Background check
Also called: pre-employment screening
What gets checked
Standard scope for a European SMB:
- Identity: passport or ID card.
- Right to work: visa or residency status.
- Education: degree verification when the role requires it.
- Employment history: dates and titles, sometimes salary.
Optional and role-dependent:
- Criminal record: only when the role objectively requires it (finance, working with children, security clearance).
- Credit check: rare in EU, almost never used in SMB hiring.
- Social media review: not technically a background check; do not confuse the two.
What the candidate has to agree to
In the EU, no check happens without explicit, documented, role-specific consent from the candidate. Generic consent in an application form does not cover a credit check.
Timing
After the offer, before the start date. Doing it earlier wastes money on candidates who don’t get offers and risks GDPR exposure on data you didn’t need.
Where Join fits
Background-check vendors integrate with Join so the result attaches to the candidate record without leaving the tool. See the features page.
