What is pre-employment screening?
Pre-employment screening is the process of checking a job candidate’s background before officially hiring them. It can include everything from reference checks and employment history to background checks, drug testing, and verifying certifications.
The goal is to confirm that a candidate is who they say they are—and that they’re a good fit for your business. For small business owners, pre-employment screening offers peace of mind and reduces the risk of making a costly hiring mistake.
What does pre-employment screening include?
What you screen for depends on the role and your industry. Common components include:
- Reference checks: Verifying past performance and behavior with previous employers.
- Criminal background checks: Checking for any legal issues that could impact the role.
- Employment history: Confirming where the candidate has worked, and for how long.
- Education or certification verification: Making sure licenses or degrees are valid.
- Drug testing: More common in safety-sensitive industries like transportation or healthcare.
- Credit checks: Occasionally used for roles that involve handling money or sensitive financial information.
Each type of screening should be relevant to the position and applied fairly across candidates. The pre-employment screening can be built into your hiring and onboarding process, so that you don’t miss any details when hiring someone new.
Why is pre-employment screening important?
Even in small teams, every hire matters. Pre-employment screening can help you:
- Avoid bad hires that could hurt your team or brand
- Protect your customers and staff
- Maintain workplace safety
- Reduce liability and protect your business legally
- Verify that candidates are honest about their experience
Pre-employment screening isn’t just about protecting your business—it’s about building a reliable, trustworthy team from the start. When done right, it helps you make more confident hiring decisions and sets your new hires up for success.
Is pre-employment screening required by law?
In most cases, it’s optional—but certain industries may have requirements. For example:
- Healthcare and childcare may require fingerprinting and background checks
- Transportation roles may require drug testing
- Financial institutions often require credit checks
Always check federal, state, and local laws to make sure you’re following proper procedures. And if you do conduct background checks, you must follow the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), which requires:
- Getting written consent from the candidate
- Notifying them if the information impacts your hiring decision
How to run a fair and effective screening process
- Decide what to screen for based on the job responsibilities
- Inform candidates early in the process about what to expect
- Get written consent before running any background or credit checks
- Be consistent—apply the same process to all candidates for the same role
- Use reputable third-party services to conduct checks
- Review results fairly and in context
If a red flag pops up, it’s okay to ask questions or give the candidate a chance to explain. You can use hiring software and background check software to help make sure that you’re staying compliant when you perform background checks.
How Homebase helps support smart hiring
While Homebase doesn’t perform background checks directly, it makes the hiring process smoother with:
- Easy-to-use hiring tools that help you track candidates and applications
- Customizable onboarding checklists so you don’t miss critical steps like collecting consent forms
- Digital document storage for keeping screening paperwork in one place
Sign up for Homebase today to keep your hiring workflow organized, professional, and compliant.