Pre-Employment Screening

Before hiring, verify credentials, employment history, and background integrity. Our licensed investigators catch fraudulent resumes, false references, and concealed criminal records.

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When Background Checks Matter

When Background Checks Matter

Employing someone without a pre-employment background check risks your company's credibility, assets, and safety. While most applicants are honest, today's technology makes it easy to fabricate resumes, references, and credentials. An otherwise perfect interview candidate could be hiding a criminal record, undisclosed debt, or professional misconduct.

A thorough background check protects you, your team, your customers, and vulnerable clients like children or the elderly. It's not just due diligence — it's liability protection.

  • Identity verification and address confirmation
  • Criminal record check including theft and embezzlement
  • Sex offender registry search
  • Education and employment history verification
  • Credit history and financial stability assessment
  • Professional license and credential validation
Five Questions We Answer About Your Candidate

Five Questions We Answer About Your Candidate

  • Does the person's stated identity match official records?
  • Do they have a criminal record — especially for larceny, embezzlement, or fraud?
  • Do they appear on any sex offender registry?
  • Do their claimed education and employment history check out?
  • Does their credit report raise red flags about financial responsibility?

How We Conduct Pre-Employment Screening

Discreet Investigations goes beyond database checks. We have a network of courthouse researchers across the country who pull current, accurate records directly from official sources — not outdated digital records.

  • True identity and claimed credentials
  • Truthfulness of employment and education claims
  • Financial history and credit standing
  • Background beyond public databases

Every file is overseen by owner and licensed PI James Glanville. All work is conducted confidentially and documented professionally.

How We Conduct Pre-Employment Screening

Why Courthouse Sources Beat Databases

Most investigators rely on third-party databases. Those records are often outdated, incomplete, or inaccurate. We go to the source — courthouse records, registry lookups, and official documents. Our researchers across Canada provide the exact, current information you need to make an informed hiring decision with confidence.

Pre-Employment Screening FAQs

How long does a pre-employment screening take?
Most screenings complete within 5–10 business days. Urgent requests can be prioritized; contact us for availability.

Are pre-employment background checks legal?
Yes, in Ontario and across Canada. Employers are entitled to conduct due diligence. We follow all privacy laws and deliver reports suitable for HR and legal review.

What if we find something concerning?
We deliver a factual, signed report. How you interpret findings is your decision. Some concerns may warrant deeper investigation or clarification directly with the candidate.

Is this information confidential?
Absolutely. All reports are delivered securely and treated as confidential business records. Only authorized personnel should access them.

What does a pre-employment background check include?
A standard check covers identity verification, criminal record, sex-offender registry, education and credential verification, employment history, professional licensing, and credit history (where role-justified). Higher-trust roles add reference interviews, social-media review, and character checks. Scope is tailored to the role — we don't run unnecessary checks.

Do I need the candidate's consent to run a background check in Ontario?
Yes. Under PIPEDA and Ontario privacy law, you need the candidate's written consent before collecting personal information for a background check. We provide compliant consent forms, handle data securely, and dispose of information after the engagement per privacy requirements. The consent process protects both you and the candidate.

Are database-only background checks reliable?
Often no. Database aggregators are frequently outdated, incomplete, or contain mismatches. Court records sit in courthouses and registry offices, not in a single database. We pull current records directly from courthouses across Canada through our researcher network — slower than a database query, but accurate and current.

Can you verify international education or work history?
Yes. We verify foreign degrees, professional credentials, and overseas employment through direct contact with institutions, regulators, and registrars in the candidate's home jurisdiction. Verification timelines vary by country (some respond in days, some in weeks); we set expectations during scoping.

Can you check if a candidate is on a sex-offender registry?
Yes. We search Canadian and U.S. sex-offender registries plus criminal-record sources. For roles involving children, vulnerable adults, or in-home access, this is a standard component of the screening package, not an upgrade.

Should I screen current employees, not just new hires?
Yes — particularly before promotions to financial, executive, or trust-sensitive roles, and after any concerning incident. Periodic re-screening of staff handling money, sensitive data, or vulnerable clients is standard practice in regulated industries and is increasingly recommended for any organization concerned about insider risk.

What roles benefit most from a deeper background check?
Anyone with financial authority, fiduciary duty, access to vulnerable populations, executive responsibility, IP exposure, or unsupervised in-home access. The cost of a bad hire in these roles — fraud loss, reputational damage, regulatory exposure, civil liability — vastly exceeds the cost of a thorough screen.
Contact

Contact Information

Investigation Hotline
+1 (888) 680-0036
CONFIDENTIALITY GUARANTEED
  • Licensed
  • Insured
  • Bonded

We respond to every enquiry the same day — usually within the hour during business hours. For urgent matters, call the hotline directly — someone is on-call 24/7.

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