Can DBS checks optimise the internal recruitment process for businesses?

In pretty much all industries, recruitment processes are arduous, expensive, and difficult to get right. Getting the right candidate on board can often cost into the tens of thousands of pounds, and as a result, many businesses will look for ways to optimise that process as much as possible. 

One aspect of the recruitment that’s often overlooked, or at least oversimplified, is the DBS check. Here, we explore how these checks can optimise internal recruitment processes for businesses, from their impact on filtering candidates to the way that they act as a deterrent. 

Filtering candidates

The main way that DBS checks can optimise the internal recruitment process is by filtering candidates. DBS checks, when used as part of a broader background check strategy in coordination with a service like Personnel Checks, can make it a lot easier to filter out both candidates with inappropriate criminal histories and, more generally, candidates who are prone to lying about their suitability for a role.

This decreases the chance that businesses inadvertently bring someone into their organisation who is either intent on causing disruption or will simply not be up to the job they’ve been hired to do.

Improve regulatory compliance

An important consideration when thinking about DBS checks is their positive effect on regulatory compliance. In some cases, it will be very straightforward – if the DBS check is mandatory, such as in healthcare or education, then failure to do the check will automatically leave the business in question legally liable for safeguarding failures. 

In other cases, however, it can become a little more opaque. If you have a legal duty to prove that you have taken reasonable measures to protect your workforce, in practice, that could mean that you are de facto required to use DBS checks.

Deterrence

In many cases, if a candidate who is either considering lying about experience or failing to disclose information about their criminal past knows they will have to pass a DBS check, they’ll be much less likely to apply for the role in the first place. 

This deterrent effect can have a huge impact in terms of optimising efficiency – you end up with fewer candidates to sort through, and with a higher level of quality within that playing field.

DBS checks aren’t foolproof

It’s important to note that DBS checks aren’t foolproof. They will only uncover information that’s known to the criminal justice system or to the police, and it’s very possible that candidates may have a criminal history that has slipped through the gaps of that system. 

You will have to use these checks to inform your broader judgement, basing your ultimate decision on all information – including hiring managers’ gut feelings – available to you. 

There are plenty of ways to optimise internal hiring processes, but it’s important not to become overly reliant on or confident in any single tool. Use things like DBS checks to build a broader picture of candidates, and you should be able to make better hiring decisions over the months and years to come.