7 Essential Background Checks for Employers

Pre-Employment Checks: the critical last step to successful offers .

Ensure you maintain diligence and focus on the recruitment process to the END and don’t slip up just before the finish line. It’s a costly mistake.

It is essential for employers to verify information supplied by candidates on their resumes and applications. If you are an employer considering making a permanent or temporary job offer, it is recommended that you carry out a number of pre-employment checks before extending that offer to the successful candidate. These checks should confirm that your interview process has produced a good result, and could also highlight improvement areas for you to be aware of to assist the successful candidate during their probationary period and ultimately succeeding in the role.

Consider including these seven pre-employment checks to your recruiting / onboarding process – depending on the level of the role within your organisation:

Criminal Background Check: A Certificate of Character from your local police station is a standard requirement for positions ranging from entry-level to senior roles. This document, issued by the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service, confirms that the candidate has no previous criminal convictions.
Employment Verification: Verify the job titles, dates of employment, and other details listed on the candidate’s resume by contacting their former employers.
Qualification Verification: Confirm a candidate’s academic qualifications by requesting original certificates and, if necessary, contacting the relevant institutions. Most university registrars can provide attendance dates, graduation details, and degree grades upon request, although written permission from the candidate may be required.
Skills and Personality Assessments: For senior positions, administer assessments to determine whether applicants possess the necessary skills and personality traits to excel in their roles. Emotional intelligence, self-awareness, and emotional reasoning are crucial for effective leadership and team motivation. Consider using Psychometric Assessments such as Myers Briggs, DISC, or 16PF.
Reference Checks: Obtain authentic and unbiased references from the candidate’s recent line managers, who evaluated their performance. An unofficial, “off-the-cuff” reference may be more easily obtained by contacting the manager without the candidate’s permission.
Health Assessment: Request a medical report if necessary for the role on prospective employees to ensure that no health issues will affect their ability to perform the job.
Social Media Evaluation: Analyze potential candidates’ social media accounts to uncover their true character, which may be hidden behind a professionally crafted resume and cover letter. A candidate’s social media profile can also provide insights into their communication skills, expertise, professional experience, and educated opinions.

Avoid the costly mistake of neglecting these checks, which can lead to the time-consuming and expensive consequences of hiring an unsuitable candidate.

Progressive Recruitment Specialist and JobsTT.com routinely performs these final checks for clients, utilizing our extensive network, templates, and assessment tools to support all of them. One of our satisfied clients TEXTEL Credit Union has just had us do these for their recent General Manager search.

Contact Us for HR & Recruitment Support

If your HR team or business model requires additional HR or recruitment support, reach out to our team at info@jobstt.com or info@progressivett.com. We’re here to help you with all your recruitment needs. Call us at (868) 384-2367 today.