It’s a bit of a trick question, though many ask it, but the answer most of the time. In Canada a criminal record check is used in the hiring process in a wide range of organizations and especially when the candidate will be in placed in a position of trust: dealing with money, product and/or the public.

Many regulated professions are regulated and mandate/require a criminal background check. Some examples include teachers and childcare workers, nurses and healthcare aids, real estate professionals, security professionals etc. Regulation is usually provincial. If you plan to work in one of these professions more consideration is needed when obtaining your criminal record check because you will want to validate:

  • the type of criminal record check they require and;
  • accepted background check providers.

Anytime you work in a regulated field you should validate the above two items to avoid purchasing the wrong type of criminal record check.

This topic is especially timely because with winter sport season upon us. Students, hospitality workers, coaches, support staff and a host of other professionals will be recruited by organizations to support busy winter Canadian tourism and sport season. These organizations will traditionally require a criminal record check whether you are looking for employment or volunteer opportunities. Criminal record checks are standard in these industries.

Recruitment in these industries is fast. Organizations have a very short period of time to staff for the season. The more prepared you are going in, the increased likelihood of you landing the job.

You want to make it easier to get hired, not harder.

The more your employer has to do to verify your information, the longer and more arduous it is for them to get you on board. Being most prepared means having things like employment references, personal references and yes, your criminal record check to provide on demand. This is especially important in busy hiring seasons like the start of winter but actually is quite relevant to anyone looking for work.

Thanks to technology it is a lot easier to get your criminal background check today then it was years ago. The entire process is available online. You can obtain a check online using the Triton’s secure online background check portal at www.tritoncanada.ca. You follow a simple application, provide payment online and your background check is available in under 15 minutes.

So, the answer to the question when a criminal record check is needed for a job is simple: always anticipate you will be required to provide one and consider even being prepared to have one ready and on-hand.

For more information about criminal record checks please visit www.tritoncanada.ca/criminal-record-checks.