then Select All.
4. From the menu bar, select the Status dropdown, then Progress Application.
5. Check the correct rows are showing, then select Confirm.

Candidates should now be able to see sift scores and feedback in their application centre.

Issuing feedback to individual candidates

To issue feedback to a single candidate:

1. Go to the candidate’s application summary.
2. Check their status is ‘Sift Evaluation - Feedback Captured (Not Issued)’.
3. Select Progress.

The candidate will move to the status from their sift evaluation form.

Help and support

Contact your recruitment team if you need help using the system.

Published 15 July 2019
Last updated 15 January 2021 + show all updates

1. 15 January 2021

   Added link to guidance on uploading sift or interview results in bulk.

2. 15 July 2019

   First published.