What Pre-Employment Checks Should I Complete Before Someone Starts Work?
Pre-employment checks help employers establish that someone is legally permitted, appropriately qualified and suitable to perform the role they are being recruited for.
There isn't one universal set of checks that applies to every employee. The checks required will depend on the role, the individual, the sector and any legal or regulatory requirements that apply to the organisation.
For example, recruiting an office administrator may require a very different level of due diligence from recruiting someone to work with children or vulnerable adults, drive as part of their job or perform a regulated professional role.
The important thing is to determine which checks are appropriate before the person starts, complete them properly and identify anything that will need monitoring after employment begins.
Start With the Role
Before requesting checks, consider what the person will actually be doing.
Depending on the position, your pre-employment checks could include:
- identity verification
- right to work
- DBS checks at the appropriate level where the role is eligible
- Children's or Adults' Barred List checks where legally eligible and appropriate
- overseas criminal-record information where relevant
- employment history
- references and verification of those references
- qualifications and certificates
- professional registrations
- driving licence and driving entitlement
- other safeguarding, regulatory or role-specific checks
The objective isn't to carry out every possible check on every candidate. Checks should be lawful, relevant and proportionate to the role, with any specific statutory or regulatory requirements also taken into account.
Check the Candidate's Identity
Identity verification is an important foundation for other recruitment checks.
You need reasonable confidence that the individual being recruited is the person they claim to be and that the information and documentation provided relates to that person.
Names, dates and other identifying information should be checked for consistency. If something doesn't match, establish why rather than simply overlooking the discrepancy.
There may be a perfectly legitimate explanation, such as a change of name, but it should be understood and appropriately evidenced.
Complete the Appropriate Right to Work Check
Employers must establish that a prospective employee has the right to work in the UK before employing them.
The appropriate method depends on the individual's circumstances and can include a Home Office online right to work check, an appropriate manual document check or an eligible digital identity verification process.
It is important to follow the prescribed process correctly and retain the required evidence of the check.
Right to work also shouldn't automatically disappear from your compliance process once somebody starts employment.
Where an individual has time-limited permission to work, an appropriate follow-up check may be required before that permission expires if their employment is continuing.
This is why simply recording “Right to Work: Complete” isn't always enough. You also need to know whether the person's status requires further action later.
Establish Whether a DBS Check Is Appropriate
A Disclosure and Barring Service check may be appropriate or required for certain roles.
The level of check available depends on the position. Employers cannot simply request an Enhanced DBS check because they would prefer more information. Eligibility for Standard and Enhanced checks is determined by law.
Depending on the role and legal eligibility, the appropriate check could include:
- Basic DBS
- Standard DBS
- Enhanced DBS
- Enhanced DBS with the relevant Children's and/or Adults' Barred List check
Employers should establish the appropriate level before requesting the check.
Where a DBS certificate contains information, the existence of a criminal record does not automatically determine the recruitment outcome. The employer may need to consider the information in the context of the role, applicable legal requirements and the circumstances.
Remember That DBS Cannot Access Overseas Criminal Records
This is particularly important when recruiting somebody who has lived or worked outside the UK.
A DBS check cannot access criminal records held overseas.
A DBS certificate may therefore not provide a complete criminal history for somebody who has spent time living in another country.
Depending on the role and circumstances, employers should consider whether criminal-record information should also be obtained from the relevant overseas country, such as an overseas criminal-record certificate, police certificate or certificate of good conduct.
Additional requirements can apply in particular regulated sectors, including some education and healthcare settings.
For safeguarding roles especially, employers should avoid assuming that:
“The DBS is clear, therefore the person's entire history has been checked.”
If somebody has lived or worked overseas, establish what additional checks are appropriate for that appointment.
References Should Be Verified, Not Just Collected
Receiving a reference doesn't necessarily mean you have completed the reference-checking process.
A document or email may appear genuine while having come from a personal email address, somebody who wasn't authorised to provide it or, in the worst case, somebody connected to the candidate rather than the employer they claim to represent.
Where appropriate, employers should take reasonable steps to establish that the reference is genuine.
This can include independently obtaining contact details for the previous employer or organisation and contacting them to verify the reference, rather than relying solely on the telephone number or email address supplied by the candidate.
For example, you might contact the organisation through independently sourced official contact details and ask it to confirm that the referee works or worked there, was appropriately placed to provide the reference and that the reference received genuinely came from them.
You should also consider whether:
- employment dates and job titles correspond with the candidate's application or CV
- the referee had an appropriate professional relationship with the candidate
- there are inconsistencies between the reference and other information provided
- any safeguarding or suitability information required for the role has been appropriately addressed
- anything needs clarifying before the recruitment decision is completed
This is particularly important in Early Years, care and other safer recruitment environments, where simply placing two references on a candidate's file doesn't necessarily demonstrate that meaningful due diligence was carried out.
A discrepancy doesn't automatically mean the candidate has been dishonest. There may be a perfectly reasonable explanation.
The important thing is to identify and resolve material inconsistencies before relying on the information.
Review Employment History and Explain Relevant Gaps
Depending on the role and sector, employers may also need to review the candidate's employment history and explore relevant gaps.
An employment gap isn't automatically a concern. Someone may have been studying, caring for family, travelling, unemployed or unable to work for any number of legitimate reasons.
The purpose of asking is to establish the information rather than make assumptions.
For safeguarding roles, applicable safer recruitment requirements and sector guidance should be followed when checking employment history and gaps.
Verify Qualifications and Professional Registrations
If possession of a particular qualification is necessary for the role, consider whether it should be independently verified rather than relying solely on information contained in the candidate's CV.
This can be particularly important where a qualification affects the person's legal, regulatory or professional ability to perform the work.
Where professional registration is required, check the appropriate register and consider whether any restrictions or conditions apply.
You should also determine whether the registration, licence or qualification requires renewal.
If it does, it becomes an ongoing employment compliance requirement, not simply a pre-employment check.
Check Driving Entitlement Where Driving Is Part of the Role
Where an employee will drive as part of their work, appropriate driving checks may form part of the recruitment process.
Depending on the role and circumstances, this could include checking the employee's driving licence, confirming that they are entitled to drive the relevant category of vehicle and considering other information relevant to their suitability to drive for work.
Again, don't assume that checking the licence on day one permanently resolves the issue.
Driving entitlement and licence information can change. Where driving is an important requirement of the job, employers should consider what ongoing driving licence monitoring is appropriate.
Don't Let Operational Pressure Override Safer Recruitment
A common risk appears when a business urgently needs somebody to start.
The rota has a gap. The team is under pressure. The candidate is available immediately.
Suddenly a check that should have been completed before the person undertakes particular work becomes something that will be “sorted next week”.
Where a check is legally, regulatorily or otherwise required before somebody performs particular duties, operational pressure doesn't remove that requirement.
If an offer is conditional on satisfactory pre-employment checks, make those conditions clear and ensure the necessary checks are appropriately completed before treating the appointment as unconditional.
Some Checks Need to Follow the Employee Into Employment
Pre-employment due diligence shouldn't necessarily end when the candidate becomes an employee.
Some checks establish information at a particular point in time. Others create future compliance requirements.
For example:
- time-limited right to work may require a follow-up check
- professional registrations may need renewal
- qualifications or certificates may expire
- driving requirements may require ongoing monitoring
- role or safeguarding requirements may require further checks or review
The employer therefore needs visibility not only of what has been completed, but also what needs to happen next and when.
How Can Leo Help With Pre-Employment Checks?
Leo HR brings candidate due diligence into the wider recruitment and employee journey.
Rather than managing DBS information in one place, references in somebody's inbox, right to work documents elsewhere and expiry dates on a spreadsheet, employers can maintain greater visibility of the checks associated with the candidate and employee.
Within Leo HR, this can help employers see what has been completed, what remains outstanding and which requirements may need attention after the employee starts.
Leo HR and CareCheck
Leo HR can connect with CareCheck, allowing screening activity to sit closer to the wider candidate due diligence and employment process.
This is particularly valuable for employers operating in Early Years, care and other safeguarding environments, where recruitment checks can involve several different requirements and maintaining a clear picture of candidate suitability is essential.
Instead of treating screening as a completely separate task, the aim is to make it part of a connected recruitment and compliance process.
Leo Can Help You Keep Track After Recruitment
Completing a check is only useful if the business also knows when further action is required.
Leo HR can help employers maintain visibility of ongoing requirements and send reminders where follow-up action is needed, reducing reliance on spreadsheets, diary notes or somebody remembering that an important date is approaching.
This can support areas such as right to work, DBS information, qualifications, professional requirements and driving licence monitoring, depending on the employee and role.
The aim is to move from simply storing compliance information to actively managing it.
What If a Check Raises a Concern?
Not every pre-employment check produces a simple pass or fail.
A reference might contain unexpected information. Employment dates may not match. A candidate may have lived overseas and be unable to obtain particular documentation immediately. A DBS certificate might contain information requiring careful consideration.
If you're unsure what a result means for the recruitment decision, ask Leo before acting.
Leo can help you work through the information available, identify what may need clarifying and consider the relevant factors before you make a decision.
The employer remains responsible for deciding whether the person is suitable for the role, but you don't have to work through the HR considerations alone.
Before Someone Starts, Ask Yourself
Before confirming that your pre-employment checks are complete, consider:
- Have we confirmed the person's identity?
- Have we completed and evidenced the correct right to work check?
- Is a DBS check required or appropriate, and have we requested the correct level?
- Has the person lived or worked overseas and, if so, have we considered whether additional criminal-record information is required?
- Have references been received and appropriately verified?
- Have relevant employment history and gaps been considered?
- Have required qualifications and professional registrations been verified?
- Does the role involve driving, and have the appropriate checks been completed?
- Are there any sector-specific safeguarding or regulatory requirements?
- Does anything need monitoring or checking again after the person starts?
If you can't confidently answer one of those questions, establish what is missing before simply marking the recruitment process complete.
Don't Just Collect Documents. Complete the Due Diligence.
A DBS certificate isn't a complete recruitment process.
Neither is a right to work document, two references or a copy of somebody's driving licence.
Good pre-employment due diligence means understanding what the particular role requires, completing the appropriate checks, verifying information where necessary and recognising which responsibilities continue after the employee starts.
Leo HR helps bring that process together, from candidate due diligence and CareCheck screening through to right to work, DBS, verified references, qualifications, driving licence monitoring and ongoing employee compliance.
If you're recruiting now and aren't sure which checks you should be completing, open Ask Leo and explain the role you're recruiting for. Leo can help you work through what needs considering before the person starts.