Hiring a new employee involves several steps: interview, reference check, criminal record check, credit check, education verification, driver's license check, and medical exam. This process can extend over several weeks. In a low unemployment context, a prolonged process risks losing quality candidates.
1. Criminal Record Check
Two criminal checks are available in Quebec:
- Provincial check: includes only Quebec provincial courts and reveals detailed information about charges, sentences, and judicial process elements.
- Pan-Canadian check: references CPIC (Canadian Police Information Centre), covers all provinces and territories but only provides confirmation of criminal declarations.
The key to success is working with a specialized firm that will advise you on the type of check to adopt based on the position to fill.
2. Reference Check
Current challenges include voicemail, unreturned calls, and companies limiting confirmations to employment duration and position.
For production positions: A questionnaire measuring over twenty criteria including work quality, autonomy, safety, teamwork, punctuality, and attendance.
For office positions: Open-ended questions about tasks, responsibilities, skills, aptitudes, areas for improvement, and interpersonal abilities.
The important thing is to adapt evaluation criteria to the position, ensure speaking with the right supervisor, and persevere for a quick response.
3. Credit Check
Credit checks are generally performed for administrative positions (accounting, credit, financing) with access to cash. They evaluate whether the candidate has good financial responsibility habits.
Two types available:
- Credit score only: matrix result classified as low, medium, good, very good, or excellent.
- Complete check: summarizes all of the candidate's credit habits, creditors, loans, repayment habits, bankruptcies, and collection requests.
Credit checks should be performed for all positions with access to the company's financial resources to limit potential fraud risks.
4. Education Confirmation
This check validates whether the candidate obtained the declared degree. It is not uncommon for a candidate to claim to have completed a program when in reality, they are missing a few courses. Diploma copies can be easily falsified.
Education confirmation is an essential step when recruiting for a position that requires a specific degree.
5. Pre-Employment Medical Exam
Generally performed by a physician to verify if the candidate has medical issues and is fit for the desired position. Available tests include medical exam, functional capacity evaluation, visual evaluation, and drug screening.
The report will state whether the candidate is compatible with the position's requirements and may highlight any anomalies found during the exam.
The pre-employment medical exam is generally the last step in the pre-employment process and is important as it helps prevent workplace accidents.
