Pre-employment checks: Guide for people professionals

Organisations need to ensure that they follow pre-employment checking procedures that are both legal and ethical.   

In the UK, right to work checks are mandatory – these are covered in a dedicated guide.

There are other checks that an employer may want to – or need to – carry out. These checks are covered in this guide. The guide also addresses further points to be aware of around risk and outsourcing pre-employment checks, as well as covering the prohibited practice of "blacklisting". Users of this content should note that the rules on blacklisting are being extended through the Employment Rights Act 2025. Members should keep an eye on the tracker to monitor developments. This page will be updated when changes are in force.

Within this guide, to bring examples of a range of pre-employment checks to life, fictional examples are used. These fictional examples are from the firm 'IHR Construction Ltd'. IHR is a regional building firm providing a range of construction and specialist contractor services. Due to increased demand, the firm's HR team is launching a recruitment campaign and prioritising thorough pre-employment checks to avoid unsuitable hires.