Last reviewed: September 2026
Use this pre-employment screening checklist to make sure the right candidate information, identity checks, Right to Work requirements and role-specific background checks have been considered before a new employee starts.
Not every candidate needs every background check. Your screening process should reflect the role, sector, regulatory requirements and risks involved.
Whether you’re building a new screening process or reviewing your existing one, this checklist will help you identify what needs to happen, what needs to be recorded, and where screening can be made more efficient.
Pre-employment screening checklist
A good pre-employment screening process starts before the first background check is requested.
Our pre-employment screening checklist covers the complete journey, from defining role requirements and collecting candidate information through to completing background checks, reviewing discrepancies and recording the final screening outcome.
Use the following checklist as a starting point, adapting it to the requirements of your organisation and the role you’re recruiting for.
1. Before screening begins
2. Collect candidate information
3. Complete the appropriate pre-employment checks
4. Before the candidate starts
The checklist itself is relatively simple. The challenge for employers is making sure it is applied consistently across different roles, candidates and recruitment teams. And that’s where a structured screening workflow becomes important.
How should a pre-employment screening checklist change for different job roles?
The information included in your pre-employment screening checklist will depend on the checks being completed and the requirements of the role. There isn’t one universal screening package that’s appropriate for every employee.
The checks you conduct should reflect the responsibilities of the role, the environment in which the person will work, relevant legislation and regulation, and the risks involved.
For example:
| Role | Checks employers may need to consider |
|---|---|
| Office-based employee | Right to Work, identity verification, employment history and/or references |
| Driver | Right to Work, identity verification, DVLA driving licence check, and relevant employment history |
| Care worker | Right to Work, identity verification, appropriate DBS check, employment history, references, and other role-specific requirements |
| Education worker | Right to Work, identity verification, appropriate DBS and Barred List checks where eligible, references, social media screening, and relevant qualification checks |
| Finance role | Right to Work, identity verification, employment history and relevant financial, regulatory, or sanctions screening |
| Security role | Right to Work, identity verification, appropriate criminal record checks, and relevant employment or activity history |
These are examples rather than prescribed screening packages.
Employers should assess the actual responsibilities of a position before determining which checks are appropriate. For Standard and Enhanced DBS checks in particular, the recruiting organisation is responsible for establishing whether the role is eligible and for which level of check.
Not sure which checks apply to a particular position? Read our guide to choosing the right pre-employment checks.
What information should you collect for pre-employment screening?
The information required depends on the checks being completed. Rather than collecting as much candidate information as possible, your screening workflow should determine what information is genuinely required.
Depending on the role and checks selected, this could include:
- full name and relevant previous names
- date of birth where required
- current and previous addresses
- identity information and documentation
- Right to Work information
- employment and activity history
- referee information
- education and qualification information
- driving licence details where relevant
- information required for particular regulatory or background checks
The key is to collect the right information at the right point in the screening journey.
This is particularly important because recruitment screening can involve significant amounts of personal information and require consent. Employers need to consider their obligations under UK data protection law when collecting, using, storing, and deleting candidate information.
Which checks should you include in a pre-employment screening checklist?
The appropriate checks will vary by role, but a pre-employment screening process may include the following.
Right to Work checks
UK employers have a responsibility to prevent illegal working. Carrying out the prescribed Right to Work check correctly before employment can establish a statutory excuse against liability for a civil penalty if an individual is later found not to have the right to carry out the work in question.
The appropriate checking route will depend on the candidate’s circumstances and the evidence available.
Identity verification
Identity verification helps establish that a candidate is who they claim to be and can also support other parts of the screening process.
For eligible candidates, digital identity verification can make this stage easier to manage without relying entirely on manual document processes. Employers can also integrate identity verification into wider screening workflows, helping reduce repeated data entry and create a smoother candidate journey.
EBC Global supports this through automated DBS Digital Identity Verification, allowing identity verification to form part of the DBS screening process rather than being managed as a separate manual step.
DBS and criminal record checks
A criminal record check may be appropriate depending on the role. A Basic DBS check is available for any purpose, including employment. Standard and Enhanced DBS checks are different because the position must meet the relevant eligibility criteria.
Employers should therefore establish whether a DBS check is appropriate and which level the role is eligible for before requesting it.
How you process DBS checks can also affect the efficiency of your screening workflow. EBC Global is a DBS Registered Body (RB) and Responsible Organisation (RO), allowing us to process eligible DBS applications directly rather than relying on unnecessary third-party hand-offs.
For employers managing DBS checks at scale, this can create a more direct screening journey and reduce avoidable administration before applications reach the relevant DBS processing stages.
Employment history and references
Employment history verification can help confirm information a candidate has provided about their previous employment.
Depending on your screening requirements, this may include verifying previous employers, dates of employment, positions held and identifying relevant gaps in employment or activity. References may also form part of the process where appropriate, helping employers build a clearer picture of a candidate’s employment background.
For organisations screening at volume, an employment history verification service can help reduce manual reference chasing and provide a more structured way to verify candidate employment information.
Education and qualification checks
Where qualifications or professional credentials are important to a role, employers may need to verify that the information supplied by the candidate is accurate.
The level of verification should reflect how important the qualification is to the individual’s ability or eligibility to perform the role.
DVLA driving licence checks
Where someone drives as part of their role, employers may need to verify relevant driving licence information. This can include licence status, vehicle categories, endorsements, penalty points and disqualifications.
For organisations managing multiple drivers, automated DVLA licence checks can make it easier to verify driving information and manage ongoing checks without relying on individual manual processes.
International background checks
If a candidate has lived, worked or studied overseas, employers may need to consider whether additional international screening is appropriate.
The checks available and information returned will vary between countries.
Credit, sanctions and other role-specific checks
Some roles may justify additional screening because of financial responsibilities, regulatory requirements or other risks.
This could include credit checks, international sanctions screening, Politically Exposed Person checks or other specialist screening.
These shouldn’t automatically be applied to every candidate. The employer should establish why the information is relevant to the particular position.
What if pre-employment screening identifies a discrepancy?
Not every screening result will match the information originally provided by the candidate. A good pre-employment screening checklist should also account for what happens when the information returned doesn’t match what the candidate originally provided.
For example, screening could identify:
- employment dates that don’t match the candidate’s application
- an unexplained gap in employment or activity
- identity information that requires further review
- a qualification that cannot immediately be verified
- driving licence information that differs from information supplied
- information returned through a background check that requires consideration
A discrepancy does not automatically mean a candidate should fail screening. Instead, employers should have a consistent process for identifying, reviewing and resolving information that requires further consideration. This is an area where automation can support the vetting team without replacing human judgement.
Rather than relying on someone to spot every inconsistency manually, the system can flag information that needs attention. The appropriate person can then review the discrepancy, investigate where necessary and make the relevant screening decision.
This combines automation with human oversight: the technology helps identify what needs attention, while the decision remains with the appropriate person.
Final pre-employment checks before a candidate starts
Before a candidate moves from screening into employment, it’s worth carrying out one final review.
Ask:
Have all checks that must be completed before employment been returned?
Are any checks still outstanding?
Have relevant discrepancies been reviewed?
Have results requiring further consideration been escalated appropriately?
Has the screening outcome been documented?
Is there a clear record of the checks completed?
Does anything need to be monitored or checked again during employment?
The final stage of your pre-employment screening checklist should confirm that everything required before employment has either been completed or appropriately reviewed. For organisations processing higher volumes of candidates, having one place to see the complete screening journey can make this considerably easier.
How should pre-employment screening data be managed?
Pre-employment screening can involve personal and sometimes sensitive information.
Organisations should establish clear processes around how candidate data is collected, accessed, stored, retained, and deleted.
Questions worth asking include:
- Who has access to candidate screening information?
- What information do we actually need to retain?
- How long should different screening records be kept?
- How and when is information deleted?
- Can we see when each check was completed?
- Can we demonstrate why a particular check was conducted?
- Can we produce an audit trail where required?
- Do our screening providers meet appropriate information security standards?
Data protection should form part of the screening workflow from the beginning, rather than being considered once the checks have already been completed.
Manual pre-employment screening checklist vs automated screening
A pre-employment screening checklist is a useful way to define what needs to happen. The challenge comes when recruitment teams need to repeat that checklist across tens, hundreds, or thousands of candidates.
At that point, spreadsheets, emails, reminders and separate screening systems can make it difficult to see what’s complete, what’s outstanding, and what requires someone’s attention.
That’s where a pre-employment screening checklist can become an automated vetting workflow.
| Manual screening checklist | EBC Global Pro |
|---|---|
| Decide which checks are required for each candidate | Create predefined vetting workflows based on screening requirements |
| Request candidate information manually | Send a customised and branded digital application form |
| Re-enter candidate information | Candidate data is pre-filled into relevant check sections |
| Manage checks across different processes | Initiate and manage multiple checks through one platform |
| Manually identify inconsistencies | Validations flag discrepancies that require manual review |
| Chase candidates and check progress manually | Track candidate and screening progress centrally |
| Store results and certificates separately | Results and certificates return to the candidate file |
| Manually compile the final screening record | Completed checks and certificates are consolidated into a downloadable PDF report |
Automation isn’t about removing people from the screening process. It’s about using technology to handle repetitive administration, organise information, and identify where human attention is actually required.
Turn your pre-employment screening checklist into an automated workflow
EBC Global Pro helps HR and recruitment teams manage the complete pre-employment screening journey, from candidate invitation through to the final compliance report.
Create structured vetting workflows, collect candidate information, manage multiple background checks and track progress from one platform.
Built-in validations can automatically detect discrepancies and prompt the appropriate user when something needs to be reviewed manually.
Once screening is complete, checks, and certificates are consolidated into a final downloadable PDF report, providing a clear record of the candidate’s screening journey.
Or, if you’d like to see how Pro could work with your existing recruitment process:
Pre-employment screening checklist FAQs
Start by defining screening requirements for different roles rather than deciding which checks to conduct from scratch for every candidate.
From there, automation can reduce repetitive data entry, manual chasing, fragmented systems, and administrative work.
Using providers that can process relevant checks directly can also reduce unnecessary third-party hand-offs. EBC Global, for example, is a DBS Registered Body and Responsible Organisation, allowing eligible DBS applications to be processed directly through EBC Global Pro.
Yes. Many administrative stages can be automated or brought into a structured workflow.
EBC Global Pro can manage candidate invitations, data collection, predefined screening workflows, multiple background checks, progress tracking and completed results in one platform.
Validations can also flag discrepancies for manual review, helping the vetting team focus its attention where human input is actually required.
There isn’t one universal turnaround time because different checks have different processes and dependencies.
Turnaround can also be affected by candidate information, previous employers, government bodies, police forces, and overseas authorities.
For criminal record checks specifically, see our regularly updated guide to current DBS turnaround times.
A discrepancy should be reviewed rather than automatically treated as a failed check.
Employers should establish a consistent process for assessing relevant discrepancies and obtaining further information where necessary.
EBC Global Pro can use validations to identify discrepancies automatically and prompt the relevant user when manual review is required.
No.
A Basic DBS check is available for any purpose, but Standard and Enhanced checks can only be requested for eligible positions. Employers are responsible for establishing the appropriate level of check based on the role.
Yes. Screening should reflect the responsibilities, regulatory requirements and risks associated with the particular role.
Someone who drives as part of their work may require a DVLA check, for example, while an eligible position involving regulated activity may require an Enhanced DBS check with the appropriate Barred List check.
The documents and information required depend on the checks being conducted. They can include identity and Right to Work information, address history, employment history, references, qualification information and documents required for specific background checks.
Employers should collect information that is necessary for their screening requirements rather than using a blanket approach for every candidate.
Some requirements apply broadly, while others depend on the role.
UK employers have a responsibility to prevent illegal working and should carry out the appropriate Right to Work check. Other screening requirements depend on factors including the position, sector, legislation and regulatory requirements.
Standard and Enhanced DBS checks, for example, are only available where a role meets the relevant eligibility criteria.
A checklist should cover the requirements of the role, candidate information, Right to Work, identity verification and any appropriate role-specific background checks. It should also include the review of results, discrepancies, outstanding checks, data handling and the final screening decision.
The exact checklist should vary according to the role rather than applying every available background check to every candidate.
A pre-employment screening checklist is a structured list of the information, checks, reviews and decisions an employer needs to consider before a candidate starts work.
It can help recruitment and HR teams apply screening more consistently and maintain a clear record of what has been completed.
