Background checks: what they include and when to use them

A background and reliability study collects and cross-checks information to support a decision about a person. It may be useful during recruitment or when an organisation needs to clarify information relevant to an engagement. Its value depends on whether the checks address a specific question and whether the findings are considered in context.

Requesting every available check by default is rarely a helpful starting point. First establish what the organisation needs to know, why it matters and how the findings will be used. A study contributes information to a decision. It cannot guarantee someone’s future conduct or remove every risk associated with hiring or engaging a person.

Define the objective before collecting information

The initial discussion should describe the pending decision. Checking an employment reference is different from examining an inconsistency in information supplied by a candidate. These questions may require different sources and activities, even when they arise within the same recruitment process.

A written scope helps organise expectations. It can identify the matters to be checked, available materials, intended report recipients and questions outside the engagement. It also helps explain to the recruitment team which conclusions the study can support and which would require additional information.

Questions that help define the scope

• Which information is relevant to the responsibilities of the role?
• Which detail needs corroboration, and where did it come from?
• Does the question concern dates, responsibilities, references or another defined issue?
• Who will review the findings before making the decision?

These questions help prevent a focused study from becoming a general search for personal information unrelated to the organisation’s needs. They also provide a reference point when deciding whether an additional activity would contribute to the original objective.

What checks can be included?

GTi Risk’s reliability services include background verification, employment reference checks, home visits and pre-employment or incident-related polygraph testing. The combination depends on the objective. The availability of these activities does not mean every study should include all of them.

Background verification

Background research seeks to cross-check information relevant to the agreed scope. Before interpreting a match, establish whose information it is and understand its context. A similar name or incomplete reference is insufficient to attribute a record to a particular person.

It is also useful to distinguish finding no record from establishing that an event never occurred. The report should reflect what could actually be consulted and verified, alongside source limitations. Missing information should not be turned into a broader claim than the available material supports.

Employment references

Employment references help check a person’s work history. To prepare, organise the dates, responsibilities and contacts provided. Differences may have several explanations: a change in a company’s legal name, an approximate date or a reference who knows only part of the employment period.

An initial discrepancy therefore needs review before becoming a conclusion. It also matters whether a source knows something directly or is sharing an opinion or information received from someone else. The report should allow the reader to recognise this distinction when considering the findings.

Home visits

A home visit is one activity available within the service. Its inclusion should respond to the agreed objective and an understandable scope. Discuss in advance what the visit is intended to document and how that relates to the pending decision.

The appearance of a home does not, by itself, establish a person’s reliability. Any information gathered needs context and should remain limited to relevant matters. Avoid using a home visit as a substitute for selection criteria connected to the responsibilities of the role.

Pre-employment or incident-related polygraph testing

Polygraph testing can form part of a reliability study. Pre-employment testing relates to a proposed engagement, while incident-related testing addresses a defined event. In either situation, discuss the scope with the team responsible for the assessment.

An evaluation should be read alongside the other checks and case information. It should not replace an investigation or be presented as a guarantee about future decisions. Where sources differ, explain the discrepancy and assess whether further work would help clarify it.

Personal information and confidentiality

Law 1581 of 2012 establishes Colombia’s general personal data protection framework and relates to habeas data rights. The organisation should review information handling and any applicable authorisations with its data protection lead or legal adviser.

In practical terms, agree on the purpose, transfer channel and report recipients before sharing documents. Requesting relevant information and limiting its circulation helps maintain confidentiality. The study should stay focused on the defined need rather than become an indiscriminate record of a person’s private life.

How to interpret the report

A useful reading separates three categories: information that was verified, information showing discrepancies and information that could not be confirmed. Confidence levels and source limitations are part of the interpretation. A short conclusion without its supporting basis can conceal details that matter to the decision.

Before completing the process, ask what supports each finding and whether an inconsistency should be checked further. Keep the findings separate from the engagement decision. That decision also requires considering the role’s responsibilities and the organisation’s own criteria, rather than relying on a single label.

Preparing a request

Bring a description of the objective, information already supplied and the questions you need answered. GTi Risk organises its work through planning, collection, validation, reporting and support. This process provides a basis for agreeing the scope and reviewing findings without promising absolute certainty.

Explore our background checks in Colombia and request a consultation to define the checks your organisation needs.