Background checks have always been used for some jobs, such as those that involve working with children, but now they are being used more and more by employers to check the history of all future employees.
In fact, there are a number of ways would-be employers can check up on you, and they're all perfectly legal. Here we take a look at what a potential new boss could be looking at when it comes to your history and your qualifications.
Experts Credence have broken down the different checks needed for popular careers, and what they require - as reported by Wales Online.
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Some of the checks are fairly obvious, while others may come as a shock.
DBS checks
Any employer can DBS check you before hiring you for a role. A basic DBS check looks for unspent criminal convictions, and a standard DBS check is a thorough criminal record check, including both spent and unspent criminal convictions. This is needed for the following roles:
Roles of responsibility at employer’s discretion
- Law
- Finance
- Enhanced DBS Checks
Enhanced check goes into more depth than the standard DBS, including a check of the barred list and the Adult first list, ensuring the candidate is not barred from working with vulnerable groups. This is needed to work in:
- Children’s hospitals
- Fostering
- Care industry
- Education
- Child minding/nannying
Driving Licence Checks
Driving licence or DVLA checks ensure you have a valid UK driving licence. This is necessary to work in any role in which driving is required, for example:
- Paramedics
- Vehicle driving
- Certain sales roles
- Child minding/nannying
- Driving instructor
- The army
Education and professional/technical memberships
Education checks are conducted on candidates who have applied for roles which require a certain education or membership status. They check the authenticity of the qualification and the grades achieved. This may be used for the following roles:
- Accountancy
- Higher education
- Engineering
- Veterinary science
- Medicine
- Law
Directorship Checks
The Directorship check investigates both current and past directorships along with highlighting if a candidate has held any previous disqualifications or is currently barred from being a director. This is for candidates who will have a significant influence and able to make high risk financial and strategic decisions.
Occupational Health Checks
Occupational health checks ensure you are medically up to doing the job you’re applying to do. This is required for the following roles:
- Lone workers
- Confined space workers
- Night workers
- Drivers
- Construction workers
FCA Checks
The FCA, or Financial Conduct Authority, is a regulating body which requires every financial firm and individual to be registered and checked before they can operate. If you’re looking for a role in finance, you will need to be screened by the FCA.
BPSS Checks
BPSS stands for Baseline Personnel Security Standard, and the check is meant to strengthen national security by pre-screening employees. This includes checking your right to work in the UK, your criminal records, your employment history, and whether you have ever lived abroad.
This check is a standard for the following sectors:
- Government
- Roles exposed to sensitive information
- Energy sector
- Finance sector
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