Hiring these days involves a lot more than just finding a person who fits the necessary professional profile. Not only do you have to find someone who is a good fit for the team, but you also have to ensure that they won’t become a liability for the organization.
You can do this by performing a range of background checks, including the often mandatory criminal background check. Although performing a criminal background check might sound complicated, you can get it done online. Here’s how!
What is a Disclosure and Barring Service Check and How Does it Work?
Vetting potential employees is a process that has many layers to it. Doing a basic criminal background check is usually one of the first things employers do. These checks are done through the Disclosure and Barring Service. This helps employers all around the United Kingdom by offering various types of background checks on individuals.
Different Types of Checks
Speaking of different types of background checks, the most common ones are:
- Basic Check
- Standard Check
- Enhanced Check
Each of these offers a different type of insight into individuals whom you’re vetting. You should choose the adequate type of DBS check based on the nature of work the prospective employee will be tasked with performing in your organization. That being said, here is a short breakdown of what each of these categories offers.
Basic Check
The basic check is the most rudimentary form of background check you can run on individuals. It will include different information regarding one’s criminal past, but it won’t include convictions covered by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act.
Running the basic checks is recommended for jobs that don’t carry too much individual responsibility.
Standard Check
Performing a standard check goes deeper into an individual’s criminal background. You will gain access to information relative to both spent and unspent convictions, as well as any citations, warnings, or similar sanctions. This type of background check cross-references the available information with files stored at the Police Nation Computer, thus giving you an accurate picture of one’s past.
Performing this type of check is recommended for all positions involved with security as well as positions and individuals privy to important company information.
Enhanced Check
Lastly, there is an enhanced check that offers a slightly higher level of insight than the standard check. Performing an enhanced check on an individual will show you their complete criminal past, but also give you an insight into non-conviction information sourced from police organizations local to the person being investigated.
Performing this type of check is usually recommended for individuals tasked with sensitive work as well as individuals who will spend most of their time working with children.
Performing any of these checks will usually return results within 24 hours, while certificates often arrive several days later. Of course, the expedition of results depends on the type of check and the organization you’ve tasked with performing the check