Hiring a new team member can be fun but can come with challenges. A candidate might look perfect on paper, but how can you be sure? A pre-employment background check in Canada can confirm that your new hires are really as impressive as they seem.

Think of it as a little "peace of mind insurance." A thorough background check covers the essentials, from confirming qualifications to understanding a candidate’s character. 

Keep reading to learn how to eliminate your hiring stress. We break down five essential elements of background screening in Canada so you can expect accurate, efficient, and compliant results.

Element #1: Criminal Record Check in Canada

Confirming a clean criminal record is a must when hiring for sensitive roles — like finance, childcare, or healthcare — but it can also be a bit of a hassle. Between privacy laws and consent requirements, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. 

Hire Performance simplifies things with fast, fully compliant checks through trusted national databases like the RCMP; we get the information you need without the headache.

Canadianbackground checks must follow federal, provincial, and territorial privacy laws, including the Canadian Human Rights Act and the Privacy Act. These laws protect candidates by requiring written consent and regulating how employers use personal information.

Consider a growing fintech company that requires dozens of monthly background checks for its financial analysts. Hire Performance’s quick, accurate, and secure criminal record checks let them hire with confidence — without the stress of compliance.

Here’s a quick breakdown of the three types of criminal record checks you might need:

• Criminal Record Check (CRC): A basic check that shows convictions and pardons.
• Police Information Check (PIC): A more detailed check covering outstanding charges, peace bonds, restraining orders, probation, and other relevant legal info.
• Vulnerable Sector Check (VSC): For roles involving vulnerable populations, this includes all CRC and PIC details, plus pardoned violent and sexual offences.

Element #2: Employment Verification

Ever hired someone who claimed “five years of management experience” only to discover it was more like five months? Employment verification can save you from these unpleasant surprises. This process confirms your candidate’s job history, verifying that the details on their resume are spot-on. 

Let’s say you’re bringing on a new project manager, someone you expect to lead teams, juggle budgets, and hit those all-important deadlines. You want to ensure their resume isn’t just an impressive story. Hire Performance makes it easy to get the facts straight. We contact former employers to verify key details, allowing you to focus on the candidate's true fit for the role rather than second-guessing what’s on their application.

Here are some added benefits of employment verification:

• Streamlined hiring: Employment verification speeds things up, helping you make quick, informed hiring decisions without the back-and-forth.
• Reduced turnover: By confirming that candidates have the experience they claim, you reduce the risk of hiring someone unprepared for the role, cutting down on costly turnover.
• Improved team dynamics: Bringing in someone with genuine experience means fewer disruptions and smoother integration into your team.
• Protection against liability: Verified employment histories reduce the risk of misrepresentation, protecting your company’s reputation and legal standing.

Element #3: Document and Education Verification

Verifying a candidate’s Social Insurance Number (SIN) confirms their eligibility to work in Canada and protects against identity theft — a growing issue as more of our hiring processes move online. 

You can’t just take a resume at face value when roles require qualifications or certifications. Document and education verification ensures you bring on genuinely qualified candidates for the job. 

Hire Performance makes this easy by contacting educational institutions to confirm dates of attendance, degrees, and certifications your candidate claims to have. No shortcuts, just facts.

Imagine you’re a law firm looking to hire legal clerks. These roles require accredited certifications, and hiring someone without the necessary credentials could lead to costly mistakes. By using Hire Performance’s education verification service, you can quickly confirm qualifications, ensuring your hires are ready to succeed.

Here’s how education verification benefits your business:

• Prevents expensive hiring mistakes: Avoid the repercussions of hiring someone based on inaccurate credentials, which could leave you with poor job performance, errors, or even compliance issues.
• Protects company reputation: When clients and partners know your team is well-qualified, it reinforces your credibility and builds trust in your services.
• Saves time on verification: Instead of spending hours tracking down institutions, Hire Performance handles the heavy lifting so you can focus on other aspects of hiring.
• Reduces onboarding risks: Confirming certifications ensures new hires are fully prepared, reducing the chances of skill gaps or costly errors later on.

Element #4: Reference Checks

References go beyond the resume, giving a clear snapshot of a candidate’s work ethic, character, and interpersonal skills. A solid reference check often shows how candidates handle pressure and tackles responsibility. These are valuable insights that you might never get from an interview alone. 

Hire Performance doesn’t ask generic questions; we tailor our reference checks to dig deep into the qualities that matter most for each role. Consider a non-profit organization hiring a compassionate, organized program manager. Beyond skills, they need someone who builds genuine relationships with stakeholders and connects wholeheartedly with the community. 

Hire Performance’s customized reference checks provide insights into how candidates have navigated past relationships, empowering the organization to choose someone who can lead a team successfully and make a lasting impact.

Here’s how reference checks can make a difference:

• Enhances team dynamics: Reference checks tell you how well a candidate collaborates with others, helping you build a positive work environment.
• Gives context to skills: It’s one thing to list skills on a resume; it’s another to hear real-world examples of how a candidate has applied them. References provide that context, confirming that candidates can put their skills to practical use.
• Promotes cultural fit: Hire Performance uncovers how candidates fit your values and culture by asking tailored questions, helping you build a team in sync with your mission.
• Improves retention rates: Hiring someone who honestly fits the role and the culture enhances job satisfaction, reduces turnover, and saves you the time and expense of rehiring.

Element #5: Credit Checks 

Credit checks gauge how reliable and trustworthy candidates are when hiring for roles with financial responsibilities. By reviewing an applicant's credit history, you learn about their financial habits and responsibility — qualities that are often crucial in the banking, accounting, insurance, and investment industries.

Let’s say you’re a retail chain hiring regional managers to oversee significant inventory and manage budgets. These positions need individuals who demonstrate sound financial judgment and reliability. 

Hire Performance's credit checks tell employers whether applicants are financially responsible, helping them avoid hiring someone who might struggle with high-stakes duties. We handle the complex consent process, guaranteeing legal compliance and candidate privacy.

Here’s how credit checks can add value to your hiring process:

• Enhances financial security: By screening for financial reliability, you minimize risks in roles where handling money, budgets, or inventory is central.
• Builds trust in sensitive positions: A credit check provides extra confidence when hiring for positions that demand high integrity and ethical responsibility.
• Ensures compliance and transparency: We navigate the legal requirements, from obtaining consent to managing sensitive information, keeping the process ethical and lawful.
• Reduces risk of fraud: Knowing a candidate’s financial background can reduce the likelihood of fraud or financial mismanagement, especially in roles that directly affect your company's assets.
• Saves time and resources: Thorough credit checks help you hire financially responsible candidates who fit the role, reducing turnover and re-hiring costs.

Additional Background Screening Areas

Below are some lesser-used screening elements that can be valuable in protecting your organization, depending on your industry and role:

• Identity Verification: Confirms candidate identities using legal documents to prevent fraud, protecting organizational integrity and security.
• Professional License Verification: Verifies that candidates in regulated fields, like healthcare and engineering, hold valid credentials, ensuring compliance and reducing liability.
• Social Media Background Check: Reviews public social media for behaviour that aligns with company values and supports culture and reputation.
• Driver’s Abstracts: Screens driving records for positions involving vehicles, enhancing safety and liability management and potentially lowering insurance costs.
• Drug Screening: Helps maintain a safe, compliant workplace by identifying substance use issues, especially in safety-sensitive roles.
• International Background Check: Provides a complete history for candidates with international experience, aligning with global hiring standards.
• Civil Records Check: Examines civil litigation history, providing insight into candidates' ethical and legal responsibilities.
• National Security Search: Checks national and international watch lists to prevent hiring individuals with security risks, protect reputations, and meet regulatory needs.

Wrap Up Your Hiring with Confidence

Hiring the right team member can be a game-changer for your company — and a thorough background check helps make that happen. 

With Hire Performance’s background screening services, you can skip the guesswork and tailor your hiring process to industry requirements, improve the quality of your hires, and reduce legal risk. 

From criminal checks to reference verification, we've got you covered.

Get in Touch!