A practical method for choosing background checks from the duties of the job, with worked examples for operational, customer-facing, finance, and regulated roles.
A useful screening policy can start on one page. For each role, record what the person can access, which claims must be true on day one, and which incident would create a serious business problem. Those answers tell you what to verify.
Starting with a package name is tempting, but it leaves the reason for each check unstated. Starting with the job gives HR a scope that can be applied consistently and explained to the candidate.
Use the job description and answer these questions:
Keep the answers beside the job description. They become the reason for the scope and the standard for future candidates in that role.
Identity verification comes first because every later result must belong to the right person. A criminal record check searches for reportable convictions. Those two checks make up QSR's Basic package, which starts at $29.99 CAD and has an instant listed turnaround.
Standard adds employment verification, education verification, and a specialist-reviewed adverse media search. Its current listed turnaround is as fast as one business day, although an employer or school can take longer to answer.
Premium is built for positions with financial, driving, regulatory, leadership, or other high-trust duties. It includes the Standard checks and adds an enhanced criminal search, an employment-permissible credit-file review where applicable, public-record financial findings, credit-bureau identity and address corroboration, a driver's abstract, and reviewed public social media screening. Its current listed turnaround is as fast as two business days.
Some jobs need one fact that is outside the package. A regulated hire may need a professional licence confirmed with the regulator. A hiring manager may want a structured reference conversation. An applicant who lived abroad may need an international criminal record check through the relevant country's official channel. Each is available as an individual check.
These examples are starting points. The job description remains the record of why a check belongs. If a controller never touches funds, the credit question may change. If a warehouse role includes a company vehicle, the driver's abstract belongs in the scope.
The candidate should see the specific checks before any search begins. QSR records signed consent against the order, and sensitive checks carry their own authorization requirements. An employment-purpose credit inquiry never includes a credit score and does not affect the person's credit score.
Clear notice also gives the candidate a chance to correct the history they submitted. A former employer may have used a different title, or a school record may sit under a previous name. Fixing that detail at the start saves time when the source responds.
You can read the exact consent process on the screening consent page.
Store the approved scope with the job description and record the date it was reviewed. When the job changes, review the scope. When the job stays the same, use the same scope and decision criteria for every finalist.
That simple record helps an HR manager answer the questions that come later: why a check was ordered, what the candidate authorized, and how the result related to the work. If you want help matching a specific position to the current catalogue, send the role to a screening specialist.
Tell us what you need to verify and get a screening plan from a specialist.
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