Featured Image - What Pre-Employment Checks Do I Need? | Insight for Hiring Managers

What Pre-Employment Checks Do I Need? | Insight for Hiring Managers

Date Published: June 09, 2022 | Last Updated: January 06, 2024 | By Jessica Veal

How can pre-employment checks help Hiring Managers?

If you’re a hiring manager, pre-employment checks are likely to be a key part of the recruiting process. The various services offered within screening allow you to confirm the suitability of those applying for job roles. Different methods of screening can also be applied to those moving between roles within an organisation.

Screening can help you to:

  • Vouch for the honesty and experience of your potential employee and candidates.
  • Protect the security and integrity of your data, and systems.
  • Comply with professional standards and statutory requirements in your industry.
  • Minimise risk and prevent damage to your company’s reputation.
  • Promote a culture of honesty and integrity, between yourself as an employer and your staff.

Whether it’s with a current staff member or a job applicant, checking qualifications and other screening services are becoming increasingly important. As part of a conditional job offer or a regular contract, most organisations can seamlessly enhance their processes with work checks, ensuring they are hiring/working with the best talent.

Here, we’ll run through what screening services your business may need, depending on the business size, industry and employee job roles.

What is needed for pre-employment checks?

Background checks will always begin with an intention to confirm. Whether you want to ensure a candidate is registered with the correct industry bodies for their role, or if you want to confirm an employee’s qualifications are true, the process begins with what you need to find out.

After you’ve discovered your intention, you’ll need to select your service type. Providers will offer a plethora of choices dependent on your recruitment process requirements. These range from pay-as-you-go services, such as Vero/Go, to longer term annual contracts.

Services required depend on position.

As mentioned above by way of needing an intention to begin these checks, different services may be necessary for varying roles.

In many sectors, such as Financial Services, annual screening is required as a condition of compliance to work in the UK. Those working with financial information may be required to undergo checks relative to credit history and criminal record checks. In other industries, such as the Care sector or those looking after vulnerable groups, it may be vital to conduct criminal record checks of new employees.

Background checks vary per industry.

Similar to checks varying per position, checks also vary per industry. Many, such as Financial Services, have industry standards that they must stay compliant with. This can include annually re-screening staff to ensure teams are fit and proper within their field.

If you are a hiring manager within a financial organisation, you’ll be familiar with the SMCR, for example. The Senior Managers & Certification Regime (SMCR) is a regulatory framework for the conduct and responsibility of key personnel. It is an FCA/PRA regulation concerning governance. Services to support the SMCR include financial integrity (credit) checks, ID document checks, adverse media searches, highest education checks, and more.

Screening services can depend on your business size.

Large business screening

For businesses screening over 100 employees per year, right up to enterprise-sized companies, we offer a comprehensive service as an extension of your HR function. By outsourcing pre employment checks to us, your HR team can be confident your pre-employment screening checks and reference checks will be completed quickly, run smoothly and meet the necessary professional and regulatory standards/compliance.

Our specialists will ensure the full screening, pre-employment vetting, recruitment and onboarding process is rigorous but, at the same time adheres to local data protection laws and respects cultural norms.

Our implementation team will work with your business to integrate our proprietary technology with your broader recruitment/hiring process – giving you access to an industry-leading candidate background screening solution.

Small business screening

If you’re a smaller business looking to conduct an ad hoc basic criminal record check, or other essential pre employment checks as part of your hiring process, take a look at Vero/Go.

Vero/Go has been designed for UK businesses wishing to process background checks on their new employees without lengthy sign-up processes or contracts. The service offers up front pay-as-you-go screening services with a suite of screening bundles across many business sectors, taking into consideration any specific industry needs. Whether you’re exploring personal or financial information, these small business and SME pre employment checks offer a range of bundles, based on your industry and requirements.

What checks can employers make on job applicants?

As one of the UK’s leading independent screening providers, we offer a comprehensive range of pre employment screening services and background checks:

  • DBS – Disclosure and Barring Service
  • UK Electoral Roll Check
  • UK Credit Check
  • International Financial Integrity Check
  • UK Directorship Check
  • ID Document Check
  • Compliance Database Check
  • Adverse Media Searches
  • DVLA Check
  • International Directorship Search
  • Regulatory Body Checks
  • UK and International Criminal Record Checks
  • Employment History and References (HR or equivalent)
  • Gap Analysis and Resolution
  • Education Verification
  • Professional Qualifications and Memberships
  • CV Comparison

We also offer international background checks:

  • International Criminal Record Checks.
  • Global Financial Integrity and Credit Checks.
  • Local Employment History References & CV Verification.
  • In-country Education / Professional Qualification Checks.
  • Global Compliance and Sanctions Checks.
  • Global Media Searches.
  • Electronic ID Document Checks.

Taking the next step with pre employment checks and employee screening.

Click here to find out more about our small business employment screening services.

If you need to process more than 100 candidates per year, take a look at our general services, here.

If you’d like to talk through your requirements in more detail, please do get in touch: intouch@veroscreening.com