What you can and cannot ask for in a background check
Checking someone is reasonable. Collecting everything about them is not. This is how we draw the line on the checks we run, and what we suggest you keep out of a hiring file.
Reasonable to ask for
Ask for what the job genuinely needs. For most roles that is a verifiable identity, a home address, references from people who have worked with them, and confirmation of the jobs they claim on their CV. For a driver, a valid licence. For a professional role, the qualification they are hired on.
The test is simple: could you explain to the candidate, in one sentence, why this role needs this piece of information? If not, do not collect it.
Needs their agreement first
Anything that involves contacting other people or looking the candidate up in a record needs their agreement before it happens. That covers identity lookups, an agent visiting their home, calls to guarantors, and contact with a previous employer.
Written agreement is better than a verbal yes, and specific is better than blanket. Our agreement form names the employer and lists exactly which checks were requested, so nobody agrees to something vague. Read how consent works for the full wording.
Tell the candidate before you contact a current employer. It can cost them their job.
Better left out of the decision
Keep religion, ethnic origin, state of origin, political views, marital status, pregnancy and family plans out of the process. They are not job requirements, they invite claims of unfair treatment, and they add nothing you can act on.
Health information belongs only where the role has a genuine physical requirement, and then only in the narrow form the role needs. Bank details belong to payroll after an offer, not to screening.
Holding what you collect
Keep the outcome, not the raw material. You need to know that an identity was confirmed and an address was visited. You rarely need copies of the documents behind them sitting in a shared inbox or a phone gallery.
Decide how long you keep files on people you did not hire, and keep them somewhere access is limited. On Hirably, evidence sits behind role-based access and reports show outcomes in plain language. What we hold and for how long is set out on our privacy page.
This is general guidance from the checks we run every day, not legal advice. For a specific situation, take advice from a Nigerian employment lawyer.