Guest Contribution by James Daniels
As an employer, you may want to make sure you’re making the correct hire for your tech business. Whether it’s a small family-run brand or a larger company with several outlets, you don’t want to make costly mistakes by hiring someone who is unsuitable for your organization.
What you can do is perform identity checks, or an enhanced DBS check, on your potential recruits so you can verify they are who they say they are, and find out any details about their past that may affect you and your business. Here’s some information on what checks you may wish to carry out when working in the tech industry, and what you should do next.
How can I do a DBS check online?
First, you should get written permission from the potential employee before you try to undertake a DBS or CRB check. Once you have this, then you can carry out the DBS check online – however, you are best to use the results from a reputable agency to do this, such as uCheck background checks. You can use the results of your enhanced DBS check as part of your decision-making process.
If you do carry out background checks on candidates, then make sure you have a consistent policy to follow. You may want to get legal advice, as checks can uncover sensitive information. Also, give your candidate a chance to clear up any mistakes or misunderstandings, in case the details you receive are incorrect.
What CRB checks can I make?
There are a number of areas for which you can get a check done on your potential employee. One that many tech businesses wish to do is criminal records. These should be proportionate and relevant to the role and comply with any regulations about it. An employer can ask about someone’s criminal record, but legislation may limit the extent they may base their decisions on such information. Spent convictions should not be requested.
You may have had a credit check carried out for you. However – as with criminal record checks – these should be in proportion to the role for which the candidate is applying. So this would be necessary for someone looking to work as an accountant, who would be in charge and managing your finances, for example, but not someone who has applied for the role of consultant or UX designer that has no financial responsibility.
Employers also have an obligation to check that their candidate has the right to work in the country. This should be applied to all applicants, regardless of race, nationality, or ethnic origin, to avoid discrimination claims. You shouldn’t assume someone has the right to work, and you should keep records of these checks.
Many brands will want to verify your employment history as well. Some employers will provide detailed information, while others won’t – this will depend on the organization, though. However, many have a policy of not sharing details on job performance. Companies are legally prohibited from saying anything about you that isn’t true.
There are numerous other checks you may wish to carry out as an employer, such as education and other credentials, driving license information, public safety verifications, and even social media. Carrying out such checks may be beneficial to your business, such as creating a child safeguarding policy, so consider them carefully.
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