Pre-Employment Investigations: What They Are, How to Conduct Them, and Why

What Are Pre-Employment Investigations?

Unfortunately, many Italian businesses tend to underestimate the strategic role played by pre-employment investigations.

When companies are about to hire new professionals, it is useful to carry out a series of preliminary checks to verify the accuracy of the information provided in the candidate's resume and declared during the presentation phase.

Acting scrupulously allows companies to ensure the suitability of the prospective employee for the position. In general, employers, especially for key roles in the company, often engage investigative agencies to collect data that is then attached as supplementary documentation to the candidate's resume.

What comes out of these checks? Not always what the individuals involved declare corresponds to the truth.

These broad-spectrum investigations, conducted by private investigators and then delivered to client companies, often reveal inconsistencies with what is highlighted in the resume and what is communicated during the initial interview.

What to Check Before Hiring?

Verifying the accuracy of personal data, indicated skills, the candidate's educational qualifications, completion of military service, and registration with the relevant Professional Register is what private investigators do. The same applies to checking references, often required in the business world.

Delving into the reasons that led a professional to change jobs provides interesting insights in the candidate selection process. Human resources and employers can have a clear overview of the new hires' choices.

Often, during these checks, undisclosed dismissals and the real nature of the motivations come to light.

In pre-employment investigations, detailed scrutiny of employees' financial requests for positions in the company is feasible. Evaluating income sources, potential prejudicial acts such as bankruptcy, foreclosures, and the legitimacy of income is an integral part of these checks.

The common denominator of these investigations is always to verify if what candidates declare is true or not.

The sought-after individuals must always be reliable, and starting off on the right foot is crucial in any work endeavor.

Checks on social media profiles are also very useful, aimed at assessing the online presence of candidates ready to be recruited. All this is always in full compliance with the limits indicated by the law.

Why Is It Important to Investigate Before Hiring?

In a work context, the protection of company interests is one of the crucial objectives to consider, especially when recruiting new personnel. This verification work must mainly pass through investigations, checks, and assessments to confirm if the collected data corresponds to the truth.

Professional integrity, in this sense, forms the basis for establishing a fruitful working relationship between the parties involved. Only in this way can new personnel be inserted into strategic company roles with minimization of risks.

By using pre-employment investigations carried out impeccably by expert professionals in the field of investigations, the inclusion of candidates will proceed much more smoothly.

How and Who Conducts Pre-Employment Investigations?

In the case of pre-employment investigations, those operating in the sector must adhere to the principles established in Article 8 of the Workers' Statute.

Verification of the correctness of the data and information reported is always allowed, provided the focus does not concern political, religious, or union aspects of potential new employees.

First of all, one must think about a investigation strategy and narrow down the field of action. Subsequently, action is taken with the acquisition of data: do they correspond to what is reported in the resume? Are they in line with the statements made during the preliminary interview?

Only if the answers to these questions are affirmative, then a company would do well to continue the selection process with the interviewed candidates.

Conclusions

If your company intends to verify the accuracy of the information of the personnel you are about to select, then get in touch with Fidavo. As established professionals in the field, we can support you in the best way during selections, collecting evidence and material to attest to the accuracy of the information. All of this in absolute respect for the privacy of the candidates.